Flip This Lawsuit

Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?

Armando Montelongo, though the magic of Google Ads, is advertising his Master Home Study Course and Flip and Grow Rich Ebooks on the sidebar of this website. Several people have commented on the $997 package, but thus far I’ve not received a report from anyone who has purchased the materials.

If you’ve purchased this package, and would be willing to share your review, please contact mark at flipthislawsuit dot com.

The San Antonio Crew has been very effective in maximizing the return on their appearances on A&E. Their first episodes focused on their business website, Melina launched a site focusing on motherhood, and now Armando is focusing on sharing the lessons he’s learned in real estate.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 11:41 PM and filed under General.
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Comments (2194) to “Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?”

Steve in Texas wrote:

It looks like some of the season schedule for “The Real Deal” is up at TLC, through May 28th!? Complete with episode descriptions and air times.

Posted on 17-Apr-07 at 11:10 am | Permalink
jaime wrote:

You’d have to be an idiot to want to be like Armando Montelongo. Whose stupid enough to give him $1,000.?The guy is a complete jerk & his career will reflect that. Let’s check back with him in the year 2027 & see where he is. You might be able to treat people like trash once, but they won’t be back. I can’t believe A&E waste tape on these fools.

Posted on 17-Apr-07 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
curt wrote:

I think its 100 not 1000. I bet its filled with pointers to a special section of his website that directs you to buy more crap.

Lipstick on a pig rehabs

Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 9:18 am | Permalink
Frances M. wrote:

Armando Montelongo is an idiot! I think that’s visible from the intro of the show. What with his “if you screw us well come back and find you and make you sorry”. Yeah, very business-like. It’s obvious Armando doesn’t know much about business and running a successful business.

Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
Ben wrote:

Actually Armando says “do not screw with us, do not stick a knife in our backs because we will come back and find you and get what we want”. You Guys get all worked up about the two shows, but we all know that Richard fist fought Armando and won.

Posted on 21-Apr-07 at 11:43 am | Permalink
Wes wrote:

Curt, there are 2 packages, so technically everyone’s right. Again, those guys are fools. He treats his wife like crap too, that’s bull.

Posted on 21-Apr-07 at 8:36 pm | Permalink
Chris E wrote:

I really enjoy all Montelongo’s episodes and would buy his package!

Posted on 23-Apr-07 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Miya wrote:

I think that Armandos work ethics are great, he just doesnt take anyones crap.. otherwise he treats everyone fair and with respect, I watch the show almost religiously and I like the fact the it is a family business. There is a lot of people out there hustling trying to figure out how they can provide for their families for generations to come and he found his way so dont knock him.. learn something!

Posted on 25-Apr-07 at 11:48 am | Permalink
Sean wrote:

These guys remind me of Dave Deldotto, and Carlton Sheets. Dave Deldotto made almost all of his money off the sale of zero down packages. $200 million if Im not mistaken.

Most of the flippin” profit is in the purchase. If you buy it right you will make maoney. I think I can sum it up in 10 steps.

1. Spend a few hours each day or week treat it like a part-time job looking everyday for real estate deals., until you can afford to do it full time. Your full time job isnt all that bad once you have an outlet to do this. Your full time job helps you qualify for loans and makes you look more stable to lenders.

2.Make offers, you lose 100% of the deals you dont make an offer on. Dont listen to realtors. The law states they must present all offers. Dont over pay there is always another deal.

3.Find a hungry realtor that will work with you.

4.Find and use subs that will stick with you over the long haul. Did you ever notice how much time is wasted looking for subs?

5. Dont be a pig when selling a home. Take and work with any and all offers.
Usually the first person to look at it is the most interested.

6.Dont cut corners like Armando.

7.Pray about every deal. Seek advice from those that have success. Real Success, not what Armondo is doing.

8. Donate 10% of your profits to charity.

9. Get a used pickup, Sam Walton drove a used beatup pickup til he died. I drive 1994 Ford f-150 XL and I can afford to drive anything. Dont drive a Big SUV you look like a XXXX well, others will decide what you look like.

10.Set realistic goals. 1-2 homes per year in your first year is a realistic goal. As you are learning keep a journal and learn from all mistakes, we all make mistakes, learning from them is success….

Posted on 26-Apr-07 at 7:51 am | Permalink
Kenzie wrote:

I purchased the package and cant wait to get it if I can even be a fraction of Successful as Armando that would be great the Montelongos are great!

Posted on 29-Apr-07 at 2:39 pm | Permalink
Rob wrote:

DO NOT BY THE PACKAGE!!!! I paid (Like and idiot) $97.00 for the 5 volume book that he is advertising. It is worth $5.00(e-mail me for details). The think turned out to be only 13 pages and it only a teaser to the $997 package. STAY AWAY!!!

Posted on 02-May-07 at 8:31 am | Permalink
Chris in Austin wrote:

Richard Davis is a business man. Armando Montelongo is a piece of trash. Period.

Posted on 02-May-07 at 8:57 am | Permalink
Alex wrote:

One look at the Armondo version of Flip This House should be enough to tell you everything that is in his books:

Buy the worst house possible.

Push your contractors to lower the prices for their work as low as possible, and then threaten them until they lower them again and again. Promise them “future work”, but never deliver.

Do as little actual work on the house, and worry mostly about painting the walls nice colors and covering up any issues so they aren’t visible, but don’t resolve them.

Hassle your employees, cut every corner possible, and present a half-assed job.

The reality of house flipping is that it isn’t something learned directly from a book, but rather through experience of knowing what to look for, what to buy, and what to pass on.

I find it totally hilarious to see his ads in the google boxes on this site. I guess he has to make a living some way besides beating down his contractors.

Posted on 02-May-07 at 12:45 pm | Permalink
Jeremy wrote:

Hey rob, Curious about the details of that 97.00 dollar package. Can’t seem to find a way to e-mail you. Maybe you could e-mail me or post the details on the site before others get ripped off. Would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Posted on 03-May-07 at 2:42 am | Permalink
Rob wrote:

Sure Jeremy. I could e-mail you.Give me your e-mail address and I will contact you.

Posted on 03-May-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink
Jeremy wrote:

J_Brown1384@yahoo.com

Posted on 05-May-07 at 2:23 am | Permalink
kris wrote:

Like every other show on reality TV, if the guy or girl doesn’t have some sort of disturbing behavior about them, it gets boring to watch. That’s part of show biz.Even though it’s marketing the average joe, it’s still show business.

Posted on 06-May-07 at 12:16 am | Permalink
esion wrote:

Armando’s attitude towards flipping isn’t that much different than Trump’s. Trump tells you that if someone attacks you, you attack them harder. I look up to both men for different reasons. I’ve been considering the course, the $97 one that is, because I am curious about it.

Posted on 06-May-07 at 1:30 am | Permalink
Silvia Jones wrote:

I can not believe the program last night with the “cat house”. It seems that the only honest person there is David Montelongo. Armando fought his brother for being honest and telling him what to do? And he was right. Armando ended up demolishing almost everything anyways. I will not buy his system or watch him again. After last night I do not think I can trust him.

Posted on 06-May-07 at 10:29 am | Permalink
Potash wrote:

Re: The Cat House: copied from my post on another site (I really have bought and sold more than 100 houses in my life, but I do not sell or give advice) :
I hate this show because it is staged for dramatic effect. But I got a new DVR and decided to program the DVR to record a couple of dozen programs over the next week as an experiment. The Flip This House episode Saturday was one of the programs. After seeing that it was someone new, and not those clowns from Benchmark Realty (or whatever they are called), and that the house was in extraordinarily bad shape (cat, rat, roach droppings everywhere), I decided to watch it.

This is the house, 12906 Lone Shadow Trail in San Antonio, TX: http://san-antonio.housealmanac.com/home-86547.htm

This is the guy that did the rehab, Armando Montelongo:
http://www.armandomontelongo.com/
http://www.montelongohousebuyers.com/

The show had the usual Reality TV standards… a couple of attractive women, a false drama about meeting the scheduled opening house date, conflict between the partners, recreated sceens where it is obvious that there would be no camera person on site normally, a final price scorecard that failed to include holding costs, closing costs, and the costs of sale, and a final profit calculation which is based upon an alleged signed contract resulting from the first open house (accoridng to the Bexar County Recorder records Montelongo, aka 12906 Lone Shadow Trust, bought he property on December 8, 2006, but has not sold it yet) But the thing that irrated me more than anything about this episode was that this BS artist claimed to have bought and remodeled more than 1000 houses in the past 5 years. The first time he said it, I just assumed that he had meant that he had seen more than a thousand houses in the past 5 years, but he said it a second time!! There is no way this joker, even if you factor in that he is working with his brother and both wives, has bought more than a 1000 houses in the past 5 years. If your buying anywhere near that many houses you have to employe a dozen or more fulltime workers. He didn’t have any fulltime workers, in fact he was hiring contractors to do everything, and paying inflated prices because of the false urgency of the open house date.

I would be surprised if Armando Montelongo has bought and sold more than a dozen houses in entire life, it is clear to me that he used this show just to advertise his faux guru services. Too bad for Aramado Montelongo that he got his A$$ kicked by this house. The show says that he bought the house for $55,000, put $85,000 into it, sold it via an open house by his wife for $165,000, for a $25,000 profit. But the County records indicate that he paid $101,400 for it and hasn’t sold it yet. He most likely lost $30,000 on this property, unless he stiffed the contractors which is a good possiblity.

I was going to say that I would periodoically check Bankruptcy records in anticipation of a BK filing from him, but he filed Chapter 13 BK on 11/10/03 (03-32986), and he is still operating under the Chapter 13 plan!, in fact on 2/5/07 he filed a motion to modify his payment plan because he claimed his only income was from diability insurance and that he could only afford to pay $150.00 per month. And his Brother/Partner David is also still operating under a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy from 2003 (03-31980).

Posted on 07-May-07 at 10:30 am | Permalink
Kym wrote:

This is interesting to read. I am so glad I found this. Potosh: I, too, search the Public Records for more info. Not sure when Trademark did their flip, the “The House that would not sell: episode is still listed on their website. Now they never claimed to have sold it either. Armando does seem like a bit of a creep, and does not suprise me that they are in Chapter 13. I’m sure their money is coning from the show, and not houses.

Posted on 07-May-07 at 1:07 pm | Permalink
Janice wrote:

Last night on the Cat House episode it appeared to me that they (Armando and David) split. So are they still a comapnay together? I really like David.

Posted on 07-May-07 at 1:37 pm | Permalink
Adam wrote:

I purchased the $997 Master Course, and it\’s outstanding! I\’ve already put a house under contract. Armando\’s cd\’s and Workbooks are so easy to read and follow. He has helped me start my flipping buisness. That is what his program is about. He holds back nothing. I recommend for whoever is interested in this buisness, to purchase the course. It\’s a step by step tool guide on how to make money flipping houses.

[Webmaster\'s Note: This post was made at 6:52 PM from a computer having an the IP address 70.114.19.218, which indicates that it is a residential Time Warner cable modem in San Antonio, TX.]

Posted on 07-May-07 at 6:52 pm | Permalink
Stacey wrote:

I also have purchased the Master Course. I\’m reading and listening through it now. However, I will say I love the emails I receive from Armando. He really keeps my spirits high, and my mind in the right place. I\’ve learned there is a whole mindset that goes along with making money. There is no other program out there like this. It has everything in it.

[Webmaster\'s Note: This post was made at 7:00 PM from a computer having an the IP address 70.114.19.218, which indicates that it is a residential Time Warner cable modem in San Antonio, TX.]

Posted on 07-May-07 at 7:00 pm | Permalink
Gina wrote:

I love Armando and his wife Veronica. I\’m going to be purchasing his program this month! I can\’t wait!

[Webmaster\'s Note: This post was made at 7:02 PM from a computer having an the IP address 70.114.19.218, which indicates that it is a residential Time Warner cable modem in San Antonio, TX.]

Posted on 07-May-07 at 7:02 pm | Permalink
Flip This Lawsuit » Are Armando and David Montelongo in Bankruptcy? wrote:

[...] One of the commentators to another post pointed out that he believes Armando and David Montelongo to be in Bankruptcy. I’ve pulled the dockets and some important documents found while searching for “Armando Montelongo, Jr.” and “David Montelongo” at the Western District of Texas Bankruptcy Court’s website. Please note, I have not confirmed that these two individuals are the Armando and David featured in Season Two and Three of “Flip This House”, but will be contacting the attorneys tomorrow to do same. These filings raise more questions than they answer, but I’ve decided to post them for those who have emailed me about the recent comment indicating the bankruptcies. At this point, the geographical and employment information tends to indicate that, while these people may share the same names as Armando and David Montelongo, they are not the same people. [...]

Posted on 07-May-07 at 11:47 pm | Permalink
Sean wrote:

Potash, Nice work on the research. Keep it up!

Posted on 08-May-07 at 6:51 am | Permalink
Sean wrote:

The best way to financial independence is build your on home, flip it every 2-4 years. Repeat.

Even Armondo’s biggest profit was on his primary residence. Also it is tax free profits, ask your accountant.

Posted on 08-May-07 at 6:55 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Armando Montelongo is a highly incompetent developer and his book is of little or no value to anyone. I have been building/remodeling for decades, and what I see on tv is mostly repulsive. (you’ll notice you rarely see the same tradespeople because they don’t seem to want to work with him again.) I still decided to download the free first 6 pages of his book and give it a fair shake, but what I saw made me realize that I need to alert others that it is a ripoff.

Here’s why. In the very first pages, Armando claims to flip “20 - 30 houses per month”. STOP right there. Did you hear that? A house every day or 2. You’ve seen the show - every house takes a week MINIMUM and he barely makes it and that’s the only house he’s doing. Do you believe for a MINUTE that he does one a day? It’s a lie, I’d stake my name on it. Armando: prove me wrong - post the transaction records, before and after pictures, bills and contracts for a month in which you remodeled 30 houses. Until you do so, I say this highly unlikely.

Further, Armando claims to have bought “over 1000 houses in the past 5 years”. I say no way. Armando: post the transaction records for all 1000.

Now, I can go on and tell you that the techniques described in that first 6 pages are mostly useless, but what’s the point - you already know you’re being lied to, so why read any further? Armando says he never makes less than $20,000 per house and that he’s done over 1000 in the past 5 years, which means he made $20 million and now has a monthly income of $400-600K. If you had those numbers, would you be hawking an infomercial book to give away your trade secrets? Sorry Armando, but I say bullshit. Prove me wrong.

Bottom line: Montelongo is a flipper and flippers are to real estate what day traders were to the stock market in 1999: unskilled speculators who only make money when the market carries them. He’s in San Antonio, for Chrissakes - a house can be had for $30,000 there, how can anyone NOT make money?

Sorry Armando, but I’ve been at this for decades and have forgotten more than you’ll ever know, and I say you’re not legit. Please feel free to post the proof I have suggested and I’ll post a full retraction.

Until then, I suggest that no one should buy Armando’s book. If he wants to send me a copy free to review, I will be happy to read it and give a full review here for all to see. Otherwise, don’t waste your time or money,.

Mike

Posted on 08-May-07 at 11:09 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

What’s more, on Montelongo’s own website, on the first page he says he flips 30 homes a month, then on a page inside he says he flips 200 homes a year, which is 16 homes/month or 1/2 the other claim.

Here’s a tip everyone: When someone tells you 2 different figures, throw both out. As far as all available empirical evidence available shows at this moment, Armando Montelongo flips 1 to 2 houses per month. Again, I invite him to come on here (as we can see he already does from shill posts) and post evidence to the contrary.

Like they say, believe HALF of what you see, some or none of what you hear…

There are no shortcuts. Period.

Posted on 08-May-07 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
Joseph wrote:

I also have purchased the Master Course. I’m listening to it now while I wipe my rear-end with the pages from the book. It’s the most expensive toilet paper I’ve ever purchased and I’ll tell you that the sh*t really sticks to that sh*t. However, I will say I love the inspiration I receive from Armando. He really keeps my bowel movements regular, and my mind in the right place. I’ve learned there is a whole mindset that goes along with making BM. There is no other program out there like this. It has everything in it, plenty of good crap.

P.S. Now I know why we real estate investors have such reputation; people like Armando.

Posted on 08-May-07 at 4:18 pm | Permalink
Ellen wrote:

Armondo and his whiny spoiled brat wife are a disgrace to the Real Estate biz. Where’s Richard……… sniff sniff

Posted on 09-May-07 at 7:48 am | Permalink
Paul Broni wrote:

Gee, three “different,” gushing, pro-Armando posts in ten minutes from the same IP address. Clever.

[golf clap]

Posted on 09-May-07 at 1:32 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Yeah and, oddly enough, that same IP address browsed my website this afternoon…

Posted on 09-May-07 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
Liz wrote:

Rob- I would like to hear more about the 5 books by email that you bought. Please email me. Elizabethdunn@aol.com

I own a real estate club in California and we do alot of rehabs in other states. So I was interested to pass his info onto some of my members. They might learn something that I do not have in my vault. But if the kit is not worth the money, I would like more details.

Also if anyone else is doing this, needs help, support, and has homes, please email me also. I have investors who are rehabbing right now. Thanks so much.

Posted on 10-May-07 at 1:03 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Hey Liz, nice scam you got going there charging people $250 to join your club which appears to have no resources whatsoever. Way to go looking to further mine the wreckage of Armando’s scam.

People, THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS! Save your $250 - you can learn FAR more at the public library or lounging in Barnes and Noble and can make more connections at a nice hotel bar or working for Habitat for Humanity, where you’ll also learn trades.

Ever hear what Suze Orman thinks of networking groups? The other people all need YOU more than you need THEM, hence it’s a waste of time and money.

QUALIFY anyone professing to be an expert or having the ability to assist you. This one is another ripoff.

Mike

Posted on 10-May-07 at 2:03 pm | Permalink
Joseph wrote:

Mike, nice job on the house. A little more upscale from what we do but I like what I saw. 4″ cans throughout?

Posted on 10-May-07 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

San Antonio is in Bexar County. Check out the Property Tax
Records and District Court (civil) for some interesting reading ; ) It’s available online, free.

Nice catch on the IP thing, Webmaster!
LOL

Posted on 11-May-07 at 3:04 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Joseph - thanks for the kind words. Good eye - those are indeed 4″ cans throughout (A few Halos and mostly Liton ICs)

Check in a few days for a whole bunch of new pictures as it just got staged the other day and is almost ready to list.

Best regards,

Mike

Posted on 12-May-07 at 8:26 pm | Permalink
Laura Neely wrote:

WARNING MAY 2007: I have found out from a friend of mine that Armando is going to be sued by a large number of people who are organizing a class action lawsuit and federal charges against Armando over this product which he advertised as a dvd course WHEN it really is NOT a dvd course whatsoever. It is an audio only course! Do not waste your time sending your money to Armando thinking this is a DVD course, you will be taken by Armando\’s scheme.

From watching his show everyone should see he is a con artist, now he has taken his scams to the public as well and committing the felony of false advertising, and this time he will not get away with it.

He is going to loose millions of dollars over this suit and mark my word he will not be one of the speakers for the Trump tour coming up. I know of insiders in the Trump organization who have become aware of Armando\’s falsehoods and very soon Armando will be notified that he will no longer be included in the Trump tour as Trump does not want to be associated with Armando anymore over this.

Posted on 15-May-07 at 2:59 pm | Permalink
Laura Neely wrote:

Also…

His sources do not know exactly how many fraudulent courses Armando has sent out at $1000 each, but certainly it could be in the tens of thousands, easily putting him in one of the

largest felony cases of false advertising in history.

Posted on 15-May-07 at 4:04 pm | Permalink
ibyprprty wrote:

what’s up w/ the divorce with children vs. armando and veronica in 2003?? lol guess they worked it out…..

I was checking out the interesting reading you mentioned Steve. :-)

Posted on 15-May-07 at 10:56 pm | Permalink
Maryann wrote:

I haven’t seen Armando’s stuff for sale, but you can pretty much guess that it’ll be crap. Like most other materials people are charging hundreds/thousands for. Does it make sense? No. I’m surprised there aren’t more class action lawsuits… I agree with the person who gave his 10 suggestions and I agree with the other person who suggested going to the libary. I would suggest joining your local real estate investing association and soaking up knowledge for free. Spend money on houses, not expensive toilet paper!

Posted on 16-May-07 at 5:23 pm | Permalink
Big Daddy Cool wrote:

What a bunch of idiots you all are. Get off this website and go make some fucking money you clowns.

Posted on 16-May-07 at 7:55 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I find it very telling that Armando has not even bothered to try to respond to the challenges posted here. I think it’s pretty clear just what he is at this point.

Posted on 16-May-07 at 10:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ibyprprty,

LOL You found it! Re: 2003 ; )

Posted on 17-May-07 at 9:42 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Cast members from all three Flip This House temas under one roof!

WHO: Mike Huey, Michael Hellickson, & Than Merrill just to mention a few Nationally recognized speakers, who will teach you what you need to know first hand!

WHAT: For over two days you will participate in five extensive classes strengthening your knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of real estate investing.

You will learn everything from creative financing strategies and techniques to how to successfully negotiate purchases and sales to your advantage — plus a whole lot more!

WHERE: Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre,

Dallas, Texas

WHEN: July 27-29, 2007
Deadline for Registration is June 15th, 2007

SPEAKERS
• Michael Hellickson
• Mike Huey
• John Hyre
SPECIAL GUESTS
• Than Merrill
• Angie Wilford

I checked the price -$750.00 per person and I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of more stuff FOR SALE once they get you in the corner, er, I mean door ; )

It’s at tribeworkshop(dot)com. David Montelongo

Posted on 17-May-07 at 9:54 am | Permalink
sharon wrote:

I think it’s amazing my instinct told me to find you- you are a Godsend!!! I HATE being a chump- I’ll almost bought it! I would have hated myself.

Posted on 17-May-07 at 7:57 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

The excellent news investigation of con artist Sam Leccima has made it fairly clear to me what transpired with Flip This House: After losing Trademark (and the jury is not, by any means, out on their legitimacy either, though they seem more legit than any of the other casts) the production company scrambled to find new casts to get back into production asap and did no due diligence on Montelongo, Leccima, or anyone else they featured. When making reality tv shows, this is just misrepresentation, but when the casts are selling products based on the false claims they made during the television shows, it becomes fraud and criminal conspiracy at the very least.

To be very direct, the casts of the current season of Flip This House never passed the smell test and it is now abundantly clear that they are all little more than criminal con artists using A&E to further their false credibility in order to defraud potential investors nd customers. A&E is now aiding and abetting criminals by airing the shows which feature these people, and I call on the network to immediately kill all episodes until full background and criminal investigations are performed on their casts. I encourage everyone else to do the same and BY NO MEANS should ANYONE buy products from these lying criminal con artists!!!!!!

This entire debacle disgusts me. People like Leccima and Montelongo belong in prison. Period.

Mike Voss

Posted on 18-May-07 at 3:36 am | Permalink
Lenise wrote:

Whoa! I am so glad that I found this website. I loved the Flipping shows for ideas only, and found that my favorite was Richard Davis. Those brothers were comical, but I watched for comic relief, especially after watching the one where they had a duplex that was CONDEMNED and they kept rehabbing it to sale to a *so called* investor. Anyway, I am glad for sites like this that show the truth to those who are out to make a killing in real estate… Watch out or you will become a victim.

Posted on 18-May-07 at 9:00 pm | Permalink
Bubu wrote:

Review of Armando’s 995 product:

He steels information from
1. Ron LeGrand’s Cashflow program which is actually the late Bernard Hale Zick’s product.

2. Bill Effro’s how to sell your home in 5 days (Auction is almost exactly the same, he adds in a “reserve” which is mentioned in the book)

3. Peter Conti How to negotiate information (I don’t know for sure on this, but the technique is similar)

I don’t know where he got his hard money lender information, it’s lame information.. go to google and type in hard money lender…

Also, the original website said it was 12 DVD’s it’s 12 CD’s.. I only purchased because I thought it would be 12 hours or so of video on how he does everything, not him reading a script that someone else evidently wrote…

Posted on 19-May-07 at 2:07 am | Permalink
David wrote:

Armando is a piece a sh*t and I hope he gets what it deserve!!!!

Posted on 19-May-07 at 1:42 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Anyone that buys this is sucking on Armando’s tail pipe. What worked then, doesn’t work now, the game, market, rules, and requirements have changed.

Those that can, do. Those that can’t,
talk about it (and sell it)

Posted on 19-May-07 at 11:18 pm | Permalink
FRED wrote:

JUST WENT TO THE LEARNING ANNEX HERE IN DALLAS OVER THE WEEKEND. WHAT A MARKETING TOOL TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF UNSUSPECTING FOOLS, IM GLAD I WENT TO IT SO THAT I AM NOT TEMPTED TO GO AGAIN. IF YOU GO FOR ANY OTHER REASON OTHER THAN COMICAL ENTERTAINMENT (BECAUSE THEY WERE PRETTY FUNNY) YOUR WASTING YOUR TIME. THE TITLE LEARNING ANNEX ITSELF IS MISLEADING TO BEGIN WITH, YOU DONT LEARN ANYTHING YOU YOU GET A SALES PITCH THE WHOLE TIME YOUR THERE. SOME PRESSURE YOU MORE THAN OTHERS AND SOME JUST MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY LIKE YOUR A FOOL FOR NOT BUYING THEIR PRODUCT AND GIVING THEM YOUR MONEY AND BETTERING YOUR LIFE. IF I WANTED THAT I WOULD HAVE SAVED MY $100 BUCKS THAT I SPENT AND WATCHED INFOMERCIALS ALL NIGHT. IT REALLY WASNT A TOTAL LOSS, I GOT TO SEE DONALD TRUMP WHICH I AM A FAN, AND I GOT TO SEE ARMANDO MONTELONGO WHICH I THOUGHT I WAS A FAN OF BUT SAMETHING HE SOLD OUT AND IS SELLING THESE PACKAGES. HE CLAIMS TO HAVE DONE 1000 HOUSES FLIPPED AND WHATEVER ELSE BUT YEAH EVEN I COULD FIGURE OUT THE TIME FRAME AND THE NUMBER OF HOUSES HE HAS DONE DOES NOT ADD UP. THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE THERE EACH SPEAKER BASHED THE OTHER SPEAKERS ON HOW THEIR PROGRAM WAS BETTER AND HOW THEY DID IT EVERYDAY, THEY ARE REAL, THEY WERE NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY OH REALLY SO WHY DONT YOU POST ALL YOUR INFO FOR FREE FOR ALL OF US TO SEE ON YOUR WEBSITE. NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY,BS, $1000 PACKAGES, $2000, $4000, ONE HAD A HELL OF A DEAL FOR $5995 AND THATS A ONE TIME OFFER ONLY AND PEOPLE WERE JUMPING UP GIVING THEM THEIR CREDIT CARDS. IM JUST GLAD I DIDNT GET TEMPTED AND ALL I WAS OUT WAS $100. BUT I GOT TO SEE DONALD TRUMP SO IT WASNT A TOTAL LOSS. I WOULD NOT PAY $100 BUCKS AGAIN TO SEE HIM BUT HE SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED WITH LEARNING ANNEX CAUSE HE CLAIMS HE ONLY PUTS HIS NAME ON QUALITY THINGS THIS IS NOT A QUALITY EVENT ITS A JOKE ALONG WITH ALL THE SPEAKERS THERE TRYING TO MAKE QUICK BUCK ON PEOPLES DREAMS. IM GLAD HE DIDNT GO AND TRY TO SELL SOMETHIG TO US HE COULD HAVE BUT DIDNT ONLY ONE ALL WEEKEND NOT TO DO IT.HE WAS ENTERTAINING AND ACTUALLY STUCK AROUND AND ANSWERED SOME QUESTIONS LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD. HE KEPT IT REAL TOO DIDNT SAY ANYTHING NICE ABOUT CUBAN OR BUSH TO GET SUPPORT FROM THE CROWD KNOWING HE IS IN MAVERICKS AND BUSH COUNTRY. BUT HEY THATS HIM AND HE CAN DO THAT. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH A WELL DOCUMENTED PROVEN RECORD THAT REALLY DOES HAVE SOMETHING WE COULD LEARN FROM. NOBODY THERE WAS HONEST AND WAS THERE TO REALLY HELP ANYBODY OUT OTHER THAN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS. THEY COULD MAKE OUTRAGEOUS REAMARKS ON HOW MUCH LAND THEY OWN AND HOW CAN ANYBODY PROVE IT. FORGET BUYING THEIR STUFF DONT EVEN GO THERE AND WASTE YOUR TIME, LET ME SEE YOU PAY $100 TO GO AND SEE THEM SO THEY CAN SELL YOU THEIR CRAP, THEY SHOULD BE PAYING YOU TO GO AND SIT THERE AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELL YOU THEIR CRAP. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. ATLEAST A FREE LUNCH OR SOMETHING SANDWICHES WHERE $8 BUCKS THERE AND $2 FOR A CAN COKE. OH AND ON THE BOOKLET IT SAYS GUEST SPEAKERS INCLUDE, TONY ROBBINS AND DAVID BACH THEN YOU LOOK INSIDE AND IT TURNS OUT THEY ARE ON A MONITOR ONLY. HELL FOR THAT THEY COULD HAVE INCLUDE PRESIDENT BUSH AND JUST TELEVISED ONE OF HIS SPEECHES. UNLESS YOU LIKE BEING PITCHED FOR TWO DAYS, AND GIVING AWAY YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY, DO NOT GO!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO THROW AROUND LIKE THIS YOU MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT AND OTHER GUY WAS RIGHT “THEY NEED YOU MORE THAN YOU NEED THEM.” AND IF YOU DONT HAVE THE MONEY AND ARE PUTTING THIS ON YOUR CREDIT CARD OH YOU ARE SAD, YOU WILL BE PAYING FOR THESE PACKAGES THAT WILL BE COLLECTING DUST AFTER A FEW WEEKS FOR A VERY VERY LONG TIME. THATS WHEN YOU REALLY THING ABOUT THE 100 OTHER MORE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE THOUSANDS FOR DOLLARS YOU GAVE AWAY LIKE TAKE CARE OF YOU FAMILY NEEDS.

Posted on 21-May-07 at 12:54 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

It is interesting that either A&E or the production company had restructured the Atlanta cast before the news of Leccima’s criminal activity had become public - clearly they knew something in advance and took preemptive action. I had been wondering why they were structuring a show around this totally incompetent Angela girl, and now that is apparent.

The show has lost all credibility and, more alarmingly, is still running the Montelongo episodes despite the fact that it is clear that he is a con artist and the subject of pending legal action. Remember, the casts shot all this crap at least 4 months ago. Now, Leccima and Montelongo are suddenly hawking courses *just* before negative news breaks. The timing suggests they knew something and were scrambling to exploit their exposure on the show before it was too late. I suspect their casts were about to be quietly shelved.

I think it is time that someone post an online petition asking A&E to pull the show until such time as it can get the producers of the show to do proper due diligence on it’s casts. If they’re going to make a fake show for entertinment, then the casts need to be legally prevented from marketing products based on it and the show needs to run a disclaimer to protect viewers who might be enticed to invest with those castmembers. If they’re going to make a show that is supposed to be factual, then they need to verify the backgrounds of the casts and the projects depicted on the shows.

If A&E cannot do these things, then the show needs to be cancelled for the benefit and protection of the viewing public. We, thw viewers, should demand this from A&E. Making a show for entertainment value is one thing, but blurring the line of reality and then allowing criminals to exploit that distortion to steal from the viewing public is a crime and must be stopped.
I see that no new episode of the show got recorded in my Tivo this weekend - I hope that is a sign that A&E has pulled all episodes until such time as they can properly examine the show and it’s casts and issue an apology to the public. Until then, count me out as a viewer.

I have been approached more than once to be the subject of shows of this type and I have always declined because I don’t knock out projects in weeks and don’t do things to make good TV. It would be great if someone would do a reality show covering the many months it takes to follow a quality building crew as they construct a quality house….oh, wait, that’s been done. It’s called This Old House and has been running for 25+ years showing how things are really done correctly and without shortcuts!

Mike Voss

Posted on 22-May-07 at 8:51 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike Voss,

Nice post, Mike. The first season of FTH with Trademark was clearly ‘The Real Deal’, flipping a house in 2-3 weeks. They had the organization and in an appreciating market to do it.

They left and Departure Films and/or A&E decided to carry on with the ‘2-3 week flip’ formula in a soft market, and with those that clearly couldn’t pull it off even in an appreciating market probably. So, they cheated and got caught. ALL OF THEM

The newer ‘flip teams’? Yep, complicit, no doubt but it starts at the top and sh*t rolls down hill. A&E, Departure Films etc., IN MY OPINION ; )

What’s funnier than hell to me is they put the street address on the various ‘flips’. What, they think we can’t check property records online? LOL ; )

Posted on 22-May-07 at 11:09 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve,

Yeah, I suspect Richard Davis is having one hell of a good laugh right about now. The whole debacle makes a very strong case for Trademark having developed the show format since Departure/A&E couldn’t even *continue* it after they left. I’d settle in a hurry if I were them.

In don’t always agree with how trademark does things, but they *seem* to at least be a reputable and moral company that spends a lot of time helping their community. All of these other teams were fly-by-night come latelys who were just plain slimy IMHO.

A&E is in hot water and owes us all an apology and refunds to all those taken advantage of.

Mike

Posted on 23-May-07 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
Selena wrote:

Much gossip, in San Antonio. I manage a strip club here. Guess who was smoke marijuana and kicked out. Davd Montelongo. He and Armando frequently come by my club… I wonder when they work. What a great family foundation.

Posted on 23-May-07 at 7:57 pm | Permalink
islander wrote:

I found this site by accident…I’m glad I did…I was thinking about buying the 997 kit from Armando..his stats sounded impressive..

Let me tell you all this….I too, went to the Learning Annex in Boston(dec. 2006) within an hour we bought an “asset protection” kit for $2000 and then went to another seminar in NJ.

After NJ,then we were harrassed by a couple of different companies that sounded like great ways to make money…well one of the companies hooked us for $12,000 you read that correctly…

Now we are $14,000 MORE in credit card debt and feeling like fools…

I’m just so disgusted with the whole thing…I mean before we purchased we told them our financial history and where we are now…they said “You’ll make back this money in 120 days, if you follow how we do it!”

