US Invest

O

oper8rNZ

New Member
Any comments about the services or war staries with the company US Invest? They are hitting up investors in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Singapore at the moment. I get suspicious of these group buy things, but as the US is an unknown market for me it may be necessary to use their services. Cheers :beer:
 
S

speedy gonzales

New Member
oper8rNZ,

Lets begin with the membership fee's they charge you to get "exclusive" access to their services and property inventory. Any information they provide is freely available on the web and the property they sell to you are far from exclusive. They are simply referring you on to turnkey companies and making out that it's their construction crews, their finance and their properties they are selling. The whole lot is a crock and they run a boiler room telemarketing operation looking for suckers that think they can't possibly do it all on their own you will make all the mistakes under the sun and you simply must have them hold your hand throughout. So they make the membership fees plus they get paid commissions from the turnkey companies as well.
If things go wrong you will have no comeback against them as they are not licensed realtors. Do yourself a favour and stay well away from them if you want success in US investments. It's not that hard if you research your market and have the contacts. For example....I use a licensed realtor in Dallas who hand selects particular properties that suit my personal criteria. The same company are also my property managers and also assisted me with a construction company to do the small refurb. I have a local bank that lenders me 65% of the purchase price at rates below 6% over a 20 year term. My last one cost me $110,000-00, needed $8,000-00 refurb and has comparables sales around it for $180,000-00 so I have instant equity and cashflow. That same property if US Invest was involved and you went through a turnkey process would cost you around the retail price of $180,000-00.
 
O

oper8rNZ

New Member
thanks for the comments, I suspected as much, seen similar schemes selling NZ and Aussie property, would never use one in NZ but I don't have a lot of time at the moment, so conisdered a third party. Your idea about getting a reliable agent makes sense. Will have a scout around next time I go over there. I presume you keep your income in the US for the next deposit? The way the US dollar is i guess there is no reason to bring it back. cheers
 
Ryan M

Ryan M

New Member
i second the suggestion that you do research on your own, travel to the area you intend to invest in and work with credible and licensed Realtors and build a strong team of contractors, property managers
 
S

speedy gonzales

New Member
thanks for the comments, I suspected as much, seen similar schemes selling NZ and Aussie property, would never use one in NZ but I don't have a lot of time at the moment, so conisdered a third party. Your idea about getting a reliable agent makes sense. Will have a scout around next time I go over there. I presume you keep your income in the US for the next deposit? The way the US dollar is i guess there is no reason to bring it back. cheers
Oper8rNZ,

Oddly enough some of these exact same companies that sold overpriced NZ & Australian investment properties now sell US properties. Just proves they are marketing companies at the core and nothing else with only their interests at heart.
Yeah I haven't had a need to bring monies back and prefer to keep it in my US bank account as a buffer...plus of course I lose it on the exchange rate. As I write I only get AUD$0.95 for each USD$
 
Last edited:
O

owendale

New Member
speedy gonzales said:
oper8rNZ,

Lets begin with the membership fee's they charge you to get "exclusive" access to their services and property inventory. Any information they provide is freely available on the web and the property they sell to you are far from exclusive. They are simply referring you on to turnkey companies and making out that it's their construction crews, their finance and their properties they are selling. The whole lot is a crock and they run a boiler room telemarketing operation looking for suckers that think they can't possibly do it all on their own you will make all the mistakes under the sun and you simply must have them hold your hand throughout. So they make the membership fees plus they get paid commissions from the turnkey companies as well.
If things go wrong you will have no comeback against them as they are not licensed realtors. Do yourself a favour and stay well away from them if you want success in US investments. It's not that hard if you research your market and have the contacts. For example....I use a licensed realtor in Dallas who hand selects particular properties that suit my personal criteria. The same company are also my property managers and also assisted me with a construction company to do the small refurb. I have a local bank that lenders me 65% of the purchase price at rates below 6% over a 20 year term. My last one cost me $110,000-00, needed $8,000-00 refurb and has comparables sales around it for $180,000-00 so I have instant equity and cashflow. That same property if US Invest was involved and you went through a turnkey process would cost you around the retail price of $180,000-00.
WOW another great posting Speedy , it really is amazing just how so many companies over here in the UK exist with slime sucking leeches smiling as they promote lie after lie and get a massive profit from it all?
AMAZING how I have applied for work with 5 different UK based companies as a USA property consultant and apparently as a Fully licensed and regulated REALTOR I Ido not have the right criteria.. Just tells you a little bit about the right criteria .. UNLICENSED. UN REGULATED. And IF YOU CAN SELL SELL SELL. No matter what its welcome on board my son.
I visit most UK property shows and it entertains me a lot to sit with my laptop and view properties in the same neighbourhood as their amazing exclusive deals for a fraction of what they are selling for..
FACT ... I have seen a price differential on one property in Florida of only a cool $140000. Yes that's right I knew the property area very well and it turned my stomach when they actually sold it!! In plain English the UK investor paid almost £100'000 more than what he should of done... I laughed so much my sides ached in the pub that night I showed quite a crowd all the facts ..shame the investor was not in the pub....
 
