Ajay Ahuja, probably best known as the author of the best selling “Buy To Let Bible” published in 2001, so he has been around for quite some time.

Unfortunately I have to start off with a Health Warning, both Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action & Richard Bowser of Property Investor News have written about Ajay in less than favourable terms click here.

There are two sorts of education sites.

The first are sites that tell you how fantastic the promoters are and how they can make you loads of money, virtually overnight.

The second are sites that provide loads of free quality information, make reasonable claims and seem to have a handle on most aspects of buy to let.

Whilst I am not going to list those that, in my opinion, fall into the 1st category, could be regarded as libellous and anyway you can make up your own minds, this site definitely falls into the 2nd category along with Rhett Lewis, for example.

That said, whilst I was surfing around the site I ended up on a page, click, that falls into the 1st sort of site mentioned above.

I have included the link because the page title, Ahuja Group Full Membership Package and the url are not the same.

This page also summarises what Ahuja are all about and I quote:

“It means that anything to do with high yielding BMV properties you can find here” Here being Ahuja’s site.

Back to the main site, ok there is a fair amount of sales spiel and if you register you will receive 2, 3 or 4 emails a day from Ajay.

It seems that if Ajuha has a bright idea then it is a question of grabbing the keyboard and pressing the right buttons to put you in the picture.

Doesn’t matter what day it is, though I haven’t been registered long enough to see what happens on Easter Sunday or Christmas Day!

Search ahujagroup on You Tube and you will find a number of videos.

I am not very impressed with the quality and content which is a pity as the rest of the site is all quality.

I can’t find it on the site but having registered I have been invited by email to a free 1 day seminar, why free because Ajay says that they make their money from doing property deals for their students and can afford to run a 1-day seminar for free. Makes sense, have not been on one yet.

Also I have never seen Ajay at any of the Networking Events so there may not be an opportunity to try the “see and hear before you buy” test.

TO BE CONTINUED.

In the meantime it is well worth your while registering on this site even if you are going to receive endless emails, at least they are clearly visible as to who they are from.

David Humphreys

26-6-09

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I am going to start off by quoting from Rhett’s site, which is not something that I generally do but this really is the first site that I think starts to live up to the claims made by the owner, Rhett Lewis, at first sight anyway.

“Established in 2005, Rhett Lewis Property Investments helps individuals invest in property and grow their portfolios successfully and profitably. This is achieved through three separate divisions. Profit Generator, Insider Knowledge and Folio+. Over the past few years, Rhett Lewis has created a hugely successful property buying company based in Nottingham, UK. Solutions for Property was established just over three years ago with the vision to solve people’s housing problems.

Rhett claims that his site is “UK’s Leading Website With Free Resources For Property Investors”.

Now I would take issue with this claim because buy-to-let.com now exists but prior to the re-development of this site I would not argue with Rhett’s claim.

I have never met the man or heard him speak, know people who have and who speak highly of him and none of these people appear under his Testimonials.

Through the site Rhett Lewis offers a formidable range of products and services and about the only thing that concerns me is, given the range and mention of “experts” that are on-board, the experts are not named unlike other educators such as Richard Shepherd & Vanish Patel.

I am going to publish this as “unfinished” because there is so much on Rhett’s site that deserves mention but requires closer examination first.

This is not one of those endless pages that I hate but a properly put together site, in my layman’s opinion.

So until I get back into the site and have a really good look around, there are three aspects that you should look at immediately.

Rhett runs the East Midlands Property Networking Club which meets at the Novotel Hotel, Long Eaton Nottingham NG10 4EP. Go along and see and hear the man plus his guest speaker.

He has also published an eBook on how to avoid “The 77 Mistakes Made By Property Investors”, 1st 7 chapters free, quite simply register and download it.

Rhett runs a Seminar for £ 27.00 pp. I am sure that the purpose is to sell more of his products & services but still go for it. Next one is listed for 3rd October 2009, that will be the 3rd this year.

Oh and a 4th thing to do. Go to Free Resources and join up which is free and start downloading a load of freeby information. Result of a quick look, they constitute a course in themselves!

When you see this resource you will understand why I want to spend a little more time on this site before writing further.

To be continued:

David Humphreys 20-6-09

Vanish Patel, a very well known speaker, mentor, experienced investor, avid networker, promoter of most things buy-to-let, who lists a veritable who’s who of experts on his Property Networking Club site.

Now this guy doesn’t quite go back to the dark ages like me, but has been around for some years and certainly more years than most of the other course promoters both on this site and on Google searches.

Vanish is all into trying to make you a successful investor and also quickly gets to the point and cuts through the B.S.

His Property Networking Club is not to be confused with Networking Events such as The Berkshire Meet.

The Property Networking Club is Vanish’s brand just as buy-to-let.com is mine.