I must say that we do have a person that calls us once a week for a 30-45 min. information and discussion session and she is available to us through email as well. (We have 8 scheduled discussions with her and then we get a tax person to talk to…they still won’t tell us what the tax part is about…we don’t know how many sessions or anything…..

I’ve tried to get in touch with the “salesman” to find out about a refund..but he seems to be “in conference” all the time….he still hasn’t called me…

Well, I’m starting to ramble…but you get my point… anyone have a suugestion on how to get at least, some of my money back???

Posted on 24-May-07 at 1:44 pm | Permalink
islander wrote:

Selena,

you manage a strip club? you saw David and Armando smoking pot in your club??

I’m not sticking up for the Montelongo’s but…what’s that got to do with real estate flipping??

This is just spreading gossip.

Posted on 24-May-07 at 2:11 pm | Permalink
FRED wrote:

IM WONDERING HOW STRONG IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP (ARMANDO’S & DAVID MONTELONGO’S) THEY WERE NOT TOGETHER AT THE ANNEX I WAS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO DAVID WHILE DONALD WAS SPEAKING AND HE AND HIS WIFE LEFT WALKING OUT ALONE AND FLAGGED DOWN A TAXI AND LEFT. SOMEBODY WITH SO MUCH MONEY YOU FIGURED THEY WOULD HAVE ARRIVED IN A LIMO TOGETHER AND LEFT TOGETHER. IM WONDERING IS ARMANDO GOT THERE IN A TAXI TOO. I KNOW I WOULDNT OF IF I HAD MILLIONS.

Posted on 24-May-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Daniel wrote:

Hello Mike V.,
I really appreciate all the informative comments you’ve made regarding Armando Montelongo. How can I contact you ?

Posted on 25-May-07 at 1:50 am | Permalink
Danielle wrote:

All I can say is that I feel VERY sorry for Veronica Montelongo for having married that piece of crap man.
The way that Armando treats her is DISGUSTING.
She needs to grow a spine and leave the loser. He’s a total con man with an ego LARGER than TEXAS!

Posted on 26-May-07 at 12:47 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

RE: David leaving in a taxi - doesn’t surprise me a bit. When you see Armando driving around in brand new hummers and Mercedes, you can be sure he’s all flash. I believe you Texans have a saying for people like this: “Big hat, no cattle” !!

Daniel, you can email me at info@hyperion1.com Best regards, Mike

Posted on 26-May-07 at 1:25 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Angie Wilford has been scrapped as a ‘Guest Speaker’ from the Montelongo’s Real Estate Workshop. This was scrubbed on the web site within the last few days.

http://www.tribeworkshop.com/

Is A&E going to pull the plug on her too?

Close, Mike. It’s ‘All hat and no cattle’ ; )

Posted on 26-May-07 at 3:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

This was changed as well…

“Cast members from A&E’s Flip This House will be at the event! All of whom will be available to answer any questions you may be dying to ask!”

It WAS…

“Cast members from ALL THREE of A&E’s Flip This House teams will be at the event! All of whom will be available to answer any questions you may be dying to ask!”

Posted on 26-May-07 at 3:22 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I just saw the episode where the contractor “stole” the cabinets out of the house they were remodeling. I wonder if the stole the cabinets are cashed them in because they were owed money?!?!

No police, no follow ups, makes me think this is a civil and not a criminal mater.

Posted on 26-May-07 at 9:42 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I recall another episode where one of the Montelongo women (cant remember which one) picked up a couple of California investor at the airport and wisked them away to a duplex closing IN A LIMO.

I could understand if they were closing on a multi lillion dollar deal, however, this duplex was in a ROTTEN neighborhood (AKA ghetto) I was also amused that Armondo called it “working class”… BUNK. I drive a cab for a living and I refuse to go into a crack infested area they rehabbed this duplex.

This should have raised red flags in my book that they splurged money on a limo for such a mickey mouse deal. I would have not have been impressed

Posted on 26-May-07 at 10:00 pm | Permalink
Laura Neely wrote:

UPDATE:

Mounting legal pressure upon Armando has forced him to now change his website where he had his false advertising which led to his major con.

Now he changed it to cds instead of dvds, so at least now fewer people will be conned.

If anyone doubts it was always advertised as dvds, the copies have been kept and will be used against him in the coming class action suit against him. Copies can also be found online now if you know how to go about that. Armando is going to pay very dearly for this major scam of his, mark my words.

Posted on 27-May-07 at 12:48 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I found the house the the Montelongo boys flipped on School street. According to Bexar County records:

They bought the house on May 3,2006 for 46,550 David Montelongo signed the document - recorded on book number 12108 page 947

They sold the sold the house FIVE MONTHS October 6, 2006 later to a Investor in San Antonio area for 53,550. Document signed by Armando Montelongo - recorded on book number 12447 page 1104.

I recall on the show they bought the house for 34,000 plus 11,000 for improvements and sold it for 70,000 dollars. And I was under the impression that this house sold quickly (less than a month). These numbers DONT MATCH!

I drove by the house and its the one featured on the show. It look great up front However, the thing need major foundation work and the roof is slightly warped looks like it about to colaspe in a couple of years.

Posted on 27-May-07 at 12:09 pm | Permalink
islander wrote:

I guess I’m too trusting….I assumed they wouldn’t need to inflate numbers on these shows and that the people on these shows were actual “experts”..

Posted on 30-May-07 at 10:29 am | Permalink
Gregory wrote:

I stumbled on this web site after wanting more information on the YouTube video I saw on Sam Leccima being a scammer. This thread has been very interesting to read.

I too was contemplating buying Montelongo’s course, but after reading his five free pages, I could tell that the writing of the books would not be great. Plus the following questions/red flags were raised:

1.) Why 5 ebooks? It’s an ebook! Why not just put all the information into one book? He’s doing that to make it sound like you’re getting more. Which probably means you’re not.

2.) If he is really making $20,000 per house at 20 to 30 houses per month that means he’s making between $400,000 and $600,000. Divide that by a 60 hour work week and he would be making between $1,666 and $2,5000 dollars per hour! Why in the world would anybody making that much money per hour need to sell a course? I figured because he isn’t making that kind of money.

My biggest problem was that was not giving out any information for free. At least the other FTH team of Than and Mike have free articles up on their web site. When you are that successful it doesn’t hurt to pay forward a little good will.

I am not going to buy anything from any of the Flip This House people.

It think A&E made a big mistake by not having a non-compete clause in their contracts. That way they would be able to prevent the teams from exploiting their publicity with crappy “courses” and then A&E would be able to put out a branded Flip This House course of real estate rehabs, for free.

Posted on 01-Jun-07 at 3:38 am | Permalink
Gregory wrote:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the information you’ve been providing so far. I have a question for you. What’s your beef with flipping houses? Specifically wholesaling. That’s what I was planning to do because it seems to be the easiest way to get my feet wet in real estate.

I just started looking into real estate investing the past week and have found a ton of information online for free. I also went to the library and grabbed a bunch of books on the subject.

The bottom line is between Google, iTunes, and YouTube, there is way too much free information online to have to pay thousands for anybody’s courses.

Gregory

Posted on 01-Jun-07 at 4:11 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Gregory;

Flipping is an illusion. The illusion is that someone can buy a flawed house for next to nothing and, with little or no knowledge of construction trades or contracting, spend very little money and add enormous value to that property and sell it for a huge profit in a matter of days. It isn’t that way.
Never has been, and never will be.

The fact is that I can drive down the street and immediately spot houses that were ‘flipped’. Why? Because, to the expert eye, the flaws are obvious. I have pictures of houses with lovely new paint and landscaping where the grade slopes 20% TOWARD the house and the stucco never dries. This house will fall apart in a year and have termites even sooner. Or the heavily improved house with only 1500 sq ft. that never sold because a competent builder would have added a 2nd story and another 1500 sq. ft. I can find problems with most houses built by experienced professionals, so the condition of houses that have been screwed around by amateurs is always appaling.

Check out a show on Discovery Home called Holmes on Homes and you’ll see what a real builder finds checking out the work of other contractors - many of them licensed. Then imagine stuff about 3 times worse and you’ve got the true condition of most flipped houses.
No permits, unlicensed tradespeople, and totally inexperienced owners acting as GC are a sure recipe for disaster.
As for wholesaling, the concept of getting great deals on houses and then reselling them is great, problem is it also doesn’t exist. LONG before a home of any value gets to the point of being available to the general public via auction, NOD listing, etc., professionals who know what they are doing have already known about it for a long time. If it gets to the pulic, they passed on it ofr some good reason. Now, if you’re in a very depressed market like San Antonio, there are some workable properties possible *if you know what you are doing and can inspect them yourself accurately*. However, here in LA, you will *never* get a shot at any easy money houses because professional experts have networks of people alerting them to anything good *long* before it ever hits the street. There is no free lunch.

So, in a nutchell, my problem with ‘flipping’ is that it’s bs. There are no quick, easy deals, and obody who has little or no experience in the trades ever turns out a quality product. When it comes to homebuilding, there is very little new under the sun in the past 30 years and certainly nothing has changed to make ‘flipping’ a viable prospect in any other than a rapidly ascending market, which no longer exists in most places.

Mike

Posted on 01-Jun-07 at 1:08 pm | Permalink
Shannon wrote:

For years, I have dreamnt of buying homes, adding value and selling for a profit. I am now in the position to turn my dreams into realtiy, BUT I did it the hard way. I went to college, and majored in Finance and Real Estate. I got a Broker’s license, and bought and sold other people’s properties. I managed properties for investors, etc. Now, after 4 years I am a Project Manager for America’s Luxury Builder I know the cost of labor and materials b/c I contract all my jobs. My bonus is tied into how profitable my homes are.

For those of you that think I’m bragging, you’re wrong. The truth is, in 1999 I saw a Carleton Sheets infomercial on T.V. My family bought the program for me ($400!) I went through the course, and was devastated to learn much of what he was teaching was based on assuming mortgages (almost impossible now), and other ancient tactics. Not only that, the course just seemed to gear me towards EXPENSIVE personal coaching, and seminar courses. Much like the Tribework Shops. I was crushed, and felt like a fool for buying into this crap.

I dedicated myself to learn about real estate, and since 1999 I have bought, sold, managed, developed and FINALLY invested properties. Like Mike Voss writes, there is no “Get Rich Quick” techniques in real estate investing, Period.

As far as these so called reality shows, my favorite has always been Trademark Properties. Even though you can tell on the Real Deal that some of the show is staged, I think Richard does a good job being honest about his dealings. Personally, I think the show was more interesting when he was on “Flip This House” season 1. The Real Deal also needs to goto HD!

Bottom line, if you buy right, do your homework and dedicate yourself to this business in a professional manner you can make some $$$$.

Best of luck to all of you.

Posted on 02-Jun-07 at 11:37 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Well said, Shannon.

Reading your remarks reminded me of why I got into homebuilding and I think I should mention it so people can see how and why I got to where I am now.

When I was in college 20 years ago, (studying Computer Science) I did a lot of studying outside of school of things that interested me (yeah I was a bit of a dork) and learned 3 things that I never forgot: 1) 9 of 10 American millionaires (at that time anyway) made their money in real estate 2) a house is the most expensive thing most people will ever buy, sell, or own in their lifetime and yet 3) most people know close to *nothing* about houses.

This struck me as a huge, multi-faceted paradox, and began my lifelong quest to learn everything about houses. (it’s still ongoing) As a kid, my parents had contracted to have houses remodeled and when I was 12 we moved into a big old house and did about 1/2 the work remodeling it ourselves, and my whole life I’ve found some odd familiarity and comfort in the smell of sawdust and construction adhesive. To this day, it just seems to be in my blood and other people who have the same affliction know what I mean immediately. It’s what I truly love, and it never gets old.

When I got out of college, I spent years working in the computer field and working on various projects I lived in - some in exchange for rent reduction, then later some of which I lease optioned ( a powerful tool that anyone with interest in RE should understand and use - it got me my start) Over time, I got tired of the almost universal unreliability of subcontractors and started to learn their trades myself so I wouldn’t have to rely on them. (remember - if you try to do something yourself and screw up, you can always hire someone to fix it and it’ll probably cost the same or less…) I spent time as a free apprentice, volunteered on Habitat for Humanity projects, and continually challenged myself to take on bigger and bigger projects. On my first house, I was hard pressed to repair an electrical circuit. On my last one, I ran every inch of wire, including the panel and service head. Along the way, I read and acquired a couple hundred books on different trades(which I refer to frequently) and literally watched *every* episode of every home improvement show ever aired at least twice, no joke. I’ve forgotten more than most people who call themselves builders will ever know, and yet I still consider myself to know very little. The more I know, the more I realize how little I know. The education is ongoing and a constant evolution. If you have the desire and the love for it, however, it never gets old. My worst day housebuilding is better than my best day working for someone else ever was, period! I hope everyone can enjoy it as much as I have and not get ripped off by the creeps out there looking to do no more than enrich themselves at the expense of others and give real housebuilding a bad name. All you need to know is out there, free or very inexpensively available, it’s just not available fast.

There’s an old saying amongst builders: Good, Fast, Cheap - pick any 2! When it comes to learning housebuilding and developing real estate, good and cheap is the route you want to take, so forget about fast because you can’t buy real enlightenment at any price.

Best regards,

Mike Voss

Posted on 02-Jun-07 at 1:53 pm | Permalink
RealEstateJunkie wrote:

Host of A&E’s “Flip This House,” Sam Leccima, Arrested for Fraud

http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/71574/Sam_Leccima_Flips_Out_Arrested_For_Fraud_For_Faking_Home_Renovations_And_Sales_

Posted on 02-Jun-07 at 3:09 pm | Permalink
RealEstateJunkie wrote:

Opps - just realized - maybe this should have been posted on the Samuel Leccima page under comments.
Sorry.

Posted on 02-Jun-07 at 3:15 pm | Permalink
southern girl wrote:

LMAO @ Armando or his wife posting #23-25 praising him! Guess they don’t know what a proxy is!

David Montelongo seems nice and honest enough but his brother is a different story.

Posted on 02-Jun-07 at 6:04 pm | Permalink
Tom wrote:

THe trademark people were fun to watch. I thought they were overall decent people. After that the show went downhill. The Atlanta shows were just garbage and the armondo shows - what a clown with his clown wife.

Anyone who thinks they are going to make money flipping in an inexperienced fool. Not Richard and trademark were not flippers - they rehabbed houses. Big difference.

Much like the dotcom mania this whole RE mania will bankrupt Armondo and many others.

Posted on 03-Jun-07 at 3:13 pm | Permalink
Chris wrote:

Well I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks the Montelongo’s are a joke! There show is good “fluff” for the brain. You need a good laugh now and again. As for Armondo’s CD, I hope that nobody else wastes there hard earned money on his crap. Mike has been right all along…”THERE ARE NO EASY MONEY DEALS” I should know, I’m a licenced carpenter and have been in home construction and renovations for 18 years. If you have the passion for houses like I do, you can earn a fair living, but you will NEVER be a millionaire at it!

Posted on 03-Jun-07 at 6:55 pm | Permalink
Chris wrote:

Just a further thought. If you ARE interested in trying your hand at house flipping remember this; DO NOT JUST CANDY COAT IT. Do more than just paint and carpet. Put yourself in the buyers shoes. Imagine that you are buying this house beliving it has been “renovated”, and once you move in, you find all of the mistakes that are going to cost you thousands to repair. There is something to be said for craftsmanship. Stand by your name, AND behind your work! Your reputatation will proceede you if you are known for poor workmanship! Good luck!

Posted on 03-Jun-07 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
Gregory wrote:

Hi Mike,

After further research, I think you are making an all inclusive overstatement by saying wholesaling \”doesn\’t exist.\” What further makes that evident is your contradiction in your same paragraph.

\”However, here in LA, you will *never* get a shot at any easy money houses because professional experts have networks of people…\”

Networks of people screams wholesalers or bird dogs or whatever the terminology. Point is that you nor anyone with the work ethic you have has the time to go out and find ALL of your properties on your own. You pay people to do that. Either in-house or network. So to say that wholesaling doesn\’t exist seems a bit much. I checked out \”Holmes on Homes\” and missed the first 15 minutes, but I got the idea. I also checked out \”Flip THAT House: Updated\” which takes place in the Los Angeles area. I saw episodes with homes in North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks. Those people, some 1st timers, took MUCH longer than 2 weeks, but they made a profit.

Your post is really telling. It seems that you love building homes. It is your life and you turn out top quality houses. I may have even seen some of your work first hand because I\’ve looked at some of those newly built / remodeled homes around Sherman Oaks Galleria. But I\’m not looking into wholesaling at this point to be a major homebuilder like yourself or Trademark Properties. I\’m looking to make some extra cash first and it looks as though wholesaling provides extreme flexibility. Then, once I get more hands on experience in real estate investing, I\’ll determine if rehabbing properties is right for me.

Anyway, it seems like you\’re not saying it can\’t be done. You\’re saying that people should just take more pride in the workmanship they do.

Chris, to say that \”you will NEVER be a millionaire\” from real estate investing is so far from being true. A large number of U.S. millionaires make money from real estate investing.

I was watching \”The Real Deal\” where Trademark rehabs their IT guy\’s house and at the beginning of the show Richard said that they now have 44 employees and did $250,000,000 million dollars in sales in 2006.

I\’d say that\’s pretty good.

Gregory

Posted on 03-Jun-07 at 9:29 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Hi Gregory - I guess I should clarify about wholesaling - what I actually meant is that it is like building in that it isn’t just a simple thing out there waiting to be done easily. Bird doggers is the correct term - when people know you are a builder and know your work is good, they bring deals to you. Many times, they become ongoing sources of such deals - people like BK trustees, financial advisers, realtors, etc. When you develop relationships with such people, then it is possible to find the properties which never get into the MLS, classifieds, etc. Great example: I helped a friend rebuild a house here in Sherman Oaks - we knew the owner from going to parties at his house for years - it was a piece of junk on a magnificent lot which is on a hilltop overlooking the whole valley. The guy got foreclosed on, but he was a lawyer and sued the bank and won and the property ust sat empty for 2 years while the battle went on (rare around here) At the end, he just wanted to sell it for what he owed on it, which was about 1/4 what the land alone was worth. Because my friend knew him, he got the first crack at it, and because he knew me, I inspected it and told him to get a written contract THAT DAY because it was a great deal and I didn’t trust the seller. A week later, the guy wanted to reneg and go try to get more money (he was slimy), but it was too late because my friend had an ironclad contract and had paid. We bought a $2MM+ property for $600K. We built a house for about $400,000 more and today it’s easily worth about 3.7MM.

That’s a rare example, but the moral of the story is that the general public never saw anything about that house (except in foreclosure listings, which are mostly useless like they were in this case) and my friend got it entirely because of his relationships with lawyers and a builder. (me) If someone is willing to take the time to develop the connections, there are definitely deals to be made out there (my friend could have sold that house the day he got title for over 2MM - John Salley was there the first day we saw it and wanted it BAD. To this day I don’t know who his connection was, but he had one!) If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, it can definitely be done. It’s just that, like building, the shortcuts people like Armando pretend to have don’t exist - it takes time and hard work. At least here in LA.

-Mike

Posted on 04-Jun-07 at 1:45 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

PS: RE: Flip That House - I know both the women who did the house in Sherman Oaks and the one in North Hollywood. While both did sell, Susan’s house took about a year and the work was not very good quality. Kelly’s sold faster, but it was even lesser quality. Susan still is a flipper and really hasn’t improved much quality or knowledge wise. She’s great at decorating and staging, but cuts many corners and doesn’t make any structural mods on any properties that I’ve seen. Kelly never flipped another house and washed out of Real Estate and moved home with her parents. That’s the reality of what happens to most flippers.

There WAS, however, one episode of Flip That House that had a builder who was fairly impressive - check out the English guy who did the craftsman style house - Paul I think was his name? He was talented - really nice work.

Mike

Posted on 04-Jun-07 at 1:55 am | Permalink
Chris wrote:

You’re right Greg, I guess I was a little over zelous in saying that you will “NEVER” be a millionaire in real estate. I was referring to all of the first time “house flippers” who belive they too can be the next overnight success story. Real estate is and always will be your best investment, as nobody is producing any more ground to build a house on. There is more to “flipping” than most new comers are aware of. Yes it is best to by property in a depressed market, but you must also analize the market shifts, and possible job growth. If you are planning to be the next success story, than get a mentor, and expect it to take time. Richard Davis did not get to were he is overnight. If you are in this just for a quick buck like Armando Montelongo, then you will not last in this industry!

Posted on 04-Jun-07 at 8:23 am | Permalink
J. Geils wrote:

Veronica is HOOOOOOOT. Her husband is….a used car lot’s worst nightmare.

Posted on 04-Jun-07 at 10:52 am | Permalink
darrell wrote:

Hey Mike and Shannon,
thanks for finally telling it like it is. another reason flips dont work in a market like san antonio is banks are not stupid. hey look at comps. we dont have a lot of cash buyers to skew the numbers.
I wrote all three news stations and even got on the phone with one of the writers of the express news to ask why no one has exposed these idiots and no one seems to care. When I asked why such a successful company was operating out of a converted garage in an 80K home in Dellview the express news writer admited to never meeting the Montelongos, only that she was contacted about the show and did a phone interview. I’ve checked just about every success story on the show and the only one that even somewhat holds water is Armandos personal home he sold in Hunters Creek. Which, by the way he had to use a realtor from a small company called pleasant realty. Ineresting since his older brother is married to a realtor. His older Brother Rick runs his fathers old company and according to his web site, has nothing to do with cast or its crew. Armandos house of cards is going to come crashing down soon, just like most con men. I was recently contacted by a man that called on one of my real estate ads who stated he was buying a home, owner financed by Armando but was being foreclosed on by the real note holder. Apparently Armando was not making the mortgage. This is called a wrap and with todays laws I’m not even sure if its still legal.
anyway great advice Mike, I’ll drop you line some time. By the way I took photos of Armados latest success that he claims to have sold for 165K in Universal city. the home in good shape would be worth maybe 120K. regardless, it was flooded, the fence falling down, the pool green and the interior still smelled. Also, the genius converted part of the garage.
ps- Richards show is great. if Armando did even a fraction of the homes he claims his staff would be something like Richards.

Posted on 05-Jun-07 at 2:31 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Shannon,

Discovery is rolling out HD to their ‘family’ of channels (which includes TLC) in September. So far Direct TV has signed on the rest won’t be far behind.
Discovery just announced this a few weekss ago.

Posted on 05-Jun-07 at 7:32 am | Permalink
Denise in N.C. wrote:

Wow, this is a great website and very informative. I am not a realtor or flipper, just an average working gal who is fascinated with home improvement. I have to admit that I found the Montelongo & Leccima espisodes of Flip this House entertaining. I assumed there was a certain amount of fraud in involved in these shows, as it appeared there was a lot of playing to the camera, and I couldn’t fathom that people would actually purchase houses that had only cosmetic fixes. But I didn’t realize just how much fraud was involved.

Can anyone explain to me why Angie is now a part of the Flip this House team? She acted as a real estate agent on the Leccima episodes and can be seen stating that she brokered the deal for Sam to purchase these homes and is shown placing a SOLD sign on one of homes — when in fact, it has been proven by GA county records that Leccima never owned/purchased the homes (as Angie stated) and nor did the homes ever sell (as Angie stated). Isn’t she just as fraudulent as Sam? And, if she is indeed a realtor, shouldn’t her license be revoked as well?

Last question, am I the only one confused by Flip this House and Flip that House :-)

Posted on 05-Jun-07 at 12:23 pm | Permalink
Todd wrote:

Denise,

Originally I was very confused between Flip This House and Flip That House. After watching many episodes of each, here is the difference. Flip That House is a 30 minute program that features a different person each time trying to flip a house. Flip That House airs on TLC. Their shows are taped in different parts of the country, although 90% are in Southern California. They have also done several in Las Vegas. Flip This House airs on A&E and is the show that Richard and Trademark Properties in South Carolina started. After the contract dispute with Richard, A&E recast the show with Armando & Crew, Sam & Crew, etc. It is a one hour show that follows the same people around from week to week. Flip That House is more normal, everyday people while Flip This House are the “professionals”.

I’ve read many of the comments on here and agree with what a lot of people have said. However, I do not agree with people on here saying that you cannot make money flipping houses. You can definitely make money in buying and selling real estate, ie…flipping. I can tell you first hand because I have personally completed four houses in the past year and have made a good and fair profit on every one. There is no big secret or magic formula. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It is hard work, pure and simple. To be successful, you have to invest time in looking for properties. You have to know your market cold! It takes time and you have to do your homework. One in 20 properties that you will look at might be worth flipping, based on the price, location, etc. When looking for properties, you need to search your local MLS daily as well as craigslist and other websites. It takes time and again it is work. I work a full-time job(and then some), but I try to find at least 20 hours per week to dedicate to my part time real estate business. My goal is to eventually be in the real estate business full time, but that is still a few years away.

By the way, I am not a believer in books, tapes, etc that “teach” you how to flip houses. The best way to learn anything is by participating. You can read books until you are blue in the face, but the way you really learn is by doing. If you want to flip a house; get your financing in order, get with a local realtor, and get to work! Just be prepared to see the 19 dogs(most of which will be overpriced) to find the one diamond in the rough.

Posted on 05-Jun-07 at 1:23 pm | Permalink
mtraininjax wrote:

Why is it that Angie, Marina and Veronica are so hot and have idiots for husbands? David, dump your brother, Veronica dump your hubby and find someone who appreciates you, and Angie, dump that idiot of a husband who can’t do construction to save his life.

Posted on 06-Jun-07 at 5:19 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

How come when you go to the Montelongo’s web site (Montelongo House Buyers) you don’t see any houses FOR SALE listed?

The only thing I see FOR SALE are CD’s, get rich quick seminars, and so on.

Where are the ‘25 houses a month’ they ‘flip’ hiding? ; )

Posted on 09-Jun-07 at 12:27 am | Permalink
Chris Bell wrote:

If my math is right, to buy and sell 1,000 houses in five years, a person would have had to buy 3 to 4 houses a week, which would be quite a challenge for a large scale company, much less Armando, and his brother. I am suprised that A&E, at the least, did not do a few public records checks, and a criminal background check to ensure the accuracy of the claims, and the background of the individuals being showcased on the series.

Posted on 09-Jun-07 at 8:21 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Montelongo’s…

“The Roach House”

254 Erskine Place
San Antonio, TX

On the show…

Paid $40,000
Rehab $17,000
Total ‘in’ $57,000

Sold $110,000

Profit $53,000

__________________________

Zillow $76,906 est worth

http://www.zillow.com/

Posted on 09-Jun-07 at 8:09 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Cut and pasted from the FTH board before they delete it. Heh

“Roach House”…

“Let me add more:

bought on June 6, 2006 for $66,500

sold to an investor in Blanco, TX on Nov. 10, 2006 for $68,000

Appraised by Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector for 2007: $70,100

There is NO WAY that THIS house sold for $110,000.

The construction time line/schedule, Armando and Veronica’s vacation (which occurred during the “cat house” filming), and the open house, were ALL STAGED!

And once again, another episode where the buying, selling, and possibly the construction costs, were OVER INFLATED!!

In light of the Sam Leccima scandal, I cannot believe A&E would continue to broadcast this show without checking out the facts.

Shame on you A&E!

PS. The Montelongo’s claim they flip 25-30 houses a month. Strange how the entire Montelongo crew spends nearly a month on this SINGLE project.

What about the other 24-29 houses they are flipping?

And strange that Armando at the open house talks about moving to the next (singular) deal.

PPS. Does it bother anyone that Melina and Armando are deciding how to market the house as if this was the first time Melina marketed a house?

I thought she was doing this for at least 3 years?

The more I see the Montelongo’s on FTH, it becomes painfully apparent that they are 3rd rate amateurs in the real estate business but they are 1st class liars!”

Posted on 09-Jun-07 at 10:09 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I cannot understand A&E for letting this sham go on for this long.

It took me less than 5 minutes to do a background check on the Erskine house.

What will it take to realize that A&E has another PR train wreck in progress?

I also uncovered a questionable loan made to Armando on a house on Lemur Dr . According to loan documents filed with the county clerk, they have him listed as a “single man” - not married. No reputable lender would make such a mistake. Furthermore, they allowed a house on Basswood Dr go into foreclosure in April of this year.

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 3:43 am | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Fred,

I suspect the Montelongos are not what they seem.

However, don’t assume that “taking a taxi” is an indication of a lack of wealth. Many (most?) millionaires are NOT “flashy” and don’t take limos.

One of the reasons people get to be millionaires is that they don’t waste money on “flash” or “bling”.

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 4:08 am | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Mike V.,

I’m curious as to why you call San Antonio a “depressed” market.

While housing costs in San Antonio are well below what you will find in CA and certain portions of the east coast (for similar properties), it is a market where housing prices have risen fast in recent years. The market is slowing this year, but still increasing (unlike some of the “hot” markets on the west coast where prices are flat or falling).

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 4:35 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Thanks Steve for reposting my message from the A&E board. Sure enough, A&E or the moderator removed my post:-).

Disappointed but not surprised.

A&E and Departure Films (the people who produce FTH) need to come to grips and face reality.

Removing my post only makes me wonder what other things have yet to be discovered.

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

Anytime ; ) I watched that episode like a hawk last night on a 42″ HD plasma (and a DVR) just looking for the street address. Got it! I’ll be doing the same thing with subsequent San Antonio reruns ; )

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

And boyson,

Nice tag team effort last night …

1,2,3 TEAM!

Teamwork is our trademark LOL ; )

Posted on 10-Jun-07 at 10:19 pm | Permalink
miami wrote:

LOSERS, STOP TRASHING PEOPLE, GET A LIFE. START MAKING MONEY AND NOT EXCUSES.

Posted on 11-Jun-07 at 11:17 am | Permalink
Justin wrote:

BTW, didn’t he and his wife get divorced a few years ago?

That would explain him applying for the loan as a single male.

Posted on 11-Jun-07 at 9:07 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Justin:

They filed for divorce in April 2003, however, I did not find a divorce decree. Perhaps they reconciled and drop the petition.

Moreover, on Montelongohomebuyers.com website, Veronica’s bio says “…Nothing is more rewarding than the quality time she spends at home with her husband Armando and their son Armando Sebastian…”

Posted on 12-Jun-07 at 2:58 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

correction, link to Veronica’s bio:

http://www.montelongohousebuyers.com/personal_info.html

Posted on 12-Jun-07 at 3:00 am | Permalink
Shannon wrote:

Good one Steve. I went to his website too, it appears all he is selling is get rich quick schemes. From what I read on this website, its all severly outdated information. Probably just more stuff trying to get you to goto more seminars, etc.

On a side note, I love this blog. When I’m having a tough day at work, I’ll come on here and just LMAO reading everyones posts.

Anyone gonna tune in to hear David Montelongo tonight?

Posted on 13-Jun-07 at 12:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Save your money. Richard Davis gives it up for free (video)

“The Number One Rule in Real Estate Investing”

http://tlc.discovery.com/beyond/index.html?playerId=203711705&categoryId=914140632&lineupId=987239221

Posted on 14-Jun-07 at 10:06 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from the TWOP forum.
Too funny! LOL

“Did anyone else notice on the TRIBE site that not only were David and Melina special guests, but Than Merrill is a featured speaker. Looking over this site and the one posted earlier for Than, it looks like they are all jumping on the get rich quick scams.

The “I’m so successful at what I do that I’m going to stop doing it and teach you how from the generousity of my little heart. Now cough up the bucks and buy my package.” Which actually means “I’m not making enough money doing this right now, so I’ll get you to pay me to teach you how to not make enough money either, as I laugh all the way to the bank.”

Posted on 15-Jun-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Why is it that I hear Armando, Veronica, David, or Melina, I check to make sure my wallet is not missing, roll my eyes, or at a Amway sales presentation?

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 11:09 am | Permalink
the renters wrote:

have you all tried renting their houses

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 1:04 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Montelongo’s

“Condemmed”

508 W Baetz
San Antonio, TX

On the show…

Paid $31,900

Total “in” after rehab $63,000

Sold $120,000

‘Flipped’ in 21 days
______________________________________

Per Bexar County Records. The house is owned by…

BAETZ LAND TRUST
239 DALEHURST
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201

Take it away, boyson! ; )

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Marygrace wrote:

Can anyone tell me what is the situation with David? Have he and his brother parted company if so what is he up to?

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 9:22 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Montelongo’s….

“Condemned” (’The Burnt Duplex’)

508 W Baetz
San Antonio, TX

On the show…

Paid $31,900

Total in with rehab $63,100

“Flipped” and sold in 21 days for $120,000
______________________________________

Or not. Bexar County records show the owner as

BAETZ LAND TRUST
239 DALEHURST (Montelongo Real Estate Solutions)
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 9:57 pm | Permalink
Janelle wrote:

Steve, thanks for the link. Really good advice from him.

You know, I think they are both so full of themselves, but it makes for good TV ;)

They both have the only two flip shows I watch. The other flippers on “flip this house” bore me to tears.

I would be more apt to buy a book from Richard than Armando though. I like Richards team mentality and treating people well.

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
Eric wrote:

Wow! What an awesome website. I’ve been interested in flipping homes and found the Flip This Home episodes very entertaining. The first thing that struck me as odd was the ridiculous claim that Mr. Montelongo made regarding how many homes he flips a month. Something like 25 to 30. What an insult to the intelligence of your viewers. I already knew about the Leccima’s cause I live in Atlanta, but I did not know he went so far as to stage people. It’s so sad to see so many people fall victim to greed. Anyone interested in real estate investing should check out John T Reed. He has serious credentials and has a very informative website.(www.johntreed.com) God Bless to all.

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:08 pm | Permalink
Ryan wrote:

I loved the episode tonight when Armando was teaching “Mondo Man” how to flip houses. He explained that sometimes daddy has to yell at the contracters, but you also have to take care of them. So he shows up with a six pack cooler with a couple of waters and a couple sodas.
Yeah that makes it all better.