S

speedy gonzales

New Member
Thanks Owendale. Seems like we are fighting the same cause although I am not in the selling game....just an investor who likes to right some wrongs he sees happening.

Was it difficult or did you extra hoops to jump through to get what I assume is a Florida Real Estate License when your in the UK ?
 
R

roundy

New Member
First thanks speedy
Just wondering did you hear anything about north dakota?it sounds to good.i got an e-mail about hotel rooms investments was thinking about going to the us to find out more about that and houses
 
O

owendale

New Member
speedy gonzales said:
Thanks Owendale. Seems like we are fighting the same cause although I am not in the selling game....just an investor who likes to right some wrongs he sees happening.

Was it difficult or did you extra hoops to jump through to get what I assume is a Florida Real Estate License when your in the UK ?
WOW extra hoops , well it started back in 2003 ALL UK USA so called experts told me to forget becoming a REALTOR.
After 2 years I became fully qualified ..
1 you can not study in the USA so distance learning is the only option . If anyone wants to be part of any realtor board I have lots of tips and tricks to save lots of time and money..
2 . The first step is getting a UK organisation to get your fingerprints and verify your Id ie notorization altogether about £200 +. Just to verify you are who you say you are and for the USA authorities to check you out they need fingerprints ..
3. Then you have to pay for a distance learning course which takes about 6 months to finish part time , with a cd rom and an online timed exam.. Which you have to pass before the next stage..
4 . Once you have knowledge to a certain level you then have to verify that by taking what is known as the state exam.. Quite a difficult exam and the fail rate is very high...
5. Once you pass the exam that's when the real fun begins you are halfway then to becoming a REALTOR.. And that is a full chapter in itself.
You need a broker and a company to hang your license with , Remember you want the best service and deals for people. It's quite a journey and even though I have not made a great career of being a realtor I still remain licensed . I am very proud of my achievements and the comments I receive from investors .

Jump through hoops , phew I was held for 4 hours once when entering the USA they thought I wanted to work and live in the USA... And that's the thing as well I can not legally operate and work in the USA , but I can pay and operate outside of the USA and work with a brokerage to provide the full service right here in Europe...

I am working and still looking at opportunities and even after 10 years I am learning more every week.. Makes me laugh when I see those claims that UK based people are ?USA property experts after reading a few articles... I really do wish it was that easy ....
 
R

roundy

New Member
Owendale were do you think is the best to invest in the us?i live in ireland so i cant do up the house myself
 
O

owendale

New Member
roundy said:
Owendale were do you think is the best to invest in the us?i live in ireland so i cant do up the house myself
Difficult to pinpoint just one area.. But look at highways such as 75 and 95 I bought in Valdosta Georgia and I also like Tennessee along h75 ... You need to look at real estate companies and having been licensed with 4 different brokerages and I can honestly recommend Century 21 and then stick with an area and get to know the office and their agents. Then compare with other companies and see what works for you best. DO NOT JUST FALL FOR ONE OF THEIR OWN LISTINGS and guide them to a property of your choice not theirs .. Give them your budget and get a list of 100s not just 2 or 3 of their own listings

GEORGIA
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA
SOUTH CAROLINA
KENTUCKY
And of course my
Favourite FLORIDA..
And I Love Haines city just south of Davenport along h27
away from the tourist high taxed areas and HOA fees etc..
But that's just me ...
also..
The triangle of dreams I call it
Highway 27 highway 192 Kissimmee and I4 though Orlando..
That holds some fantastic investment areas..
 
R

roundy

New Member
Owendale thank you very much before talking to you guys o was going to buy in detorit.
 
S

speedy gonzales

New Member
First thanks speedy
Just wondering did you hear anything about north dakota?it sounds to good.i got an e-mail about hotel rooms investments was thinking about going to the us to find out more about that and houses
Hey Roundy,

The North Dakota hotel investments do offer very high returns but be wary....you are buying hotel rooms and you do not have title over hotel rooms so you are in this investment with a bunch of other investors and only have a share amongst others. I see danger down the track.
 
