RENATUS SCHOOLING?
Wholesaler · Springfield, MA · Member since 2013 · 24 posts · 7 votes
RENATUS SCHOOLING?
Most Popular Reply
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
12y
Originally posted by Doug Leedy:
I belong to Renatus here in south Florida. It's 100% legit. I've been in real estate for 40 years and it's the best concept in real estate investing I've seen in my career. I only wish it had been available when I was younger. I've been to several of the Guru's and spent tens of thousands of dollars, so I know and understand their models, and Renatus blows them out of the water for several reasons.
Doug - You have 4 posts on BP, all of which are regarding this company and 3 of which are just cut-and-paste of the exact text above. While that doesn't necessarily detract from your experience or opinions, it does call into question your relationship with the company (and your motives for posting here).
Is there a reason you've chosen to participate in the discussions about this company over the past year, but no other discussions here on BP?
390 Replies
- Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes13y
Here's one existing thread on this company. Use the search function for both the old and new name and you'll find a bunch of discussion.
- Specialist · Westlake Village, CA · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 781 votes13y
Do your research carefully and find out if there the value is there. There are many altenatives.
- Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes13y
My advice is to stay away from organizations like this if your really intend on becoming a real investor.
- Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes13y
I won't accept rent from a felon because I won't rent to them. And I certainly wouldn't pay a felon to teach me how to invest in real estate.
- Wholesaler · Springfield, MA · Member since 2013 · 24 posts · 7 votes13y
yea i liked how they were online classes but im not sure if its worth it or if what they teach i can just find out myself for free. i dont know anyone who has paided for theyre courses and i cant find legit reviews on youtube. soo i guess ill just continue searching thanks everyone
- Elk Grove, CA · Member since 2013 · 21 posts · 8 votes12y
I am very new to BiggerPockets and Real Estate Investing... I almost wouldn't even consider myself a newbie. I stumbled across Renatus through a friend of mine who lives in another state. She bought the package and speaks highly of it. I have gone to a few few meeting with a group whose lead speaker is a member or as you can say graduate of the program. But like so many other pitches I've been given, it sound great but what is the real catch?! I cannot stop thinking and reading about Real Estate Investing and I know it's the community I want to be a part of. I have much to learn! And I appreciate all the comments.
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes12y
I belong to Renatus here in south Florida. It's 100% legit. I've been in real estate for 40 years and it's the best concept in real estate investing I've seen in my career. I only wish it had been available when I was younger. I've been to several of the Guru's and spent tens of thousands of dollars, so I know and understand their models, and Renatus blows them out of the water for several reasons.
It is a fact that about 75% of the wealthy 1% have earned their wealth through a combination of business ownership and Real estate investing. Renatus offers both. The education system is first-rate. They use the Instructional Systems Design method of teaching, which is what all of the major Colleges and Universities use for their online education. The instructors are all practitioner-instructors who are active, successful investors in the areas in which they teach. Renatus also teaches ALL the ways of investing, not just wholesaling and/or flipping. And, most importantly, they form local communities of investors who learn together, meet together and do deals together, forming a support system that is unique in the industry as far as I can tell. Also, the cost is much less than you were told. You can get in at the Essentials level for $1,997 and the MOST you can spend is $14,997. For that amount you get what I would say is the equivalent of a Master's Degree in real estate. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. Good luck.
- Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes12y
Originally posted by Doug Leedy:
I belong to Renatus here in south Florida. It's 100% legit. I've been in real estate for 40 years and it's the best concept in real estate investing I've seen in my career. I only wish it had been available when I was younger. I've been to several of the Guru's and spent tens of thousands of dollars, so I know and understand their models, and Renatus blows them out of the water for several reasons.
Doug - You have 4 posts on BP, all of which are regarding this company and 3 of which are just cut-and-paste of the exact text above. While that doesn't necessarily detract from your experience or opinions, it does call into question your relationship with the company (and your motives for posting here).
Is there a reason you've chosen to participate in the discussions about this company over the past year, but no other discussions here on BP?
- Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes12y
Florida, not saying there aren't great folks in FA, I know there are, I have relatives down there. The fraud in FA in areas of RE were so bad at one time, national mortgage bankers stopped buying notes there.
Have you considered contacting a real school, like a state university and see what courses they offer in RE?
How about a class for RE agents, you don't have to take the test and become an agent.
If you took these courses you'd know more about RE than most you want to teach you some strategy or program....IMO.
Never heard of this company, didn't read any forum about them, don't need to really. One semester class in a college course will probably give you more than any "private school". :)
- Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes12y
I cant agree more with J Scott on this. Those reading this need to know that this company is the offshoot of the Nouveau Riche company and there are many threads on that. Here is a link you can find by Googling this company: http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=6928
It is very common for one to come here and post something great about the company in an effort to get new customers, albeit, I give Doug credit for disclosing he is a part of this company meaning he likely brings others in and gets paid for it.
Here is one of many links on the new company Renatus:
Here is a link from the Wall Street Journal which anyone even remotely interested in any RE educational program should read FIRST!
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes12y
I'll be glad to explain. There are a number of real estate trainings and courses out there. Some are worthwhile, some are worthless and many are scams. I have done several of those and I understand how they operate and why they don't work for most people. I have a 40 year career in real estate as a Realtor and an appraiser. Early on I invested and discovered that I hated being a landlord so I got out of those and said I would never be a landlord again. That was the biggest mistake in my career and I want to try to prevent others from making that same mistake.
When I discovered Renatus a little over a year ago I was retired and new to Florida. I wanted to begin to invest down here but soon realized that it would take me 10 years to gain the necessary market knowledge to do so. The local Renatus community gave me the support and the knowledge that I needed. I now work directly with people from here who are, in some cases, seasoned, successful investors who work closely with me and, in some cases, partner with me to do deals together. That's what Renatus has that no other program that I am aware of has, and I believe that is the unique strength of Renatus.
There are a number of ways to learn real estate. I happen to believe that the Renatus model offers something that no other, including Bigger Pockets, offers. That's why I'm here. To offer another alternative that some people might find more useful than what they've seen elsewhere.
Believe me, I did my due diligence before getting involved. I even hired a Private Investigator to check out the head guy here in south Florida. I'm aware of Nouveau Riche and what happened there, and I'm aware of how Renatus was spun off of that in an effort to do this the right way. I'm very comfortable with that. Renatus won't be for everyone, but it offers things that I believe a lot of people need, but they won't know that possibility exists if they don't know Renatus exists. I hope this answers your concerns.
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes12y
Will, I'm really confused about your stance regarding Renatus. The first link you provided really proves my point, not yours. If you read the comments in response to the original post, they generally confirm my position and explain, to a large extent, the NR situation. The second link obviously does not refer to Renatus as we do NOT have weekend events like this. What is really your problem with Renatus?
- Investor · Birmingham, AL · Member since 2011 · 46 posts · 59 votes11y
I worked the Renatus system for a year after responding to one of their CL ads. I was looking to make money working from home and they sounded like a good group. I watched Scott Rowe's webinars. The guy is a motivational machine.
After signing up as an independent marketing agent and enrolling in the "college" here's what you will get. The Essentials courses are 10 online courses on very basic real estate concepts. The material is nothing that can't be found online (and free) elsewhere. The classes were so exciting I could only get through a few of them. With enrollment in the college comes a compensation plan for you to enroll others and make commissions. It sounds easy, even for someone not into MLM. The comp plan, as fantastic as it is for upper management and true top sales people, does not work for most peeps. Your donations will be feeding the 1%.
And then there is Craigslist. It's the way they recruit 99%. You will be posting so many ads on C/L that you will have multiple accounts, have to use friends and family cell numbers to phone verify accounts, and be considered a spammer. I had 12 accounts and 90 ads going one time. You will stick ads in all kinds of catagories. I put over two thousand contacts through their webinars. Renatus is the biggest spammer on CL.