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:16 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for Vice- president”

Too funny! The editors ‘fuzzed out’ the street address on this one. And no fake buyer either, instead, ‘asking price’. Although there was an alleged ’sale pending’

Too little, too late. Every tree I’ve barked up so far with this gang has had a cat in it ; ) Good luck trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube! LOL

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
Ron wrote:

Steve,
What is the website for Bexar county were you get all your info on the homes? I would love to read some of that!

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Veronica Montelongo for Vice- President”

Shameless plug for ‘Pella Windows’.
Although it looks like they’ve dropped
the “Added Value” phony premise they used in Connecticut with the “Burning Down the House” episode and the “Condemned” episode in San Antonio for ALCOA (aluminum siding)!

‘Product placement’ is one thing. Phony ‘infomercial’ garbage disguised as legitimate show content is another.

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 10:53 pm | Permalink
Derek wrote:

I have learned more on this one website than I have on any of the “Flipping” shows. Thank you. All of the links have led to some interesting reading. It is amazing what you learn when you “google” just a few simple words.
I was actually looking up the book that Armando was writing on tonights “Flip This…” episode and came across you guys……Interesting!
Needless to say, I no longer feel the need to look up his book!

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 11:06 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Veronica Montelongo for Vice- President”

Also kind of funny, Armando shooting the windows out with his sling shot! Geeze,
can you say FOLLOWER? Keep watching
Richard Davis Armando, hey, you might learn something. And apparently, you already are ; )

Posted on 16-Jun-07 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
Brian wrote:

I was initially interested in picking up a copy of Montelongo’s book, but I found this blog, and now really have no interest in it.
It’s amazing what can be found with just a few keystrokes!
Thanks to everyone here for the good info, and hopefully A&E will get their act together, and yank junk like this off the air.
I guess that is where “reality” tv is going these days.
My skepticism grows on a daily basis!
Hopefully it helps me(and others) keep the money in OUR pockets!

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 12:38 am | Permalink
bubba wrote:

armondo you gonna let these people bash you, respond tell us its not so, give us the real deal, a real man sticks up for himself, lets hear it, cant mess with peoples lives brother give it to us here, what do you say sir.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 1:01 am | Permalink
Valentino wrote:

Armando is the best illusion artist on A&E. Criss Angel is a close second but “are you ready”…for Armondo’s new book! My favorite illusion in the episode tonight is Veronica’s line to the window guys (who all had uniforms on and there company’s name plastered everywhere like they were part of a pit crew in a NASCAR event… anyway she says something like “Whoa you guys are professionals and work so fast with a beautiful product line” and then the window truck drives off into the sunset with a just another job for us, its what we do, kind of vibe going on, and one more final plug on the back of the truck to a fade out (it was really touching, I called my mother afterwards to tell her I love her). No way Armando payed 18 grand for the windows and doors, ITS ARMANDO! He turns everyone on that show into a puppet and still had time to write a book! Now thats magic :) Welp, I love the website. Best wishes to you all.

~Valentino

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 2:15 am | Permalink
Ryan in South Texas wrote:

Back about 7 years ago I was working for my stepfather in Corpus Christi during the summer between college semesters on an old run down house that he purchased for around 30K. He put about 15K into beefing up the foundation, framework and remodling it completely. It took about 2 months to complete. He then sold it about 6 months later after living in it for a little while for 75K. I can see where you could make a very good amount of money if you could do a house every 4-6 weeks or so. I have always wanted to get into this, but do not really know where to start or what it takes.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 2:23 am | Permalink
rocky wrote:

this armando is a prick the way he treats people is sickening, like he is better than everyone else. especially the time he was sitting outside with his feet in that swimming pool drinking beer and trying patheticaly to make it look like he was having to force those contractors to work, what a piece of shit. I wonder just how many of those contractors have gave him an asswhooping?1000 houses = 1000 or more asswhoopins! LOL

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 2:55 am | Permalink
Scott wrote:

I did some searching on http://www.taxnetusa.com/texas/bexar/list.php and found Armando Senior owns one property, and Armando Junior owns 3 properties and Armando owns 1. Isn’t his son Junior? How can a 9 or 10 year old kid own property? Also doing a check on Veronica, she has seven houses under her name…someone else see something wrong?

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 2:59 am | Permalink
Scott wrote:

Some more on them:
http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP01.asp

David has a lawsuit pending against him for breach of contract on 6/15/07

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 3:18 am | Permalink
Tammy in Dallas wrote:

Mike,

Great site. Glad I stumbled across it as I too was about to purchase their $97 set.

Also, as others on this site have said, I’ve learned more from the info posted on this site than any of the flipping shows I’ve watched.

Information is Power.

Thanks again for the insight.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 3:28 am | Permalink
Jon wrote:

ok, quick question, i know this is all pretty staged and all, but with the trademark properties, and of course Armando, it seems like they start demoing and building within a couple days of signing papers… in my County it takes like 4 months to get a building permit.. what is going on there? how can they start demoing and building within days?, i mean it is obvious that there is working going on for the project that they are taping, this part is not staged?

thanks in advance for anyone with any answers…

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 3:36 am | Permalink
Vicki in Nebraska wrote:

I also was looking for the book to purchase and found this site. Incredible what people will do to make a buck. Has he really written a book or is that the lead in to his $100 or $1000 kit? I agree Richard seems to be genuine and not so full of himself. I would prefer to have him as a mentor. I will be back more often

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 3:42 am | Permalink
Stephanie wrote:

Does anyone know the real story on whether Armando & David have split up as business partners and why? Thanks for your website. You have saved me money; I was seriously considering investing in Armando’s program. Has anyone gotten the email invite to David’s live conference call next week for TRIBE? I thought the Montelongo’s were a legitimate example of a family business, but it seems as if they are getting pretty greedy and focused on $$ only. They are making their $$ from the show and not flipping houses.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 4:39 am | Permalink
Michael wrote:

Also RE: “Veronica Montelongo for V.P”. I am thankful for the internet and the ability to do instant research. I was actually looking to purchase the book they were slinging, needless to say that I am no longer in the market for it. I quickly reviewed the website, http://www.armandomontelongo.com and noticed several mispelled words on the page under the forclosure section. I am not the best speller in the world but I would certainly spellcheck my website at the very least. First impressions are everything. How can you spend $1000 on his “DVD/CD’s” when he does not even have the ability to make sure his site is at the very least accurate and concise. If you mispell a word here no big deal…on your business website, that is not good. Looks like the Montelongo brothers are parting ways. There was a new intro that didn’t even mention David or his wife Melina..interesting. How funny are the three bogus postings probably sent by the “MONDOMAN”. Great site, thank you everyone for the valuable info. I found Mike Voss to be especially credible. They should make a show about him instead of these other flip artists.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 5:05 am | Permalink
Storm wrote:

Yep I was looking up the book info from tonights show as well and “Holy Smokes” This site was the first thing listed on Google for ‘montelongo book’. Wow guess this saves me an embarrasing triumphant (told ya so)dance from my husbund. And is saving thousands (well maybee hundreds) of people from wasting bandwidth down loading the site. $997?? that would have scared me away anyway. Guess they should have sold it for 19.95 probably would have made more money on the volume.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 5:46 am | Permalink
Macz wrote:

I’ve been very interested in trying to “Flip” but I am unsure of the approach I should take. I have done construction for most of my adult life and half the stuff I see on “Flip This House” hosting Armando Montelongo is total Bull.

I had contacted a company here that “Flip” homes and they said that I can take an internship as long as I provide my construction know-how. I’m not a know it all, I’m just real friendly with the codes and permit/blue print processing. They told me that it may take anywhere from 1 - 3+ months to fully rehab a home and then you must factor in the time it takes to show and sell the house.

This should be a real interesting few months.

I must say that I am happy I found these web postings because I was in search of trying to find the books that Armando wrote so I could better my experience with this company I’ll be spending a few months with.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 5:52 am | Permalink
Theresa wrote:

Thanks for all of the posts. I REALLY can’t afford a book at this cost, but was considering buying it. I wanted to add to the posts to keep this the #1 hit when someone is searching for this book.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 10:18 am | Permalink
Brian wrote:

You know, there definitely is money to be made in buying and rehabbing rundown properties, so I plan to do some of this in the near future.
I agree, however, it is just not as easy or quick as Montelongo states.
It will most likely take some good legwork to find the properties, and then some good elbow grease to do the rehab work.
I sold my first house for a good profit, but I also lived in it for ten years, so it wasn’t a quick flip.

Mike Voss, I second the motion for you to get your own show!!

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 10:48 am | Permalink
Lisa wrote:

Thank you SO MUCH for this site. I was also looking for Armando’s book, and I’m glad I’m a researcher at heart. I love all the remodeling shows on HGTV and want to thank you, Mike, for the suggestion to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity to both learn and do something for the communities we live in. Keep that great info coming!

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 12:14 pm | Permalink
a.ware wrote:

i also want to flip houses and now i see the best advice is to talk to the bank and learn as u go.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 2:14 pm | Permalink
zeke wrote:

What a shocker! I (was) a huge fan of the Montelongos show! I loved every episode! ON hopes that these kinds of stories are more rumor than fact, but hmmmmmmm…… I feel like I did when I was a kind and found out that Santa Claus wasn’t real…this is a shame!

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 3:36 pm | Permalink
lsj wrote:

Two things struck me as odd about the Armando episode I watched last night. First, the contractor (I believe it was foundation work) who showed up to get his money and threatened to put a lien against the property. I don’t know about once a property changes hands, but I do know that in Texas, a contractor can stick a lien on a property and the house can’t be sold until the lien is satisfied. The context of the episode was like this guy showed up demanding pay for work he had not done, but I bet the truth is that someone skipped out on paying him.

And did anyone else catch the blatant advertising for Aaron’s rental? There was a little blurb about how rent-to-own is a great way to get furniture for little cost upfront. But continue renting the furniture (and there’s bound to be some sort of length of terms), and you’ll pay far more for that couch than it is worth.

And slick how Armando made of big show of having to get ready to go shoot his commercial for his book.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 5:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

lsj,

Re: “I don’t know about once a property changes hands, but I do know that in Texas, a contractor can stick a lien on a property and the house can’t be sold until the lien is satisfied.”

True, providing of course it’s a ‘licensed’ contractor. I think that whole thing was stagged anyway

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

I agree with earlier posts on educating yourself as the best course of action for this type of business. I look at FTH and other similiar shows as entertainment, not education. A very good book I found for anyone wanting basic starting information on flipping housees is “Flipping Houses for Dummies” by Ralph Roberts. Very easy to read and understand and is honest about the process. Much cheaper at $21.00, than Montecrooko’s program.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 7:31 pm | Permalink
mike NC wrote:

My favorite part of last nights episode was the shameless plugging and extended camera stops on the Snapple Tea he was sipping in the dark writing his book while chatting with his wife who was out in the daylight. The panning of Valspar paints was pretty funny as well like people are such sheep and won’t notice when they are being advertised to. I have felt this guy is a fraud from day one …but I will not miss an episode because it is entertaining as hell albeit fake as hell.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 8:05 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I posted this on the A&E discussion board and will probably get deleted (like some of my other posts. Steve, don’t worry, I got the info on the Baetz house and other properties aired yesterday. Plus I have a interesting theory about the newest flip - “Veronica Montelongo for Vice President”.

Once again, the numbers don’t add up….

Here is that post:

Laws or no laws, guess what? The house was LISTED in a foreclosure database for 171K. WOW, Armando is such a genius to come up with that figure and WOW that girl was able to talk the bank down to that price.

Coincidence?

What makes me believe the entire incident was nothing more than pseudo drama. It’s not like Departure-Films and FTH crews have ever staged pseudo auctions, pseudo open houses, and pseudo closings. Why not pseudo buying?

Do you honestly think that girl had the demeanor or confidence to negotiate a bank down 50K? She gave me the impression she was a student intern/walk-on that was placed in front of the camera and told to ad-lib as real estate wholesaler.

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 9:04 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

Makes sence.

“Ohhhh, Armondo, I’ve wanted to work with you for SOOOOOOO long, oooo, ahhhh”

LOL

Posted on 17-Jun-07 at 11:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for VP”

I freeze framed this on my DVR. Armondo
is working on his ‘book’ and this is on his laptop, verbatim…

“When I was first broke, it was the hardest time of my life. ‘No’ being able to provide for ‘muy’ family, son, wife, and those I love the most. Once I learned the secrets of ‘lfippign’ and growing rich, my life turned around. It was the best time of my life. The time that was ‘certaintly’ the greatest to me.”

LOL

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:39 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

First I just want to say thanks for all the nice things people have said and emailed me in relation to posting here. If the day ever dawns where production companies want to spend the time and effort to make a good show about homebuilding/remodeling, I’ll be happy to talk to them. As long as they continue to produce shows the way Sam Leccima builds houses though, I’ll steer clear! :)

Like many of you, I found lots of interesting stuff in yesterday’s latest Montelongo episode. First off, I noticed that, on the voiceover for the new David-free intro, Armando now calls his company “the most aggressive” company in San Antonio instead of “the fastest growing” company. I also noticed that the correction to the purchase pricing on the house appears to have been edited in later in the production. (notice it is of a style never used on the show before) Clearly, A&E is clamping down or Departure is starting to actually worry about their claims and reigning Armando in. About time.

My take on the episode was that Armando was really desperate to start selling a book and/or materials because something was up. Combined with the fact that his own brother had clearly quit the show as of that episode, Armando’s schemes seem to be unraveling right on camera. As ye sow…

As for the house build, the product plugs were indeed everywhere. This goes on all the time with these shows. Typically, the builder is short on money and entices the supplier to give them discounted or free products or installation in exchange for tv exposure. It is a tipoff that the builder is looking to exploit the tv airtime and probably would have budgetary issues without the tv show. (at least in my experience)

I do applaud Veronica’s attempt to work in a more green manner (why not on every house? It saves money and is good for everyone.) We always recycle/reuse metal, wood, etc. (I can get a house torn down free out here by giving one company the wood to sell/recycle) Had they had a clue, there was lots more they could have done like installing tankless hot water (huge savings on gas and good units work amazingly well) or solar powered attic vents. And as for Armando’s hummer, don’t even get me started. I’m looking into getting a dual fuel pickup truck soon that runs on gasoline or compressed natural gas(CNG) and installing a CNG refueling system into my next home. CNG costs about $1.25/gallon when you make it at home and is the cleanest burning fuel there is! Why are we not all using it? Hopefully it will be something we can interest people in for future properties - for now I’ll be happy just to have cheap fuel and a clean vehicle!

I’m very glad to see that people who might have fallen for Armando’s book or courses are finding this site and learning that there are better resources available for free.

Happy father’s day,

-Mike Voss

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 1:36 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Heather Jimenez “property scout” was also seen helping Chris “the intern” prepare for open house day.

She was also in the final shot where Veronica slapped on the “Sale Pending” sign.

I guess Armando was so impressed with Heather (she tried to take Armando for 30K) that he had to hire her to help prepare the property for open house :-).

BTW, this is the SAME Heather who was one of the intern/victim applicants on the “Bobwhite House” episode.

Hmmmmm….

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 4:48 am | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

WOW. Finally a cure for insomnia. That would not even be good toilet reading. I guess you could at least use the pages for a toilet paper back up.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 6:50 am | Permalink
David of Austin TX wrote:

Lol, I was just telling my wife that that girl on the latest show posing as a real estate agent was the first intern interviewed on the bob white home episode. Armando making that poor kid chase the peacock cruel but i LMAO.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 11:55 am | Permalink
David of Austin TX wrote:

Has anyone looked into the Program “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. Just wondering if this is also a get rich quick scam.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 11:58 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I was right, the house listed on foreclosuredeals.com is the same house featured on “Veronica for Vice President”.

The listing price was $172,900 and listed on March 6, 2007.

Unfortunately, Comal County doesn’t have their real estate recordings online. However, Comal Appraisal District has their appraisals online :-).

The most current appraisal (which includes the improvements done on the show), is $187,000 . Although I don’t have copies of the deed, I doubt that any one would pay 325K for something that’s worth 187K.

Once again, numbers do not add up!

How or why would Armando put 65K into a house that he already has 172K invested?

This is not the first time the Montelongos lost money on a flip (Bobwhite) featured on FTH.

Sure there were lots of shameless product placement plugs though out the show, but that would not pay the entire cost of the renovations.

Did you notice Armando didn’t seem as pissed off when paying for all these renovations - especially new windows? I’m sure Pella gave them a discount, but I doubt they gave windows and labor for free.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Departure Films/A&E is either subsidizing or paying for the renovations on these houses.

Remember, Sam Leccima’s former landscaper admitted getting paid by the production company for landscaping services done on one of the houses.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:13 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

David - Rich Dad Poor Dad is a great book - I highly recommend it and you can find it used on Amazon very cheap! I haven’t bought/used any of the related courses or materials, so I can’t say anything about those, but the book is very good. Another favorite of mine in that genre is The Millionaire Next Door - a fascinating book worth every penny, it’s the best one I’ve read so far.

Mike

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

The ‘product placement’ stuff is national in scope, they pay A&E. First the egg
($$$), then the chicken (placement). And again, the shameless “Added Value”
garbage to showcase it further for some
of the stuff

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
Melixine wrote:

What an interesting website. I watch/ed all FTH episodes for the last 2 seasons and am glad to see I am not alone in my thoughts. I never liked Leccima. The entire group was too unprofessional for me. Angie and here husband as a spin off are very annoying and even more unprofessional than Leccima. (I had wondered where they went). Aaah, the Montelongos. Interesting to watch but with a grain of salt. Armando is disrespectful and I’m glad that contract he worked with came to his senses and left. I also hope his brother David finds himself instead of his brother’s shadow. I was sad this past season to see Trademark Realty gone and then overjoyed to find them on The Real Deal. They have always been the most professional about what they do, the emphasis on family/team work is key. I also like how they don’t try to squeeze blood from their contractors for pennies on the dollar and want to do what’s right for the house to sell and for the buyer instead of lipstick.

Anyone who watches any of these shows (except for Trademark) and believes that every episode can end with someone walking in and buying is also the person who spends 997.

I could go on but these are just my thoughts.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

Great find! LOL

Any idea where that “Flip 101″ (’Investor Special’) house is? It looks like they went out of their way to hide the street name, the address number though is allegedly ‘4719′.
NO WAY that house sold for $95K

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

Great point about the windows Boyson. Armando usually never spends more than a few thousand on windows, regardless of the house. He almost couldn’t wait to drop 15k to 20k on the Pella windows. They also put Boshe appliances in the house, spending 3 times what they normally budget for appliances. I can’t believe that Armando would be able to get any investor to give him 65K to renovate a home he could only net about 15k on.
Just a side note: I like how Armando “accidently” damaged part of the garage when demoing the add on. It was probably condemed and was required to be torn down anyway.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 1:47 pm | Permalink
fmt wrote:

David,

my advice is to do some research on rob kiyosaki just like you did on armando…

here’s something to start with…
http://www.johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html

good luck

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
fmt wrote:

i suspect kiyosaki made most of his money selling his books and not investing in real estate…

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 2:58 pm | Permalink
fmt wrote:

after watching a few episodes of the montelongos, somethings smelled fishy. making money in RE is possible, but not nearly as easy as they make it out to be. of course, it’s easy when alot of it is fabricated.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 3:15 pm | Permalink
Davie D wrote:

Even though I love to watch the “The Real Estate Pros a/k/a “The Real Deal” they seemed to have “jumped the shark”. They’ve turned more into an Extreme Makeover show than an real estate investing show. First he restores a house and car for one of his tenants, then fixes up a restaurant, then a concession stand and now is helping out a high school friend with a shave and haircut. Same thing with “This Old House”. Before it was just work on an average Joe houses now it’s nothing but mansions.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 3:47 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Ok Steve here are the stats from public records:

Baetz House

Purchased price $48,000 with another lien for 36,000 for improvements = 84,000 total investment. Closing date 10-27-2006

Sold for 96,000 to Cherrie and Alfred Retter (same buyers featured on the show), closing date 3-22-07

Besides David losing his goatee on day 2 and growing it back in less than 2 days, check out the landscape across the street. Day 1 nice and green, Day 8 grass is brown and the trees have no leaves :-(.

Around day 11 there was the ice storm (January 16th), which would have put day 1 around January 5th - just more proof that their time line was bullshit.

Tax Appraisal for 2006 - $106,810
Tax Appraisal for 2007 - $71,380

—–

The investor special was 4719 Castle Rose.

Purchased by Rhumb Line Investments on 8-26-07, could not determine purchase price.

Sold by Rhumb Line to David Montelongo (acting as trustee for 4719 Castle Rose Trust) on 9-13-07 for $42,000. A note was secured on the property for 42,000 + 13,000 more for renovations equals total investment - $56,000.

Sold….well, it didn’t, and the tax appraisal for 2007 is ….$56,720. Who knows, maybe they can sell it for $95,000 in 2013.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 4:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for VP”

boyson,

If the street address is ‘8467′ then I found that house as well (sorry Departure Films, ya missed one) ; )
The square footage and year built don’t match though. Then again, I don’t trust those numbers on the screen anyway.

Zillow puts it at $244,742 ‘market value’ But yes, the appraised value by the county is $187,440.

Another thing, how come the female half of the ‘couple’ that was ‘buying’ it wasn’t wearing a wedding ring ; )

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 4:48 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Zillow values are effectively useless the majority of the time. The information comes from public records (usually WAY out of date) and then it uses machine generated comps (always inaccurate) to guess values based on the inaccurate data it starts with. If you have nothing else, you might use it for rough guess numbers, but for anything more than that it’s just worthless. I’m considering legally forcing them to remove any properties I own from it so as not to possibly devalue them with incorrect information.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

True Mike about Zillow.

I prefer this site but their data base isn’t as big. I’ve heard it’s reasonably accurate

http://www.realestateabc.com/home-values/searchresult

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
Esther Candelaria wrote:

Rob, I was very interested in purchasing the book until I saw your comment. How can I email you?

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 6:29 pm | Permalink
Kilroy wrote:

To make things accurate…

Armando Montelongo’s BOOK as featured on the “Veronica for Vice President” episode has not even been released yet, so for those of you viewers who are looking for info on that book, you will NOT find it here.

What you WILL find is info on Armando’s SET OF 5 E-BOOKS (different than the published hard-copy book!) that he sells for $97.00, apparently as a lead-in to his Audio CD course that sells for $997.00.

I am not defending Armando in any way…I am just clarifying some things because some viewers have posted that they typed “montelongo book” into Google.com in an attempt to find more information on the BOOK that was featured in the recent Flip This House (San Antonio) episode.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 6:52 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for VP”

One more thought about the (cough)
‘couple’. The guy has a digital camera.
The gal has what looks like a ‘one time use, Kodak disposable camera’ (that uses film). Makes no sense. NO SALE! ; )

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 10:25 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for VP”

OK, one more on the ‘couple’ ; ) There
was no couple ‘vibe’ there whatsoever. No interaction, nothing.

Posted on 18-Jun-07 at 11:28 pm | Permalink
CC wrote:

I watched the latest episode, “Veronica for Vice President,” and if there was any doubt that Armando is scum of the earth, this episode confirmed it. The bulldozing scene was completely acted out and stupid. The plugs for Snapple and Pella were all too obvious. The real estate chick looked like she just graduated high school and definitely didn’t carry herself in a way to be selling houses. I can’t believe this crap makes it to TV. What a complete joke.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 1:01 am | Permalink
John wrote:

Armondo does not treat his wife like trash as indicated in this thread. Armondo is an AlphaMAle and his wife appreciates that. In other words he is the boss. So men, learn from him and get women to respect you. WOmen want leadership wheather they admit it or not. Stop paying attentio to what wome say and pay attention to what women do. Which guys get the hottest girls. The manly ones.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 8:43 am | Permalink
Bill wrote:

Wow, just found this site and the info about the people featured on this show is great. I am a real estate agent in NJ and always knew that “flipping” is alot harder than they make it seem on this show. If you are looking to get into this business to try and make a profit, be very careful. I have seen alot of people lose their entire life savings trying to “flip” houses. By the way, you are rehabbing houses, not flipping them. Here are a couple of things you need to be aware of in this business.
1) If you find a property that you think you can make a profit on by fixing up, spend some money first and get a home inspection done. When you walk into a house that has visible problems, there are usually much more expensive problems with the house that you cannot see.
2) Being able to turn a profit depends on what price you can get the house for. Your best bet is to find foreclosures and find out how much the owners owe and offer them that much. Just make sure that you do your research on comps in the area that have sold recently to find out if it will make sense to pursue financially.
3) You need to have a substantial cash flow available to do this.

If you really want to get into this business, try building new houses.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
Nick wrote:

you guys are crazy> Armando knows what he is doing. Get a life.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 2:02 pm | Permalink
nate wrote:

i belive that armondo is not a jerk or anything that you people explained. i belive he is a good man who is trying to make a living for his family. futher more i don’t think his book which is arould $100 or his cd’s which is arould $1000 isn’t trash.i do belive it is a little expencive but i dont belive that its trash like you all explained.also i got a sample of his book and even though its a sample i think he does give good examples and good ways on how to flip houses.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 4:00 pm | Permalink
nate wrote:

after posting i contuied to read and i noticed that mpost of you say that armondo says that he fliped 30 homes a month than you go on to say he is lying and that he would have to flip 1 house a day saying that it is crap well i wanted to say did you ever stop and think that armondo flips more than one house at a time just like richard davis , thats why they say come to the ____ house and gives a spisfic name. That makes it possible.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 4:38 pm | Permalink
nate wrote:

i know i made many mistakes during my second post i wasn’t paying attention i just wantedto get out what i had to say

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Of course we considered that he might be working on multiple properties at once. He isn’t. The property records in his area show that he does not do anyhing remotely close to 30 houses per month. He’s been invited to post the proof of his claims and not responded.

It’s your choice if you want to believe his claims, but the evidence does not support them and it is clear to any knowledgable remodeler that he is inexperienced bordering on incompetent and looking to make a quick buck off any sucker he can.

Mike

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

I don’t believe that Armando has the staff to flip more than 1 house at a time (Richard Davis has like 40+). Not to mention that all of the people Armando works with on the show appear to be incompetent boobs, other than his brother who wised up and left. The only thing that Armando is consistently good at flipping is contractors. He’s pissed through about a dozen different contractors since the show started. All the good contractors I have met or worked with have plenty of work and would never put up with the type of crap Armando gives his. Lastly, I don’t think that Armando has the financial backing from investor to do more than 1 to 2 projects at a time.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 6:03 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Armando knows what he is doing.”

I’m sure he does, but does A&E?

“A&E Television Networks is not a party to any of the transactions shown in Flip This House, and we believed that the programs accurately depicted the featured properties and sales.”

Can they honestly say that with a straight face? It’s the laughing stock of “Reality TV” in it’s current form.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 8:23 pm | Permalink
Duy wrote:

Armando Montelongo is a jerk! I would never do business with anyone who treat other people like that.

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 8:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

If they (A&E) want to keep up this farce
maybe they SHOULD script it, AND, get
some better ‘actors’

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 9:02 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica Montelongo for VP”

Buried in the ‘credits’ at the end of the show was this…

“Promotional assistance provided by
Valspar Paint
Bosch Appliances
Pella Corporation
Snapple”

Promotional Assistance? LOL

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 10:44 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Promotional assistance provided by
Valspar Paint
Bosch Appliances
Pella Corporation
Snapple”

Let’s see. At one point, Veronica says something like…”I was looking for the BEST windows and these are the best”

bwahahahahaha

Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 11:12 pm | Permalink
Matt wrote:

Wow….I landed on this site looking to see if David split from his brother…not only did I find that to be the truth but loads of other info…I knew these guys were “chachi’s” but thanks to all of you…I wont be buying any of there crap… albeit I have to say that this (fth) in an extremely entertaining show…I hope people do homework as most of us on this site have done as to not be suckered by TV and take is as entertainment…ie…girls gone wild…and the Ron Popeil Instant hair in a can spray…last words…NICE THINGS ARE CHEAP AND CHEAP THINGS ARENT NICE

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 12:27 am | Permalink
LCR wrote:

Armando Montelongo is a poor example of a realestate investor he treats his contractors like dirt and shows no respect to his family and friends. The show highlighs his faults not his qualities if he has any.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

You are all a bunch of idiots. There will always be people who bash others who have had success.

FIRST OFF: Richard Davis is a stuck up asshole. I offered him leads and he was too much of a snob to take them.

As far as Armando goes, how many of you are hiding shit that will also come into the light if you were on TV?

And for the 200 houses per year, 30 houses per month thing, how do you know that wasn’t a mistake made by the webmaster.

You are all amateurs. Even those that claim to be flippers “doing it right”. You know nothing about flipping. This website is a joke.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

The public records cannot be viewed as accurate. Have you ever purchased a home with a lease/option, subject 2, or a contract for deed? These sales are not public because no deed transfers hands until the principal is paid out. Learn before you post.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Have you ever purchased a home with a lease/option”

A lease/option isn’t a SALE as you
suggest. It’s a LEASE, and will remain a lease unless or until it becomes a sale.

Funny but I haven’t seen any Montelongo episodes where it says ‘Lease/Optioned
For’. Only ‘SOLD FOR’

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 1:21 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “And for the 200 houses per year, 30 houses per month thing, how do you know that wasn’t a mistake made by the webmaster.”

LOL Hilarious. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt ; )

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 1:49 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Lease option is going to be stated on TV as a sale. Legally it is. The person leasing it takes over full responsibility. Amateur.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 2:45 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Re: “And for the 200 houses per year, 30 houses per month thing, how do you know that wasn’t a mistake made by the webmaster.”

Brandon - give us a break. Armando SAYS it right in the video on the website. He says it AGAIN in the first 5 pages of his e-book. You wanna chalk those up to webmaster errors also? You’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, buddy. Even YOU know your position is unsupportable, so give us all a break.

I smell a troll and an IP to block in the future…

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 2:46 pm | Permalink
jake wrote:

i think bandon IS armando. it is not hard to put a different name on your postin

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 3:43 pm | Permalink
GQ from Sac wrote:

Im a 23yr loan conslutant studing to get my realestate license…Armando Montelongo is a joke take a look at the facts the only thing he can do is tell 20-30 lies a month I really doubt he can even sell a house in a month….THis fool at A&E really need to do a background check on who they give TV contracts with because its looks bad for their brand

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 5:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“A lease with option arrangement is NOT a sale, but rather a landlord-tenant relationship. In rare cases, a court may re-characterize the transaction as a sale if it looks like a sale. Furthermore, the IRS does not classify a lease option as a sale until the option is exercised (see, Tax Court Memorandum 1999-11).

http://www.premiereteam.com/lease_option.htm

That will be $997 for today’s lesson, “Brandon”. Can I interest you in some CD’s as well? ; )

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 6:42 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Brandon wrote:

Lease option is going to be stated on TV as a sale. Legally it is. The person leasing it takes over full responsibility. Amateur.

TOTALLY incorrect. A lease option is a lease contract, usually for one year, which grants the lessee the exclusive right to purchase the property during or at the end of the term of the lease, and usually crediting some portion of the rent toward the purchase. Entering into such a contract in any state in the union would not constitute a sale, only an exclusive right to purchase, which would not even be recorded. Any person who represented that they owned a property who was only the lessee in a lease option contract would be guilty of misrepresentation or title fraud. They are nothing more than a tenant with a contract giving them exclusive right to purchase the property which they have leased. Ask any RE lawyer.

Free advice Brandon: It’s better to sit with your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove any doubt.

I smell a troll.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 6:43 pm | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

Sounds like Brandon might be a little disgruntled that Richard Davis figured out he was clueless and wouldn’t do business with him. Might be time to take up a new career like javlin catcher.

Posted on 20-Jun-07 at 9:02 pm | Permalink
Scott wrote:

I have worked on houses for quite a few years. I freely admit that there is far more that I don’t know than I do know. I recently bought a newly constructed home to live in. I quickly found that much of the homes construction was far below the standards I had been trained over the years to provide. Doorways are NOT plumb (or completely straight vertically in laymans terms). Most of the finishing work is what most true quality builders would call “hack work”.

I looked at a lot of homes, and saw many that could use a little improvement. I even contemplated taking a few of them on as projects. In the end I chose the one I did because it had none of the issues I found with the older homes.

My Grandfathers house, built in the 1940’s has a wall that is 3 inches out of square over 6 feet. Every home will have it’s flaws, I just look for ones with the fewest flaws.

I am still interested in the concept of “flipping”. However, having actual experience, I know that two week flip is totally unrealistic. I assume that if I did try “flipping”, my first house would take about 3 months. I figure that it will take this long because I refuse to lower my standards over a couple bucks here and there. Builders and contractors who spend the extra hour ot two on various things, and spend the extra two or three hundred dollars on various materials, always end up with a finished product that enyone can tell is high quality. Those who opt out of that additional time and expense always end up with something that is noticably CHEAP.

I am sure that if I try this out, and do the kind of workmanship I plan on, that I could succeed. My name is all I have. I refuse to be known for doing crappy work. If I do good work, realtors will point their clients to my houses because they will know that they’re selling a truly good home.

I’ll NEVER be a millionaire, that’s for sure. but I can make a very comfortable Hundred or so Thousand a year eventually.

Armando’s figures are simply not realistic given the visible size of his company. It would take approximately 15 - 10 man crews (150 people, not counting support staff) to process that quoted 30 houses a month. I have never seen him running around checking in on anywhere near that many workers. Given the visible size of his company, that figure is simply impossible!

Posted on 21-Jun-07 at 2:48 am | Permalink
Scott wrote:

I signed up to get the ebook, and looky what i got in the email today! He wants me to be his business partner! YAY!
——————————————–
Hi Scott

THE BOOK
The response for my new book “Flip and Grow Rich” is phenominal! It is sure to open your eyes of how you can create your own personal rags to wealth story as well as a “tell all” of how I went from $50,000 in debt and on welfare to making millions flipping houses .

The book is currently in print and will be available in late July to early August. I promise that you will be among the very first to know when it comes out.

If you haven’t already picked up a copy of my “Flip It Now” e-book, it is available NOW at http://www.armandomontelongo.com and it will teach you the strategies needed to do your first flip.

