Investing in property may seem like todays flavour of the month. However, due to the large amounts of money changing hands, it is not something that you should try without proper training and guidance.



When I first started investing in property, I spent a lot of man hours educating myself. I bought every single book on property that I could lay my hands on. I spent a lot of time and effort attending workshops and seminars. When I had become confident of my abilities, I ventured out and bought my first property.

Buying my first property did not mean that I could now stop learning about property investment. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I was now spending more time learning the different property investment strategies; I was attending more seminars and courses and reading specialised books on investing. Had I stopped learning after my first purchase I would not be a successful property investor today.

A couple of weeks ago, I did some research to see what courses were being offered to help people get into property investment. Quite frankly, I was shocked by the results. I found single day courses and workshops ranging from 500 pounds to 10,000s pounds. And, thats not all.

I even found several portfolio companies requesting 6 figure sums in return for an off the shelf property portfolio! Today, every other person appears to be offering a property investing course. How do you choose which one is right for you?

Firstly, my advice would be for you to not pay anyone to buy a property portfolio for you. If you want success in property, you need to understand at least the basics of property investing. Paying someone a truck load of money to buy a few properties for you will not give you this knowledge.

Attending property courses should by definition increase your knowledge of property investment. However, prior to parting with any money you need to address the following issues:

- What are the credentials of the course organiser? Is he/she a property investor himself and how much experience does he/she have?

The best person to advise you on property investing would be someone who walks the talk - theres little to gain from a presenter who has never bought a property before.

- What are the course contents? Will advanced techniques be addressed?

Its the advanced techniques used by successful property investors that will set you apart from all those other wannabe property investors.

- How many people will be attending the course?

A course attended by hundreds of people may lack the personal touch, but will present networking opportunities to you.

- How much and how long is the course?

Paying several thousand pounds for a one day course is too much. You need to weigh up the cost, length and contents before making up your mind.

- Will I be given the opportunity to network with other attendees of the course?

The property business is a business of relationships. You need to network with others in the same business as you will not be able to do it alone.

- What is the location of the venue?

Is it worth travelling hundreds of miles to a course that may be offered closer to where you live?

- What support will be provided after completion of the course?

Course attendees quite often become unstuck after attending a course. You need to find out if any support is offered after you complete the course.

Only once you are satisfied with your answers to the above questions should you part with any cash.

Be warned though, attending a course by itself will not make you into a successful property investor. What will set you apart from any other attendee on the course is your level of motivation and determination to succeed in property investing.