You will get a great daily morning pep rally via webinar.
There are very few people making money at Renatus. Most quit with 98% eventual drop out rate. They won't tell you that. They may not teach you real estate, but they will teach you to take other people's money. Save your money! And . . .. . . don't quit your day job yet! - Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes11y
People if you are looking to get rich quick in real estate then stop now. It takes a lot of work, passion, and loving what you do.
Look at anyone at the top in any field and they are very good at what they do. The rest get mediocre to zero results.
A bunch of companies sell people on a dream and how easy something will be to make money.
Take easy out of your mind and except you will need to work very hard BUT smart to get ahead. If you are not willing to do this do not even start. People start investing at the MICRO level where they live. So if that holds true for many it makes sense to try and connect up with a local investor that is highly successful doing what you want to do.
Having said that successful people get contacted all the time by people asking them to show them the way to financial freedom and happiness. After going through dud after dud many seasoned investors just say forget it with training someone up. It can be a large waste of time and resources.
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes11y
Joel, you pretty much hit the nail on the head and really sum it up in your last sentence. In a perfect world free apprenticeship would be prevalent and exist throughout the land. Unfortunately, there is no utopia. Human nature sneaks in. Successful investors don't have the time, the patience OR THE INCENTIVES to mentor people. It just doesn't happen despite the best of intentions.
Our economy is based on incentives. $10,000 is a helluva incentive. That's the reason Renatus has a marketing component. The marketing is totally optional but remember, every college and university recruits students. Harvard does, Ohio State does and the tiny College of Wooster does. While Renatus is not an accredited school, it needs students too. Otherwise, what's the point? And they have chosen to find their students through word of mouth instead of mass advertising, traveling from city to city, in and out, high pressure meetings all around the country like the guru's do.
But the bottom line is effectiveness. Real estate investing is complicated and technical and a mistake can be fatal. You better know what you're doing. Most people instinctively know this and it is the main reason so many people talk about investing but never do it. Fear. It's a great dis-incentive. I know of no other program anywhere that gives the kind of personal support system that Renatus does. It's a great concept that works. It's not for everyone, but it is for everyone who is serious about real estate and wealth-building and independence. It's not an easy road but it's a rewarding road for those who get it.
All I'm saying is that it's worth the time to thoroughly check out Renatus. Put aside your prejudices and your pre-conceptions and take an objective look to see if it's for you. See what Renatus offers and how they do it. If you want a short introductory webinar just let me know and I'll get it to you. There's no pressure here. I'm looking for partners not numbers. Real estate can be rewarding and life-changing but it's not easy. There's nothing quick or easy about it and you better know what you're doing. That's what we do. Knowledge and support. That's a pretty good equation.
- Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes11y
Well, now that is interesting, comparing educational institutions like Harvard to some privately owned organization pumping what they see or claim to be an education.
For centuries, there have been two areas to teach or educate people skills and knowledge to earn an income, they have always been divided as to a vocation and a profession.
Vocations have been through apprenticeships, the student learns from the "master" of the skill or art being taught. Professions have a distinction different from vocations in that there is a greater knowledge required over the degree of skill and professions are taught through universities, where professors teach different aspects of study that give a student a broader basis of education. Carpenters and car salesman can learn as an apprentice, doctors or attorneys or CPAs must learn from professors and then may go through an apprentice program, professionals have a higher degree of education required than trades.
RE is in the finance arena, it falls there as an economic function and it is a profession, it is not a trade such as being a plumber.
That leads me to a question then, since RE management, sales, purchasing, leasing is a profession, it requires a broader understanding in the industry than a single niche, that makes me ask who might be giving professional training, who are these professors of wisdom that advance the broad spectrum of education required in a profession?
For any accredited college or university, the instructor must have obtained a higher degree of knowledge than those students in areas taught. These private organizations fail in this aspect more often than not. They are claiming they have "masters" of a trade or some niche teaching what they claim is a vocational area when it is a part of a profession, saying, they aren't qualified to teach a profession. Professors or teachers teach professions, specialists give instruction in trades and vocations but aren't considered teachers.