BECOME MY PARTNER

As I have been promising I have an
opportunity for you to become my partner.

I want to be very clear as I do not mislead
people. This is not a partnership in a real
estate deal, but a partnership in my internet business and a way for you to make income from home without putting a dime out of your pocket!

You will be receiving a video message from
me tomorrow laying out the details of our
partnership and how we can work together.

See you tomorrow!
Armando Montelongo, President

Posted on 21-Jun-07 at 3:25 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Scott:

Thanks for the heads up. I signed up for his five free pages and the irony is it was sent to my junk email folder :-).

You forgot to add the very last line of his email:

Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc.

Geez, another company. These guys have more corporations and LLCs than real estate holdings :-).

So this partnership he’s talking about…internet based, I sure hope it’s not Don Lapre and The Greatest vitamin in the World. :-)

Posted on 21-Jun-07 at 10:38 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “So this partnership he’s talking about…internet based”

My guess is the “partnership” will
consist of setting up a web site to link to and or/drive traffic to his web site
or some such. We’ll see

Posted on 21-Jun-07 at 11:14 am | Permalink
Bruce wrote:

I purchased Armando Montelongo’s e-books off his website last week. I thought it was great reading and pointed out a lot of information some of the other articles and information on home flipping did not. I have not flipped a home as of yet but trying to collect as much information and educate myself the best I can. I found it good reading but you have to decide that for yourself, just like any other material you may or may not choose to read, it’s your choice.

Posted on 21-Jun-07 at 7:14 pm | Permalink
chris wrote:

I just found this website, I was browsing look for information on real estate investing (I guess you can say flipping houses) and for anybody out there that knows anything about the process of getting started, and could share some information with me on the financing part of it, and some different option for that I would appreciate it.

PS. Montelongo is a snake.

Posted on 22-Jun-07 at 3:30 am | Permalink
GQ from Sac wrote:

Did any body hear what david had to say bout him leave FTH?

Posted on 22-Jun-07 at 12:44 pm | Permalink
Dale wrote:

As far at the Montelongo family goes, they are the only real people on Television. Everyone in America is too scared to even feel, think or act like a real person. So many Americans in this generation have gone beyond and overboard of being sensitive, politically correct and paranoid!!! It’s called superficial judgmental people; they can’t see beyond or in the future of any outcome but you all get in the way and speak your minds anyways, unwise!! We all might as well give birth to robots instead of humans, that way everyone can program their off-spring to think “one way”. There is no individuality in America and Americans are becoming prey to “being too scared” to even move out of line in being an individual. So many people are running around making like it’s the end of the world if someone isn’t saying the so called right thing and doing the so called correct thing, even doing something REAL, but of course it comes down to one thing….you can’t make everyone happy and don’t die trying but bottom line, the world believes it’s has become so intelligent, yeah right! Without knowledge there is no understanding and without understanding, there is no wisdom to construe criticism upon another, which it wasn’t intended for anyways. People today can see as far what the surface reveals about another person, what does your surface reveal more than what you would like the “inner you” to reveal that is more than what meets the eye? Isnt it beneficial to you, preventing others from mistreating you right? Or I bet allot of you wouldn’t want the inner you to reveal the real you, that is why so many stay on the surface and have knowledge as far as what the surface will say about another person. Wisdom does not judge, man’s intelligence judges others because of a superiority complex they believe they have gained through whatever. So many have no wisdom, understanding and knowledge of realism, it’s all about what the surface entails about a person but nothing beyond that which would make people understand where another person is coming from. The truth is far from what so many believe about the Montelongo family, the truth is that they represent bravery, courage and individuality of being real; Does anyone live according to what’s in their heart or is it what’s in their minds where one spews out garbage, the enemy’s play ground. Jesus gave all the greatest commandment, to love God and to love one another. The Montelongo family isn’t mean, superior or doing anything wrong, that’s not why they are where they are, trust me. The truth lays within God not within the world, I bet so many haven’t gone any further than what the world can teach you, the highest achievement is to seek God and see what entails in what it teaches you. How many can say they know about all of that? So to the many critics that think they know what they are speaking or thinking of others, don’t, your understanding is limited if you’ve gone as far as what the world has offered you in education, seek the highest wisdom called truth.

Posted on 22-Jun-07 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Chris wrote:

Mike, have you ever considered writing a weekly review of the FTH show on your website? I’ve noticed from some of your post, that you not only know a lot about flipping houses, but you also known about production values. (Your comments about product placements, etc.) I think it would be very interesting to read a review of the show from your point of view. I suspect your reviews would be more educational and entertaining then the show itself. :-)

Posted on 22-Jun-07 at 10:20 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Dale: Lovely semrmon you wrote there. Too bad it didn’t contain a single fact. You wrote: “The Montelongo family isn’t mean, superior or doing anything wrong, that’s not why they are where they are, trust me. ”

The FACT is that they are doing LOTS of wrong things, READ the research posted in these threads. Armando is a PROVEN LIAR and is seeking to take money from unsuspecting people based on the lies he has told both on TV and in his website. Public records have proven his dishonesty in a major way. Even his own brother walked away from him. These are NOT good or honest people, and thast is a fact supported by evidence.

Contrary to your opinion, these people are dishonest and seeking to profit from their dishonesty. You’re right about one thing - they ae indeed real - they are REAL liars, REAL con artists, REas a__holes, and REAL grifters. Don’t confuse likable (to you anyway) TV personas with trustworthy businesspeople unless ou want to give away your money.

Mike Voss

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Chris - I hadn’t considered that, but I think I’m already spending way too much time on FTH as it is! If they somehow stay on the air, I’ll certainly consider it. :)

Mike

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 12:23 pm | Permalink
Deena wrote:

I too signed up for his free preview of his e-books…. My husband and I, along with my brother, have a rehab/construction company. We started with rehabs and now build new homes. We love watching the flipping shows and have from the very beginning loved Richard. He seems to care about the people that work with him. From the first show of Montelongo, I did not like him. He is arrogant and mean. It is now an example of how to treat your employees. My husband and I have always wondered about the numbers they use on the shows. They just don’t add up.

I received the following email from Montelongo yesterday. Thought you all would find it funny.

Dear Deena

I know that you have a desire to make money and what
better place to make it than from the comfort of your own
home.

You will always here the term ‘residual or passive income’.
However, that usually entails lots of effort. I believe passive
income should be just that… passive.

Don’t worry, I’m still flipping lots of houses and love doing
it. I thought at the same time, what can I do to get you started
on your journey to making money. Since I see that you have
been interested in making money, and I understand it’s hard
to take that first leap of faith, I took it for you.

I have decided and it would be my pleasure to make you one
of my Joint Venture Partners!

Here’s what it’s all about:

You don’t have to:
Invest money
Invest time you don’t have
Take Risk
Know real estate
Know the internet

How do you make your money?

Do you know people who like our show or who like to
talk about it?

Do you have friends or family who would like to get into
real estate?

Do you know co-workers who talk about flipping real estate
around the water cooler?

All of these are opportunities for making money!

Since the demand for my Flip It Now E-Book is in such high
demand, I have set up a referral program for you to make
money also.

This is a ground floor – referral opportunity and a way for
you to make money from the comfort of your own home!

All you have to do is refer friends, family and co-workers
who would like to get into real estate to Your Personalized
Web Page.

Now don’t worry because I have already gone through
the expense of creating your web page for you.

That’s right, you don’t have to do a think and it won’t
cost you anything.

It’s a website in a box. Pre-packaged for you!

There is no set-up or techy stuff to worry about!

All you have to do is take the website I give you and
forward it to your friends, family and co-workers and
anyone interested in flipping real estate or in reality TV.

You can check into the “back office” of your website
(which I have also already created for you) to see the
money your generating in real time.

**I will send you a commission check every single month
as your sales stack up!**

How much are you making?

I will pay you 40% of every Flip It Now E-Book that is
purchased from the website that I have already created
for you!

All you have to do to earn the 40% is forward the website
to the people you know.

Start now and I will start sending you your commission
check once a month!

I am committed to your success and it will never be easier
than me already doing the hard work for you.

To sign up as one of my exclusive JV partners please visit

====> http://www.armandomontelongo.com/invitation.php

It will be a pleasure to work with you!

Armando Montelongo, President
Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc.

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
Dale wrote:

Like I said, the truth lies with God. Allot of what has been so called reported about the Montelongos, started out from people trying to get the “dirty” on Armando and family. Trust me, it started out from that, judgement. As far as liking TV personas, what? Why are people disliking TV personas, they dont even know the guy. If you go back and read the trails of comments, it contains more of a personal perspective about Armando than real facts about his so called scams or dishonest business transactions. And it reflects such a shallow perspective about others. I am not looking to backing up a guy on TV nor will I drag him in the mud if proven guilty, I am only trying to broaden the perspective that so many lack of. Have any of you tried flipping houses, let alone dealing with when it comes to dishonesty; dishonest contractors, plumbers and so forth. Where the Montelongos are located, there are allot of trustworthy reputable workers but there are many many individuals that would take him and his family for a ride. You all are not in his shoes in knowing what his actual business situations consists of day to day. Flipping houses is a venture; a risk with hopeful financial gain. This is not a real estate type of situation, this is a down and dirty type of situation. People today have no idea about roughing it and toughing it out to survive, life’s experiences broadens ones knowledge. I’ve been there and done all! Let me paint the bigger picture for others: I know the challenges Mr. Montelongo faced coming up in the business, he more than likely had snakes, liars and the worst of the worst screw him over in the beginning. Then you have dishonest, irresponsible, and down right mean scam artists that wouldnt care if they left you in the mud along with your family out in the cold type of contractors, plumbers, etc. Talk about greedy individuals, talk about mean downright cold a–ho–s that only care about the mighty dollar than getting the job done for the good for all to benefit, yeah right, no one cares about doing the job so that another profits, they want a bigger portion everytime. And then last but not least, flipping homes are at the bottom of the line in the real estate business, it’s not a ready to sell house nor is it a newly construction type of situation, this is a money taking risky hardcore business. Think about the people they are up against, now that’s where the REALLY dishonest, REALLY mean and REAL scam artists exist. I commend the Montelongos for surviving in the business, to the ones who speak without knowledge… you have no idea what they’re up against, you all would be cheering for a strong guy that’s surviving in the business like Armando, who doesnt look like anyone would pull the wool over his eyes. Mr. Montelongo represents a guy who’s been there and had more things that you can imagine done to him, he conducts himself in a proper manner and appears to have the knowledge of making sure he and his family arent taken down in a shark infested business, what a survivor!!!! So many are sitting back watching a show, the Montelongos are living the real life and the real challenges. He isnt acting like a jerk, he’s coming off in a way that he’s got the jerks that come up against people like him nipped in the butt. Trust me, if you all could of seen the people he probably dealt with before he got to do the show, you all would be cheering him on for being a man putting all of the REAL jerks to shame, at least there is one man who the sharks coudnt take under. How many survivors or house flippers do you know who are successful, go talk to one and see how hardcore this business is, especially about the jerks you have to deal with to get just one house completed, on a budget keep in mind, no one will help you no matter how nice or how mean you are, it’s all about confidence and knowledge that makes others do the job and do it right without screwing you over.

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 3:51 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Dale - seriously, do yourself a favor and stop talking until you know what you are talking about. Everything you say is blind conjecture and opinion and it’s clear that you haven’t done any research nor even read the posts here and that you are not an experienced builder or remodeler to offer an informed opinion as such. You’re free to like the Montelongos for whatever reason you care to. But the TRUTH, which GOD knows, is that they do NOT flip 30 houses per month, that they did NOT flip 1000 houses in the last 5 years, that they LIED about having sold certain properties and performing certain work, and that they are considered INCOMPETENT at best by experts in the field, of which I happen to be one. Yes, there are plenty of shitty tradespeople in the business, and we all have to weed them out. After years of doing it, some of us form long lasting relationships withi good trades (not the Montelongos - watch Mike Holmes sometime), others learn all the trades themselves (I did this), and then others become proficient at brow beating and hassling the tradespeople for lower prices (The Montelongos) and have to keep finding new trades because nobody wants to work for them more than once - not even when getting free advertising on tv! That’s the reality of your hero Armando - he is universally disliked by people in his field in that area.

You need to learn to distinguish opinion from fact and not blur the line between the two - that’s exactly what the FTH casts are in trouble, some of them with the law, for doing.

The Montelongos and the others can build crap houses and lie about it all day long for all I care, but when they start charging people money for knowledge they don’t have or deals that don’t exist, decent people will speak up and stand in their way to put a stop to it, and THAT is what you see going on here, whether you understand it or not.

Mike Voss

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 5:18 pm | Permalink
JL Arizona wrote:

I purchased the $97 package as a process of my educating myself re: flipping. While it is clear that Armondo thinks alot of himself, he has compiled useful “bones” of information to direct you to other sources — which I have found provide same but more detailed (and free) information. One thing I did find is a FREE 5-day video seminar — excellent source of “real” information. Here is the link:

http://www.rehablist.com/Investment_Course-108.aspx#frm

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 7:42 pm | Permalink
Jon wrote:

Dale wrote: “The Montelongo family isn’t mean, superior or doing anything wrong,”

if they aren’t doing anything wrong, then why did someone from their family post on here three times in about as many minutes with three different user names from the same computer about how great the “e-book” was?

riddle us that Dale?

why is the “family” saying they are flipping 20 to 30 houses in one month? when anybody can figure out that they are barely doing 1 every once in awhile?

tell us Dale, since you are so “close” to the family, why they would lie about doing 30 a month?

better yet, tell us why anyone in their right mind who was making so much money from a venture, publish a book that would produce a whole bunch of competition for their own business?

only someone stupid or a scammer goes to a bar after discovering a gold mine, and telling everyone in the bar that they found gold, and where that gold is…

explain to us Dale whether the “family” is stupid? or scammers??? because there is no in-between on that one…

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 10:47 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

“I rolled in to town on my last tank of gas”. LOL

Oh well, what can you do. Like
‘PT Barnum’ said…

“There’s a sucker born every minute.”

And, I’d be curious to know how an able bodied man could be on “Welfare”. More BS

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 11:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica for VP”

Too Funny. I DVR’d this and remembered at one point they showed Armondo showing a plat map to Veronica.

Sure enough. It’s ‘8467 Bindseil Lane’

Boyson nailed it! ; )

Posted on 23-Jun-07 at 11:47 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica for VP”

Further to that. This was on the show as they were talking about this while looking at the plat map…

Veronica: “What’s the address?, hehe”

Armondo: “It doesn’t matter what the address is…”

Busted

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 12:02 am | Permalink
Dale wrote:

Mr. Mike Voss:
By the way, you may address me as Ma’am, whether you care or not, but I’m sure you were raised with a respect for women, I’m sure you would care. My husband, father in law, two brothers and nephews have been buying old homes, restoring it and selling them to buyers for the last thirty years. I’ve witnessed first hand the hardships that flipping houses created but even more, the prosperity. I am well aware of the fact that the many people who are sending in very useful information about the Montelongos packages, whether the packages or e-book works or not is much needed information from others, saving innocent victims but it seems as if it’s a one sided deal here, some may post against the Montelongos and some may post “for” them. I am for. I did read the E-book which Armando offers and being a supporter and actual participant in flipping homes, some it was useful for the first timer. But all in all, I read allot more of the rude comments made against Armando in a personal way and I wanted to balance it out, it seems as if you want it to be a one sided deal to be against him. We are free to post against or for right? He is not our hero at all, if anything I think you need to stop talking or instigating useless responses because maybe we’ve been where he was in the beginning and we all make mistakes, what helped us to stay on track was helpful advice, not weeding out or a witch riot type of action, help the guy out and make him see the light, I wouldnt even go towards this lighted forum of discussional posts, so try using tact instead of hate, maybe that will help him get on the rigth path. Last visit to this site, thank you and God bless you.

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 12:55 am | Permalink
gq from sac wrote:

Why would anybody wouldd buy a house nore a book or course from this fool…you need to have your head check if you think the montelongos are real realestate investment pros

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 4:57 am | Permalink
Jan wrote:

It’s just a TV show, meant to entertain! Most of us can see past the staged parts.

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
Johnny "F*ckin" RE wrote:

Just signed up for the armondo 5 page sample.. Here is the link to look at iot your self.

Hi Spam_ me,

Congratulations on accessing my ‘Flip and Grow Rich’ system!

I made a promise to my wife on our trip across America. I
told her that if I became successful, that I would share it
with the world. Now that I have made my fortune by flipping
houses, I am unlocking the vault to my business and sharing
my flipping strategies and techniques with you!

You can download my ebook as promised by going to
=====> http://www.armandomontelongo.com/book/ebook5.pdf

You may be asking what is the difference between my new book
Flip and Grow Rich and my E-Book Flip It Now!

The Flip and Grow Rich book is the story of our journey across
America and shows the rags to wealth transformation. It is
currently written and in production.

The Flip It Now E-Book will show you how to flip your first
house. It will show you how to find your first house, where
to get the money for your first house (even if you don’t have
money or credit), show you how to fix it and then sell it
for profit! You will get this on an immediate download.

Driven to Help You Succeed,

Armando Montelongo, Pres.Corp
http://armandomontelongo.com

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 3:06 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

hDale:

Fair enough, Ma’am - you are entitled to your opinion and I will respect it whether I agree with it or not. THe only things I’d take exception with are that 1) I do not believe anyone here would classify any of my posts as ‘hateful’ or ‘useless’ and 2) I hold Montelongo accountable for intentional misrepresentations, not unintentional mistakes. There’s a *big* difference between the 2.

God bless you as well and so long.

M. Voss

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 3:43 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

Just wanted to put my2cents in I just read all these posts and I too was looking for (the book) and of course I absolutely have to buy it now just so I can make up my own mind.this site is great but who knows who anybody is here and what their agenda is (if any).I gotta agree with Jan,this is TV folks, nothing else. here for entertainment. and by the response given here it is doing what its intended to do ENTERTAIN! what you or I get out of these shows is our own business.why do you continue to watch these shows ?is it to look for more dirt? or maybe just maybe you secretly like the show and think you could possibly get A little something out of it.Personally I cant get enough education Ive gotten a few things from these shows that is truely helpful.use your own mind make your own assumptions

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 5:44 pm | Permalink
Steve wrote:

I think A&E has a problem checking facts on the shows it airs. Remember “Family Plots,” the show about a funeral home in California? It lasted two season and never came back after the owner of the funeral home was exposwed as not having a license and other legal problems. Do a search on the internet for Family Plots, or Poway Bernardo Mortuary, etc., and I think you’ll see what I mean. Shame on you A&E. Your track record stinks.

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 7:11 pm | Permalink
Shell wrote:

To Dale:

…. blah…blah….Pardon me, Ma’am!
Help whom????
I hope YOUR husband does not treat you as well as this idiot Armando treats his already trash looking wife!
And with all respect to all YOUR experience in flipping houses, please, get some experience in internet research and find out that this Montescrewlongo never did anything successful as much as he babbles about. Yes, it is a TV show, but after being fed up with the lowest class trash behavior of Armando Montetrashlongo we do not watch it anymore - there are better shows about flips, even being just shows…. I think only a complete idiot would buy anything from Montelongo, believe in his trash stories, and moreover feel pitty for or help such a trash sitting on the neck of taxpayers!!! How much did he pay back for his welfair??? Oh, pardon me, he might just sell books first! Such a “writer”…

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 8:19 pm | Permalink
Randall wrote:

Does anyone have a link they would like to share where Armando’s stuff has been put online (bittorrent?)?? :-) I am curious to read a bit more, but wouldn’t consider sending him real money unless I see that the system is real. ;-)

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Tim,

What does it matter if you “know anyone here”? Facts are facts, and speak for themselves. It’s all here, phony buys, phony sells, and on and on…

It’s DOCUMENTED. Check the facts!

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 9:08 pm | Permalink
Andrew wrote:

I bought the 97$ package after getting the 5 free pages, and I could not be happier… I wish it had a bit more meat in it, but… to me, its very worth it, not sure what some for the other folks are talking about, but its about 100 pages over 5 chapters, its simple, easy to understand, and if you pull even a single tip out of it, and do a single flip….. you should WAY more than make you 97$ back … its worth it if you ask me, and I think I will go for the Master Kit when I flip my first house.

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 9:59 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Andrew,

Why is it then, Armondo can’t seem to pull a “single flip” in todays market?

Those that can, do. Those that can’t, talk about it (and SELL it to you). Garbage in, garbage out.

Wouldn’t you be better off following someone that was, you know, successful at actually DOING what you are paying for?

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I just love these shill posts - anyone else notice they’re all the same: “I bought the $97 e-book and it’s great! I’ll probably buy the master course next”

Gimme a break Armando or Veronica or whoever you are having post this crap for you - you aren’t fooling anyone.

Let’s pretend for just a minute tht these posts were real: I challenge the posters to tell us exactly what was in the book that they found useful. I’ll wager it could have been learned in seconds for free in any number of places.

If anyone is really foolish enough to spend money on Montelongo scams, you should at least have enough sense to spend an hour at the library or doing online research first - it’s free and anyone here with depth of experience will tell you there’s far more available.

What you WON’T get, however, is some of the illegal stuff Armando talks about like how to defeat loan seasoning to commit mortgage fraud. Ask yourself why in the HELL anyone not doing something wrong would know this. I’ll be happy to post the email he sent out discussing it if anyone wants to see it.

Save your money people, there is better info available for free. And my offer still stands to review Armando’s materials - all he has to do is send me free copies - I’ll return them when I’m done. He won’t - and we all know why.

Posted on 24-Jun-07 at 10:58 pm | Permalink
Marc Thomas wrote:

I just finished reading 230 postings. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. Mike Voss, man, you are the truth. You’ve become a real celebrity with your sound advice, professional manner and industry knowledge. I will always favor those who have the courage to scream, “Buyer Beware!!!!!” I, too, want AM to come clean and speak truthfully, if only for a minute, about a real-life flip and overselling his short trip to success as he defines it. I guess he only appears to be a harsh and heartless businessman on TV. Although he pales in comparison to other Texas knuckleheads like Kenneth Lay (RIP). Hey AM, if you grow balls, you MUST wear them! Maybe AM is Trump without the seven-figure inheritence. The RE biz is not for suckers and WILL FEED YOU AND EAT YOU. Period.

The sad fact is that there will always be a cluster or contingent in our society that never see things for what they really are and will continually buy into falsehoods. Oh well. As such, there will ALWAYS be beachfront property for sale in Colorado.

To all: Life Liberty and Happiness!
-marc thomas

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 1:50 am | Permalink
jon doe wrote:

Armando is a proven fraud. Nothing more than a telemarketer. But if you want his book on flipping, why risk the money? There are dozens of books on the subject to choose from. Why would anyone choose the most controversial guy with a questionable track record? Because he treats his wife and workers like crap? Real manly!
Does he have a connection with Trump, or are people just comparing them? What a pair of lying crooks. And not a drop of class between them!

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 1:13 pm | Permalink
jon doe wrote:

Love them or hate them, these guys are jerks. The women are treated like crap and as comic relief. And those poor kids! (is A+E mining their current shows for future shows about all the confused children? Take the kids of ‘Dog’, Gene, Armando and such, put them up, realword style, add some Interventionists and a confessional Matchmaker… HEY - I WANT A PERCENTAGE! (haha) )
Their ethics… we can guess, but we really don’t know more than what we are shown. They show fast negotiations that have already been agreed to. A contractor agrees to half their price. Are they desperate? Dumb? Just learning the business? Has the amount of work been changed? We don’t know the real price of the bid or the final price - just what this ‘reality’ show reveals to us.
The last show I watched had Armando telling a publisher he sold 25-30 houses a MONTH! (I was so shocked I went back and replayed it - twice. He fudged it by saying he ‘could’, not ‘does’ ) 30 houses at a conservative $10k profit is $300,000 a month. Just guessing, but I doubt he does a tenth of that. Maybe he means BOOKS a month? (and didn’t he also say he wrote it in 3 weeks? Does he also walk on water?)
The HUGE office building they purchased, which was way too big for them, now seems to be something they are refurbishing for investors. I’ve not seen many shows, but saw this building just once.
Veronica for VP? - ??? Was that in reference to the brother leaving? An olive branch to his mistreated wife? I guess she likes to think ‘green’ to his ‘greed’. It was an odd house. The windows were an obvious ad, and were too expensive for the house. Not that they paid for them.
My final observation - I hate ‘reality’ shows. They are really just post scripted shows, adding phony drama and conflicts to the mix. That said, I (we) loved ‘queer eye’. I’m a straight, married guy who could do with a whole lot less male smooching on TV (I’m fine with it being part of life, but it is so flavor-of-the-month overboard these days, on every show…). But these guys didn’t have an agenda, other than marketing themselves. They came in, made some minor changes in someone’s life, and the (mostly guy) recipients were so obviously moved at the end that THEY were the ones initiating the farewell hugs. The product plugs were all from small places obscure to anyone outside of NY and in the end we all sat in with the guys to watch the results. Which leads me to a least favorite show - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Everything is a plug for a national corporation, every heartstring is shamefully plucked, everything is amped up beyond reason… UGH! And the Makeover guys make the QE guys look butch in comparison. I’d rather watch an hour about the people volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. But that would really be beyond reason!
(this rant is brought to you by sears, home depot, walmart and all the other congloms selling our future to China)

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 1:50 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

to steve in texas;
If you read my post I didnt mention anything about the”facts”.Personally I could give 2 shits about whether the flip it people are crooks or not it doesnt effect my life in the least i havent bought a house from them nor have i sold one to them..All I was saying steve is that if your going to watch something on tv expect it to be just that…TV .do you believe captain kirk and his crew visited all those other galaxys? no ,neither do I. why? because its TV.So its been proven that their dirty….now what?
Maybe there is alot of bull on these shows but look at the positive for once ,did you pick up anything you could use in real life? maybe when armondo told his son to save 10% of his earnings for investment later or maybe when he said to the viewers to live in a property for 2 or 4 years to aviod capital gains and to invest into a more expensive home the next time ,do this again and again.
Dont get me wrong Im not condoning what they do I just try to see the best for me..so steve ole boy you just keep checking the facts about something you obviously know already.and keep beating that dead horse and ill continue to watch and learn all i can …my own way

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 7:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Every now and then…

Tim then (223):

“Just wanted to put my2cents in I just read all these posts and I too was looking for (the book) and of course I absolutely have to buy it now”

Tim now (234):

“If you read my post I didnt mention anything about the”facts”.Personally I could give 2 shits about whether the flip it people are crooks or not”

So, Tim. It sounds like you’re going to take a pass on the book.

And, you’re welcome ; )

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
Cool kid wrote:

i thought it was coolio man!!

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 10:06 pm | Permalink
lala :p wrote:

I LOVE YOU!!! YOU GUYS EFFIN ROCK MAN!!

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 10:08 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

did you know the people on trinity st. were kicked out , honestly i knew them , they were told to get out , to think mexicans screwing mexicans …. sorry mexicans giving back to the community

Posted on 26-Jun-07 at 10:17 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Believe it or not, I was listening to Armando via the learning annex last night. It was free teleseminar so I thought why not. It was decent and I did learn something, He is an excellent salesman. Nothing more. When it came to pitch his course, he stated that his course sells normally for $2100 and he was selling it as a discount for $997 and for a limited time, for the first 15 people, he was offering a dvd where they would walk through the whole process, step by step. As I usually do, I always check stuff out before buying especially at those prices and I see on his site he was selling the whole program for $997.

He is a good salesman, and in this day and age, that is all you need to be.

I don’t see how he can be sued because if the users who purchased his products would actually read the indemnity clause it states the following: “You agree to indemnify and hold Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc., and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, co-branders or other partners, and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of Content you submit, post, transmit or make available through the Service, your use of the Service, your connection to the Service, your violation of the TOS, or your violation of any rights of another”.

I’m a fan of flip this house and I don’t see what he is dong is wrong.
The only thing I see wrong is that to flip over 1000 homes in 5 years, that would be 200 homes a month or 6.66 homes a day. Will I buy his course? Not sure, maybe just the ebooks but then I’m sure I can find a place to get them for free someplace.

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 12:16 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Jeff - You don’t see what he is doing wrong? Are you kidding me? There are pages and pages of documentation of his frauds, your own post even quotes the fact that he does NOT flip 30 houses/month and he did NOT flip 1000 houses in the past 5 years (both pillars of his sales pitch) and any reputable/competent developer will attest to the fact that he has no knowledge nor skills to offer. but you don’t see what he is doing wrong?

Let me spell it out for you: he is a proven, documented LIAR trying to take money for a course based on things he never did and skills he doesn’t have.
That’s fraud.

THAT is what he is doing that is wrong.
Clearer than that I cannot make it.

Mike Voss

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 1:36 pm | Permalink
Polly wrote:

Has anyone here ever bought a property from the Montelongos?

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

It is only a sales pitch, nothing more. In the 5 years as he says, if he is close to flipping 1000 homes,I believe he can say that without being misleading. Sure it’s better to say “Close to 1000″. I’m not sure if you can sue somebody for their sales pitch.

The way he does business may be very shady and crooked. The only reason I say may be (until I look up additional information)is because we don’t know what sort of contract he has with the contractors he hires. Every business man wants to pay the least amount of money for anything. So to convince the contractors to do something cheaper than what they would normally do, that is part of business. That is why he doesn’t hire employees. It’s cheaper to hire a contractor and get the lowest bid that to have employees and have to pay medical, dental, etc.

There could be a clause in the contract where the contractors don’t get paid until the house is sold or something of that nature. I would like to see one of their contracts.

If the contractors are working without a contract which stipulate terms of payment, then technically he doesn’t have to pay them. Is it wrong? Sure it is, but with out a contract there is no agreement…unless it is less than $500.00 then it only needs to be verbal.

They just don’t pay at the end of the project, the contractors must send out an invoice then they have a certain amount of time to pay,again unless the contract says that they have to pay at the end of the completed project. If they don’t pay, then the contractors have to do follow up calls, send out late notices etc. so that by the time it is all over, they won’t get any money for months if at all. Their only option would be to take them to court which from the the above threads is already in the works.

Now, would I do business with him? Not with a tarnished reputation such as his and definatly not with out a contract.

Now for their website, They are selling the same stuff as the other infomercials that you see on tv. Is it any good? Probly, probly not. The problem with the information he is selling which IS false is that he is toting it as a dvd course when in actuality it is an audio cd course.

I just checked his website again and he has changed his website to say cd vs dvd course. Now people will still buy from him and of course he will still recup any lost money from the lawsuit (since he will most likely settle out of court) since people won’t know that he is being sued.

Unfortunatly, as long has he is withing the law, regardless of how crappy or shady he is, there isn’t much the law can do.

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

One more thing, is he saying that he flipped 1000 homes in 5 years or is that part of a script that A&E is having him read to make him and the show more credible. If it is part of the script then A&E can be held just as liable.

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 6:34 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

yea and they screwed them like the episode done here in san antonio the one with the whole block ever wondered what happened to them well they kicked them out period and try renting from them they will rob you blind i know cuz i knew who rented from them and i knew the people who lived in thoses houses before they so called flipped them even flipped the house are in bad ways

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 6:39 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

oh, I just received an email from Armando that for the next 12 hours, he is going to reduce the price of the book to $48.00
So for those who are interested and want a copy, paypal me $1.00 and I\’ll send you a copy. paypal address is [REMOVED BY WEBMASTER]

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 6:55 pm | Permalink
Rob P. wrote:

Mike Voss, your an idiot, If you don’t like the Montelongo show, why do you even watch it you dumb ass, and you still waste your time posting stupid ass messages on this site. Your still stuck on the 30 homes a month issue, no one is forcing you to believe it idiot, you either believe it or not.

Get a real job you clown!!!!!!!

You must not be doing to well in the remodel bussiness if your wasting all your time posting dumb messages on this site.

get off wellfare fool and make some real money and quit wasting peoples time with your dumb stupid ass messages.

Robert P.

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 7:09 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Hey, where did my replies go? Since this is moderated, it appears that this site is one sided. I posted two other replies to this after 6pm and now they have been removed.

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 8:52 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

ok, now they who up. Sorry

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 8:53 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

david has several failed Businesses that when out of business , bbb.com says that most complaints went unfixed at each business , david also rates unsatisfactory by the bbb, and Montelongo Developments LLC is not listed

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 10:07 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

scott David has a lawsuit pending against “breach of contract” on 6/15/07 can you tell me more please

Posted on 27-Jun-07 at 10:10 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

I find it interesting the variety of opinions that people have about the lies that are clear and not very difficult to understand. I have a real estate company, a home flipping company and also a home building company. I have flipped approximately 200 properties (mostly vacant land) in the past 6 years and when i heard that Armando flipped over 1,000 homes in 5 years i could not wait to get a copy of his book, thinking i could increase my production, but as usual “if it sounds too good to be true it is”. It is a shame that the people that seem to protect him are the ones that have no experience and are looking for that gleam of hope. With all the free information on the internet, if you can’t figure out how to flip a home from the net a book will not offer you any more ACTION, and action is the key. you can all talk about investing in homes and some dream and some even do, but until you take the action required to buy your first home it is all a dream. The book, the e-books may contain something that may help you buy your first home but you will have better luck driving around looking for homes with old roofs that need replacing, tall grass or any other signs of distress and making them an offer. if you just do what i said above you will probably own your first flip before his book is even available. those that stick up for him are the same people that buy self help information, read, listen or watch it and then think of what they can do next and never do it. someone commented about some galaxy show on t.v. referring it to what armondo is doing. sorry, you are not even close, if you want to get technical, it would be more like captain kirk selling a part of the galaxy and then offering a book & cd teaching you how to purchase your own galaxy and sell it for a profit. big difference from a show that is portrade as fiction and nothing but figurines being sold from it to a show that causes one to believe it is reality and then packaging it up and selling ideas that they themselves could not get to work. Good luck to those that are really trying and to those that believe these books and cd’s will get you going, i wish you even more luck because like someone said earlier “this is a business that will eat you up and spit you out” and if you are that naive you really won’t last that long in it.

