Real Estate Courses vs Free Online Content (LA 1526)
Real Estate Courses vs Free Online Content (LA 1526)
Transcript:
Steven Butala:
Steve and Jill here.
Jill DeWit:
Hello.
Steven Butala:
Welcome to the Land Academy Show: Entertaining Land Investment Talk. I’m Steven Jack Butala.
Jill DeWit:
And I’m Jill DeWit, broadcasting from sweet, sunny Southern California.
Steven Butala:
Finally, Jill gets to come back to California.
Jill DeWit:
Right.
Steven Butala:
Today, Jill and I talk about real estate courses versus free online content.
Jill DeWit:
Okay. What’s that about?
Steven Butala:
No, both are going to get you there. It’s just how serious are you?
Jill DeWit:
I don’t think both are going to get you there.
Steven Butala:
If you want to spend 10 years to do your first deal-
Jill DeWit:
And then still not get there.
Steven Butala:
And do it wrong. All the free stuff’s here.
Jill DeWit:
There you go.
Steven Butala:
Before we get into it… Like I did because it took me 10 years.
Jill DeWit:
We’re here to save you. That’s the whole point.
Steven Butala:
Let’s take a question posted by one of our members on the landinvestors.com online community. It’s free and if you’re already a Land Academy member, this is paid for stuff now. Please join us on Discord.
Jill DeWit:
Yeah. Here, podcast free. The Discord, not free but good. But worth it. We’ll explain.
Jill DeWit:
Geraldo and Evelyn wrote, “Hello. For our mailers, we’re thinking of leaving out a price offer and leaving it as if we would like to make you an offer. We’re thinking this is going to entice the land owner more as it gives them a little more power on the initial negotiation.” Oh yeah, it does. Have any of you ever tried?
Steven Butala:
These people are consuming the free content that we put out there.
Jill DeWit:
And for free, we’re going to save you. We’re going to attempt to save you. “Have any of you ever tried this method? And if so, was it a successful one? Is it too risky and what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.” May I go first, please?
Steven Butala:
Absolutely.
Jill DeWit:
Sure. We’ve tried it all. That’s part of why you’re here. That’s why we’re here. Oh, you better believe we tried everything.
Steven Butala:
This is what they’re talking about. One second. You know how we send out all of these offers and there’s a price in there and we talk about pricing and how to price and obsess on pricing.
Jill DeWit:
Red, yellow, green.
Steven Butala:
There’s a reason for that. What they’re talking about is saying, “Hey, Joe Smith, I know you own this property over here. We’re thinking about making an offer. Can you give me a call? Let me know if you want to sell it.”
Jill DeWit:
Yep.
Jill DeWit:
And here’s what’s going to happen. Every single person’s going to call you.
Steven Butala:
You’re going to get 5,000 phone calls.
Jill DeWit:
And more than half of them are only calling you because they’re all excited about their number, which I’m pretty darn sure is not your number. So, what is that you’re talking about? That’s the make me move number. Everybody has their… “This is our lucky day, babe. I just got it. They want to buy it.”
Steven Butala:
“I told you that property is worth a million dollars.”
Jill DeWit:
“I know. What do you think? I was going to say two. You think one? Okay. All right. Well settle for one. Let’s call him. You want to call him or you want me to call him?” That’s not the call. And then they call and you’re going to go, “Okay. Talk to me.” And maybe you throw out a number too, “Well, I’m thinking 50,000.” They’re like, “Oh, that’s… It says you want to buy it. What the heck is that?” And they have a whole long drawn out conversation and now they’re mad. You’ve wasted time. And by the way, let’s not think about all your time that got wasted with every one of those phone calls that are going to call you that you don’t want.
Steven Butala:
A lot of this stuff can be solved by simple math. So, let’s do some math. If you send out a 5,000 unit mailer that says, “I want to buy a property. Just give me a call.” You get a 20% response rate. I’m being nice because it’s going to be more than 20%. 20% of 5,000 is 10,000. The 10,000 people are going to call you back.
Jill DeWit:
The other way around.
Steven Butala:
I mean one thousand. Sorry. Whatever. That’s 25% but 20% is a thousand people. A thousand people are going to call you back. And what if you spend 10 minutes on the phone with each one of them? It’s just not possible. And it’s not going to get any results anyway. You’re going to get burned out after 40 of the phone calls because they’re all the same. It’s what Jill said.
