Does anyone have experience working with a company called Nudge, based in Lindon, Utah?  The company url is https://nudge.com/

They look legit - they have 60 employee reviews on Glassdoor and were written up in the Inc 5000 as one of the top growth companies in Utah.  Their company description is this:  "Based out of Lindon, UT, Nudge aims to provide its clients with single-family, owner-occupied, and investment properties, as well as a variety of top-notch real estate services."

However, they haven't responded to several emails to their corporate address, 1:1 inquiries from a few people on BP, or phone calls.  Their corporate phone line had a weird extension that didn't even seem like it belonged to a company called "Nudge."

The lack of response is strange - I should be right in the center of their bulls-eye: I'm a prospective investor from CA who is looking to buy properties (SFH) in Salt Lake and Utah counties.

Anyone know them?

Yes I know about them.  You're welcome to call me personally if you'd like.  I'm based in that area and pass their signs regularly.  They have a model like buyPD and others that buy in bulk distressed assets in distressed markets and sell their inventory.  To my knowledge they really don't have any inventory of value in Utah because you cannot buy that type of product in our market...the market is simply too healthy and stable for that.  

Here's the same recommendation I have provided hundreds of clients on dozens of outfits like this. I do not have any personal knowledge of this one.

I have seen dozens of these types of companies rise and fall in Utah over 15 years of my experience here. Many of them have the same owners as previous ones that went bankrupt. They are modeled off of national companies that do the same thing. Get you to pay a lot to be part of the club by telling you they are going to bring you deals. So my advice is BE VERY CAREFUL about paying (usually a LOT) of money to be part of a system that brings you deals, education or whatever. Most clients that have been involved have had bad experiences. A few have good experiences. I'm sure a lot depends on the individual investor. But I find that most of these over promise and under deliver. They also bring you into a eco-system where they control all parts of the deal: hard money financing, wholesaling, property management, sales. They make money at all levels. Most deals are also out of state, and I'm not a big fan of doing that unless you're a VERY sophisticated investor. The deals, when taken as a whole, are never that great to the investor. And you can get the same opportunities, and possibly better education and networking at the REIAs, and for a just a few bucks. Also, these always seem to pop up in Utah County. That speaks a lot for itself.

In short, educate yourself cheaply first, Attend REIAs, talk to others, read. Then you are in a better position to analyze the value of what you are buying.

Jeff

Hi there @Nate W.

I have also not heard of that company but i totally agree with Jeffrey Breglio comments above.

Based on your description above, i see RED and RED and RED flags everywhere based on their zero responses to your inquiries. With you being out of state investor, you should be even more vigilant than an in-state investor. So by now even if someone on BP site recommends them right now, i would not recommend that you use them because of their failure to respond to your inquiries on time. 

If you're serious about investing in this market, i would recommend connecting with BP members who are located this market and you making at least a long weekend trip to the market and get yourself familiar with the market before call any shot.

Cheers and good luck

Huge thanks to the professionals who replied here.  This was my first post and I'm blown away by the turnaround time and quality of insight provided.  

I'm open to a counter on Nudge just cause I don't want to seem one-sided.  But....red flags...yeah.  Seems like they might not be the right partner for me.  

@Steven Bond Nice to know you. I'll give you a call this week. Am hoping to find a nice SFH as a long-term investment.

Jeffrey Breglio I'm taking your advice to heart and flying out to UT in 2 weeks to get a better feel for the market.  Let me know if you are open to grabbing a coffee/hot chocolate somewhere near Lehi.

Nate

As a person who owns real estate in Utah and has worked with multiple investors in/from Utah, my advice based on personal experience is if you are not from Utah, do not put your money in Utah.

Go to ski. Then go home.

@Aaron Mazzrillo

Intriguing.  I live in Sunnyvale, CA and am renting a 1,500 sq ft 3x2 that would sell for $1.6m if put on the market.  So, options in my own backyard are limited. 

My wife is from UT and we visit 2-3 times a year.  I went to college there as well.  So UT is probably the secondary market I'd have the most knowledge of.

For what reasons would you suggest staying away from UT?

(I'm totally with you on the skiing)  

@Nate W.

I have invested in Hawaii, California and now in Utah, where I currently live. I find great opportunities here but investing out of state is always difficult. The successful out-of-state investors I know are either wholesaling through local networks or they have enough money and properties to connect with the best property managers in their chosen market.  I have looked into some "turn-key" deals in Utah, Idaho and in Kansas City, Mo. On much closer inspection they just didn't add up and there were no real guarantees. If you come to Utah, check out SLREIA.com and find one of the lunch groups that fits your visiting schedule. Good networking there! ... and maybe we'll see you.

Originally posted by @Nate W. :

@Aaron Mazzrillo

Intriguing.  I live in Sunnyvale, CA and am renting a 1,500 sq ft 3x2 that would sell for $1.6m if put on the market.  So, options in my own backyard are limited. 

My wife is from UT and we visit 2-3 times a year.  I went to college there as well.  So UT is probably the secondary market I'd have the most knowledge of.

For what reasons would you suggest staying away from UT?

(I'm totally with you on the skiing)  

If you're going there a few times a year and your wife is from there, then you're probably in a position to find your own deals there. I wouldn't rely on others to find you properties. You'll probably end up with a bunch of 100 year old junk in Ogden - felon tenant capital of the west. I've deal with 4 different investors operating out of the SLC area and at the end of the day, none of the 4 were above board. All had hidden agendas, back handed deals and when their true colors showed, they were just unethical people. That's my personal experience. Maybe I found the only 4 scumbags in the whole state, but I doubt it. I've dealt with 100s of investors here. I've been burned by 2 - one of whom is a transplant from... (drum roll).. Utah.