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 12:28 am | Permalink
marc thomas wrote:

Relax Rob P. Mike Voss has been the most informative person on this thread. We’re having an educated conversation exposing this so-called expert with his paper thin credentials. No more name calling, my friend. It’s not that kind of party. Montelongo is that dude on the corner that just sold all of us a big of sticks and stems; The dude that charged me premium and filled my tank with water; The dude that gave me a neck bone when I asked for a 48oz Porterhouse; The dude that put a donkey in the Kentucky Derby. The dude that will ‘glady pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.’ No one ever takes accountability anymore! We’re ALL sick of it and this site is letting people know that we’re completely fed up with TV execs mistaking the viewing public as (to use your word, Rob P) idiots. When I see reality TV. I expect, at the very least, some truth. This dude Montelongo is straight out lying. And A&E is in bed with him. A cowardly way out is to simply turn the channel. I completely understand Mr. Voss’ point of view considering the passion he has for his business and how it is being grossly misrepresented…..on national TV for all of us to see. Chamberlain claimed to have slept with 10,000 women and he got blasted by people like us, too. Like the 1000 homes, it JUST DIDN’T HAPPEN. Rob P, I know you have respect for the truth. This site represents just that. No one here is an idiot.

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 1:16 am | Permalink
marc thomas wrote:

Furthermore, ‘Your’ is You’re…as in you are. I wouldn’t get too comfortable about calling anyone an idiot, Robert Pee.

marcthomas

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 1:33 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Rob P,

You probably need to learn the difference between “your” and “you’re” before you call someone a ‘dumb ass’.

Just a thought ; )

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 8:57 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Rob P:

“Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause.” - Confuscious

Funny that you call me an idiot, yet you demonstrate an inability to form proper sentences or use correct forms of simple words like your and you’re.

As for getting a “real job” and your further accusations of my not doing well in this business, I’d suggest you check out http://www.4125allott.com, which is a property for sale on which my profit will be over $600,000. Sorry but, unlike the Montelongos, I’ve never been on welfare. You really should get a clue. Unlike Armando, I can refute your accusations against me because they have no merit.

So, sorry to disappoint you Rob, but I’m doing just fine and I think it’s fairly obvious which one of us actually *is* an idiot.

Mike Voss

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 9:38 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Dear ‘Nick in Albuquerque’,

I flagged you craigslist posting as ’spam’. If anyone else want to also here’s the link.

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/rts/358755630.html

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 9:46 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Couple of people trying to sell this garbage on eBay too…

“This listing (200122679500) has been removed or is no longer available. Please make sure you entered the right item number.
If the listing was removed by eBay, consider it canceled. Note: Listings that have ended more than 90 days ago will no longer appear on eBay.”

Whoops!

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 10:04 am | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Mike, I looked at your site, very nice home. Congrads!! Your just proof that there is money to be made in any market.

I think the main gripe with Armando is that he is stating he is an expert in flipping homes then turns around and sells information on how he has done this on A&E. He quotes that in 5 years time he has flipped 1000’s of homes which with all the paper work etc, is nearly impossible. His company would have to close out 7 homes a day everyday for those 5 years and that is impossible. If you look at my first post on here, I stated that I listened to him on a free teleseminar hosted by the Learning Annex. I do remember him stating that when he first started flipping homes, that he was approached by an attorney to be an expert witness in a trial. If I understand this correctly, the attorney would call him forward and ask the court to have him credited as an expert witness. He stated that he was an expert witness in a couple other cases. If this is true, Does that make him an expert in the field? Unfortunalty yes it does. Here is the defination of an expert witness:
An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, profession, publication or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his or her subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion.

By the above definition, regardless of how homes he has flipped or how incompetent he is, he could be considered an expert. I feel your pain. He is stating he flipped 1000’s of homes in 5 years when it is more like 100’s and using his experience to sell a product, which no one here has yet purchased and tested to see if it lives up to the claims. Again the unfortunate thing is that people who purchase the products from him basically give up any rights do to agreeing to the terms and agreements noted in a previous posting of mine.

He is using the A&E show to promote a product. The bad thing is that when he was first selling the product he was stating DVD instead of CD. That is what got him into trouble. Since he has changed it to CD on his website, he is legit. Can you find the information that he is selling for free on the internet? Sure you can. He just created a product from that information along with his 5 years experience (regardless of how good or bad it is) and is using the show to help him promote it since that is what he is famous for. There is nothing wrong with that. He probly won’t sell a whole lot since this website is 2nd on a search with his name.

I’m not defending his business pratices. With the lawsuits, we know they are not very good. However since I don’t know if his product is any or not, I’ll be the guinea pig. Since I got a deal ($47) for just the ebooks, I went ahead and purchased them. I’ll review them and see if I can flip a house or two. I have bookmarked this site and I will keep you all posted. If anything, I’m out $47 vs the $97 or $997. If it works then I’ll put more money in my pocket and the $47 will be well worth it.

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “I do remember him stating that when he first started flipping homes, that he was approached by an attorney to be an expert witness in a trial.”

There you go, “him stating” and you bought it. Best of luck

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 3:24 pm | Permalink
Scott in Indiana wrote:

It’s called Fraud. See if what Armando does fits the legal description.

Definition of Fraud
Under the “common law” of all states, there is a body of definitions, including the definition of fraud, that have been developed and refined by judges and lawyers over the years. As more cases about fraud have been adjudicated, the definition of what constitutes fraud has become more precise. Fraud has a specific legal meaning. The following essential elements must be present before an actual finding of fraud will occur:
Misrepresentation of a material fact consisting of a false representation, concealment or non-disclosure;

Knowledge of the falsity (scienter);
Intent to deceive and induce reliance;
Justifiable and actual reliance on the misrepresentation; and
Resulting damages.

Posted on 28-Jun-07 at 5:48 pm | Permalink
Scott wrote:

Just got this in my email. I knew he wasn’t smart enough to think of this himself:

Hi Scott,

This is a very important message about
***********THE MONEY YOUR NOT MAKING!***********

For those of you who have not taken me up on
my offer to become one of my JV Partners..

I want to give you a little background on the opportunity that awaits you. It WILL change the financial future of all those who take part!

Six months ago, a very persistent man by the name of Joel Therien continually contacted me via email. At first I thought he was a crazed fan, but I soon found out he had a business strategy that I needed
to model.

After several emails and phone calls he flew down from Canada to meet with me to tell me about the************MONEY I WASN’T MAKING!***************

That caught my attention…

If there is one thing that I am particularly good at is getting ahead of the curb of making money. However, Joel’s strategy was so new that I had not even heard of it.

He told me two things that I will never forget:

1) There have been internet marketers who have made upwards of $1 million in a single day.

2) They share the majority of this wealth with other internet marketers who share in the launch of their information based products.

Now, at first I was a bit of skeptic so I decided to “test” Joel’s business idea on my own web based business.

I previously had my internet business for almost a year and never made a dime. You already know I make A LOT of money flipping houses!

After implementing his strategies…

I WAS ABSOLUTELY STUNNED WITH THE RESULTS..

My skepticism turned into one of the biggest and best decisions I HAVE EVER MADE! All I took was a leap of faith and listened to someone I hardly knew!

Now Scott, I want to humbly ask, will you take that leap of faith with me?

Here is where you share in the wealth with me. We are launching my e-book Flip It Now where I will be paying out 50% commissions To YOU!

We expect to pay out nearly *$250,000* in commissions in the first 24 hours! We have set the Launch date for July 3, 2007 at 9:00 am EST and have named our launch
“Financial Independence Day”.

Mark your calendar, because I will say it again,

Tuesday July 3rd, at 9am.. with your help we will launch my e-book to the world!

So how can you take part? Just visit
======> http://armandomontelongo.com/opportunity.php

To become one of my VERY valued partners for our launch on Tuesday July 3rd 2007!

–Armando Montelongo
President
Armando Montelongo Worldwide INC

PS – If you have a lot of questions, please do not worry, I will be conducting a webinar next Sunday before our launch, the exact where and when I will send to you tomorrow

But remember, we don’t officially launch until Tuesday July 3 2007 at 9am so please hold back your promotions until then:D

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 12:00 am | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

I’m wondering…Is Armando a fraud or isn’t he? I have tried to look at property records in San Antonio and could not find “Armando Montelongo” or “Montelongo House Buyers” on anything. Does anyone have any DIRECT or CONCRETE proof of the homes he owns or has sold. I have e-mailed Mike Voss and he has not e-mailed me back.
Is it possible that Armando uses an agent to sell his properties and that’s why they’re not listed on his web-site. I did find it strange that he never has any property listed.
I wanted to believe him, but I had some questions of my own as well. Such as:
Why would you sell a package instead of directing your efforts into your REAL ESTATE business if you’re flipping 30-50 homes per month? Think about it…if you make $20,000 average profit per flip and you’re flipping 30-50 homes per month, that equals about $600,000.00 to $1,000,000.00 per month in profits. Why would you bother selling a “package” for $97.00 AND when would you ever find the time to put efforts INTO that?
How do these guys get the permits SO FAST?
If he has made about $20,000,000.00 flipping, how come his office was SO small and why were there not more people working there? AND why was his marketing budget ZERO for the launch of their web-site?
SOMEONE PLEASE PROVIDE ANSWERS!!
Thanks in advance!!
-Christopher

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 12:50 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Geez I’m absent for a week and I get to read all this :-)…

flipthislawsuit.com is an excellent web site and I will continue to post comments.

Yet, I would like to expand more on my comments and post documents I have made reference to online. I also, would like to have a forum or area in which people can get together and share their experiences, tips, advice, and scrutinize other deals aired on TV.

Therefore, I registered the domain FlipThisForReal.com and plan to have it online near the end of July.

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 4:17 am | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

I POSTED a message here last night, now it’s GONE!!!
I want to know WHY?
This is a BULLSHIT site, if you don’t agree with the masses, you’re out of here. All I had were some Armando questions….I WASN’T DEFENDING the guy!!

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 10:02 am | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Now it’s back….hmmmmm….

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 10:03 am | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Mike Voss…Why won’t you e-mail me back?

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 10:04 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Scott,

RE: “After several emails and phone calls he flew down from Canada to meet with me to tell me about the************MONEY I WASN’T MAKING!***************
That caught my attention…”

Canada, eh? Check this out…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARMANDO-MONTELONGO-REAL-ESTATE-MASTER-HOME-STUDY-COURSE_W0QQitemZ110143764221QQihZ001QQcategoryZ102328QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 11:43 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Chris - sorry I didn’t get your email - probably sitting in one of the spam folders as we have very heavy filtering here. Feel free to ask me anything here and I’ll reply. -Mike

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 12:20 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Chris - as for records, there are virtually NO records of houses turned by either Armando, David, or either of their wives, any LLCs bearing their names, or any known businesses they are part of. Most or all of the houses identified on the show have not turned out to be theirs nor sold by them from what I have heard and the numbers reported on the show did not prove true, but I did not do this research directly. (however I verified some of it)

Contrast this with, for example, Richard Davis. You can find plenty of records on properties owned by him or Trademark, and in an email to me he even offered to show his title transfers and tax records - even though he’s not been questioned. (I had stated in an email to him that, altough I believed Tademark is legit, I didn’t KNOW that, and that was his response.)

It’s pretty near impossible to hide property transfers. I invite everyone to email Armando directly and ask him for the records or how to get them. I predict you’ll get dead silence as a reply. I also encourage you to write the FTC and ask them to investigate his claims until he proves them. On other shows, like flip THAT house, you can find and verify every flip record. Indeed, I personally know 2 people who did that show (Susan and Kelly - both live near me) and have seen the properties/numbers myself. It should be simple to verify any house actually flipped on TV as well as historical transactions, yet we cannot find any of Armando’s claimed 1000 flips. Where are they? Anyone, anyone?

Mike

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 12:33 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Christopher:

Are you searching the correct database?

Try Bexar County Clerks website:
http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/

You will need to create an account. Takes about 24-48 hours to get one. As for searching try:

Armando Montelongo Jr.
David Montelongo
Veronica Montelongo

You can also search for the legal description (not the address) of the property. If you know the address but not the legal description, you can cross reference it via the Tax Assessor Collector database.

Hope this helps.

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 12:47 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Jeff:
You said…”I’ll review them and see if I can flip a house or two. I have bookmarked this site and I will keep you all posted. If anything, I’m out $47 vs the $97 or $997. If it works then I’ll put more money in my pocket and the $47 will be well worth it.”

Trust me, you only made a down payment.

Not only does he have 47 dollars of your money, he has your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number. Ohhh and your credit card number :-).

If you read the fine print, you enter into a agreement with this guy. Meaning, he has the right and without penalty, call you and try to sell you more stuff. AND it would not surprise me if this guy will sell/lease your info to other telemarketers.

Did you also notice the lack of a privacy policy on his web site?

Check out his testimonial page, Bob Ward is Montelongo investor. He backed them on the 5 houses on Trinity, the office located on Vantage Dr., and other properties.

Can we say conflict of interest?

It’s equivalent to using a relative for a job/credit reference.

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 1:02 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Mike:
Armando or David signed as trustees in most of their flip deals. In March-April of this year, several of their holding were transfered from trusts to LLCs.

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 7:45 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Someone should set up a page with every subject property from every episode. Then we could post all the info/misinfo discovered in a central place for everyone to see. The Leccima section will sur ebe easy. :) Then people who want to know the truth could look up every property/episode.

Boyson - maybe on your new site?

Mike Voss

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 8:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “Check out his testimonial page, Bob Ward is Montelongo investor. He backed them on the 5 houses on Trinity, the office located on Vantage Dr., and other properties.”

LOL That ‘testimonial’ garbage is one of the oldest tricks in the book. They use friends, relatives, actors, whatever. To say what the ‘SELLER’ can’t say or lay claim to.

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 8:14 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

u say bob ward backed montelongo on the trinity houses and on the vantage dr business but then why is he in court and why do the houses on trinity sux not to mention he charges 580 to rent a one bedroom and one bath house that is super tiny now that is a rip off

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 8:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Yep, that $47 is just for startes…

‘A would-be real estate mogul follows boom tips straight to bust’

“After spending a year and upward of $15,000 (borrowed on credit cards) going to real estate seminars and buying home education courses from everyone from Russ Whitney to Bruce Norris and, of course, the aforementioned Robert “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” Kiyosaki, Serin embarked on his brilliant career as a real estate flopper, er, flipper.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/10/06/carollloyd.DTL

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 8:31 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve - thanks for posting that link about Serin. I saw him on TV a while back. He is a PERFECT example of why I burn time posting here and why the public needs to be protected from the false lure of the fast flip and easy money.

Mike Voss

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike and Boyson,

RE: “Someone should set up a page with every subject property from every episode”

Hey! Look what I found! ; )

http://armandomontelongo.blogspot.com/

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 10:14 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

Yeah, Serin is a must read for those that land here as a result of those ‘Googling’ “Armando Montelongo”

Posted on 29-Jun-07 at 11:04 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

How interesting. At 7:03 AM this morning, my phone rang and the caller ID said Montelongo, Veronica (210) 491-xxxx.

I thought someone might be pranking me with one of those caller-ID spoofing services. Curious, I looked at the tail of the HTTP log for my webserver and saw this entry for the contact page with my phone number from minutes before the call: 70.114.19.218 - - [30/Jun/2007:06:54:31 -0700] “GET /contact_image.jpg HTTP/1.1″ 200 46190 “http://www.hyperion1.com/contact.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)”

Does that IP address, 70.114.19.218 look familiar? That’s right, it’s the same one from the shill posts #24 and #25 aboove. Clearly, it is confirmed that that IP address belongs to the Montelongos.

Posted on 30-Jun-07 at 9:19 am | Permalink
chickens wrote:

Here’s the forumla.

Look like an average guy, or, better, an idiot. Pretend you made lots of money, show it around (hummer, 1000s of flips, etc). Then sell your ’secret’ in books and seminars.

The average sucker will say “Hey, if that IDIOT can do it, so can I!!!”

It’s nothing new, Armando Montelongo is just the latest incarnation.

Posted on 30-Jun-07 at 10:27 am | Permalink
John A. wrote:

Mike Voss has made some terrific observations and it’s nice to see that professionalism and pride in one’s trade is job one.

Nike mentioned a Canadian show called “Holmes on Homes” and it really is wonderful. Mike Holmes is a master builder who is called in to undo the damage done by unscrupulous contractors and shoddy tradespeople like the Montelongo family.

The Montelongo’s projects are garbage and all they are interested in is sugar coating properties rather than fixing the underlying problems. No insulation or vapor barrier is used, no permits are obtained, tradesmen that look as though it’s their first day on the job….it’s truly laughable.

I am disgusted by the Montelongo family and it’s nice to see a website where these fraud artists are exposed.

Cheers from Canada.

Posted on 30-Jun-07 at 9:54 pm | Permalink
Scott in PA wrote:

I just can’t wait to watch his next episode just to pull it apart.

He is a total fool.

His intern is a tool.

Posted on 30-Jun-07 at 11:35 pm | Permalink
mayigi wrote:

Anyone that has purchase the $97 thing or the big $997 course please email me with your comments. Thanks

Posted on 30-Jun-07 at 11:58 pm | Permalink
bette wrote:

I just watched an episode of Montelongo and wondered what his education and qualifications were. I didn’t look very long and I stumbled on this website. Does anyone have the answer to my question?

bette

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 12:25 am | Permalink
Scott in PA wrote:

Just finished watching the Intern episode.

Finally some honesty from Armando. He showed 2 houses he didn’t sell, one house he sold for less than the amount said on TV.

And the best part…he called himself an asshole…

Talk about Honesty!

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 1:02 am | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Mike,
Thank you for responding to my posts. I have been trying to learn everything I can about real estate, but I have hesitated to make the leap because of people I know personally that have been burned. Is there a real way to slowly break into this business without destroying your financial future?
What about “bird-dogging”?
Any tips or advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 1:53 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Chris,

Without knowing your detailed background, I can give you some generalized advice.

Let’s start with bird-dogging or scouting properties for others. As I’ve said before, real estate is a localized market business, so if you can become an expert in a certain area and get to the point where you know *everything* going on in that area, you can develop a skill that is worth something to others. However, in the age of the Internet and cell phones and email, information travels so fast that you really have to develop expertise to find deals that nobody else knows about. Then comes the hard part: having people to give the deals to that you trust and who will buy them. You only get paid when they buy, so this can be tough. What’s more, you need to have legally binding contracts in place before you ever tell them about a deal, and that won’t prevent them from passing on a deal and then secretly telling a friend about it so they can get it for free. As you can see, the relationships are the key element and they are hard to develop. So, if you have the time to develop the expertise, detective skills, and relationships, you can certainly make money this way, but it’s tough and a big investment of time, especially getting started. One key skill missing from any of the FTH crews including Trademark is having the expertise to inspect houses thoroughly before buying. If you can develop this skill you’re way ahead of the competition.

If I had to recommend one simple way to get into this business, it would be the use of lease-option contracts. If you’re renting a place to live, there’s no reason not to use this method. A lease-option is a simple contract which, basically, is a lease, say one year, which credits some part of your rent (say 1/3) towards purchase of the house and sets the price in advance. It also allows you to have the first right to purchase it until the lease is up. So you find a house that needs some work that you can get a lease-option on. (hint: houses for sale a long time that switch to for rent are good targets - sellers are likely feeling the pinch) Make sure the option is assignable - that is, you can transfer the right to purchase to another party. Now, live in the house for a year and make whatever improvements you can - most owners will gladly let you do anything at your expense. At the end of the year, you will hopefully have a house that was priced a year ago with a year’s appreciation plus your improvements - it should be worth more than what you can buy it for. (If it’s not, you rented a house for a year which you would have anyway, but this is rare if you slected a good house) Find a buyer for the house at the option price and transfer the option to him for a fee of up to the difference between the option strike price and the current value of the house. My first deal ever I optioned at $395,000. It was renewable, so I kept it 2 years during a soft period in the market and put about $20K into it. At the end of the lease, it was worth $595,000. I sold the option for nearly $125,000. I’ve done this more than once early in my career - it’s an effective technique, especially at low points in local markets when people are scared and happy to have a year+ lease to pay their mortgage!

If I had just one tip to give for someone starting out,that would be the one.

Mike Voss

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 2:24 am | Permalink
John A. wrote:

Hello everyone,

I live in Ottawa Canada (nation’s capital) and I’ve had experience in buying, renovating and selling properties.

Mid’es advise is sound and I echo his sentiments. Know the market you’re buying in to. Study it and research it to the nth dgeree.

If for some reason you cannot “flip” your investment property, is there a contingency plan to have it rented to carry mortgage costs, taxes etc.

Secondly, if you’re planning to renovate and sell, get qualified, experienced professionals to complete the renovations if you’re not very handy. Be prepared to oversee the renovation because it’s YOUR money at stake. Insist on quality work and good materials (ulike the Montelongos). Your profit marging may be a bit smaller but you can walk away from your “flip” with pride and honour knowing you’ve not screwed someone over.

Use the same contractors and trades people if you can. A large degree of trust and loyality is built up and they will go the extra step for you. Unlike the tv show, qualified professionals are busy and don’t cut their prices by 50% on the promise of getting another job.

Great forum…I enjoy it. And good luck to all of you with your respective projects.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 7:42 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Intern”

‘I’m a very private person… But I am on this show on A&E Sunday’s at 7:00pm called “Flip This House” I play the Intern and I work with Monster Energy Drinks.. I do alot of acting, commericals, movies,etc…’

http://www.myspace.com/Smallville1976

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 11:21 am | Permalink
TiffanyDog wrote:

What happened with the teleconference the David was suppose to have? I know it was rescheduled but have not been able to find out what he said. He was suppose to give his reasons for quiting FTH.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 11:47 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Rookie”

Full mode attempt at damage control, too funny. I’m surprised that Armondo found the time to revisit those three houses. I would think that with flipping 25-30 houses a month it would be difficult to even remember three of them ; )

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 11:58 am | Permalink
TiffanyDog wrote:

Just saw a YouTube video of Armando and Veronica in Mexico talking about the cat house and how they will have to deal with the smell when they return from vacation. They state they have been in Mexico for a week-and-a-half. So much for the deadline. In the episode they make it sound like they have been working straight through, but the video exposes the reality.
See the video on YouTube http://youtube.com/watch?v=qUYAa6FQMFU. “I Got Crabs in Mexico” is the title of the video in case the link does’nt work and you have to do a search.

He’s just as full of himself in real life as he is on TV. I feel sorry for the kid, “Mondoman.”

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 12:19 pm | Permalink
chickens wrote:

It’s all FAKE. That guy is not a real intern, he’s an ACTOR. Armando was trying to cover his ass by going back to the old houses and saying they didn’t sell.

The heat is ON. A&E should be ashamed of themselves for trying to pass the Montelongos off as “reality television.” This is a soap opera, no more, no less.

And anyone who buys his “real estate” package for $997, $97, or 95 cents is a damned fool.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 1:11 pm | Permalink
tiffanydog wrote:

Steve,
I think he was trying to cover his butt. He does not want to be considered in the same boat as Sam Leccima. By revisiting and airing an update on his flips makes him more legitimate, in his eyes anyway.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 1:42 pm | Permalink
brg wrote:

I have had such a great time reading these posts! My husband and I caught two of the FTH episodes late last night, and are just incredulous at how *awful* that Armando guy seems. Of course I went online to look him up and came across this site! OK - can we talk about his websites for a second! They are SO BAD! Anyone who is making as much money as he claims, would have much higher quality websites than this dude. I mean, if his websites aren’t even coded properly, imagine the houses he flips. Oh and just as an FYI, every time someone puts a link to one of the Montelongo’s websites on this thread, the Montelongo’s benefit. The more incoming links there are to a website, the higher their ranking is on search engines….so you may want to consider not making the links to their sites linkable and just make them plain text. Why help them out…you know.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 2:22 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

Now I wonder how much longer Chris will be the “Intern” now that his true identity has been found out? You would think that AE would have had him sign something to the effect that he wouldn’t reveal that he’s a paid actor. Now if one participant is an actor, my feeling is like many others, they all should be actors.

I dislike Armando for many reasons, but his blatant disregard for others is the highest of course. But looking back, of course so much of that is scripted. Who is he really? Someone who sold his soul to the highest bidder. Actually several bidders.

Now this mistake which was taken apart in an earlier post #240 by Robert Pee appears again in one of the invitations by Armando to Scott:

Hi Scott,

This is a very important message about
***********THE MONEY YOUR NOT MAKING!***********

Either they are one and the same authors or this is a common grammatical error. Very said either way.

I am not an agent, a flipper or even remotely interested in getting into that business, but like so many others, Richard Davis held my attention and when Sam and Armando came along, I just sort of watched like one watches a train wreck….unable to take my eyes off.

The difference of course, is that with those two there are the gaffs and obviously the laughs as well.

I love this forum and while I may never contribute again, I do so enjoy the dissection from the others….we love Mike Holmes and have learned much from him.

Cheers,
Bonnie

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 2:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

tiffanydog,

The NEW ‘revised’ numbers still don’t match with reality! LOL

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Bonnie,

Too late, you’ve delurked and there’s no going back ; )

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 3:10 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

Thanks Steve,

I know….now you all know I’m here!

But for you who deal in real estate on one level or another for a living to know that through this forum you are reaching more people than who do respond to you, that has to mean something, no? My goodness what a runon sentence! But you know what I mean…

Bonnie

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 3:19 pm | Permalink
Brad wrote:

In hawking his product his website says “Armando, how do you flip 25-30 houses per month – every month!” or “Where do you get the money to flip your houses?” or “How do you find so many great deals?” .” If he doesn’t flip this many houses, this is faulse advertising. As everyone posted above, it doesn’t seem at all possible. Besides if he did, would Cat house have gotten him so stressed out? That would have only represented 1/3 of 1 percent of 1 year’s income.

Guess his brother David had enough of his b/s

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 4:01 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Bonnie,

I’m not in the real estate biz in any way ; )

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 5:07 pm | Permalink
tiffanydog wrote:

Steve,
Yes, my husband and I were laughing at the discrepencies and when told the “intern” that he has to make hard decisions and things don’t always work out. We picked up on the “intern” being fake right away. There is no way that someone would do all that crap for no money.

Don’t forget to check out the YouTube link from my previous post. It’s a real scream!

I think I’ll stick with the TLC and Richard Davis and his team. I still want to know if Richard is having a thing with Ginger. Can’t seem to find out!

The New Haven team is a strange group, but seem like a good group overall.

Atlanta, what a joke that is–Sam and the new show with Angie.

Just my thoughts.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 6:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

tiffanydog.

Something more to laugh at! LOL

http://armandomontelongo.blogspot.com/

Steve aka Cozumel

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 6:32 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Sorry, I have been away for a while. I did see the intern episode and yes it was all staged. Did everybody notice that he as also changed the begining of the show? He doesn’t say that he has flipped 1000’s of episodes.

As for the intern, He needs to take better acting lessons becuause he was just not very convincing. My cat can act better while taking a crap!!

As for them having my credit card number, phone number, mailing address etc. I’m not concerned. If they want to call me, fine, if they want to drive from texas all the way to California on their dime to visit me, more power to them. If I see credit card charges to my credit card that I know I didn’t use, that is why their are lawyers and laws protecting me.

Sure they have $47 of my money, but that is much better than $97 or $997.
As I said, I bought it out of curiosity. He knows that he is starting to get caught and now he has to change his tune. But here is the thing, Wouldn’t A&E be held responsible as much as Armando for misleading the people.

Now for his website where I purchased the ebook. In order for you to purchase the book, you automatically become an affiliate to sell the book. Will I do that? no I won’t. There is nothing that states how you will get paid for the people who purchase it. If he isn’t careful, he will become the Don Lapre of our time.

I should be finished with the ebooks by the end of the week, after which I will post my review of it.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Some schmuck is selling the $997 package on eBay. 3 bidders so far. Probably 2 ’straw buyers’ trying to run the price up on some fool! LOL

Get this!

“I got this product as a birthday gift, but I realized that I already own this in my large Real Estate Course collection, so I’m selling an un-opened BRAND NEW course that my cousin purchased only 3 days ago. A fantastic comprehensive course that teaches you everything you need to know about Flipping homes from A&E’s star from Flip This House, as seen on TV this is my best purchase on flipping homes, everything is explained in step-by-step detail.”

ROFL! I’ve got a bridge… ; )

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 9:18 pm | Permalink
heyforArmando wrote:

I started recently watching those shows. Now I never miss a show maybe because Armando is a good looking guy :)
Too bad he’s married :(

These guys are business savy and they got experience. Not sure why some people say bad things about Armando. He makes his living best way he can and he’s doing pretty damn well.

His business is great because his wife is a realtor and it was said on the show “she can sweet talk anyone to buy a house” - that’s a huge plus, don’t underestimate to have a person or better a relative who’s a good realtor and can sell houses like hot cakes.

I admire his business savy and his tactics. He’s energetic, business driven. If you are looking to start such business. Flip your own house to start with and see if u can sell it and make a good profit on it anywhere from 25-50K per house.

Also cinding a good, honest/dependable contractor is a huge plus. Many of them cut corners or like to charge for nothing.

Posted on 01-Jul-07 at 10:54 pm | Permalink
John A wrote:

I can’t belive that “HeyforArmando” actully likes his business savvy (or lack of it) and his tactics.

The man is cheap and crude and doesn’t know which end of the hammer to hold. I know that anyone in the home reno trade will not drive around in a Hummer or Cadillac Escalade. We have a saying that goes “All flash and NO CASH”. His wife picks up propective “buyers” at the airport in a limo? It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad.

The “intern” they have is a complete waste of energy? Let me ask you this….if YOU were the developer who was purchasing homes and you had a deadline to meet, would you have someone with ZERO experience overseeing the project?

I live in Ottawa Canada and the tax law here states that if you buy an investment property and sell it, you have to pay capital gains taxes on one half (50%) of the total gain.

For example, I buy a house, renovate it and flip it, and I walk away with a $20K gain. Then I have to pay tax on half of that gain at my marginal tax rate. If I’m in a 50% tax bracket, then I walk away with $10K.

This doesn’t take into account legal fees, real estate commissions etc. So, when the Montelongs sell a house for a $20K gain and there are 4 of them who are involved in the scam…errr….business transaction, what kind of profit have they actually made?

So the guy sells thousands of homes? RIGHT….and that’s why when he and his family stayed at the hotel, they had to sneak in their pets like a bunch of criminals and he’s crying about paying $150 a night for the suite? Can we say staged, phony SCAM ARTISTS? lol

Love the site….

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 9:15 am | Permalink
Brooke wrote:

Thank god I’m not the only one that thinks FTH is staged! My favorite has & always will be Team Trademark. In my opinion they are the only ones with any kind of structure at all. Can anyone please tell me why every house that Armando & Veronica flip is that horrible FUGLY khaki color? The last one would have been cute if they had painted it a different color. I heard Veronica say once that they got a good deal on paint so they bought a bunch.. I sure hope they run out soon~! I’ve enjoyed reading all your comments :)

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Maureen H wrote:

Hi everyone. Last week I went out on a limb and decided to purchase Armando Montelongo’s e-books, at the discounted price of $47–after not purchasing at full price, I repeatedly got emails from his company offering me the lower price. I finally bit. Unfortunately, the money was deducted from my account immediately, and I did not receive any order confirmation, receipt, or any e-books! I can’t locate a phone # for Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc., and I have tried emailing through “contact us” on his site 3 times with no response. The Better Business Bureau does not have his company listed. I don’t know what to do! I even resorted to emailing Veronica through her My Space page this morning; I’m interested to see if she will respond or not.

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 1:51 pm | Permalink
Maureen H wrote:

Jeff–I noticed your post that says you did get the e-books. How did you get them? I am curious, since I ordered them and got NOTHING, but they did get my money. I’m also curious to see if they have any decent info in them. I’m interested to read your reviews.

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 2:01 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Maureen H,

Try this number. (210) 341-7355

Montelongo Real Estate Solutions
8026 Vantage Dr
San Antonio, TX 78230

http://www.anywho.com/rl.html

Good luck!

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 2:12 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Maureen - email me at contact@hyperion1.com and I will be happy to give you Veronica’s direct phone number so you can try to reach her.

-Mike

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

would you believe this i know some people who rented one of there houses, boy was the house screwed up they even have pictures, ne way they decided after seeing what a mess the house waas they wanted out of the lease and they told them no finally after a couple of weeks pass they decide to rent it to some one else while the other person still had a lease and they(david montelongo) still had the first lessee’s money and he won’t refund them their money back, they hadn’t even moved onto the house in the first place and he is getting money from the other renter’s too

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 2:37 pm | Permalink
the renters wrote:

don’t trust the vantage dr business they will bullshit with you and give you alot of bs

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 2:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Today was a great day! I learned how to make a blog as well as advertise with my partner Armando Montelongo. Armando will be releasing his new book “Flip it Now!” July 2nd. To purchase his book just click the links on this page.”

I’m not going to post the link but…LOL!

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

Yeah, that is the interesting thing about their site. After I click to purchase them, it takes me directly to a thankyou page and that’s it. To get the books, you have to go back to their website and click on members, then enter your username and password.

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Interesting. Guess who just paid a visit to my blog?

IP Address 216.89.67.# (A&E Television - NewYork)

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 5:17 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:

They are afraid, do a google search for armando montelongo and this website is second on page one.

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 5:42 pm | Permalink
Maureen H wrote:

Hey everyone. I just wanted to update you–I emailed Veronica Montelongo through My Space earlier today about the e-books, and she responded just a couple of hours later with instructions on how to download them. She said they get tons of emails similar to mine; I suggested they need to tell people what to do after they make the purchase.

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 7:34 pm | Permalink
Dan wrote:

I am so glad that I found this site. I have been skeptical of the Montelongo Business since day one of their show. My father and I recently finished our second property in Texas. There are no easy ways in this business and it simply takes good old hard work and determination. I always knew his claim of flipping 25-30 homes am month was bull. I totally agree with Mike Voss and Sean and would rather buy a book from them then the Montelosers.

I’m out!

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 8:58 pm | Permalink
BigG wrote:

it’s interesting to hear your guys comments, 99 percent of you have not received or saw their packages and yet you lashing at them with just pure foolish thoughts. thus far all who have purchased their packages seems to like it. Quit your bitching and get a life, stop knocking people down when you have no solutions on your own.