Teaching is another profession, the subject matter being taught may require experience in a subject but a teacher must also have a degree of knowledge that exceeds that subject that include the techniques of teaching. Teachers can teach lower degrees of educational requirements, if they have experience in the subject they can teach a skill or vocation as well as a professional endeavor.
Sorry this is so long.
You won't find anyone teaching at Harvard or any university that simply has 40 years of specialized experience and does not have the educational requirements at a professional level teaching any class! But, that is what you get with gurus, teachers that are not qualified educationally to teach a profession in an accredited curriculum.
The curriculum, universities and colleges have clearly defined areas of study with prerequisite requirements, you must learn to spell before you go to the creative writing class. You do not get this approach from any guru, they may begin, and generally do, by passing over the basics required to move on with a sound education. Gurus give instruction on methods, practices, marketing aspects and transactions that are 1. easy to provide instruction on and 2. can be sold as a product, in other words it can be hyped, implied success is given, wealth building and such phrases are used to sell the product.
Comparing any guru course to a graduate level degree is laughable, probably made by someone who has never obtained a graduate degree, total BS. I'll bet my bank account that no guru teaches statistics, financial analysis, law, economics and real estate at a graduate level that you would receive at any accredited university.....total BS!
So, those seeking a profession, in business, need much more educationally than what a technician is exposed to in some niche industry. An appraiser may give instruction on how to do an appraisal, they are not qualified by profession to teach appraisal techniques in an educational setting unless they are further qualified.
Point being, you'll find that gurus and their instructors may have experience in the RE industry, of some kind, but they are not qualified to professionally teach. Their products are not tested and accredited by any governing authority as schools have been for centuries. When I went through grad school, no one promised or even implied that I would become wealthy, but gurus do.
All of this is to point out to everyone that gurus do not educate, they may inform, they may instruct but they do not educate and the products are not a conventional educational curriculum of study, most is old stuff with some twist.
Often, those twists are not ethical or even legal in all states, they may not be accepted as common practice and that is often the basis of materials being different. The reason some method is not widely done is that it may be illegal, unacceptable, expressly or implied, is what makes it the "secret".
There is no program, no method, no transaction known to man kind that is legal, ethical and accepted that can not be answered here on BP, nothing! The trick is, asking the right question!
We have qualified persons here on BP to teach, we have teachers, we have masters of trades, we have professionals by education and by experience and what may not be known by one will most likely be known by another. A few of use on BP can go far beyond what "investors" deal with in residential and small commercial transactions.
Ignorance is what keeps gurus in business, the naïve looking for short cuts, the lazy who think they are entitled to do something simple to make big money, those that do not have the capacity to learn basic life skills that any business requires. That's pretty much what they all prey on, ignorance, easy money, laziness and the mentally challenged promising that unrealistic dreams can come true.
And, I'm not saying you must have some degree to succeed in RE, I'm saying you need an education. Not everyone is cut out to chase dreams in real estate, I have personal friends who are millionaires who got their money from trucking companies, having trash pick-up services, who started out running a bait shop, an auto parts business, selling musical instruments and groceries, yes, and in real estate, but there are many avenues to take. None that I know of every went to hype pitchmen selling ways to build there business, but they all relied on professional advice.
Lastly, to those that advocate some guru course, obviously you lack a specialized education and a professional approach, otherwise you wouldn't have needed the course. We've had these education threads before, those that say you don't need an education usually don't have one nor are they as successful as they think or let on. Those that teach guru stuff are probably doing the best they can at making money, the easy thing to do is to con others. :)
- Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes11y
Originally posted by @Bill Gulley:
Well, now that is interesting, comparing educational institutions like Harvard to some privately owned organization pumping what they see or claim to be an education.
Come on, Bill...give the guy a chance to make his case!
Okay, now we're comparing Harvard to Renatus...
I'm going to guess that the average Harvard grad has a 90%+ chance of a successful career in his field of study. Even the small College of Wooster (the example given above) likely has a 50%+ rate of success with their students (perhaps much higher).