Steven Butala:
This is a great example. I put this in here for a reason. A great example of not going through the education, step by step by step, wasting thousands of dollars on sending a mailer. Wasting your time. And you know what’s going to happen if you do this? You’re never going to become a real estate investor because you made one huge mistake. And you’re going to sit there and say, “This isn’t what I want to do at all. I’m trying to buy some land and resell it. Not answer the phone and listen to somebody’s grandparents stories.”
Steven Butala:
[Crosstalk 00:04:27].
Steven Butala:
Hold on a second. This is going to lead right back into the topic here. I’m going to be a little snarky on this episode. If you don’t learn how to do this correctly the first time and get some results within a reasonable amount of time, which costs money. Not a lot. We’re going to disclose here in a minute, how much it actually costs because it’s very little compared to other types of education. You will never make dollar one. You’re going to make all these mistakes and say, “This sucks.”
Jill DeWit:
“It didn’t work. Whatever it is.”
Steven Butala:
All of these people that are talking about how great this is, they’re liars. “I’m going to go back to my job and be miserable.”
Steven Butala:
Today’s topic: Real estate courses versus free content. This is the meat of the show.
Jill DeWit:
I want to say, this is a result of one of our Thursday member calls. All you people will encourage him to rant. This is a result. You.
Steven Butala:
Oh, “Him,” meaning, me.
Jill DeWit:
You. Yes. And you all know who you are. Every one of you on the weekly member call that throws little things in there to poke the bear.
Steven Butala:
That’s what happens.
Jill DeWit:
This is true. And then you encourage him. You further encourage him by saying, “This is great. Keep going,” kind of thing. I know you love it but this is a little bit of Jack ranting.
Steven Butala:
Jack rant.
Jill DeWit:
Jack rant.
Steven Butala:
That’s a title for something.
Jill DeWit:
That was a thread in the online community. Jack Rant, and then was also, “The Things Jack Says.” Because there were some funny sayings in there too. I’d have to go back in there and see.
Jill DeWit:
So, this though, real state courses versus online content. The main big picture of this is, do you want to do 10 years or more and start from square one? And like really… I’m trying to think of an example to compare it to.
Steven Butala:
I’m ready to go.
Jill DeWit:
All right. Well, fire away, sir.
Steven Butala:
It costs about $2,000-ish to join Land Academy. It’s usually cheaper because we’re constantly running these promotions. In about $300 a month or less to access all the tools and their calls and the data and get special pricing on everything. And all of that. If you walked off the street and said, “I am now going to be a real estate investor and I need all these tools. Forget about Land Academy.” It’s going to take you years to learn how to do this correctly. And how much will it cost when you send out a wrong mailer like these kids talked about in the question portion.
Steven Butala:
How much is it going to cost and you’re never going to end up doing it. And so, if you walked off the street to get access to the data and the tools and the mail and all of that stuff that we provide and the free advice on Discord from other members who were just where you were six months ago and now they’re doing deals. Put a price on that. So, it gets under my skin a little bit because every once in a while, more and more actually, there’s people that are like, “This is just crazy expensive. I can’t afford it.” To which I say, “Then don’t do it.”
Jill DeWit:
Yeah. Or I say, “Wait until you can.”
Steven Butala:
Yeah.
Jill DeWit:
That’s another thing too.
Steven Butala:
If you don’t see the value-
Jill DeWit:
You know we’re not going anywhere.
Steven Butala:
Seriously, if you don’t see the value in what we’re providing and how our members are contributing with each other. Oh, and I forgot to mention this. You don’t have to have any money for real estate deals because there’s probably 80 people in our group that are loaded to the gills and ready to do your real estate deal and cut you in on it.
Jill DeWit:
Someone asked us the other day and they were asking about our membership and they’re like, “How many people join? And then they undo it or they leave.” I’m like, “You know what? You’d be surprised how few that is.”
Steven Butala:
It’s less than 1% a year.
Jill DeWit:
And they said, “What are you talking about?” I said, “You know what? Because it’s stuff like this and what we’re saying right now.” We try really hard. Number one, we do have a limited membership. There is a cap and there are times we close it up. And I think there’s a closure coming, by the way.