I have not purchase the package just simply because I cannot afford it with my government salary, however since I have not seen it I will not go around and batch the product like an idiot. you guys are like ABC news reporting on sh*******t that never hapens.

I you guys have some since you would try to get with someone in your neighborhood who have purchase the package and see for sure if what they are saying are helpful. they guy that said that he been a builder for a long time now and declare what Amando is saying are complete crack. as a builder you sound completely broke and sinceless. Just because something may not work for you does not mean that it not good, maybe its your ability to comprehend new matter that is the issue instead of the package.

one big thing that you guys failed to realized is that, once you open your business and get the first 3-5 deals, you need to hire others to work for you and concentrate on building your business not be a worker in the business that you are trying to build.

It is possible to him to flip 20-30 houses a month if he has other people working for him. then all you have to do is supervise to make sure things are going the way that you want them to go.

If you can build of team of people to work with you ,there is no reason why you should not be able to flip this many houses per month. when someone say they make a certain amount of money in a business you must keep in mind that the profit the person is claiming to make is the gross not the net, meaning that the profit that was made will be divided among those who are helping me make the money.

regarding the lady that said her friend is going to sue, I can tell you right now base on the information you provided your friend will be just wasting her time, because audio’s lessons are considered to be courses, you do not have to see the person with a piece of paper in their hand showing you line-by-line what to do for it to be a course.

you guys need to wise-up a little bit, I am not saying go ahead and by this guy package, but find out who in your area may have purchase the package and speak to them instead of listening to these idiot who are posting here, find out for yourself dont listen to people who thinks because they cannot do something that it must be fake…..

Halla

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 10:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

BigG,

I’ve got a sure fire ‘deal’ for you. I’ll triple your ‘investment’ in five days. First though, I’ll need some good faith, no strings attached, money up front. Interested? ; )

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 11:10 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

More like Big G.E.D. if you know what I mean…

Posted on 02-Jul-07 at 11:29 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

If you REALLY want Armando’s 5 ebooks it looks like you can get them on eBay for a “buy it now” price of $.99 (ninety nine cents) with FREE shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/FLIP-THIS-HOUSE-W-ARMANDO-MONTELONGO-e-BOOKS-LOT-NEW_W0QQitemZ190128666113QQihZ009QQcategoryZ102486QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 12:33 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

It’s a scam auction. He claims to be “selling” the information of how to link to Armando’s website to buy the ebooks. Total eBay policy violation and should be removed.

AMAZINGLY, we now have 325 posts in this thread and NOT ONE person who has bought Armando’s products has been able to tell us about some specific useful information they got. All we have are random defenses of Armando and generic defenses of the book - not a SINGLE example of what was useful to anyone. Hmmmmm.

I may very well go ahead and write a book if people keep asking me to do so. And if I do, I’ll make it available for free and with a PayPal link that readers could send any amount to if they found it useful. (since, as a real builder, I make my money on development, not book sales!)

STILL no reply from the Montelongos as to my request for a review copy.

Mike

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 6:02 pm | Permalink
JohnREI wrote:

“BigG”, maybe you should consider decaf.

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 9:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “It’s a scam auction”

Figures, why am I not surprised. Nice catch

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
Jesse wrote:

Movie Star episode house was rented to his brother while his divorce was pending. Second episode first season…..potential buyer was Melina’s Mom. Professional photographer that Melina got for free…family friend with a big ego that needed to be stroked by being on television

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 11:31 pm | Permalink
aquipella wrote:

Amazing isn’t it that Pella can miraculously deliver and install custom fit windows in a house in just a couple days notice when, in reality the delivery time on any Pella product in San Antonio is at least three weeks. The store here is a depot and does not stock anything. Amazing television.

Posted on 03-Jul-07 at 11:55 pm | Permalink
scamofthemonthclub wrote:

People, stop being mean to poor Armando. Gheez, he is just trying to make a living. Sort of like he did a few years ago when he was a mold remediation expert and took as much money from the insurance companies as he could, did as little actual work on job sites as possible and left all of his clients unhappy and disgruntled…..you want names and addresses, I have them. Oh yeah and before that Two by Two, a multi-level marketing scam where he took all his friends money and then dumped them. And, let’s see prior to that, oh yeah a cook book with his picture on the front containing as many healthy recipes as his friends could come up with and give to him for free. You should have heard him at the Two by Two seminars….he told this story about traveling across America and rolling into San Antonio on his last tank of gas….hilarious.

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 12:05 am | Permalink
Misty R. wrote:

I am so glad that I found this site!

I was at my mom’s this weekend and we were watching FTH. My mom could not even stand to watch it - she kept telling me to change the channel but I told her it was like a train wreck in the making with Armando as the conductor.

I couldn’t wait to get home and look these scam-artists up!

I have never been so disgusted with a tv-personality. Armando’s tactics are degrading, disgusting, fraudulent and down-right mind-numbing.

I feel bad for the people who don’t know any better and will shell out the $1,000 for his b.s. get rich quick scheme. I’m sure many of these people will use their hard earned money that they probably cannot spare in hopes of making a living for themselves or for their families.

People, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Mike Voss - you sir, are the man.

Everyone else, good job on digging up the research and publishing the info. The more information that comes out the quicker these jackals will be taken off the air.

Shame on you A&E. Just how dumb do you think your viewers are?

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 9:43 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “It’s a scam auction. He claims to be “selling” the information of how to link to Armando’s website to buy the ebooks. Total eBay policy violation and should be removed.”

I just sent the ’seller’ a message via eBay informing them they were in violation of eBay’s TOS. It’s gone now! ; )

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 2:34 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Yeah it’s such a great product that they have to sell it by viral marketing and fake eBay auctions to generate links and page views.

Looks like eBay’s admins are now onto the abuse and killing all the fake auction advertisements. Scams to sell scams - you gotta love it. The Montelongos remind me of an old joke I saw once where a snakeoil salesman rolls into a Western town:

Sheriff: “You run an honest business?”
Salesman: “Honest as the day is long.”
Sheriff: “Good, when are you open?”
Salesman: “Sundown!”

Seriously, if anyone on here spent the money and owns these things, please lend them to me so I can review them. I promise to return them to you and to post a fair, honest review.

MV

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 3:36 pm | Permalink
martie wrote:

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, people please dont tell me that the armando and veronica are fakes, i love them on the tube, i beelived them, i am getting into the real estate career, an interested in all the tips i can get, so help anyone.. thanks

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 9:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

martie,

OK, here’s a tip for you! ; )

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470068353/bookstorenow56-20

Posted on 04-Jul-07 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
Danielle wrote:

Has anyone else noticed that Armando keeps getting fatter every episode? And his hair is getting higher and fluffier too (I think he’s trying to keep himself from looking like a peanut head!)
Veronica…..RUN LIKE HELL NOW AND TAKE MONDOMAN WITH YOU! LOL

Posted on 05-Jul-07 at 1:26 am | Permalink
Jane wrote:

I wish I had found this website before I purchased the $97 ebook. I was going to take a one day course at my local community college about Women and investing in real estate by Marshall Reddick (anyone familiar with this course?) It was around $50. When Armando’s ebook was offered to me at half price I purchased it thinking it would be about the same I had intended spending on the college course anyway. The content of the ebook is very small. I just finished it last night. I don’t know much about real estate, but I don’t think I learned much more from the ebook. There are some basic common sense tips. But in general, it is not worth it.

Also offered with the purchase of the book is to be allowed to “attend” Armando’s webanair live computer seminars. The first one was all about getting us to promote his book to our family and friends. For everyone we referred, we would get a percentage of the sale. To me it sounds almost like a pyramid scheme.

Posted on 05-Jul-07 at 9:33 am | Permalink
Sarah wrote:

Real of fake - I love the show and can’t get enough of it. The Montelongos are by far my favorite. I think they’re quite entertaining. I also considered buying Armando’s RE Pkg, but it seemed too good to be true and I find that if it seems too good to be true, it is. After reading this thread, I’m thankful I didn’t purchase it. That said, I’m not at all mad at A&E for this “docu-soap”, as they call it, for having some embelishments. My husband and I have flipped one house. It had it’s ups and downs. We’ll probably do it again. But I don’t get mad at this show for not portraying certain aspects. The show isn’t a direct “How to” guide that has tricked us all, though I often get that vibe from the posters here. It’s a TV show and I take it for that. I don’t believe there is a single reality show on television that’s actual “reality”. Maybe Armando is a scam artist, I really don’t know. He and David obviously went their seperate ways for a reason, but I won’t pretend to know what that is, but I do miss seeing him & Melina. (David did bring a lot of professionallism and level-headedness to MHB.) All I know is I enjoy watching his episodes and will continue to do so.

Posted on 05-Jul-07 at 2:28 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

Sarah:

Sure, the show can be entertaining, although I will no longer watch anything with the Montelongos. I’d much rather be entertained by Richard Davis, who seems to care about the people who work for him and the customers who buy from him. No, A&E isn’t just presenting an innocent entertainment program. They owe it to their viewers to at least run a disclaimer at the start of the show that some scenes are set up, out of sequence, re-enacted, use actors, etc. It’s clear that many people have been influenced by this show to try to get into what they see on FTH seems to be a relatively easy and sure-fire way to make big money, or, like yourself, have considered buying Armando’s garbage because there’s a level of trust from what you’ve seen on tv. Thank heaven for people like Steve and Mike who are saving people from their own naivete and willingness to be parted from their hard-earned savings. Mike, I am not even interested in flipping anything myself, but I’d read any book you write, just to see how things are done the right way. Steve, I hope you’ll continue to write here–I look forward to checking back each day.

Posted on 05-Jul-07 at 8:14 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Barbara,

Ah shucks, thanks! I can’t even remember how I ended up here exactly. I’m not in the real estate business. Like Mike and Boyson, the Montelongo ’scam’ bothers me to no end. 25 houses a month my ASS!

Disclaimer: I’m not associated with Trademark in any way, other than a fan of the show.

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 12:26 am | Permalink
Sarah wrote:

Barbara, I don’t know, I guess I’ll just never take television as reality. I watch TV to be entertained. If I want to learn, I read a book on the topic I’m interested and ask live people in that field I can actually interact with. I live across from my local library, so I do research. I don’t rely on A&E to map it out for me in 47 min. And Steve and Mike (no offense to either of you) seem like nice people, but I know nothing more about them than what they post in a thread. I won’t sing their praises to the heavens because of what they’ve typed about themselves. If A&E had to run a disclaimer, so should every single other program on television. A&E doens’t push Armando’s RE pkg, Armando does. And I’m not vouching for his character because I don’t know him either. But as you point out, the show is staged.

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 7:51 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Sarah - Actually, I’ve gone out of my way not to post anything about myself, so I’m not sure where you’re going with that.

To be clear, I don’t think A&E knew anything about the “questionable” Montelongo transactions just as they didn’t know beforehand about Sam Leccima

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 1:04 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

Sarah:

I understand your point, and I, too, tend to take most tv with a grain of salt. You, however, are obviously not as easily swayed as many people are, to see things presented as “reality” programs as reality. Just look at how many people on this thread alone have been tempted or have gone ahead and purchased Armando’s garbage because of what they saw of him on tv. It’s no accident, and it’s really pretty shady on A&E’s part that they aren’t distancing themselves from that a bit. Are they obligated to disclaim everything? No, but one would hope that a seemingly entertaining and enlightening network would care a bit more about what they present. No, every show shouldn’t have to run a disclaimer, but those that purport to educate, even in a seemingly benign way, should if they value their credibility. As for Mike and Steve, I simply know what I’ve read here. Mike is obviously very well-versed in this arena and Steve has done some great research. I appreciate their entertaining and enlightening posts, complete with disclaimers throughout.

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 5:00 pm | Permalink
N.K.M wrote:

Okay, guys. I read every entry in this chat site. I just watch the show for giggles. I don’t take it seriously and just kick back and enjoy the antics. I really giggle when Armando gets mad and throws things. How funny. I think Trademark this season is boring, and I actually fell asleep watching it. Armando is purely entertainment. Please, just take it for what it is - with a grain of salt - and laugh with me.

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 5:29 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

Just because it bothers me so much, I decided to write to A and E about Armando. Oh, I’m sure that was original, but I couldn’t help myself. I have received no reply and frankly do not expect one. I’ll sure share it with you if I do though!

See, Steve, it’s like potato chips, I can’t post just one….

Cheeers,
Bonnie

Posted on 06-Jul-07 at 10:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Bonnie,

LOL! I want to reiterate, I think A&E was duped along with the rest of the viewing public, just as with the Sam Leccima episodes. I think they’re discovering (along with us) that the Montelongo episodes featured don’t jibe with are actual contrary facts as provided with what are easily obtained property records, free, online

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 12:13 am | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

But Steve, one would think that a channel that presents shows steeped in fact like City Confidential and American Justice would due it\’s due diligence when presenting this, new-to-them format.

Well, one would hope anyway and as the producers are just that, either they were duped or they just didn\’t mind duping us. Either way, as I wrote to them this is beyond the taping of a dysfunctionial family.

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 2:24 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

Let me clarify, the taping of a family as dysfunctional as others they have taped, not to imply in my post that Armando and Co are dysfunctional.

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 4:41 pm | Permalink
Fans Of Reality TV - Other Reality Shows - Flip this House - on A&E wrote:

[...] Originally Posted by New Mommy For everyone whose blood pressure goes skyhigh when watching Armando: there is some interesting information about him at a place called flip this lawsuit. A friend directed me there regarding his “book” and some bankruptcies. Interesting to read. Here is the link Flip This Lawsuit � Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package? __________________ "A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise." [...]

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

Re: “25- 30 house a month”

“Brandon - give us a break. Armando SAYS it right in the video on the website. He says it AGAIN in the first 5 pages of his e-book. You wanna chalk those up to webmaster errors also? You’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, buddy. Even YOU know your position is unsupportable, so give us all a break.”

Update: Armanmdo said it on the show too. “25-30 houses a month”. I heard it 5 minutes ago on the ‘Rancho Montelongo’ rerun ; )

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Rancho Montelongo”

Armando: “Like this - the stress you feel here? Magnified times 20 to 30 houses a month and that’s what we do all the time…”

Veronica: “Well I know, but…”

OK, it was 20-30 and not 25-30 ; )

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 8:44 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

I checked the site this evening because i was suspecting someone would possibly purchase his product on launch day. Anyway, I just want to credit Mike Voss for giving FREE advice to Christopher regarding getting started in the business. My other post is #251 and when I started real estate i had 5 jobs, ya 5, then I made myself a promise that if I ever made as much selling real estate in one month than I did working at UPS in a year, that i would quit UPS and go into real estate full time (my wife did not want me gettting into real estate because her best friends mom was an agent and they never had any money). I was a part time pre-load supervisor so i worked UPS from around 4:00 a.m. to approximately 9 a.m., then the rest of the day i would devote to either building homes (framer), selling real estate, re-roofing homes, putting up soffit and last but not least laying tile. Basically anything that would pay the bills. well the month came about a year and a half after starting real estate that i made as much in one month selling that i did in a year as a part time supervisor. Long story short, i am not much of a risk taker so it actually took a bet that a friend and i made $1000 that he would give me, but i had to quit the monday moring, my first day back to work & I did & he paid, best bet i ever made, it changed my life forever. I truly love the business and would never do it just because it pays well. I am now a real estate broker in florida and do just about anything that you can with real esate and to me that is what makes it so exciting. Like Mike said earlier about the lease purchase (LP), now is the perfect time to be doing them with so many investors that are way in over their heads. That is great advice and you (Christopher) should really consider it the way for you to break into this market. When i retire from investing, developing, building, selling, flipping and whatever else you want to call it, I want to do seminars or disc programs that really work. I have helped several people in my area make millions flipping properties prior to me having money to do it myself. It is true that you do make your money when you buy, not sell! along with Mike’s advice that would be the one thing you must always remember and when figuring your costs for a flip, at first, double them and also add in at least a 10% depreciation factor, just in case the market is even softer when your flip is ready to sell. Good luck and I wish you the best. To this day I still get a true sense of pleasure when i find a buyer a good deal or sell someones home for top dollar. It is the people that get into this business to make a quick buck that are truly upsetting & make alot of good people seem questionable at best. Wait until the first time you save someone from going into foreclosure, not only do you win, they win, the bank or mortgages get paid and everyone is happy. It really is a great thing! Take your time and don’t ever get emotionally attached to a property, that can always kill a great deal.

Tim (Florida)

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 11:19 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

Mike Voss & Christopher,

I just posted you two but did not specify anyone at the top of the post. Sorry, it is from Tim.

Posted on 07-Jul-07 at 11:26 pm | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Thanks Tim!

Posted on 08-Jul-07 at 1:07 am | Permalink
Archie wrote:

It seems that there is a lot of vehemence being directed against the Montelongos on this site. Most of it stems from the fact that they have exaggerated their flipping accomplishments and they have the audacity to package their knowledge in an e-book and expensive courses.

Armando may come off as a jerk on TV but I admire the way he went from broke to TV personality and quasi-successful business man. The Montelongo shows are by far the most entertaining flipping shows on TV. Team Trademark is much more professional and accomplished, but the show is fairly boring. And for A&E, it’s all about the ratings. If I wanted to learn the nuts and bolts about flipping properties, I’ll do my own research. But for entertaining TV, the Montelongos get my vote.

Quit the hating and take everything you see on TV with a grain of salt. If the Montelongos had to exaggerate to get the TV deal, then it’s no different than those of us who exaggerated to land a job. Armando obviously has flipped some properties so I wouldn’t call him a scam artist or complete fake.

Posted on 08-Jul-07 at 8:08 am | Permalink
Flip This Lawsuit » A quick note from your webmaster… wrote:

[...] Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package? [...]

Posted on 08-Jul-07 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
Paul W wrote:

Montelongo family has been aroung a long time. I even remember the TV ads from whan I was a kid. David Montelongo worked for his family for years. These two guys are not what they seem and I think David is regretting getting the family name dragged through the mud by his brother. They are promoters, thats all. Certainly not real estate experts. Google John T. Reed if you want the real truth on investing and flipping and such. Reed seems to be a grumpy old man with an MBA from Harvard and a military background. His information is dry and detailed and its the truth. If you can get through his dullness, you will learn all you need to know.

Posted on 09-Jul-07 at 6:33 pm | Permalink
Lee wrote:

Wow!!..what a bashfest you people have going on here.
If I was Armando, I’d sue this website or some of it’s posters for libel as almost all the views and detective work here is unsubstantiative.
First off, only a complete idiot would take everything on their show as the gospel truth, it’s obviously embelished for entertainment purposes.
The show is quite entertaining and motivating though. My brother and I are about to buy our first house to flip and we’re not going to try and do it the Montelongo way, nobody can do it the way they can, especially first timers. But I have learned a lot and now have the motivation to do it. I’ve been self employed for a long time and this will just be another venture for me.
I see the biggest problem in other people trying to flip houses is fear.
I have no fear of quitting my job as I don’t work for anybody and have no fear of hard work or this type of work dominating my life for awhile.

I’d also like to say that Veronica is an extremely hot red head and Armando is very lucky to have her.

Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Yvette wrote:

Hi everyone - I’ve been reading almost all the posts on this site (up to #257) and I have to say THANK YOU to everyone, especially Mike Voss (and by the way, that house on 4125 Allot - to die for - just gorgeous!). I, too, was searching the ‘net for info on Armando’s book and came across your site. Thankfully, I like to do research on everything before I purchase. You’ve saved me and many others a lot of $ - so, thank you again for this wonderful forum.

By the way, I was just checking eBay and sure enough - someone is selling the complete “master” set now… http://cgi.ebay.com/Armando-Montelongo-Flip-This-House-Master-Course-NEW_W0QQitemZ320134446140QQihZ011QQcategoryZ102332QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - too bad it’s a “private” listing. I was going to email everyone that is bidding on the set a link to this site! Anyway, keep up the good work and thanks so much (again).

Now… back to reading the remaining posts… LOL =)

Yvette
Naples, FL

Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 12:09 pm | Permalink
Jim wrote:

I must say there is alot of bashing going on here and some of it is deserved, some of it is probably not. I have rehabbed (flipped) houses and did wholesales. I will say that in real estate investment circles, the Montelongos are well liked for one reason: Ethics. When you don’t pay assignment fees to wholesalers, back-door people, whether that be fellow investors or home-owners you are purchasing homes from - you can’t do that for very long until it all will catch up to you. At least that’s what my Grandparents, and parents taught me and I teach my own kids and employees.

Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 2:15 am | Permalink
Barbie in Texas wrote:

I think Steve in Texas is awesome! Richard Davis and Trademark properties seem to be the only legit flippers yet. I am also from Texas, actually San Antonio and have seen the Montelongos around. They seem nice, but some of the work they do is pretty damn shady. I like the fact that Veronica went green on one of her projects. It’s nice to know someone is trying to help our planet. Either way if you want to see honest work you should watch HOLMES ON HOMES on Discovery Home, that should open your eyes up and see what should be done when fixing a home. I hope TRADEMARK properties takes over TEXAS, like Richard Davis says on the Real Estate Pros “We’re going worldwide”, did you catch that!!!!

MACDADDY is also his favorite word lol

Ciao!

Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 11:58 am | Permalink
AskDanMoran.com » Confused About The Code wrote:

[...] Second, the TV show, the A&E network, and the couple themselves are under fire for alleged misrepresentations in the show, and in Armando’s website and home study course. (For more info, check out this site.) Look, I’m not going to pretend that I know enough about the Montelongos’ legal situation to pass judgement on them. But is it wise, with the controversy they’ve managed to generate recently, to hold them up as role models that the rest of us should emulate? [...]

Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 3:01 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Also featured during the same season was Armando Montelongo a man who so deeply repulsed me I frequently had to turn the show off in order to reduce my blood pressure. One of the biggest questions concerning Montelongo is the actual purchase and selling prices of the homes featured on the program. The blog FlipThisLawsuit.com does a great job digging into the property histories and the history of Montelongo himself.

http://www.sonorancity.com/sonoran_city_news/2007/07/famous-flopping.html

Posted on 11-Jul-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
Sam wrote:

DAVID’S AT LEAST PROMOTING OTHER REPUTIBLE REAL ESTATE INVESTORS AS HIS SPEAKERS.

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 7:43 am | Permalink
Ernest wrote:

I bought the $100 ebook. Got one little bit of info in it. Was expecting ALOT more for that price. Most of the fluff is found in countless other books. So if the one piece of info I got turns me a profit from that technique, its worth it.

I think Armando was trying to make up for it the other day when he offered everyone who bought the book to join in on his webinar for free. I was hesitant, but did it thinking it was going to be a recording. It was him live. He was very funny and spent over 30 minutes answering questions. One thing that caught my ear was that he said he didn’t like the way A&E has portrayed him as a brass negotiator. He said he was much more of a joker in real life. So for what its worth, there’s reality shows and then there’s reality.

Speaking of books, Anyone going to Richard’s speech and see the unveiling of his new book?

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 2:38 pm | Permalink
Ryan Olson wrote:

I was thinking about buying the cheaper package. I think that Armando is perfect version of the american dream

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
Ryan wrote:

Hey everyone, like a lot of people I found this site by accident, but I just spent the last 2 hours reading all 364 comments and am blown away of what a pos Armando is I was going to buy is $97 book but screw that…lol. For the last 5 years I’ve wanted to get into house flipping, but don’t know how to, can anyone help????? Where to go to get info, any contact info of people who do this? an intern job or a job in general. I’m not one of those easy money people, I know it takes hard work and planning but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to either learn from someone who is willing to teach. You all seem incredibly knowledgeable and I turn to you for assistance. If you have any information about any way to get information, get experience on flipping houses please email me at juda222000@yahoo.com ……anything would be greatly appreciated and not forgotten.

Thank you for your help,
Ryan

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 6:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Ryan,

Get “Flipping Confidential” by Kirsten Kemp, who hosts ‘Property Ladder’. Everything you need to know is in it and then some!

$13.57 at Amazon.com

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 7:46 pm | Permalink
Dan R. wrote:

Mike Voss, I sent you an email that I was hoping to have a response to. I realized recently that the email may have not gone through due to you spam filtering. If you wouldn’t mind, I’ld like to resend the email. let me know the best way to do so.

Posted on 12-Jul-07 at 9:52 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Dan - I did receive your message - and a lot of others from many other people asking the same things. I am working on something to answer these questions and when I have it completed will make it available to all of you. -Mike

Posted on 13-Jul-07 at 10:55 am | Permalink
Ryan wrote:

Thanks Steve

Posted on 13-Jul-07 at 6:57 pm | Permalink
JT wrote:

I have enjoyed reading the post. I just received an email for an online REI training where Armando is marketed as “Bonus Guess #2″.

The marketing material states “…together with his brother David, built the largest real estate investment firm of its type in Texas. Now Montelongo House Buyers purchases 20-25 houses per month.”

Below is the marketing piece re: Armando..

Armando Montelongo – A&E’s Flip This House – BONUS GUEST # 2
Armando was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and is the seventh child in a family of eight. Armando moved his family to California due to life threatening complications with his wife and unborn son in order for his wife to be with her family. After working past massive medical challenges with the two people he loves the most, Armando found himself $50,000 in debt with no job, and no money. He lost his personal home to foreclosure and was forced to live in his in-laws garage. These extreme challenges created ‘the rage within’.

He took his life experiences and chose to be better, not bitter. He moved his family back to Texas, and in a period of 5 years he has, together with his brother David, built the largest real estate investment firm of its type in Texas.

Now Montelongo House Buyers purchases 20-25 houses per month. His no “holds barred approach” and drive to excel in the Texas real estate market mixed with his passion for helping his customers create their ‘American Dream’ is the perfect recipe for success. Armando enjoys studying real estate market trends as well as developing techniques for creative real estate investing. He has master-minded some of the industry’s lucrative and creative investing techniques. He is currently developing an educational CD series to release with his “Millionaire Investor Tips” where, as Armando says “every investor, from beginner to seasoned veteran, can learn how to make a million dollars in real estate in a year”.

Posted on 13-Jul-07 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

JT,

Re: “I have enjoyed reading the post. I just received an email for an online REI training where Armando is marketed as “Bonus Guess #2″.”

I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about but here’s my take. You’ll NEVER, and I repeat NEVER, ‘buy’ it all. Once you get sucked in there’s ALWAYS going to be something MORE for $ale that you NEED, and is a must have ; )

Posted on 13-Jul-07 at 9:50 pm | Permalink
JT wrote:

Steve in Texas - Simply pointing out there are claims in another publication to Armando’s ability to flip 20-25 houses a month. I have read the many posts regarding his claims on the television program and his book.

I have not purchased his book or training; however, I have watched the program and have heard him make the claim. I will not purchase his book or training based on the way Armando comes across on the television program.

This is the link I received via email:
http://www.reimostwanted.com/

Near the bottom is the portion regarding Armando.

Posted on 14-Jul-07 at 8:12 pm | Permalink
C wrote:

wow guys, have you also background checked DOG the bounty hunter, and any actor you might watch on tv. Some of you should open up an investigations firm…and make some $$$$!

Posted on 14-Jul-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

C,

So you’re saying Armando is an
‘actor’? ; )

“1 : one that acts : DOER
2 a : one who represents a character in a dramatic production b : a theatrical performer c : one who behaves as if acting a part”

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/actor

Posted on 14-Jul-07 at 10:29 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

C,

I think you’re right that he is in fact an ‘actor’, and that he doesn’t really flip 20-30 houses a month, or 1,000 in the last five years. And, my personal favorite, ‘Rolled into town on my last tank of gas’. LOL

When you try to $ELL your ‘act’ though, it becomes something else ; )

Posted on 14-Jul-07 at 10:46 pm | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Did anyone happen to catch the “Rancho Montelongo” episode? If you have it recorded, watch it again. Armando’s time frame is all wrong.
When they first “sell” their old house (which, by the way, was sold by another realtor…pretty funny if your wife is a realtor) and start plans for the new house, Mondo Man’s hair is “buzzed” cut. At the end at their little party, it was supposedly only 3 weeks later, but Mondo Man has a head full of hair. Either this kid is the fastest hair grower on earth, or Armando is fibbing.

Posted on 15-Jul-07 at 4:38 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

What can you say… he’s a Chia Kid.

Posted on 16-Jul-07 at 2:49 am | Permalink
Rod wrote:

You folks crack me up!! We have caught a few episodes with the “Montefakos”. The first thing I noticed was such a successful firm had makeshift offices, cheap furniture and no budget for a real website. Wouldnt you want to build credibility by having nice meeting space? Or a functional website? Also for clearing $400-600K per month on 20-30 flips I would expect a larger personal home for Armando. I know people dont always showcase their wealth, but a guy with his ego surely would. Give credit to the “Montefakos” for rising from the poorhouse, but karma is a b****. Guess he will be heading back to the poorhouse after all this. Veronica, be a real mother, take your son and run away.

Posted on 16-Jul-07 at 9:46 am | Permalink
Derrick wrote:

Hi my name is Derrick and I just relocated back to San Antonio from Springfield Missouri. My wife Ruth and I began watching your show in Springfield we had never heard of Flip this house, and what drew us to the show was the fact that the Montelongos were from San Antonio which we loved because that was home to us. Anyway we grew to love the show, however we realized there were things we disagreed with. I do support the montelongos in what they are doing I know its not easy however there are certain things that I disagree with. From the comments I have read here I would not buy the program, but I still want to read the book when it comes out, even though I may not agree with everything in the book

Posted on 17-Jul-07 at 3:49 pm | Permalink
nate wrote:

i think that you all are just jelous u need to stop woring aboutut others and worie about your selfs…. you all do know this is all gosip………and he stop selling the 1000 book so you stop talking about it

Posted on 17-Jul-07 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
Alan wrote:

I rehab houses (not flipping in the traditional sense but the phrase flipping has been perverted by TV). I sold 4 houses last year in a non-inflated market in Nashville. We don’t make $200,000 a house like on most of the flipping shows but we don’t have bubbles bursting either. I made a pre-tax profit of $137,000 on the 4 houses with the highest profit being $55,000 and the lowest being $15,000. Profit verses investment is close to 30% so far. Two were foreclosures, one was an estate sale and one was bought off the MLS. I did 90% of the work myself with mostly carpet being subbed out. I picked houses that didn’t need major overhauls but were basically just outdated. Overall I made a fairly decent living doing what I enjoy but it’s not something you’re going to get rich doing, at least in most markets. I also have a real estate license to keep 3% of the sale price. I figure this type living can be made by most, more in hot areas, if you just spend the time to learn the market & not try & get too greedy. NO one can flip 200 houses a year without having built up a HUGE organization behind them which would take, I assume, 20 or more years at least.Flipping can be profitable but you better know your market and at LEAST be fairly handy yourself. I see no way, at least in my market, to buy a house and flip it using all subs and still make a minimal profit of 10%

Posted on 17-Jul-07 at 11:23 pm | Permalink
Nathalie wrote:

We buy homes for remodel and resale….We make a living at this…we do not make a killing.
We watch most all the shows on flipping and in truth these shows are meant to give people the impression that this is easy money and a way to get rich….and yes,in some cases this is true .but that is the exception,not the rule.
We live in a small southern town.and our biggest obstacle are wanna be “flippers”Who come into this not knowing the market and having unrealistic ideas.and over bid on houses.and in turn cut us out.
If your wanting to flip homes….first you need to decide if your interest lies with being your own boss…or if it lies with making a one time killing….second know your market.Location is EVERYTHING.In some areas a 800 sq ft home can go for $200.000.in our area $50.000 at best.even with all the bells and whistles.
You don’t need to spend a $1000 on a how to dvd…all you need is a defined plan and some common sense.

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 12:45 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

check out this article. Written 2 years ago it explains the basic concept of the seminars and books:

http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/11/real_estate/investment_prop/re2005_scam_0506/index.htm

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 5:44 am | Permalink
Julie wrote:

I’m hesitant to even post this, because of admiting to getting “sucked in” to Armondo. I guess mistakes are the way we learn, though it’s embarassing. I didn’t spend the 997, but they cut it in half and I bought that. My goals are not flipping, but investing in real estate to hold, and was mainly interested in the information about hiring contractors, materials and that sort of thing. As I am not in construction, I need help in this end of rehabbing.

I have never even received the course to evaluate. I wrote “Armondo” to get my money back. In going back to his site, I now find that my user name & password don’t work anymore. Hmmmm - THAT’S funny???!!! WHAT a coincidence.

If anyone knows how to join the class action suit, or any other sort of help on this, I would be grateful. I guess it’s the principle of it more than anything.

Thanks all!
Julie

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 7:39 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Julie,

If you paid by credit card you might have a “buyer protection plan” with it. Check to see.

You can also contact the FTC and file a complaint…

http://www.ftc.gov/

And, file a complaint with the Central Texas BBB…

http://www.centraltx.bbb.org/

Good luck!

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 12:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Julie,

One more. File a complaint with the Texas Attorney General…

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
Todd wrote:

Alan,

I have to disagree with you on your last sentence. I am also in Nashville and have done four houses so far this year. On the first two, I did some of the work and hired out the rest. I quickly realized that the work should be done by the professionals and that my time was better spent managing the project and looking for more properties. So, on the last two I hired out all of the work. My ROI was 15% on house 1, 18% on house 2, 21% on house 3, and almost 25% on house 4. As you can see, I actually made more money on the two houses where I hired out all of the work. I think this was due to two main reasons, 1) the work was done faster by hiring it out and thereby lowering my holding costs, and 2) The work was higher quality when done by the pros thereby increasing my sales price. Your work may be higher quality than mine so that part may not be a factor for you.
Anyway, thats just my take on it. I do totally agree that you that you better know your market very, very well. Its not hard, it just takes time and research.
We should exchange contact info since we are in the same area. I would also like to see how you got your real estate license(how much did it cost, where did you go, etc.)

Todd

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 3:46 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Just a quick note to say that someone was nice enough to loan me their copy of Armando’s $100 e-book set. Once I finish reading it, I will post my review here for you all to see. I’m only through the first of the 5 ‘books’ so far, but there’s an incredible amount of fluff, most of which is standard fare from ‘how to get rich’ books and courses. (telling you the ‘mindset of getting rich’ - not what you are generally expecting from aq book on house flipping…) Anyway, I will hold my tongue until I have read it all and will take the time to write up my impression of each of the 5 parts. I’m a bit busy, but will try to get to it within a week.