For any Renatus fans, what would you say is the success rate of your students? Would you say you're as good as Harvard? Perhaps as good as the small College of Wooster? Or would you say your success rate is much, much lower?
If it's much, much lower, to what would you attribute that?
Remember, Harvard is tough to get into. Even the College of Wooster likely has a rigorous application and acceptance policy. What does it take to get into Renatus? What percentage of your applicants are turned down?
If you want to compare Renatus to accredited universities, that's great. But, the onus is on you to prove that the analogy is true. So, let's hear some numbers!
Btw, I've been asked by hundreds of people to be a mentor. I've actually mentored 5 people. They've all been successful, to the tune of 150+ deals between them. So, I guess that puts me at Harvard numbers (most students denied, but 100% success rate with those that got mentored). (Btw, I can promise you that regardless of these numbers, I would never compare myself to Harvard :)
If your success rate is much lower and you accept everyone who walks in the door willing to pay, how are YOU comparing Renatus to Harvard? You can't even compare Renatus to ME! :-)
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes11y
That's a lot of words to say nothing. You like BP, I like BP and Renatus. Let people decide which they prefer.
- 11yDev HornPro MemberFlipper/Rehabber · Arlington, TX · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
I wouldn't say he said "nothing". That's a bit harsh! =)
Disclosure: I know NOTHING about Renatus. Never heard of them and never had that name mentioned by the 100's of investors I've worked with over the years. Of course, my personal lack of awareness means very little. I just can't comment on them.
But I will say this - BP is NOT education. Being on BP is not an alternative to any structured program for learning about real estate. There are some smart people that comment in here. And, like any forum, some that post to drive up their post count! So there is no real FILTER to the information in ANY forum like this (not a BP criticism) and there is no PROGRAM to present this information as "education". Can you learn some stuff in here? Absolutely? But this isn't Harvard either.
When you're brand new and can't buy education - go to books like the Flipping Book by J. Scott which present quality information from a trusted source in a structured manner. That's a lot closer to "education" than hanging out and reading forum posts (which I advise you to do as well!).
When you can afford an education, seek out quality, professional education - maybe start by studying for your REAL ESTATE LICENSE by attending an online course (I an currently attending online).
Forget the gurus / infomarketers - they just want to max out your credit card and don't give a cr*p if you learn anything or succeed.
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." ~ Vince Lombardi
- Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes11y
Originally posted by @Doug Leedy:
That's a lot of words to say nothing. You like BP, I like BP and Renatus. Let people decide which they prefer.
But, let's also arm them with information to help them decide...
I'll ask again, two questions:
1. What percentage of Renatus students who are willing to pay are turned down because they are deemed too unlikely to succeed?
2. What percentage of Renatus students go on to be successful investors?
- Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes11y
@J Scott reminds me of the movie, Trading Places, want to bet we could take one of their failures, groom them, teach them, train them to succeed on a deal on their own? LOL
I think we ought to let poor Dave be, I typed way too much and I don't blame anyone for not reading it all, but there were several points, they may go right over the heads of guru advocates, so I don't blame anyone.
I was asked by a private college here to head up a RE department, I actually considered it, they are "accredited", but I found that they were being sued for bait and switch, selling unnecessary classes toward degrees, that they promised great employment but their ratio of those getting employment in their field were very low. So, my answer was NO!
I can't even imagine how hard it might be to sell classes from a "school" that has a felon's name attached to it, regardless of how "good" it was, I'd have my reputation attached to him as well, that "birds of a feather" thing. The other thing, once on the radar it's hard to keep a low profile and I'd hate knowing that what I was teaching may be a target of regulators at any time, I think I'd move on to greener pastures, doesn't take much more to give instruction in RE or mentor in other areas.