You will find though that Vanish is a regular speaker at other networking events as well as appearing at other people’s courses such as Richard Shepherd’s Your Property Tutor & Mastermind University plus the events that Steve Foley, eConfex promotes.

Through the Property Networking Club Vanish runs events three times a month, one in London, then Birmingham & then Manchester.

I have not attended any of these events so can’t comment on what happens but I have heard Vanish speak on many occasions, he was the principle speaker at The Berkshire Meet Jan 2009 and most recently at a workshop run by Richard Shepherd June 15th in Maidenhead, see our review.

All I can say for the moment is that if Vanish appears on the list of speakers go to the event.

Also by registering on his site you will receive regular emails inviting you to an event that Vanish is either speaking at or running including telephone based Q & A sessions, so you don’t even have to leave home to gauge his value!

You may not be able to see him over the phone but you can hear him which should be enough.

Always good value for money and thought provoking often with a number of Group Activities which are always fun and illuminating.

His other areas of interest are Marketing Advice for Property Investors through his site VanishPatel.com plus Property Hotspots & a Property Finance Workshop, held each month around the middle of the month in the Thistle Hotel, Euston.

Yet to attend any of these events but Vanish is a great guy, good value, got the Knowledge, no B.S. so go for it!

10-11-12 July Hilton Metropole Hotel Edgware London

This is a “Must Go To” Event

Although Property Giants promoted by Steve Foley of eConfex is more of an event than an education course, seminar or workshop, the Property Giants event involves some of the best known experts in the buy-to-let field delivering their latest 2009 strategies.

The format is that each speaker delivers good content for 45 minutes and is then allowed by Steve to “sell” their course or product to the delegates attending.

Steve is pretty strict on making sure that the speakers keep to this format and also almost demands that the speakers offer some sort of special deal that is available just for this weekend.

Before I go on any further about Property Giants, I went to one of these events in 2008, which was where I met and heard most of the course providers featured on this site, and I can’t recommend Property Giants highly enough.

You get to see and hear, on this occasion 15 leading speakers all of which you might think of buying into, at a cost far greater than the £ 127 that Steve is charging or £ 197 for 2 places.

This event is now FREE to the 1st 20 buy to let registered members to reserve a place.

Book by phone 07966200895 or email steve@econfex.com quoting buy-to-let.com.

These prices are fully inclusive of all food at the hotel, that is breakfast, lunch & dinner plus a free drink on Steve, at least that is what happened when I went.

Also most of the speakers are there for the weekend, so you have the chance to talk to them through the evening and at breakfast.

Steve is also including a “Meet The Mentors’ Dinner” in the price on the Saturday evening.

The speakers at Property Giants are:

We are not there, I am delivering an Advanced Training for The Wealth Intelligence Academy that weekend.

Click here to go to Property Giants web site and book your place.

I guarantee that you will not regret it, it is the only event of it’s type in the UK and you will have  the chance to see & hear 15 of the leading experts in their fields over a packed 3 days at one venue.

And, by the way, you can also believe all the “B.S” on the Property Giants web site too!!

David Humphreys

05-07-09

Richard Shepherd & Your Property Tutor offers 10 months, 10 seminars or workshops, of the  “Mastermind University” covering a range of subjects of which BMV & Lease Options form the core.

Your Property Tutor costs £ 3,997 for 1 person, £ 4,997 for partners who will be asked to “ demonstrate that you are working together”.

That said, Richard is currently offering a 1 day BMV workshop in either London or Manchester for £ 297.00, 2nd person half-price. I quote from the advertising email:

“These are both 1-day workshops in which I show you and other property investors how to consistently buy properties well below their market value”.

Once again Richard is a regular speaker at Networking Events so you can see and hear before you buy.

He is also running events prior to Networking Events at a low cost of £ 27.00 or thereabouts, which bring together a panel of “experts” for a  “Power-Up Mastermind Open Day” and gives you the opportunity to get in even closer on your see and hear before you buy quest.

The panel of experts includes Vanish Patel who will probably be familiar to many of you and who runs the Property Networking Club.

Richard does offer a sourcing or acquisition service, but he makes it very clear that he is not about selling you an “investment” property.

A good speaker and enthusiastic about his subject.

I saw him speak at a recent Network Event in Oxford which will be reviewed shortly.

He promises “7 FREE Property Sourcing Strategies” on registration which I have yet to receive having just registered, should get the 1st one tomorrow so more to come on this man and probably a review shortly.

Attended Richard’s  Workshop prior to the Berkshire Meet June 15th 2009 which has been reviewed, go to review.

Have now received the 7 FREE…..  and they make quite interesting reading. I am all for freebies, and Richard’s are worth reading even if they are part of the sales process to get you to sign up to his Mastermind University, I quote “If you have learned something from the 7 Free Property Sourcing Strategies then I guarantee you that you'd learn much, much more by attending the workshop.”