Mike Voss

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
Julie wrote:

Thanks Steve - I will file the complaints and re-write Armondo’s and let him know as well. I appreciate your help!

Julie

Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
bryan wrote:

And A&E continues to run their show? How ridiculouse and extremely stupid they are!!! I’m very proud for Richard and company for moving to TLC.
No doubt A&E is owned by mobsters and they refrain from good people.

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 10:39 am | Permalink
Michael wrote:

My Mom is a real estate investor/flipper in Dallas, Tx I can promise you that Armando and his team is a complete fraud, not only is there tv show misleading, but the market in Texas is in a all time slump, doesn’t matter what city your in; the market has shot down the last two years and has not come back up a point. I am a real estate agent and I know there is no way he sells these houses for what he claims he does, my mother owns property’s (mainly lots) down in Houston but has friends that invest in property’s down there, and they can’t even owner finance there house’s out let alone have them bought with cash.

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 4:04 pm | Permalink
Michael wrote:

Please do not pay for this guys bullshit e-book, and don’t take the show seriously, don’t get me wrong its entertaining but it is very misleading.

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 4:09 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

I’ve just finished reading this entire string. What has always troubled me about these shows is that they never show people failing, yet (in the real world) it happens all the time.

I’ve spent the past eleven years as a lawyer advising clients, dealing with sellers and buyers, dealing with brokers and contractors, and sometimes trying cases concerning shoddy work and deals gone bad. I’ve watched people make money and I’ve watched people lose their shirts.

Mike Voss, you are right on. You, and many of the contributors here, should be commended for their diligence and their excellent investigative research. Thanks to you, the charlatans are being exposed.

And Mike, I must commend you on the incredible restraint you’ve demonstrated in dealing with the shill posts. I can’t say that I would have been as kind or considerate under the circumstances.

In business, a bit of humility and honesty go a long way. Nobody has it all figured out. Trust me, the “heavy hitters” lie awake at night and tremble with anxiety over these deals just like the rest of us. In my judgment, the advise given by Mike and others here (you should be able to figure out who they are) is sound: know your market, read, study, learn, and ask questions. Remember: you can be bold and innovative and still treat people with respect and courtesy. We all have a lot to learn from eachother.

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 10:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

OT- More shenanigans in Atlanta it looks like ; )

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/06/05/fox-5-atlanta-leccima-night-one/#comment-14707

BTW, I’ve found the best way to navigate the comments on this blog is by using the “RSS Comments” link on the left side of this blog…

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/comments/feed/

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 11:04 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

And, the front page of this blog is here, btw

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/

Posted on 19-Jul-07 at 11:32 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Greetings from a lurker. One of the reasons you can’t find the ‘Longos in the Bexar County Deed Records is because they do many deals in the name of land trusts i.e. 1234 Main Street Land Trust. Hmmmm…. I wonder how many ‘trusts’ actually have legitimate trust agreements. For those of you with a login for Bexar County, might I suggest that you do a land record search on grantor/grantee “San Bernardo Land Trust”. Specifically look at the transfer record dated 04/02/2007. This document lists approximately 25 properties (along with others unrelated to the ‘Longos) that are titled to various trust names which were personally guaranteed by the Brothers. I would guess they are being transferred back to the hard money lender for foreclosure as many (if not all) subsequently appear as TRUSTEE DEEDS for sale on the public courthouse. I do not know if they were actually foreclosed on, or if they pulled them out. I leave you all to the rest of the story. p.s. If you research each of the individual trusts, you will find the original purchase docs with both purchase prices and rehab reserve amounts. Happy hunting!

Posted on 20-Jul-07 at 2:36 am | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Document Number: 20070075940 That’s easier.

Posted on 20-Jul-07 at 10:44 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

And further reading of the individual Trustee Deeds would appear to show that YES! They were foreclosed on to the tune of twenty-something properties. Wow.

Posted on 20-Jul-07 at 10:48 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

I’ve got a Bexar County Records ‘login’ and I’m still digging around! WOW! Nice find ; )

4719 Castle Rock was included in that ‘document dump’ and was one of those “flips” featured on FTH ; )

Posted on 20-Jul-07 at 11:35 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve - so if I read this correctly, 4719 Castle rock, which Armando ‘flipped’ on the show, not only never sold, but has now been foreclosed on.

Hmmm - would having 25 homes foreclosed on in one month count as ‘flipping’ them? Maybe that’s what Armando meant when he said he flips 25-30 homes a month! HAHA LMAO!

This REEKS of mortgage fraud, btw. A few months back, I helped out a friend of mine whose identity had been stolen. She’d been involved with a guy (no names, but his name is Dwight Shelton so beware if you enocunter this guy) who conned her into signing a power of atty and then used it to buy houses, cars, etc. in her name. Long story short, this guy had over 20 houses he’d bought in collusion with an appraiser and lenders, never flipped one, and never made any mortgage payments. He DID, however, take cash back at each purchase and lease expensive cars and live like a pig on the stolen money. He’s just a step ahead of the law still, amazingly.

Armando’s situation sure does seem familiar….he didn’t sell too many houses, but he sure did go out and get himself a Hummer…..

Mike

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 11:30 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: 4719 Castle Rock

Correction. That was a typo. The property is 4719 Castle Rose (not rock)

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 12:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

If I remember correctly, “4719 Castle Rose” was the property featured on the episode called “Flip 101″ and referred to during the show as the ‘investor special’.

At the conlculusion of the show it allegedly sold for $95,000! LOL Again, if I remember correctly

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 1:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

PS.

Re: 4719 Castle Rose

I checked upthread and my memory was correct. “Flip IOI” (investor special), ’sold’ on the show for $95K ; )

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 2:00 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

Re: “I suggest that you do a land record search on grantor/grantee “San Bernardo Land Trust”. Specifically look at the transfer record dated 04/02/2007.”

And the very next day… ; )

Cause Number: 2007CI04979
Business Name: VCH FUNDING CORP
Litigant Type: DEFENDANT
Style:

MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC
vs VCH FUNDING CORP
Court: 057
Date Filed: 04/03/2007
Docket Type: INJUNCTION
Case Status: DISPOSED

http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP02.asp?txtLitIsn=0004363996

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 2:31 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I’ll show you something better:

check out document: 20050260027 dated 11/17/2005

It’s a public affidavit to draw funds out of a new home construction loan.

Meredith Keller is one of Armando’s testimonials.

And who is David Montel? :-)

Is this technique covered in Armando’s study course?

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 6:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

LOL I saw that doc but not the
testimonial thing. Nice catch!

Check out this one…

20060157090

Hey! Have we unlocked the secrets in Armando’s vault? LOL ; )

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 7:21 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: 20060157090

That was yet another “Lien Transfer”.
Filed on 7/05/2006

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 7:30 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

It appears that whenever VCH funding lends money, it always transfers the lien to Texas State Bank. It’s probably where they get their money. I wouldn’t make anything of the lien transfers EXCEPT where the bank transfers it back. That would seem to signal problems or paper that the bank doesn’t want to deal with or have in its portfolio.

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 9:03 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

You’re right. In fact 20060157090 was transfered back and sold by the
“whatever” ‘land trust’ a few months
later ; )

Posted on 21-Jul-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Steve,
With reference to the civil case you cite above (Post 407), it would seem that they probably sought an injunction to stop the foreclosure. The next time I need to run down to the courthouse, I’ll stop in and see if I can view the original petition. Regardless, I guess they weren’t successful based on the trustee deeds that followed. It’s too bad. I bet it would’ve made for a heckuva show! Now THAT’s reality TV.

Posted on 22-Jul-07 at 12:44 am | Permalink
mark wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

Shoot me an email using the address at the bottom of the webpage.

If you’re willing to gather records from the courthouse regarding these transactions, I’d be happy to reimburse you the costs of copying, etc. I’d like to run down more details about the San Antonio crew and their suspicious transactions.

Same applies to those in other cities where the Flip This House and Real Estate Pros casts operate. I can’t visit all the courthouses, and would greatly appreciate your assistance in obtaining documentation of any nefarious activity.

- Mark Lyon

Posted on 22-Jul-07 at 12:56 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT,

Re: “With reference to the civil case you cite above (Post 407), it would seem that they probably sought an injunction to stop the foreclosure.”

I think that’s what it was also. Clearly though, ‘VCH Funding’ now holds the deed
(owns) the ‘few’ I’ve checked according to the latest Bexar County Records filings. And again, I’ve just checked a ‘few’, so far ; )

Posted on 22-Jul-07 at 1:15 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT,

Re: it would seem that they probably sought an injunction to stop the foreclosure.”

Or to be more specific, the auction on the court house steps on 4/3/2007 of the “defaulted” properties ; )

Posted on 22-Jul-07 at 1:39 am | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Hi, Mark.

I don’t mind doing a little sleuthing in Bexar County (San Antonio) for FTL, but unfortunately, I am going to be unavailable for a few weeks starting tomorrow. HOWEVER, the bulk of the filings that we have been referencing here are freely available for viewing and printing on the Bexar County Clerk’s site:

http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/

You’ll need to create a (free) login and I think you might need Java installed for the viewer app. That site will give you access to any land records (deeds, transfers, liens, etc.) that have been filed with the county.

The injunction I mentioned looking up is a civil filing so to view that one you would either have to go to the courthouse, or it might *possibly* be available to an attorney if those filings are digitized but that is on a different fee based system if it’s available at all.

Good luck and I will check in with you all when I return.

Posted on 22-Jul-07 at 3:56 pm | Permalink
Robert wrote:

To all the haters, you just wish you had HALF of what Armando has.

I bought the full $997 package and that thing is overflowing with information.

Now, if some of you don’t know how to read or can’t get off your arses and be productive, I guess all you CAN do is bitch and moan about how everyone is a scammer.

Before you spend your life putting others down, you should really try to be positive and make things happen like Armando did and is doing for me with his teachings.

Yes, this is pointed towards Mike and all of you who don’t know jack but still are trying to slam a good GOOD step by step guide to flipping for profits. I would like to end with a swear word for you but you are not worth it.

Armando’s master course taught me alot! If you want to flip like a pro, go get it!

Posted on 24-Jul-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

So Robert, how is it that you can rant 3 paragraphs against everyone here and yet not give even a single example of what is so great in the $1000 course you bought?

Obvious shill post. My regards to Armando.

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Jul-07 at 8:51 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Well, Robert. I’m looking forward to you posting all about your successful flips, to include location and property record document numbers. Oh and Robert, you make your money on the BUY, did you skip that part? Cause’ if you paid $997 you must have missed this stuff being dumped on eBay for far less. Hey, but keep thinking ‘positive’ with your new rose colored glasses that you obviously bought into that make your credit card seem like something it’s not ; )

Posted on 24-Jul-07 at 9:02 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Robert,

Re: “you just wish you had HALF of what Armando has”

Well it certainly wouldn’t be that half that was the multitude of properties that got “repoed” on 4/2/2007 and then actioned off on the courthouse steps the next day. Was that covered in the course you bought?

Ouch ; )

Posted on 24-Jul-07 at 9:53 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve - last time I checked, half of nothing was….nothing. :)

These bs shill posts are so freaking obvious. They start out calling everyone ‘haters’, then talk about how great and succesful Armando is, then how the poster bought the course and is sure of his future success. And they NEVER follow up post when confronted.

Armando: you don’t fool a single person reading this blog - you’re pathetic, man. They should call you Con-mando insead of Armando, because a con man is what you are, period.

I’ll be posting my review of your $100 course very soon, and it doesn’t look good. Hopefully I’ll receive your $1000 course soon and put an end to that shortly after.

We all know you read this blog - it’s been proven. Either be a man and post under your true identity or bugger off and die because you fool no one.

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Jul-07 at 11:45 pm | Permalink
Lee wrote:

“Well it certainly wouldn’t be that half that was the multitude of properties that got “repoed” on 4/2/2007 and then actioned off on the courthouse steps the next day.”

Got proof of that?
All I see is shoddy detective work with a lot of guessing of who owns what, whos affiliated with the Montelongos, etc.
You haven’t seen the paperwork nor do I think you would understand it if you read it.
Just watch the libelous statements because I can guarantee you Armando has a lot more money than you and can sue your ass off.
If you have rock solid proof with all the paperwork then post it or make a website with it instead of spreading rumors here.
I’m not sticking up for Armando if he’s a con man but until he’s charged for a crime then I’ll take him at his word…or embelished word…for example when he says he flips 20-30 houses a month maybe he means he buys that many. You heard of tax sales? Maybe he buys that many houses at tax sales per month?
Texas has a redemption period of 2 years for the owners to pay the buyers back what they paid for the houses at the tax sale price plus 25%. It’s a great deal for investors like Montelongo but not worthy enough to mention on the show since there’s no drama or renovation. Maybe that’s what you’re seeing on the county records.
Anyway, that’s just one possibilty that you may have missed.

Posted on 25-Jul-07 at 3:17 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Well at least we know that in April 2007, Armando & company flipped at least 25 properties… sorta :-)

Posted on 25-Jul-07 at 2:25 pm | Permalink
Robert wrote:

Hi Mike

Buy it so you can find out. Honestly people like you who complain at the wind should get their feet on solid ground.

Did yo9u check the info Armando has to give? All the way through or did you stop wherever you felt it was futile?

Most people make up their minds real quick and most people here seem to be like that. Without basing their thoughts on FACTS and checking before they comment.

Purchase everything Armando has to offer, then your comments will be worth something. Your IGNORANT thoughts show how little knowledge you have.

Little minds achieve little results.

Posted on 25-Jul-07 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
Robert wrote:

Oh and please stop commenting about how Armando sucks. You probably do that for everyone you know so better yet, just stop posting all together you negative nanny.

I got screwed don’t buy anything everyone is out to get you death and taxes blah blah blah

Enjoy life you have only one of those to live. :)

Posted on 25-Jul-07 at 10:46 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Robert - blah, blah, blah. Post ONE thing you got from your wasted $1000 on Armando’s bs product. You still haven’t done that, just as I said you wouldn’t.

If you had a clue you’d know that all the reserch posted here is easily verified and Armando has been proven as a liar long ago, just as you’ve now been proven a shill. That’s why Armando HAS been cut from Flip THis House, Learning Annex, and all other associations he had and is now desperately hawking worthless courses.

For the record, you can’t “guarantee” Armando has a penny (inless, of course, you ARE Armando and are willing to post proof of your liquid assets), so you ought to just stop talking because YOU are the one demonstrating your ignorance.

Post your business name, properties, etc. and show us your bona fides, otherwise YOU are the one who can just screw off as you have no legitimacy and your words carry no weight.

There are REAMS of evidence posted here that Armando is a liar and a con artist, including DIRECT challenges to him to prove otherwise. If you want to take the opposing view, post PROOF, not your opinion, which is worthless and inaccurate.

Later, fool.

Posted on 26-Jul-07 at 4:37 pm | Permalink
Bob wrote:

I know Mike Voss personally as I live in Canada

and do business in Los Angeles. Mike likes to “act”

like an expert in everything from real estate to raising chickens.

He is one of those guys who is the annoying “know it all” at a

party (if he even gets invited) that no one takes seriously. He is financially broke

and lives to knock anyone who doesn’t agree with him.

Let’s review Mike’s canned responses to this post:

1) You must be Armando

2) You must be a friend of Armando

3) Give me a record of my being a “know it all”.

4) Now that I can’t think of anything else, let me pick on your spelling or grammar.

Mike Voss is the jealous little kid that none of his friends like and the

grown adult that hasn’t made a name for himself.

Posted on 26-Jul-07 at 9:22 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

To Robert:

If you are Robert what I doubt by the way you talk….

Armando not only SUCKS but also is an ignorant, selfish idiot!
After his shows we stopped watching most of AE if they could not see who is representing them in their “shows”

Not only I am not going to buy the sh..t Armando is “writing” but also tell you YOU are an idiot inspired by the “crapreation” like that…
Having 1000 I’d rather spend it on something worthy or just have a huge party making fun of Mentelongo and enjoying ourselves, not on some crap you are advertising as “book”, you, idiot!

Posted on 27-Jul-07 at 12:19 pm | Permalink
Randall wrote:

I suppose if Armando and/or MHB were legit, they could just easily supply a list of all the properties they have flipped this year (Jan 1 - July 1)…heck, keep the financial details to themselves…but share what *should* be easily verified via public records.

It is time to put-up or shut-up.

Armando/Veronica/MondoMan…stop the shill posting…

On the otherhand…maybe Armando has a method that he is not sharing in this $997 (sometimes discounted) book of his that he doesn’t really want to share…like shell trusts, cut-outs, multiple names, wrap-around sales, whatever…

Posted on 27-Jul-07 at 12:34 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “Well it certainly wouldn’t be that half that was the multitude of properties that got “repoed” on 4/2/2007 and then actioned off on the courthouse steps the next day.”

Got proof of that?

It’s public record, foolio. Look it up

Posted on 27-Jul-07 at 8:35 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

It’s ironic to see people attacking Mike Voss, when all he’s doing is protecting people who are quick to buy get-rich-quick nonsense from Armando, who has yet to prove that any of what he says works. Bob, you’ve said nothing that disproves any of Mike’s postings and you’ve made a personal issue out of something that doesn’t belong in that realm. I don’t know Mike and he obviously doesn’t need me to defend him, but I think you’ve missed the point of this site.

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 6:30 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Bob wrote:

“I know Mike Voss personally as I live in Canada and do business in Los Angeles.”

Really now, Bob?!?

Then I’m sure it will be no problem for you to identify yourself and your company so as to prove that you are telling the truth and not either Armando or some lying idiot making that up. Since I know *nobody* from Canada (other than a female model working here on an H-1 visa) it’s pretty obvious that you’re lying. Post your full name, company, and where and how we met.

Since we both know you ARE lying and don’t know me, and that I’ve substantiated myself and my background here numerous times, it’s fairly obvious we’ll never hear from you again and that your post is either by Armando or on his behalf.

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 9:47 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

PS: Armando: you write just like you talk - in staccato, incomplete, childish bursts that are frequently not even completely formed because, like a child, you cannot contain yourself long enough to complete them. Additionally, the recurrent themes (I have money, you don’t, I have a name and am important, you’re not) which reveal your personality flaws make it really easy to see through your shill posts and identify you. We all know who is really posting here.

If you want to conceal your identity more effectively, ask a therapist to screen your fake posts to hide your personality flaws. (or maybe just use your wife, like before)

The fact of the matter is that plenty of people ARE smarter than you, wealthier than you, and better people than you. You fool no one. (except maybe yourself)

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 9:59 am | Permalink
Audrey wrote:

I looked up Armando Montelongo on the Bexar County Assesors website and he and his company do not have more than $200,000 worth of properties - including his own residence

Does anyone want to comment on this?

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 10:14 pm | Permalink
F Baken wrote:

I ran across this web site as I was doing some research. I had purchased a house and immediately had problems with it. I’m hoping to sell it and have spoken with some folks that “flip” houses in hopes of selling it for what we owe. The story about what happened to my family because of this house is long and involved. I won’t go in to that but I am going to post some tips from what I have learned from my experience. This is a bit off the topic here so I hope nobody minds.

Here are a few tips for those of you that are purchasing a “used” home of any age. These tips are based on what I have learned from this one house (purchased in Texas):

1) Talk to the neighbors that live around the house you are considering purchasing before you purchase it. Don’t be shy, knock on the door and say hello. Maybe you might start by asking them about schools or local churches, or whatever. Then ask them if they know of any problems with the house. If they have seen any repair trucks at the house for example. Ask them if they know why the sellers are moving.
2) In Texas ALL real real estate inspectors are licensed with the state. Never hire any inspector suggested by any real estate agent involved in the deal! Find your own inspector and get references and CALL those references! See if you can find one with professional liability insurance. MAKE CAREFUL NOTE of the agreement the inspector wants you to sign! I repeat! Make careful note of the inspectors agreement! In Texas the inspectors all have a clause limiting their liability to what you pay them. So, if you pay them $495 and they make a huge mistake that costs you $100’s of thousands you are screwed. Strike through this part of the agreement if you can. I suggest you videotape the inspection. Open up every door in the place, every attic door and anything else you can get in to. And make the inspector look at everything you can. When you get the inspection report read every line! And demand the inspectors written notes they made during the inspection. Usually they just put what they noted in a computer and sometimes they screw up. Get the notes and compare it to the computer generated inspection report. If the inspector finds things to fix and writes up money estimates DO NOT trust that they know what the real costs are. If there is a plumbing issue and the inspector says it’s going to cost $100 get a real plumber in to give you real estimates, etc.
3) No matter what the inspector finds bring in a plumber, HVAC people. Hire an electrician, a roofer and pool company if there is a pool. If you have any question about anything bring in a professional! If they do an estimate make sure you read and understand it.
4) If the house is expensive hire an engineer to inspect the house besides hiring an inspector.
5) READ THE SELLER’S DISCLOSURE. READ ANYTHING THE SELLER PROVIDES THAT LISTS PRIOR WORK, IMPROVEMENTS or ANY KIND OF WORK THE SELLERS HAD DONE ON THE HOUSE!! If they have anything listed on the disclosure they repaired or improved get all the receipts for any work they have done.
6) Again, I’m speaking of “used houses” here. DEMAND they provide and carefully review the disclosure the person selling TO YOU received when THEY PURCHASED the house they are trying to sell you. Also get the inspection from when THEY purchased the house. The earnest money contract may stipulate that they have to give you prior inspections if they have lived in the house less than a certain number of years. No matter how long they have owned the house get the disclosure they received and the inspection they had done.
7) Go to city hall and find the permit department. Give them the address of the house you are considering buying and see if there are past permits that have been pulled for the house.
8) Call your insurance agent. Get them to run the address on the house you are looking at in the ChoicePoint CLUE system and the ISO A+ system. These databases may list past insurance claims. If your agent does not have access to these databases find one that does. You may find out things about the house they are not telling you about.
9) I’ve listed a lot of things above. if you can’t get these things RUN!
10) Ask the listing agent and the selling agent if they have Errors and Omissions insurance. If they don’t do not use them. Ask your agent to pull all the MLS data on the house you are looking at and to let you read it. Find out how long it’s been on the market and what the person selling to you paid for it when they bought it if possible. A lot of houses have been sold several times. This is especially true of houses with problems. If you can find out who the prior listing and selling agents were on prior sales CALL THEM and ask them if they know of any problems with the property.
11) Besides not using an agent that does not have liability insurance BEWARE of real estate agents that work as “independent contractors”. For example, there is one HUGE real estate organization (think balloons) who has agents that rent their offices, etc. from the franchise owner. In the event your “agent” that works for these types makes a mistake you will have a tough time getting to the rich folks that own the balloon.

OK, let’s say you do everything right. You hire the right people, you have a great inspector, etc. You do everything right and you buy by the house only to find that the house has horrible problems that have been covered up. And you are screwed. Big time! If you have to sue be very careful when it comes to lawyers and litigation. Find a board certified real estate lawyer and only sue of they take the case on contingency.

Sorry about the long post. But I assure you that you never want to learn what I did after buying what I thought was my dream home.

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
Chris wrote:

It’s amaizing that A&E will produce and air a show with these jokers and liars, and yet cancel the best reality show ever created in Random1.

Good job A&E, and Dog is a real hero, with his 10 or so illegitimate kids, hey why not give Sean Kemp a show too!

Very sad

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 10:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

F Baken,

WOW! Can I say it again? WOW!

If you don’t mind I want to showcase one of your many points. Which is if you don’t like something in a contract, strike it out before you sign it!!! There’s no such thing as a “standard contract”.

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 11:09 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Audrey,

Re: “looked up Armando Montelongo on the Bexar County Assesors website and he and his company do not have more than $200,000 worth of properties - including his own residence

Does anyone want to comment on this?”

Forget the Assessors. Go here and get yourself a FREE login registration…

http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/

Once you get there here’s a few off the top of my head to check out ; )

Mandoman Management
Montelongo Acquisitions
VCH Funding
Great White Ventures

Posted on 28-Jul-07 at 11:18 pm | Permalink
Eric C wrote:

I was so excited when I seen this show for the first time. Like everything I search the internet for his book. It seemed odd that I was getting bounced around. I ordered the free pages and noticed quite few spelling errors which had me thinking that the editor did a terrible job.

Long story short, I do not know how I fouund this website but I thank God Almighty that I did. I had the order page filled out on another page that I was ready to pay. Once again, thank God I didn’t get robbed!

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 2:22 am | Permalink
Darryl wrote:

I\’ve worked in real estate for 13 years. Sadly, the nature of the market created conditions that made it attractive to guys like Armando. He’s another “Johnny Come Lately” and represents the camp of people who came into real estate industry with no regard for the client – and even less regard for the industry. Many of the people that came into it were failures in every other venture in their life a la Armando Montelongo. People are either lazy or ambitious by nature. It isn’t a trait that can be turned on and off so for me it’s hard to digest the fact that he was essentially a bum until he turned 31 then “found his calling”. He’s another classic example of how easy it was to make money in real estate the last five years. Let’s see how he does now that the market is finally correcting itself, lending standards have tightened, and honesty and ethics are becoming more standard (again).

His whole “rags to riches” story is terribly flawed. Wouldn’t you at least attempt to get some type of health insurance if your wife was expecting a baby? It’s not like they both woke up one morning and she went in labor. They had nine months to prepare for this baby. There are a lot of jobs that offer health insurance. They may not be ideal jobs but at least they will have insurance. He didn’t have a job when his kid was born? I’m more inclined to think that his $50,000 credit card debt was due to lifestyle choices. We can clearly see that in the show, how he dresses like a pimp, is groomed like a princess, and struts around in his Hummer.

I did get his free pages out of curiosity. It looks like it was rushed to print because there are a few print errors. He states, “With this system, I am able to fix and flip 25-30 properties a month consistently. That means 240 to 360 houses a year. We make a minimum of $20,000 per house.” Um….I did the math and figured that flipping 25-30 houses a year would be 300 to 360 homes. Obviously, if doesn’t have the pride to make sure that something in print is accurate and perfect, do you think he’d do this for his real estate? He’s only in this for the money and that wasn’t how real estate operated 13 years ago. People in my camp do a lot of free work because sometimes it’s the right thing to do. We are all in business to make money but at the same time any good leader knows where to draw the line and let humanity have it’s role. Remember Richard’s friend, Gus? Take that as an example. Plus, sharp businessmen in real estate aren’t generic. They are very specific on their numbers. They will tell you, “I averaged 23.4 flips last year and am currently averaging 26.2 per month year-to-date. My average net profit on them is $21,500.”

I seriously hope that TLC is done with them and that this delay in filming isn’t intended to give Armando time to market/scam his newest product. He also took a $5000 course on internet marketing to learn how to build a seven figure internet business. If he already has one, why not expand on that and make it better? You can see his testimonial right here, stating he went from making $0 to $48,000 in just a few months. However, he states in the recorded interview that he made $48,000 a month. Haven’t we already heard that story? Scroll down to the bottom and listen to it:

http://the7figurecode.com/

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 5:17 pm | Permalink
erik wrote:

i think there are a lot of people out there that like to mess with otheres that are happy and doing good for them selfs so why dont you all leave them alone and get a life losers

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 6:06 pm | Permalink
Darryl wrote:

erik wrote:

i think there are a lot of people out there that like to mess with otheres that are happy and doing good for them selfs so why dont you all leave them alone and get a life losers

Well, Armando, there “are things that go bump in the night and we are the people who bump back.” We are the advocates who prevent scammers like you from getting away with the damage you’ve done to innocent people.

I’d like to invite you to open your morning paper and read about the subprime lending implosion and violent increase in foreclosures. This is a condition of a market where the “professionals” were “left alone”.

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 6:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Strange! Doc # 20060085873

Grantor: Back Alley Land Trust

Beneficiary: Manodman Management, Inc

Beneficiary’s Mailing Address:
4535 W.Sahara Ave. SE
Las Vegas, Nevada

Why, I wonder would Armando use an out of state mailing address for that!? And not the ‘usual’ San Antonio one????

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Typo alert!

Should have been…

Beneficiary: Mandoman Management, Inc

Beneficiary’s Mailing Address:
4535 W.Sahara Ave. ste 204
Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 7:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

OT - More fun in ‘Hotlanta’…

http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3128626&st=1155

Posted on 29-Jul-07 at 8:16 pm | Permalink
theodore thompson wrote:

where can i go too get info or learn how too flip a house. i never did it and need to get pointed in the right direction. please help email at theott7@hotmail.com

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 12:29 am | Permalink
Katie2U wrote:

Howdy Folks,
You have all entertained me for many hours tonight. I’m wayyy past my bedtime but this is like a book that I can’t put down.

Anyhoo, good job on crying “Foul” on the Montelongo folks. I haven’t liked them since the first episode and thought something was amiss. So, I rooted around on the net found out stuff and that was it. Watched a few more shows to prove myself wrong but nope a rat is a rat is a ratmondo.

Here are some more links to check them out.
The Texas Real Estate Commission website shows who is licensed and if you click on their name it gives their courses taken. If Veronica’s first name is Laila then she is listed. You can search “montelongo” at the top middle of the screen.
http://www.trec.state.tx.us/index.asp

This site is the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. You can search and see that some of the Montelongo businesses (that are associated with the A&E Montelongos) are noted “Not in Good Standing”.
http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html

Just thought I’d share.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 2:33 am | Permalink
Darryl wrote:

Hey Steve-

He’s probably set up a corporation here as corporations to not have to pay employee state tax. I’m right around the corner from that address and will be going by there today. I’ll stop in and check it out and see what’s there. I’m betting it’s a virtual office address.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 9:24 am | Permalink
Margaret Jackson wrote:

There are plenty of good books (used)
on Amazon that teach the same thing. The used books are as low as ten dollars. This is a much better way to spend your money. Paying $900 for Armando’s info is crazy!

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 11:56 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Katie2U - Re: “If Veronica’s first name is Laila then she is listed”

That’s not it, her name really is
Veronica ; )

Hey Darryl - I googled that address and it’s had several occupants.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve on #444:

It appears he originally setup Mandoman Management as a Nevada corporation. That address is to a company that will (for a small fee) setup a company, file papers in their name (so you can remain anonymous), setup an address in Nevada, act as your registered agent, setup phones lines, answer your company phones and forward your mail.

As for filing, what they do is setup up the company in their name and once setup, they resign and make you president, vice president or whatever. In Nevada, you are only required to file your list of company officers yearly. Thus when it comes time to do your yearly filing with the state, you simply reverse the process.

People think they can setup a company and operate anonymously under the protection of a company and with little or no consequences.

YET, there is little or no advantage setting up a Nevada company and operating primarily in Texas.

1)You have to file in Texas as a foreign corporation and pay the corporate franchise tax (our version of a company state income tax).

2)Although the federal government does not have direct access to Nevada state records, they can still subpoena those records.

3)You may have some limited protection of civil liability (eg defaulting on loans); however, it offers NO protection from any criminal liability (eg fraud, tax evasion).

4)Operating like this will set off red flags with the IRS or Attorney General and if you don’t keep good records, the government will be more than happy to make an example out of you.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 12:31 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Looks like A&E is going to show a new FTH with the Montelongos:

http://www.aetv.com/flipthishouse/flip2_episode_guide.jsp?episode=235646

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 1:46 pm | Permalink
Trisha wrote:

Wow. Thanks for the warning everyone! I just watched the show the other night and thought what a good way to get out of our student loan debt. I began to research Armando and found this site. I guess the first thing that came to my mind is that if the Montelongo’s want to help the poor people like me by sharing their secrets to success then why are they charging such a high price for the secrets??? Us poor people can’t afford to throw away 1,000. As I read on and saw more comments, my thought was confirmed. Thanks for saving me the trouble. I would hate to have to use the book as toilet paper.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 4:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Katie2U,

Re: ““Not in Good Standing”.
http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html”

NICE find ; )

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 7:56 pm | Permalink
jeanie wrote:

The address listed for Mondoman Management Inc, is in fact Nevada Mail Center. Which you can post your company information at and rent mail boxes, etc.

Posted on 30-Jul-07 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
Katie2U wrote:

Howdy Sleuths,

Steve–yes Laila is Rick’s wife. I found that out today while rooting around in the Bexar County website. The V in her name is the initial from her maiden name.

That Las Vegas address reminded me of a story by USA Today about people setting up corporations in Nevada. Here’s the link to that story:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/regulation/2007-02-23-tax-havens-usat_x.htm

So I went to the Nevada state government website. Armando has set up two corporations there.
-Armando Montelongo Worldwide Inc
-Mandoman Management
Here is the state’s website to do a company search:
https://esos.state.nv.us/SOSServices/AnonymousAccess/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx

I tried the Orange County California website and found that Armando had some businesses there:
-A&D Auto Glass-3/25/1997
(two owners)
-A-Express Auto Glass-8/12/1997
(one owner)
-Montelongo Health Solutions 8/4/2000
(one owner)
I went ‘next door’ to Los Angeles County but was called away before rooting around there much.
The most fruitful was the Bexar County website. Those guys have a variety of business and/or trust names. Coral Reef Ltd is another one of theirs.

Did you see where the Montelongo’s were to pay some woman’s taxes and then didn’t do so?

They also have taxes past due on a number of properties under Armando, David or Veronica’s name.

Given David’s new venture into Real Estate seminars…shouldn’t he have a license for some credibility?

Ha! I associated credibility with Montelongo.

Check with y’all later.
Katie

Posted on 31-Jul-07 at 1:32 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Thanks, all! I figured at best (or worst?) the Las Vegas address was a “mail drop”.

But that brings me back to the original rabbit hole I crawled into. Why that doc, and why the Las Vegas address when everything else I’ve seen so far lists a San Antonio address for that “Inc” ???

There was a reason for it. What, I don’t know. Yet ; )

Posted on 31-Jul-07 at 10:48 pm | Permalink
Bob wrote:

Mike and anyone else who thinks Armando is a bad person.