J. Scott, I doubt you get those facts, why would they even keep track of such things, that's not the business model I don't think. :)
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes11y
We can go back and forth on this all day. All I know is this: I've been licensed in real estate for 40 years. Licensing teaches you virtually NOTHING about investing. It teaches you to list and sell and how the law affects you, how to do things legally and ethically and what to look out for. In some instances it does teach the basics of more "typical" real estate investments but that's about it.
In Renatus, I have been exposed to investors from all over the country and in some other parts of the world. I'm actively investing in Ohio, Florida and Illinois and I'm looking at an investment in Belize, all with other Renatus members. I am also in the process of going through training (free of charge) with a company called US Residential to learn how to use their software to do deals with most of the big Hedge Funds (including Blackstone), with other Renatus members across the country and for myself. I have done a private loan as a lender and I will be learning about buying down notes and mortgages and how to manage Management companies for larger commercial investments should I decide to go that route. I will also look into tax liens and tax deeds.
There is NO additional cost for any of this and mentoring is included in the Renatus business model, both one-on-one and many-on-one. MOST people would have no idea where to begin concerning most of these strategies and there is significant risk involved if you don't know what you're doing. I'm not willing to roll the dice to that extent, and I don't think most other people are either.
As I said, Renatus may not be for everyone, but many people that I know and have met personally have absolutely turned their lives around with this program. It wasn't easy and it wasn't necessarily quick, but it was effective. I believe what I personally see, not what someone tells me and certainly not what someone who knows nothing about a company tell me about it. Due diligence is a must. Before I purchased my education I hired a PI to look into the background of my potential mentor. You think I wasn't cynical? But he came up clean and has been a great help to me. Don't believe what I tell you, look into it yourself and make your own decision.
- Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes11y
Originally posted by @Doug Leedy:
As I said, Renatus may not be for everyone, but many people that I know and have met personally have absolutely turned their lives around with this program.Quick question -- If someone reads your posts about Renatus, approaches you for more info and then you help them sign up, do you get paid?
In other words, do you have a direct financial incentive for signing up new members?
- Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes11y
I made an ooops, I called Doug, Dave above, sorry.
I agree with Doug, the basics teach you the laws applicable to RE transactions, deed transfers, title matters, appraisal techniques, market analysis, agency relationships, how to buy and sell, even lease.......now, doesn't that sound like stuff investors need to know to keep the legal, not screw up using the wrong approach, spotting title issues, valuations of their investments, picking the right market, working with Realtors without looking like an idiot, how to acquire and exit from properties, how to lease and manage your investments?
But Doug seems to think that's not necessary to invest.......
Let's buy some stock today, you get the darts and I'll post the WSJ stock pages on the wall, throw the darts and whatever you hit, you can buy! You might do okay, but that is not investing!
Methods and systems do not make an investor. Education in stocks or bonds or real estate or other assets teaches investing. Methods and systems are the activities you may use to transact the exchange of assets, they don't teach you squat about the assets you are dealing with!
The old adage, "know your product" applies to everything that sales people deal with in commerce, shoes, suits, cars, cold medicine, tractors, houses, trailers, horses, everything!
There is a recent thread where a couple newbies bout some surplus hoses real cheap, they thought buying cheap meant bigger profits, they later found they were wrong because they didn't understand what they were actually buying, now they wonder what the loss will be.
That's what happens when you skip the basics and jump into methods or systems! :)
- Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 28 votes11y
J Scott: Yes. 50% commission. Direct sales. Completely voluntary. It's up to you to decide if you want to do that or just be an investor. I went in with no intention of marketing. I wanted to learn to invest as safely and intelligently as possible but when I dug through the classes and saw what was there I decided that there were a lot of people who could use this. That's how I became interested in marketing the product. I really don't sell, I inform people of what is out there for them, what Renatus offers and how it works. That's it, the ball is in their court.
Bill G: I don't get your point. Are you telling me that getting a real estate license prepares you to become an investor? Hell, ask any broker...it doesn't even prepare them to become realtors. Experience does. The license just gets them in the door. I'm not knocking becoming a realtor. I was one for about a dozen years, enjoyed it and respect most realtors but it's no prep for investing. At least not safely.