Steven Butala:
I know there is.
Jill DeWit:
Heads up. But because we want to keep it this real, this intimate, this same connection that we can have with those people. Number one.
Jill DeWit:
Number two, though, we want to spell out very accurately what you’re getting into.
Jill DeWit:
I’m not here to sell all these dumb programs and say, “Oh, look at me. I sold all these programs.”
Steven Butala:
No.
Jill DeWit:
I’m really trying to build some solid investors. So, this ties in with this too. I’m not trying to Jill rant or pick on people. If you’re that free person, you’re always going to be that free person.
Steven Butala:
That’s what I think.
Jill DeWit:
And you just like it and that’s okay. And maybe you bounce from this to that. Maybe it’s, “This year, I studied up on real estate investing. Next year I got into cars and the next year I’m going to get into something else.”
Jill DeWit:
Okay, good for you. But we’re going to properly set up, prepare and spell out what you’re getting into for those people who really want to do this and do it right. And welcome them into our community and really do everything in our power to help them succeed by things like career path. We’re coming out with new, bigger, better accountability groups and things for you every single day because we really do want you to succeed.
Steven Butala:
If you want to make an informed, intelligent, math based and non-emotional decision about what to do with the rest of your life, get a spreadsheet out and put in on column one, “Convenience store.” Column two, “Buying and selling land,” or, “Land investor.” Column three, “Buying a fast food franchise.” Number four, and anything that you’re interested in like starting a nursery. I don’t care and look at the startup costs and the risk involved in every single one of those. And it costs $2,000 to $3,000 to start this whole thing, max. And do you know how much it costs to buy convenience stores or start a convenience store?
Jill DeWit:
Hundreds of thousands.
Steven Butala:
Hold on. Just to hope that someone’s going to walk through your door to pay you $1.25 for a ding-dong.
Jill DeWit:
I’m not going to do that.
Steven Butala:
So, this is why I’m snarky about this topic because paid content versus… It’s just so silly to think about the actual… The cost of this entire program is less than one college class.
Jill DeWit:
That’s true. Oh, that’s true.
Jill DeWit:
Ding-ding. I never looked at it like that.
Steven Butala:
Not a college education with a diploma at the end. Just one course.
Jill DeWit:
Right.
Steven Butala:
So, we don’t charge enough. Jill and I talked. This is truth time.
Jill DeWit:
We know we don’t.
Steven Butala:
The reason that we started this is not to make money on it. We don’t make that much money on this, enough to make it worth it. What we do make money on is the partners that we’ve created for ourselves, both operational partners and money partners. So, to do our deals and we help do their deals. That’s what this is all about. This is not us, Jill putting the bathing suit on and sitting on the top of a Ferrari saying, “You’re going to get rich next month.”
Jill DeWit:
Could you imagine?
Jill DeWit:
No. That’s not going to happen. Ever.
Steven Butala:
We should spoof that.
Jill DeWit:
Could you imagine? That would be great.
Jill DeWit:
That’s awesome.
Steven Butala:
I’m going to do a handshake with you. If you ever ended up owning a Ferrari because you talk about it every once in a while.
Jill DeWit:
I am not going to own a Ferrari.
Steven Butala:
If you end up doing it, you got to do that.
Jill DeWit:
Oh, I’m not going to do that. There is no way I will ever do that. I’ll cover up in a fur coat before I’ll do that. Nope. Not doing that. And if I put a fur coat on, my niece will kill me.
Steven Butala:
Yeah.
Jill DeWit:
So, she will literally kill me. She’s not into the fur.
Steven Butala:
You’re kidding aside. Look, this is worth it. The only reason that it doesn’t work out for people is because they don’t try. It’s the same thing about… I’ve had five or six guitars in my life. I’ve never learned how to play the guitar because I just don’t put the time into it. And so, that’s the only reason that this wouldn’t work.
Jill DeWit:
That’s okay.
Steven Butala:
We were just talking to somebody recently. We don’t have to convince anybody or really say this anymore. We don’t have to answer the question, “Hey, does this work?” No, of course it works. Everybody knows it works. I haven’t gotten that question, “Does Land Academy work,” in years. It has been years and years. So, it’s not that it doesn’t work. It’s just what Jill said. If you don’t have the money or don’t see the value, don’t do it. Or wait.