O

owendale

New Member
speedy gonzales said:
Hey Roundy,

The North Dakota hotel investments do offer very high returns but be wary....you are buying hotel rooms and you do not have title over hotel rooms so you are in this investment with a bunch of other investors and only have a share amongst others. I see danger down the track.
Just think a booming hotel that will cashflow needs people to stay ok .. While the area is booming no trouble ..
Fast forward to falling resources and falling number then failing cashflow added to repair bills . So what started at 18% returns for 2 years becomes a liability to you. But hey UK experts have long since made their money by selling 100s of units to those greedy gullible fools who never question exactly why people should use a fully licensed realtor..if you ask me I say well done to anyone who can sell in a freezing cold state a piece of real estate bed on the facts workers need places to stay..
Ask one simple question .. If you were working away from home how long would you stay in a hotel if homes around we're so cheap?
 
U

US Invest

New Member
Hi Forumites,
Thanks for all your posts, I thought it may be beneficial to give a little further information regarding US Invest. Firstly, you will notice that we do NOT self-promote on forums, neither do we put down competitors using an alias such as Speedy here. Speedy, based on our past conversations I believe you are in fact a property promoter yourself which is great for you, however it doesn’t help slandering our company for the way we do business.

Speedy, we’ve been through this before with you, to the point that some of your posts about us on other forums were deleted by the moderator due to the malicious intent.

To put out the truth behind your remarks, I would like to provide some information to the benefit of readers.

US Invest charges a $995 REFUNDABLE membership. We make no apologies for this. It's a qualifier to ensure we are providing a high level of service to our qualified investors. This $995 is refunded back on the first purchase, however we provide a tremendous amount of value for that which I'll get into shortly.

We have a team of over 50 staff in America, our own construction crews, accounting and legal team, BROKERAGE and transactional assistance is provided in house to our qualified members.
–I would much rather provide a quality service to our exclusive members than sell as much property as we can to any old buyer which is something investors need to be wary of as there is a lot of this happening out there in the market today.

We operate with teams on the ground in 5 different markets in the US. We conduct thorough research on all properties we bring on board as well as economic viability of the areas and surrounding growth factors. (Extremely important for the growth of any investment and its ongoing performance in the American market.
Our markets include Georgia, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and more recently Missouri although we only invest in particular areas that we have outlined using our own in-house resources and analysis.

For the initial deposit of $995 here's what our members get access to...

Education: We teach people how to do what we do. We have a 4 part Mastery Series we offer to our members that have the time to learn the in's and out's of this market. Whilst you can of course do your own research on any market and its investment potential, 99% of people out their DO NOT have the time, so a company that offers a full turn-key service is needed. Kind of like buying a computer or car. It is cheaper in some cases to buy all the parts and build it yourself, but not everyone has the time to learn how to do it.. For those that do have the time, we can teach them. For those that dont, we have it all in-house anyway. I’m sure readers would agree that this type of education is priceless and you have lost a lot more then a refundable $995 with the early mistakes many investors make when entering the US property market. Not to mention the lifetime of returns created by making the RIGHT investment decisions.

Our properties: Due to the size of US Invest and the amount of property required for our investors, we sell a mixture of investments we own and from our pre-qualified suppliers which MUST meet our quality and renovation standards. 99% of it is exclusive and ALL of it is hand picked by our team. We DO NOT sell everything that comes across our desk, we research everything thoroughly. We also have our own stock that we personally buy from many sources such as auctions, short sales, the bank etc. We then renovate to an a-class finish and tenant, providing a full turn-key product. ONe thing I can tell you is that we refuse to work with the majortiy of suppliers our competitors are using due to inferior renovation standards.

Finance Options: We have a range of finance options for overseas investors. This is a huge plus when someone wants to leverage and get as much bang for their buck as possible. The finance we provide for the majority of our homes CAN NOT be offered by any of our competitors, particularly those who are sitting in Australia and adding little in the way of value to their client’s investments.

A Property Coach: We give ALL our members a dedicated real estate professional that has been in the business a minimum of 15 years. Some over 30 years. These guys have everything from MBA's to track records with America's largest Property Portfolio Managers. They are not biased towards any market, yet they are on-hand to assist our clients 5 days a week to answer any questions they have regarding ANY property we sell.

Subsidised Inspection trips: We hold monthly trips to all our markets for our members to get a real feel for what we do. We show what our team does on the ground from a construction standpoint, and we show all the towns we have selected to do business in with full explanations why.