At the very least sign up for the freebies.

There are dozens if not hundreds of Buy To Let Newsletters published by all and sundry.

Some are from independent people like Property Investor News whose editor Richard Bowser is a publisher and not an estate agent, mortgage broker or commercial enterprise publishing a newsletter on the side so to speak.

Some of these newsletters are free, some, like Property Investor News, have to be paid for on a subscription basis.

Some of the freebies are published only for the purpose of getting you to register so that you can receive the newsletter by email or as a sales pitch.

That gives the publisher the opportunity to send you emails about all sorts of other products and services that they are promoting.

The problem is that some of these newsletters are worth receiving because of the content, others are not, and one has to look at the content from the point of view of the publisher or promoter.

Almost regardless of market conditions there are always “green shoots” or “opportunities not to be missed” in many of these newsletters.

A case in point is a newsletter published each month by a mate of mine Geoff Laird, a mortgage broker, Buy To Let Funding Services (South East), about the mortgage market and he is not only including mortgage rates and availability but his take on where the market is going.

Is this editorial, advertorial or advert with content?

So what are his credentials, well he was a senior member of Paragon’s staff before the retired, so probably knows a bit about mortgages!

I know Geoff and can tell you that at worst it is advertorial and best editorial  but if you didn’t know him you might find it hard to judge.

But how do you choose which to bring in to your mail box and which not to or consign to your spam eater.

Well I have subscribed to a whole lot of them and written up a small piece on each, whether I think it is worth having or not.

Trouble is you can’t rely on my judgement completely .

So please don’t hang me if  I either miss one or slate one that you like!

On another point, freebies are all very well, but subscription based buy to let newsletters or buy to let magazines may be more impartial.

That said, a recent addition, started mid 2008, is the Your Property Network, The UK’s Fastest Growing Property Magazine, or so they claim.

Subscription based started out as 80% content, 20% advertising or thereabouts and today, mid 2009, the ratios are virtually reversed!

But it still includes both useful editorial and advertorial and of course adverts.

See Newsletter Reviews for more info on any of the titles mentioned plus others.

David Humphreys

Reliable advice is very difficult to come by and need constantly updating in some areas particularly in the current market, June 2009.

There is almost daily talk or reporting about Market Conditions and whether they are changing, if not then, when they are changing and dependent on who you listen to it is either virtually all “doom & gloom” or virtually all “fantastic opportunities”.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. There is also no single market in the UK, there are hundreds if not thousands of little local markets and most if not all of the figures and statistics that are published are just averages across the UK.

As a property investor or trader you need to know what is happening the the local market that you are operating in. Hence the need for research which you will find on this site.

So to buy to let or property investment advice.

All the advice on this site is of a general nature.

It cannot be specific to you and your circumstances because everyone’s requirements differ.

If you want qualified advice then you must contact a suitably qualified person.

If you want further and more individual advice from us then please email or phone us but, dependent on the advice required and time taken we do reserve the right to make a charge. We would only make a charge having agreed this with you at the outset.

So What’s The Problem?

We have a team of experts who should be able to answer any question put to them on the huge range of subjects that make up buy to let, buy to flip or any of the other variants involved.

Got a problem, email problem@buy-to-let.com and we will try and come up with the answer.

If we don’t know the answer there is a high chance that we know someone who does.

So What’s The Problem?

We have a team of experts who should be able to answer any question put to them on the huge range of subjects that make up buy to let, buy to flip or any of the other variants involved.

Got a problem, email problem@buy-to-let.com and we will try and come up with the answer.

If we don’t know the answer there is a high chance that we know someone who does.

Rick Otton is mentioned regularly on the speaker circuit but I have never met him or heard him speak.

At a Steve Foley conference in 2009, I did listen to a presentation made by David Lee, a student of Rick Otton and the promoter of Rick Otton’s courses in the UK.

The talk was under the banner of “How to buy a house for a £1.00” and I have to say that I was very un-impressed.

On my “see and hear before you buy” test, I would not buy.

Why, well over half the time, or at least that is the way it felt, was spent watching and listening to Rick Otton videos along with David Lee,  which you can see by simply googling Rick Otton in the Google video section.

You don’t need to pay to go to a conference to see these videos.

The other downer was that David Lee ran well over time.

He had the pre-lunch slot and finally wrapped up at close to 2 pm, by which time most of us, and certainly me, were to hungry to care much about Rick Otton even if I could buy a house for a £ 1.00.

But, not to be put off, I registered on his UK website and am now in the process of working through his free 5 part mini course and so far it makes a load of sense.

In fact it probably makes more sense than most of the other sites in this list above.

I will report further when I have received and finished this mini course.

10-06-09