Jill DeWit:
I have a funny little story to end on this. Our next door neighbor called me out the other day because she said, “Jill, I don’t think you’re really want to learn how to golf.”
Steven Butala:
Oh my God. What gave you the… What’s the story with that? Because that’s really true.
Jill DeWit:
She’s like, “We’ve got this great place in Palm Springs. We talked about bringing you out. I’m standing right here. Ready to teach you how to golf and Jill, you’ve not once brought it up. I don’t think you’re really wanting to golf.” I’m like, “Nope, Renee. You’re right. I don’t want to learn how to golf. I’m good but thank you.”
Steven Butala:
It’s not that I don’t want to learn how to golf.
Jill DeWit:
Well, you know why? Her whole thing was too. She’s like, “Jill, you got to really want it.” Let me finish this. She’s like, “You can’t just go out with me too, by the way. And I show you a couple of things and you’re like, “I’ve got this. Thank you. See ya””. She’s like, “No, you got to keep doing it and doing it and doing it, if you really want to golf and you want to be good.”
Steven Butala:
That’s my nightmare.
Jill DeWit:
I know. And to which I said, “Yes. So again, Renee, you’re right. I don’t want to do that.”
Steven Butala:
It’s not that I don’t want to learn how to golf. I don’t want to golf even one time.
Jill DeWit:
No.
Jill DeWit:
I kind of want to see what it’s all about.
Steven Butala:
You get in a golf cart. Drive around 18 holes. Wave to everybody. Drop off some beer.
Jill DeWit:
Here’s my thing.
Steven Butala:
And that’s the whole thing.
Jill DeWit:
If at this point in my life, the golf bug has not bit me, I’m pretty sure it’s not going to and I’m okay with that.
Steven Butala:
I have yet to have anyone, at any level of golfing, answer my question. “Why do you like golf?” They can’t answer it.
Steven Butala:
Do you like to fail for like nine hours straight? “No.” Do you enjoy the scenery? “What scenery? I’m concentrating on playing golf.”
Steven Butala:
The only logical thing I’ve heard was a lot of years ago. My most recent boat captain said, “If you don’t keep score and you have a lot of beer in a cart, then that’s how you play golf.” To which I say, “But I can do that in a lot of different settings.”
Jill DeWit:
I thought the number one reason was, “My wife’s not here.”
Steven Butala:
That could be too but more and more, you see groups of women doing it and then COVID golfing.
Jill DeWit:
But again, “My wife’s not here with me.”
Steven Butala:
Yeah. That just leads to other stuff that’s just… I don’t know.
Jill DeWit:
I know.
Steven Butala:
That’s not okay, either.
Jill DeWit:
I know. I hear ya.
Jill DeWit:
Hey, happy you could join us today. Five days a week, you can find us right here on The Land Academy Show.
Steven Butala:
Tomorrow, the episode on The Land Academy Show. Well, it’s Jack Thursday. I’m going to talk about the three stages of wealth. You are not alone in your real estate ambition.
Steven Butala:
Golf.
Jill DeWit:
What about golf?
Steven Butala:
Golf is a waste of time.
Jill DeWit:
Where does golf fall in the three stages of wealth?
Steven Butala:
It falls nowhere.
Jill DeWit:
Oh, okay.
Steven Butala:
An old school guy that has long passed away, called, Lonnie Scrubs. And he made a huge joke out of, “How you spend your Sunday is who you are as a person.” And so, if you play… And he’s the mobile home king. This is back in the seventies, I think, or maybe eighties. And he’s talking to guys. He’s not talking to women. If you’re going to sit around and watch a football game on Sunday, that’s going to be who you are and you better get comfortable in your W2 job.
Jill DeWit:
All right. We’re not going to share what we do on our Sundays but it’s funny.
Jill DeWit:
If you need access to any sort of ownership or property details, including owner phone numbers and FEMA flood map overlays, check out www.neighborscoop.com or www.parcelfact.com. Created by investors, that’s us, for investors like you.
Steven Butala:
We are Steve and Jill. Information and inspiration to buy undervalued property.
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