A US Banking Structure: This is one of the toughest things to obtain. We have secured the ability to open these accounts with the worlds 5th largest bank due to our reputation and our presence on the ground in America. Something which cannot be done from any other country including Australia without the use of very expensive lawyers and further cost to the buyer.

To try and keep this post as short as I can, we also have exclusive in-house services such as our Legal Team, Tax Specialist's, LLC Set up, Our Brokerage and our Property Management, not to mention a discount on ALL LLC's our members set up...

If you cant see value in a $995 REFUNDABLE membership fee for all those services, that is absolutely fine and all investors are welcome to choose whichever path they wish. If you want to learn to do it all yourself you certainly can, but the majority of people do not have the time to do that nor do they want the associated risk with choosing the wrong investment, suppliers, legal and title issues etc. We have a very happy base of members who gladly continue to use our services.

Lastly, I would encourage all investors to do their research. Buy in markets which you believe have growth qualities and a limitation to supply. Not Detroit, not Las Vegas, despite what a number of real estate spruikers will attempt to sell you. If that means buying on your own, through a local realtor or using the services of a company such as US Invest, that is your decision, although it is helpful to have the assistance of someone who is no biased to one particular area.

US Invest is a quality company which has been set-up to assist investors build a PORTFOLIO of US properties. Not sell as much property to as many investors as we can, but to assist quality investors make quality decisions based on long-term relationships. Yes, we are a growing company, we are a business as is any other business out there. We don’t apologise for this, nor do we apologise for our membership model. Speedy, I respect your views but I would ask that you please refrain from such slandering as we are not a boiler room, we are a respected business doing right by our members every day. We may have a slightly different model to what you use, however that is no reason to slander our company in this environment.

I would like to wish all investors all the success in the world for their US Investment endeavours. I hope this post has been helpful and if you would like any further assistance, please feel free to PM me at any time.

Regards,

Ryan
 
S

speedy gonzales

New Member
Firstly Ryan,

In all of the 21 posts that I have made I have not once self promoted myself but simply participated in the forum discussions.....none of which I started. So you have it wrong my boy. Like I have told you on other forums I DO NOT SELL real estate or promote real estate in the USA or any other country on this earth. Frankly if I were in sales & had to rely on leads from forums I would be a poor man. But on to the matter at hand.

Education. You have spelt it out very clearly. Your typical investor client are the gullible. Lets be honest. If someone wants to invest in ANY country and have an excuse that they don't have the time to research.... well they shouldn't be investing in the first place. Expecting to believe the research provided by the same company selling you something is just throwing your money away. As for everything else you said Ryan....well it just means "mark-ups" to me and the investor you care so much about ends up paying retail price or above for a property. For someone so caring about your clients I would have thought buying wholesale with built in equity and higher cashflow was important.
 
U

US Invest

New Member
Speedy,

You really seem to have things upside down. You're saying to everyone on this forum that if you DO NOT have the time to do research then you shouldn't be investing?

Well then I suppose their is no need for financial advisers, stock brokers or realtors.... If everyone takes your advice and does it all alone like you do, then there would be millions of people out of a job around the world, let alone with no investment portfolio both shares and real estate which happens to be where the majority of people invest their hard earned dollars. So what you are saying is that if they don't have the time, they should ignore investing altogether.... You see speedy, believe it or not, the majority of the western world's population are busy doing their 9-5 jobs, raising their families and trying to find a spare hour or two to socialize with friends or do a hobby before it all starts again.......Most people have not got the time to do what you do or what we do as a company. Readers of this forum hopefully do and that will always put them a head above the rest. As I mentioned, DO YOUR RESEARCH. That goes for any investment and is the reason we put such an emphasis on education.

I don't have time to grow corn and harvest it, even though that's the cheapest way to obtain corn, so I'll choose to buy it from a reputable store or farm and pay a slightly higher fee for the convenience of not needing to do all the work that comes with planting and harvesting corn. More to the point, I don't have time to analyse the stock market which is why I seek the assistance of an adviser. Speedy, this is common practice.

So the point I'm making is, if people can find a company that they trust, then they don't need to spend their waking life on forums and doing research, they can spend their time doing things that are more important to them. They are not gullible as you put it, in fact that is rather insulting to the readers of this forum who have a profession other than real estate. They are smart people and want to enjoy their life doing things they love...
I don't want this to go off track and detract from the point at hand which is property investing in which we all have a common goal. -To make the right decisions and be successful.

Thank you and regards,

Ryan
 
Top