Complaint Review: Ed Stephenson & Contract Resource Group - Las Vegas Nevada

As of today, I have been made aware of a false report appearing on this website: 

 

Report No. 648445 Dated October 7, 2010.

 

The author of the accusations contained in an article falsely accusing me on this website failed to identify himself, nor provide anything to remotely justify his accusations against me, other than to say that a corporation that I have is in default with the State of Nevada for its annual fees.  My decision to renew the corporation’s status is a business decision, not an oversight. 

 

My remarks to this gentleman and any and all other readers, is as follows:

Facts: 

1).   Terms Sheet.   A tentative and legally non-binding Terms Sheet was submitted to this gentleman for the purpose of exploring the purchase of his house.  I use this practice to summarize the salient issues to be resolved up front before a written and legally binding agreement is drafted.  In the event that no agreement can be reached between the parties once any and all issues are addressed, then the negotiating process comes to a stop, and no further investment of time, money, and effort is warranted, and therefore wasted by either party:  buyer or seller.  

Assuming all issues are resolved and mutual agreement is ultimately reached, then we would proceed to a written contract detailing the terms of the agreement, legally addressing each party’s concerns.  This process is a function of common sense, and is reasonably efficient administratively.   

2).  Price Offered and Terms of the Purchase.    The fair market value (FMV) of any property is a function of the price a willing buyer is willing to pay to a willing seller.   If I am asked to pay a price that I perceive as being too high, or at least that I consider to being a premium, then I may be willing to pay the higher price depending on what extra benefits, over and above the property, that I derive as the buyer that makes paying the higher price worthwhile.  Thus, if terms of purchase are important to me, then I might be willing to pay more for the property than if I had to pay cash up front and close the transaction quickly.

 

The purchase price that this gentleman was asking was indeed too high.  However, if I got the terms that I wanted, then I could justify the price that he was asking, or come close to it. 

Given that the financial markets are NOT what they were even two years ago, investment capital in the form of cash has considerable value in the hands of the buyer.  

The price that I offered him was very close to what he was asking, already too high by my estimation.  However, I offered him cash, payable at close of escrow with no contingencies.  The length of escrow was deliberately long (12 months) to allow for the value of deferred rent to be made a part of the purchase price.  

Whereas, I made the offer on the house with the intent to live in the house; then any risks (on the part of the seller) of me (as the buyer) in using the house as a sub-rental could easily be addressed in the body of the purchase agreement.

In all of this, this gentleman did not even submit a counter offer once receiving the aforementioned Terms Sheet.  He simply threw a temper tantrum,  and vented his disappointment through this attempt to wreak havoc with my integrity through the writing of his article.       

3).  Address.  If I left another address on the terms sheet, this was an administrative error on my part since I made more than one offer on properties in the Las Vegas, NV area at that time.   I endeavored to test local market conditions as I was not in the Las Vegas area for nearly a year.  The error, if there was one, was not an intentional effort to deceive or mislead anyone.  There never has been any address on any contract that was, or is now, fictitious. 

Moreover and after much prayer, I subsequently decided to NOT pursue the purchase of property in the Las Vegas, NV market given my personal appraisal of local market conditions for the immediate future.  Thus, no purchase agreements in the Las Vegas area were ever consummated.    This gentleman’s accusations are simply false and without merit.

4).   Purchase of Land.   I have been considering and moving towards the purchase of approximately 3,000 acres in another part of the country for some time now.  The transaction is to be handled through a trusted, very reputable, and highly experienced  realtor who brought us the project originally, and regular contact has been maintained with this realtor since the project has been made aware to us.  At the proper time, a decision regarding this project will be reached by us, in our sole discretion.

5).   Education.   I hold a Bachelors of Science in Marketing, 1975, from a well known, public, and fully accredited university.  I also hold a Masters of Science in Taxation, 1980, from another highly respected, and fully accredited university, both universities being located in California.   My background has been in the venture capital industry in my earlier years both domestically and internationally and again more recently, with extensive professional experience in real estate.     

6).  Ministry.   I am now and was at the time of the correspondence with this gentleman, in full-time ministry, answering the call of Elohim on my life, and I left him with some Biblical scriptures as I am in the practice of doing with everybody that I meet and/or get to know on a personal basis.    If it were up to me, I would continue to attempt to bring the Word of Elohim to him, but I doubt if he could read it without colorful pictures.   Our ministry is not religious in any way, shape, or form, and is NOT denominational.  We simply follow the Christian Bible, and apply the Word as it is written, and I use the Hebrew name for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.    

Rebuttal & Conclusions:

1).  No identification of Himself.  This gentleman does not identify himself in his accusations against me.  Thus, I consider him to be a COWARD, and therefore has no integrity of his own.

2).  Slander.  This gentleman fails to recognize that it takes two parties to make a deal:  a willing seller and a willing buyer.   Failure to reach an agreement is simply a part of business, and mutual agreement doesn’t always happen.  The fact that he didn’t get what he wanted from the would-be sale of his house (in regards to his desired terms) from me is unfortunate, but hardly worthy of his efforts to slander me publicly.      

3).  Integrity and Word of Elohim (Bible).   As a minister of Elohim, I am held to a higher level of accountability than he is, by Elohim Himself.   Since I left some Bible scriptures with him during the course of our former communication, then I myself became a teacher in the sense that I was “teaching” him regarding the content of those scriptures.   

 The Book of James, Chapter 3, Verse 1 in the Christian Bible is quite clear:    

 1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

This scripture obviously applies to me, and I do not take it lightly.  Obviously, if I were to abuse my knowledge of the Word, then I would pay a price far greater than incurring the wrath of this gentleman. 

Psalms 105:15 and 1 Chronicles

16:22 in the Christian Bible is equally quite clear also:

“Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.”

I forgive this gentleman for his lies and active efforts in his attempt to ruin my integrity because nobody, including this individual, is worth going to hell for.   Unforgiveness, among other things, will get you there.  Elohim is my guide and my defense, and I need no other.  (See Psalm 91:2). 

To Readers of this Rebuttal: 

Please read the following Scriptures and determine in your own heart and mind the content that I have included herein for your review: 

Psalm 101:5

Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look

and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.

Psalm 140:11

Let not a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

Proverbs 10:18

Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

Jeremiah 6:28

They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers. They are bronze and iron, They are all corrupters;

2 Timothy 3:3

unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, . . .

Titus 1:15-16:

 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Sincerely,

Ed Stephenson