This is a review of the Gold Rush and REI Retirement Blueprint programs offered by Torok Law Acquisitions, a division of Torok Law Firm, P.C. owned by Mark Torok. For simplicity, I will simply refer to these programs and entities collectively as TLA (which stands for Torok Law Acquistions).
Here is the background to TLA. TLA is essentially made up of Mark Torok, a real estate attorney in San Antonio, Texas, and Dani Lynn and Flip, husband and wife real estate investors. Phill Grove, a prominent real estate investor who sells similar programs, e.g. REI Ultimate Blueprint, taught Dani Lynn how to do subject to transactions. This is a creative strategy where the real estate investor acts as a middle man between a seller with an un-sellable house (due to the market) and a buyer who can't get a loan. This is accomplished by the investor taking over the loan by simply writing the seller's bank and telling them he or she is going to do so and waiting about 20 days for a response. When no response is offered, the investor then sells the property to the buyer and "owner finances" them by charging them a premium over the mortgage payment and other expenses and then paying the bank.
Mark Torok is a real estate attorney who used to handle the real estate closings for Phill Grove. Thus, this is the connection between he and Dani Lynn and Flip.
These real estate gurus promise untold riches through creative names such as "Gold Rush" and "REI Retirement Blueprint" and tangle this before you in exchange for your payment of anywhere from about $1,000 down and $300 per month to $5,000 and more. Once you pay these hefty fees, they simply provide you access to pre-made videos and once every 2 weeks webinars. It is very lucrative on several fronts:
You end up in the hole at the beginning, spending your hard earned money and multiple hours learning their "system" and being beaten up by unrealistic sellers. When you do actually get a house under contract with a seller, you have to do all the marketing yourself to find the buyer and have to spend out of your own pocket money for signs, sticks (for the signs), paid advertising, lock boxes, brochure boxes, etc., in addition to possibly driving several hours across your state (as I did, having driven 5 hours each way for a total of 10 hours). They make it sound easy but, from personal experience, it isn't.
The irony is that just like the Gold Rush of 1849 (which is how the NFL team got the name the San Francisco 49ers) is that most of the hopefuls who "rushed" to California in search of gold never found any, only to sink deeper in debt and despair. Most of them discovered Fool's Gold instead.
I was a member of the Gold Rush program for several months, a Specialist, and offer my review of the program. The new program, REI Retirement Blueprint, is the latest incarnation with a different payment plan.
I have come forward to offer my review so that others who are interested in either program will not make the same mistake I made and, instead, will avoid wasting their money, time, energy and hopes. I believe in karma and, if my review helps someone avoid pain, then I have done my duty here.
I lost $1,250 plus innumerable wasted hours, fuel costs and energy on this business which netted me -0- profit, -0- deals and lots of frustration.
Here is a summary of why you should avoid TLA:
Due to the length of my review, this is part 1. Part 2 will be posted soon . . .
anonymous
Wilmington,#2Author of original report
Wed, February 26, 2014
Mark Torok and Torok Law Acquisitions (TLA) responded to my complaint with them and am satisfied with their response. I contacted [email protected] to ask that the complaint be withdrawn but, due to their policy, they said they were unable to do so. I would ask that you not hold my previous complaint against them.