Why in the hell would I post here if I was actualy Armando. Don’t you think Armando has better things to do and is rolling in cash anyway? Isn’t this a futile exercise in trying to your/my point across? Get off your Internet crack wagon and get a clue. I am someone who really gets pissed off at people who point fingers and try to put people down while it is based on pure guessing.

You want proof that what I am saying is true about how Armando is truthful? BUY THE PRODUCTS YOU CHEAP SO AND SO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

I don’t have to give you ANY info about how this is real, YOU however need to prove that the products are no good. How can you say what Armando is doing is a bad thing while you don’t even know what the true offers are?

Can you say:

- This is not true
- That fact is wrong
- etc

All you can say is “It’s all garbage because anything Armando does is bad”

Back it up buddy. Put your money where you mouth is. I did and Armando is NOT me but he sure as heck has my support.

Again, negative nanny death and taxes everything sucks. That’s what you seem to be all about. Nevermind that some people in this world actualy take a good thing and make good with it.

My grammar, attack all you want it is nothing compared to your negative text based polution.

Posted on 31-Jul-07 at 10:58 pm | Permalink
Sloan wrote:

Mike,

I know this website is mostly directed towards exposing this Armondo Montelongo guy, but it also seems that a lot (by the way Dale…and others….this is how “a lot” is spelled! 2 words!)of people seem to also be searching for info on flipping since obviously they are not going to get valid info from what Montelongo is selling. SO…I just wanted to say that I really do believe in most of what you had to say in post #74, and do respect the fact that you seem to have been in this game a long time and have made yourself a lifetime student of Real Estate. The only way that I know, and with all honesty do have limited experience (but I do have some experience)that so called flipping can work is:

1. First and formost when you target a property, figure out, based on the comps in the neigborhood, what you think you will be able to sell the house for in the amount of time you are allowing for the rehab. In other words WORK THE NUMBERS BACKWARDS. Then from that figure, subtract your remodel and labor costs, loan fees for the purchase, your carrying costs (include the possibility in most markets of contributing to seller closing costs as an incentive), property taxes, if you are selling it by owner, but want to offer an incentive to agents bringing you buyers, then consider around 3% of your price for that (you don’t have to…but you might want to), and then pad at least another 10% to that number for the unforseen. Then you have the an idea of what YOU should pay for the house ( and not what some seller is hoping to sell it for)

2. When making an offer you have to low ball. And you can’t just be looking at one property. You have to be doing this to several….as many as you can find. Because you are going to be submitting lots of low ball offers and of course not all of them will get accepted. But that one that does for whatever reason could be your gold mine. You never know when someone is desperate to sell. Also, learn how to write offers yourself, if you come in with no real estate agent, then you can save the seller possibly 3%, more or less, that they would have to pay out to your agent, and you use that fact as a negotiating factor. Yes, it is riskier, just familiarize yourself with all the laws of being able to back out of the contract and being able to get your earnest deposit back. This is where an agent, if you have one, helps protect you. If you elect to go with no agent just read the contract carefully. And if you want internet access to the listings that only agents see without using an agent, see if you can make friends with one who will let you use their access code. Obviously they are not supposed to do that….but you just want to do the leg work instead of them. Plus, at least in San Diego, CA, there are lots of cool ways you can use the system to search for properties for you.

3. If you get an accepted offer, get an inspection on the property. Its anywhere from $350 to $600 and is one of the best insurance policies against possibly losing thousands in the end. Plus it will give you a better idea of how to budget and will eliminate a lot of the stresses of the dreaded unknown. If you know that you have not only addressed the cosmetic issues of the house but also the things that not everyone can see, you will be a more honest and confident seller. PLUS whatever the inspector finds you may be able to use these issues to negociate a better price when buying. For example, if its found that the whole house needs to be rewired, you find out what the RETAIL cost of getting that done would be. Retail is what most people out there expect to pay. But if you want to flip houses you of course know how to get it done for a lot less. Right there you have increased your profit margin….thanks to getting an inspection.

3. speaking of getting it for less….that is the only way I think you can make flipping work. Negotiate everything, labor, materials, appliances, paint etc. I think a lot of these flippers just go down to Home Depot and get everything. If you research enough, you can get quality items for a lot less. Its just takes time. And I am not suggesting cutting corners…all I am saying is don’t pay retail.

Anyway…I seem to be going on and on. I know there is A LOT more to it then what I have written here. And I know this website is mainly geared towards exposing this scammer. But I just wanted to comment on Mike’s post that flipping a property is “an illusion”. Although I do agree with most of your points Mike and again respect your obvious experience. It can be done. Its just not as easy as it used to be simply because of the market and is not as easy as these shows make them out to be. But Real Estate has always been a cyclical market and it will come back. So like Mike is doing, become a student of Real Estate, because as in most things, knowledge is power.

BTW….any comments on the show “Property Ladder” and Kristen Kemp? seems to be a more realistic approach to the game. And they, unlike Flip This House, mention the carrying costs and RE agents commissions, as part of the costs and when they mention the profit….they clearly say “gross profit.” And one show I just saw, they said the people still have not sold the house. So not all the stories are success stories…unlike FTH. Kemp has a book called “Flipping Confidential.” Anyone know anything good or bad about it?

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 12:15 am | Permalink
Sloan wrote:

Not that I am supporting “Bob” or anything….but really….has anyone here bought the Armondo’s program…..read the entire thing and have attempted to implement what the course tells you to do? I mean that is really what the argument of all this should be based on. That what he is selling, what he has written about either works or doesn’t. AND is what he purports on his website about his books actually true and workable? Until that is answered I don’t think people can have a valid reason for bashing the course/books.

Isn’t this the real question here?? I am not supporting him or condemning him b/c I don’t know. I have heard him quote these ridiculous numbers about his business, like over 1000 homes in 5 years and even worse 30 homes a month. Come on! So based on that I have little faith in the guy.

Actually the more I think about it, “Bob”, I think at the very least Mike Voss and “Steve from Texas” among others have shown in these posts that IF Armondo does what he says he does, then why, one, is there no proof of it in public records and two, there is actually counter proof to all his claims? At the very least these guys have proven him to be a liar. And how many people want to give their hard earned money for some course, that may or may not work, to a proven liar?

And you say:

Back it up buddy. Put your money where you mouth is. I did

They did back it up….actually public records backs it up! And what did you do to support your arguments and “put your money where your mouth is?” And, sorry Bob, but Mike is right….you do sound like a little kid arguing. I am not trying to “bash” you….I don’t really know you. But if you want to post constructive poignant arguments to support your buddy Armondo, then you should rethink the logic of your sentence structures. Just a friendly suggestion…

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 12:48 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I’ll take this one with pleasure:

Armando (pretending to be Bob) wrote:

“Why in the hell would I post here if I was actualy Armando.”

** Because you are being exposed as a fraud and are desperate for money since you are in default on numerous properties, owe taxes, and have little income other than your ripoff courses.
The word is out on you and you are desperate for income. That’s why.

“Don’t you think Armando has better things to do and is rolling in cash anyway?”

**Nope, in fact it’s pretty obvious from the 20+ foreclosed houses, the fake rehabs, the past due taxes, and the desparate attempt to defraud the public that Armando has little or no money and is desperate to negate his exposure here as a fraud and thief. People with money don’t buy expensive cars when they cannot even pay for the properties they’ve tied up - broke people do that.

“You want proof that what I am saying is true about how Armando is truthful? BUY THE PRODUCTS YOU CHEAP SO AND SO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.”

** I already have them. Didn’t cost me a dime because people who got ripped off and want to save others sent them to me for free. In just a few more days, I will tell everyone here just what a worthless pile of nothing they are, and also how to get real information at a fraction of the cost or free from other sources - books and such by people who know what they are doing, unlike you. As they say, the best things in life are free, and you cannot even produce a single person with one good thing to say about your $1000 stuff in 500 posts here.

” How can you say what Armando is doing is a bad thing while you don’t even know what the true offers are?”

** As I’ve said, I know what the offers are- they’re crap. Your desperation gets worse with every ill-formed sentence.

“Back it up buddy. Put your money where you mouth is. I did and Armando is NOT me but he sure as heck has my support. ”

**LOL What pathetic hardcore sales crap - try to intimidate people into buying. You loser - go rent Glengarry Glenross and learn something. I think everyone here can see that I’ve backed up every word I say, and that you haven’t backed up a single one. As I predicted, you were lying about knowing me or anything about me, lying about who you are (post your identity - you can’t, because you’re Armando), and you can’t post any useful info from Armando’s (I mean your) course because there isn’t any. I HAVE backed it up - I’ve exposed you as a liar by demonstrating you cannot substantiate your false claims or even your identity. You, however, have backed up zero.

“Again, negative nanny death and taxes everything sucks. That’s what you seem to be all about. Nevermind that some people in this world actualy take a good thing and make good with it.”

** No, what I’m all about is that the truth stands on it’s own against lies. You posted a pack of bs, I challenged you on all of them, and you did not substantiate a single one. I think anyone here will agree that you’ve been exposed as a liar and the fact that you would make such a pathetic attempt to defend Armando can only mean that you are him, because nobody else has any reason to defend him. There’s PLENTY of good out there, and most of it is free and FAR better than your worthless crap. TIck Tock - that’s the clock ticking down to the last sale of your courses as more people learn the truth every day.

On a personal note, Armando, you’re a coward. You might be able to intimidate some poor subcontractor or your brother or wife, but trust me, I’m way out of your league pal, so quit while you’re behind.

Mike Voss

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 1:05 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Sloan,

Re: “Kemp has a book called “Flipping Confidential.” Anyone know anything good or bad about it?”

I read it and I thought it was pretty
good!

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 12:12 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Sloan - your points are all valid. When I call flipping an illusion, I am specifically refering to the kind of things shown on FTH, most of which have, consequently, been shown to have been faked. Most people in the real universe aren’t shooting 3 week projects for TV ratings - people need to know the difference before giving away their money. I’ve been approached by at least 2 of the shows talked about here - I turned them down because I had work to get done, which was my priority, not making tv.

With respect to Kirsten Kemp and her show and book, I have a lot to say about that and will do so in the review I am preparing to post in the next few days as I have alkso read her book and seen her shows since they began.

As you have suggested, I have thoroughly reviewed Armando’s $100 course and have the experience and background to tell everyone what is/ is not viable advice in it. Some of it can be used, some of it could land you in prison instantly. It has taken me a while to write the review because I am being very thorough. As you might expect, though, everything that has been discovered through research about The Montelongos and their past work is borne out in my review - those who have been paying attention/doing their homework will not be surprised, and a lot of people will save a lot of money and find better alternatives going forward.

Best regards,

Mike

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Katie Sleuth ; )

Nice job!

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 2:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

No there’s a reality show I’d like to see!

“Mike Takes “Bob” to the Wood Shed” lol

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 2:15 pm | Permalink
Archie wrote:

Sloan’s post was very informative. As a budding flipper myself, I found it very useful. Has anyone reviewed the home flipping package created by Than and Paul of CT Homes LLC? They seem to be a lot more legitimate than Armando. Their courses are being marketed at http://www.fortunebuilders.com.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 3:16 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hehe. Want to hear an hour of complete bullsh*t?

“Interview With Armando Montelongo!”

http://www.retuexclusive.com/

I’ll say this though. The book “pimp” Brian said this at the end that I DO believe…

Brian: “Armando gave unbelievable information.”

Oh, and Armando has cut back to 5 to 8 flips a month (from 25-30) “several months ago” because of “all of the TV stuff and the book” doncha know. And, he’s looking for a second “beach house” in California! LOL

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 9:52 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Mike Voss:

I’m unclear on how to contact you offline. I think I have some info that would be helpful to you.

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 10:01 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Everything Armando said on that webcast “SOUNDS” great, on paper it “works”. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t mesh with reality in the real world.

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

One more thought… “You buy a property for 30 cents on the dollar and sell it for 70 cents on the dollar”. Nothing to it!

Dream on ; )

Posted on 01-Aug-07 at 10:27 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

RayMass - I can be reached at contact@hyperion1.com

Best regards,

Mike Voss

Posted on 02-Aug-07 at 12:44 pm | Permalink
Katie2U wrote:

Folks,
I live in San Antonio and if there’s something I can do to help y’all out–let me know.
Katie

Posted on 02-Aug-07 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
Bob wrote:

Steve in Texas wrote:

No there’s a reality show I’d like to see!

“Mike Takes “Bob” to the Wood Shed” lol

That’s out of line you mother F’er. Go on and trash the Internet with your useless garbage. As far as I am concerned, you can all go have a “lets trash good people and make ourselves look good party”

Slimes. Leaches. Degenerates. You should all be ashamed of yourselves talking out of your arses with zero FACTS.

F you all. Track my IP webmaster I ain’t in Texas

Posted on 02-Aug-07 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Hello, first time poster looong time reader. My wife is so mad at me for being on here so long lol. I love how you can read this blog then click a link then another then another and get so much info so fast. I have to thank Al Gore for building the series of tubes and switches and things we call “internet”.
First off Mike V. and a couple others are calling a lot of folks on here Armando. In posts 23, 24, 25 the webmaster edited them to show the IP address of the posters but has not done so with any of the post that were called “shill” posts since. Any chance they might be other people? My next comment is about David Montelongo. I see a lot of people asking about why he left the show but no one has answered why he left and what he is doing now. Just the tribe thing? I would love to see a link or any info anyone has about him. I cant find anything about his departure from the show except for his wifes blog post. I knew the Texas and Altanta shows had alot of staging but I couldnt of guess it would be so deep. My wife and I were embarrased for Armando when we watched the show. Especially the show where he was beating on his chest and talking about how he was not going to let that peticular house beat him. It was like a car wreck. I wanted to look away but I just couldn’t. OK my last thing is about all of these workshops and real estate information kits that are available. DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP!!. I was surfing around late night TV one night and I saw this infomercial for http://www.nationalgrants.com/. They had a free 2 day seminar here in Indianapolis and were giving away 4 free booklets just for attending. So I went and sat through a 4 hour sales scam just to get the free items. Well I came back the next day just to hear what they had to say and it sounded awesome!! The guess speaker spoke alot about being a Christian and making so much money he helped his church out with. So being a Christian myself I was like how can this be fake. At that time I was really looking for some help getting started in real estate so I bought what I though was their full program. They said my counselor would be contacting me within a week. Well it turned out that the “counselor” was a salesmen and that my $1000.00 was only the limited package and to get actual help from the national grants staff would of cost another $4000.00!!
There really is no feeling like finding out you have been scammed by someone.
Type in national grants conference in Yahoo search bar and look what comes up in Yahoos “also try” suggestion above the first result: it says national grants conference SCAM!!!!
No Joke!
Also a friend at work ordered one of the highly promoted on late night TV real estate kits and gave it to me to check out and it just had very basic common sense information in it. A waste of money.
The fact is if you want real estate information go to the library and get books free. My locale branch has dozens of them and you dont have to pay a dime.
Take the lesson I learned and steer clear of Armando Montelongo’s junk.
sorry for the long message
Jeff

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 5:23 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hi Katie,

Any chance you can get a copy of this doc?

http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP02.asp?txtLitIsn=0004363996

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 11:02 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Bob wrote:
Slimes. Leaches. Degenerates. You should all be ashamed of yourselves talking out of your arses with zero FACTS.

Public records are not facts?!?!?

YOU have not posted ONE fact that can be backed up. The only thing you have done well is name calling.

Speaking of which, lets take a good look at what you said…
Slimes. Leaches. Degenerates…

For a second I thought you were speaking about the Montelongos. Armando does excel when it comes to speaking out his arse.

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 1:10 pm | Permalink
adam wrote:

Richard and Montelongo are great at their respective jobs. Everyone should stop pointing the finger at Montelongo and look at themselves. I’m sure if anyone was followed around with a camera all day, and spliced it for the maximum response on television that they would also not look so pleasing on T.V. I have been buying and selling real estate for 5 years and have found the shows extremely helpful. Just remember everyone posting hate messages that “Ignorance is Bliss.”

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 6:12 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

To Bob:

First of all, I do address you directly, not “all of you..”"
Second, I am not your buddy, as I am not drinking beer with you (God blessed!)
Third, I am not cheap, NEITHER I am stupid to buy such a shit from such an idiot like Armando.
If you are so “rich” do whatever your brain tells you, and support whomever you want. As well as I will always have the right to tell you that Armando is an idiot. So back up yourself!
I do not need to prove anything neither to you nor to other idiots who think that Armando is at least a penny-worth human.
I do support everybody on this site who is not as dumm as you and can use internet IN A POSITIVE WAY and find out that Armando is nobody else than just a scammer, liar and shiit for flipper. If you missed out proof of how he never flipped anything - your loss, I am not your mother or teacher helping you finding a way all paople see anyway.
I do notice grammar just because of my profession and interests. So instead of correcting it you choose pretending like everybody here is just trashing negative stuff and you and Armando are so positive and nice… Do you treat your wife (if you have any, or your girlfriend) the same way Armando treats Veronica? I do not consider her a woman at all - just a female. Forget about lady (to everybody). Just a trash attached to a male dog. You did miss out how Armando treats people or you are just lazy to read those who knew the people suffered from ambitions of Armando’s sick imagination? A kind of Hitler sickness… I HATE people sitting on welfare. Moreover, Armando Montelongo is a piece of fricking shit (sorry to all ladies and gentlemen reading me) sitting on welafare and making his business on your tax money, Bob, too, if you ever pay taxes.
I think such a shit should not even be shown on TV flips, but rather in a show how he looses welfare.
I am negative in some parts of my note, sure I am. I am discussing a piece of shit Armando Montelongo - why shpuld I be positive?
I can be positive about those who deserve it. And if you again missed out what everybody here is talking about - keep it up, there will be more to talk about. And if you are not as cheap and bought a book, be also not cheap and pay your sucker Armando welfare from your rich pocket. Or is it too much for you? Are you that cheap??? If you like him do support him in all ways, go on… more tax money will be given to normal people.

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 6:50 pm | Permalink
Ernest wrote:

Jeff brought up a very good point - Its all at your library. I was given the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book a few years ago and decided to read the rest in that series. So being money smart, I went to the library and checked out all the books. I found so much information at the library, that I never bought a “course”. It is all common sense. I think the major problem people have is that fear and they are willing shell out money to the experts to tell them “they can do it.” Heck I was scarred the first investment property I bought. But after the 3rd, its gotten pretty routine.
I’m always looking for new ideas and techniques to help in the process. In fact, I love going to the “free” seminars to figure out what their angle is and then I just research it. Its really not worth paying these experts.

In fact Kiyosaki once said that there is a so called real estate expert out there who only makes money on his systems rather than actually buying real estate. I believe he was talking about Robert Allen, the “nothing down” guy.

My partner and I were talking about writing our own e-book about flipping and doing lease options. Then we would sell it for like $5 to shut these experts up.

I’ve always offered information to those who’ve asked for it. I would rather help someone out of a finacial mess than to charge them for my knowledge.

There are some great books out there - however many of them are fluff pieces to promote boot camps or mentor programs. Even the Rich Dad book is a fluff piece for the cashflow game he made.

I’m reading the flipping confidential book right now and its a nice overview of things to look out for. Pretty straight forward. Glad this site reccommended it. Any others?

As for Armando - he just sent out another email to buy his course for half off. Guess the sales have slowed down.

Posted on 03-Aug-07 at 10:02 pm | Permalink
SteveV wrote:

I bought and read Kristen Kemp’s Flipping Confidential and its very good. Some other books which I has a lot more detail are Flipping Houses for Dummies and Real Estate Investing for Dummies. Get these 3 books for about ~$50-60, and you will get tons better information than you will ever get in any Infomercial seminar scam.

Posted on 04-Aug-07 at 7:57 am | Permalink
jill wrote:

Why is Armando on air to begin with for a real estate related show? Totally clueless about real estate investing and makes A&E look bad for airing that garbage.

Posted on 04-Aug-07 at 7:35 pm | Permalink
CMac wrote:

Thank you, Mike, for the info on Armondo. He’s a disgrace and painful to watch. What IS A&E thinking?

Posted on 04-Aug-07 at 8:44 pm | Permalink
Sloan wrote:

Mike,

Ah…yes…I see now what you were referring to about flipping being an “illusion”. Yes, that is an illusion…that it can be done successfully and with quality in like 21 days (oh and with no permits too! I love it when they do that!)

Thanks

And thanks everyone for the info on the Kemp book…I’ll check it out.

Posted on 04-Aug-07 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
Sloan wrote:

Bob,

2 Simple questions…no name calling, no arguing:

If Armondo is so successful why do public records show he declared Chapter 13 BK and is still requesting financial reorganization from the BK courts? (And if you say that is some sort of financial strategy….do you think its an honest one?)

And secondly, how come if Armondo buys and sells all these properties, the public records do not support that?

Steve from Texas has pointed this out to you several times…but you seem to rather get all defensive and call people on this site names.

So can you constructively answer those 2 questions about Armondo, who you so vehemently defend?

Posted on 04-Aug-07 at 11:47 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas about #476:

I have a copy of that case. In a nutshell its a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) filed on the morning of April 3 (appx. 2-3 hrs before the foreclosure sale)- primary the property on 4719 Castle Rose.

He was seeking 10 more days to get funding for that property and pay off VCH Funding in full.

I’ll have a copy of that posted om my site this week.

If Armando is so rich (as he claims), why he doesn’t use $50,000 of his company money and pay off this loan?

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 2:27 am | Permalink
gina wrote:

I am so glad I found this thread .. I was really looking to buy the Armando montelongo book. I went to his website and the cheesy infomercial presentation and mentality of it was an instant turn off so I looked further and found this thread… THANK YOU THANK YOU .. Of cour I WILL NOT, I repeat.. WILL NOT purchase the Armando Montelongo book or anything … I will say the info I learned here! in this thread has been invaluable. Thanks again :)

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 2:53 am | Permalink
Brendon wrote:

You are all right, and wrong. The truth is that there is money to be made flipping houses, but it is not as easy as shown on T.V. There are actually some shows on other networks now that I really like that show people that are making money, but also those who are losing money. What is sad to me is that it is the financially desperate people with absolutely no knowledge or experience that are taking out second mortgages on their own homes and assuming huge risk of loss. Here is the facts about flipping and real estate in general.

1. If you can’t afford to make the monthly payments and sit on an investment for a year or more without additional income, you can’t afford the project period. Simple answer, DON’T DO IT!!!

2. There is no easy way to get money. You either need an invester which is always the best option since they will not forclose on your own home if the investment sits for too long, or most folks have to borrow against their own house which I do not recommend. Risk capital needs to be liquid, not borrowed. Unless like I said you have the income to support the additional payments until the house sells.

3. There are different markets for flips. Low Income, Middle Income, High Income. Each of these markets need to be treated differently. I agree with much of what Mike Voss has been saying but it all depends what market you are flipping in. The bottom line is that poor folks need a place to live just like anyone else. It needs to be dry, clean, and safe. But there is an absolute cap on the amount of money you can put into one of these properties. You can’t dump $200,000 into a property to make it perfect when the market will only support a $100,000 house. This means that some corners will more than likely have to be cut. No one wants to do that but sometimes tough decisions need to be made. Otherwise no one would fix up the house at all, entire neighborhoods would fall apart and the housing that poor people have to live in would continue to degrade since they cannot afford to do the repairs on their own. Make sense? So for low income housing you need young contractors just starting out and will to work for less, still get an acceptable end result but realize it won’t be perfect and really it doesn’t need to be. On flips in the housing market of around $100,000 you should be happy with a profit of around $5,000.00 or less. If you get $5K you did good. If you are well organized you could do one per month a make a decent living.

In middle income markets the game changes some. You need to obviously up the quality standards and along with that your budget. In this market to make money you ALWAYS buy the worst house in the best neighborhood. This is not easy and the deals are very hard to find because insiders usually get this info and close on the properties before they ever make it to the market. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t out there, it just means they are harder to find and you need to be picky. While you need to spend the money to make things right, you have to be careful to not over spend and put your house value outside of the market. House values are essentially created by the banks who borrow the money to buy the houses. Market values are created by recent sales usually within the last 6 months within a 3 mile radius of the property you are trying to sell. If you buy a house for $160K, overspend and put $100K into a house for a total of $260K in a market where the comparables are going or $210K you have created several problems for yourself. The first is that someone with that kind of money more than likely won’t want to live in that neighborhood. Second is that the banks won’t borrow the buyer the money for the house unless they have a down payment large enough to cover the gap between the sales price and the market value. Most buyers in that market don’t have large amounts of money saved to cover those kinds of costs, and if they do it is because they are savers and not spenders which means your house will be out of the question anyway. In this market to need to buy low, do quality work and upgrade to match the rest of the neighborhood, but don’t over do it. If done right you could profit $10K to maybe $20K per deal. But realize that only a few months on the market could take that profit away in a hurry so look and consider all offers and don’t get greedy. Take your profits and run to your next opportunity.

Here is the part you all don’t want to hear, the rich get richer! There is very large amounts of money to be made in high end real estate, commercial real estate, and multiple units. You need a large amount of liquid assests to make these deals happen. It is possible in this market to buy a house for $400K, stick $150k into it and sell it for $650K and make a $100k. You need to know what your doing and you need the money to do it. Most people with this kind of cash started from the bottom and worked their way up over the period of many years. This is possible because in luxury markets people are able to buy what they want as opposed to what they can afford. It is also possible because of the large value differences within the local neighbor hoods. One house may sell for $400K and one down the street for $550K and yet another for $800K. This wide spread allows you to buy low, make the improvements you need to bring the value up and sell for a large profit and not over price for the neighborhood. These homes also tend to have good “bones” as we call it. You are much less likely to be sticking money into structural fixes that don’t add value. Strucural fixes don’t add value, it is money down the drain, unless you point it out to the seller before you buy, get the purchase price down to reflect the gap, and get the work done for cheaper than you expected. This is never easy though because most sellers need “X” amount of dollars to pay off their mortage to be able to sell the house so they don’t have the ability to come down that far in price.

I don’t agree with selling get rich quick books, cds, or whatever for $1000 or more, but one thing I give Armando credit for is his drive and work ethic. I have that same drive and work ethic and that is what makes me successful. My biggest beef is that if he really promised himself that if he pulled himself out of the ruts that he help others, he wouldn’t be charging $1,000 for information that is on the internet for free. The information I just gave you folks is real estate 101 and you just got it for free. The rest comes from experience and doing it everyday.

The only thing in this world that will make you successful is you. You need drive and guts. You need to wake up everymorning asking yourself, what can I do to make my life better today? I have no sympathy for those who sit around blaming others for their problems. Get off your butt and make your life better and realize that it won’t happen over night. If things were that easy everyone would be doing it. There is only one true formula for success no matter what business or personal endevour, DEDICATION, MOTIVATION, SOUND DECISIONS, & PURE GUTS.

This could make some mad but it is just the truth. Some people just are not wired for the high paced life required to be successful. Spend time with your family and be grateful for what you have and don’t waste money trying to get rich because it just may not happen.

Good luck to all of you, Brendon

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 10:56 am | Permalink
Andy from San Antoni wrote:

After reading the comments on this website I’ve come to the conclusion that the people posting here can’t stand the fact that a Hispanic family has actually made an name for themselves through hard work and has proven that we are not a bunch of lazy slobs collecting government checks. I can’t believe I wasted my time by reading this garbage and will try to to have nightmares kowing that this site exists.
Goodbye and God Bless.

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 11:03 am | Permalink
Brendon wrote:

I forgot to add that you don’t need large amounts of money to be successful, you just need to be happy and take care of those around you. That is what makes someone successful. Take Care, Brendon

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Me wrote:

This like everything else in life is a big lie.

Ultimately its a battle within: Do I choose to be greedy or not?

Without fear of reprisal most people will tend to act without regard to others.

Both the people who are posting against Armondo and those who support him are clueless. Simple.

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 12:18 pm | Permalink
mike of texas wrote:

Bob must be on the rag, I follow this site because it is funny and interesting.

I remodel house in Tyler Texas and do 4-5 a year. Less if they are big houses. If you clear $25,000 on a small house you are doing great and most of the time its $15,000 or so. For those of you looking to remodel you had better learn codes for your area because if you get a crappy contractor he will not do anything to code and its you name and money on the line. Do you research and this is not easy and you are not going to get rich in a week either. You’d better have some gloves on and want to work.

Love the site
mike

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 4:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Retail is $97.00, but you can BUY IT NOW for a huge discounted price!!!!

Once item is paid for I will email you THE ENTIRE 5 EBOOK SET!! This is an opportunity to turn your rags story into a story of riches and set you and your family on the path to financial freedom!”

Too funny. That’s on eBay. What you’re ‘buying’ is an email! LOL I’ve seen a few buy it and then stick the same offer right back on eBay for sale, an email. I guess Armando isn’t getting any of that $$$.

Tick - Tock, just like Mike said ; )

Posted on 05-Aug-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
Katie2U wrote:

Steve in Texas,
As per your request on that particular document…let me see what I can do.
Will let y’all know.

K

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 3:10 am | Permalink
melanie wrote:

The package is 97.00 not 1,000.00!

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 7:19 am | Permalink
justyn wrote:

it looks like armando’s site is down..weird huh?

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

melanie,

Re: “The package is 97.00 not 1,000.00!”

The ‘cheese’ is 97.00, the ‘RAT TRAP’ the cheese is on is 997.00 ; )

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 3:25 pm | Permalink
mike of texas wrote:

the site is back up and there are 2 packages one is 97 and the other $997

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 3:25 pm | Permalink
Lee wrote:

“Everything Armando said on that webcast “SOUNDS” great, on paper it “works”. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t mesh with reality in the real world”

It meshes for people with common sense, a little bit of smarts and ambition.
It doesn’t mesh with people that are wannabe detectives and spend most of their time arguing on chat boards.

“Public records are not facts?!?!?”

What some of you Barney Fifes are stating as facts are not in the public records, as demonstrated here:

“boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas about #476:

I have a copy of that case. In a nutshell its a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) filed on the morning of April 3 (appx. 2-3 hrs before the foreclosure sale)- primary the property on 4719 Castle Rose.

He was seeking 10 more days to get funding for that property and pay off VCH Funding in full.”

You see, Steve thought he found a juicy tidbit but when in reality it was a common business move.

If Armando is so rich (as he claims), why he doesn’t use $50,000 of his company money and pay off this loan?

You never, never use any of your own money if you can borrow it instead. Business 101.

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Let me repeat this for you very s*l*o*w*l*y. On 4/2/2007, VCH Funding “Repoed” a multitude of properties and then they were actioned off on the courthouse steps the next day. Actually, you don’t need to see the injunction details to see that because it’s clearly stated in filings by VCH Funding AFTER the injunction was sought, and AFTER the auction on 4/3/2007 did in fact, happen.

Sooooo, again. Is that covered in the course? ; )

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 7:27 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

About “comment” #489 by “Andy from San Antoni”:

Yes, not all hispanics are a bunch of whatever. But I just can not stand shit like you who does not bother learning English enough to spell your own city correctly. You deserve the nightmares then…
Unfortunately, MOST of “people” like Montelongo and you are “a bunch of lazy slobs collecting government checks” -from your words it sounds even more true than from mine.
I do recognize people mistypying…but not being able to type your own city! Why on a hell did you and your idiot Montelongo are neeeded here at all!
By the way, I am a recent immigrant and proud that I am not like a bunch of you and your tribe members shitting in this country and walking with mexican flags proving some shit nobody cares for.
Of course, you would not bother checking Armando Monteshitlongo’s status - you’d prove to yourself that he is from that bunch fed by taxes of real Americans. If you have no clue who made A name (not AN as you “write” like Monteblongo writes on his site, too) - Armando made his name of an idiot, lazy ignorant piece of animal being and just worthless NOTHING!
If you are so defensive of hispanics - where is your defense towards those hard-working mexicans screwed by your assmando montescrewlongo???
Hope, you’ll have Armando in your dreams…. :P :):)

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 7:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

That’s around 21 properties, plus or minus by my quick count just now. GONE! TAKEN! TOTAL LOSS!

Some real estate ‘Guru’ ; )

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 7:46 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

From Montescrewlongo’s site:
“Learn by my Failures. When you see me on television, you get to see my successes. What you don’t see is all of the failures that I have had before I started flipping houses. It’s very easy to share your success, but much harder to share your failures with the world. However, I believe in being dirt honest and by doing so, I believe that sharing my failures will actually help you be more successful.”

I bet it will!…He is definitely right about Dirt :):)
We, obviously (by all these posts and valuable researches of many good people on this site)
did not see any of his failures…. :):):) like one failure being a descent human being to at least YOU OWN PEOPLE :):) OR WIFE :):):)

Thanks to everybody for great research work and letting us know more about this idiot Montescrewlongo!

—————-

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 8:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “You never, never use any of your own money if you can borrow it instead. Business 101.”

Let’s zoom in for a closer look at that, um, K?

“Interest rate on hard money

The rate is not dependent on the Bank Rate. It is instead more dependent on the real estate market and availability of hard money credit. Currently and for the past decade hard money has ranged from the mid 10% to 16% range. When a borrower defaults they may be charged a higher “Default Rate”. That rate can be as high as allowed by law which may go up to or around 25%-29%.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_money_loan

“Bob finds a house that needs some cosmetic repairs and possibly a new roof. The owner is selling it for less than value to get rid of It at a current price of $200,000.00. Bob gets a list of repairs needed and prices them out. After negotiating with contractors the cost to repair the house completely including a new roof is $35,000.00. Bob currently has $20,000.00 to put into repairs. He wants to buy the property but conventional banks will not give him a loan for the purchase due to the condition. He knows that once he fixes the house, based on current similar homes in the same neighborhood, the home would sell for roughly $350,000.00. In order to make $100,000.00 off of the property, he decides he needs a loan for $235,000.00 from a hard money lender. Since the property will be worth $350,000.00 after repairs, Bob can use the future repaired value to obtain a loan for 65% of $350,000.00, totaling $227,500.00.

Gary is a private money lender that specializes in helping out people just like Bob. Gary decides to loan Bob the $227,500.00 for 6 months to a year with INTEREST ONLY payments and a small loan fee. While Bob has the money to purchase and rehabilitate the property, Gary is receiving interest only payments from Bob for 6 months to a year.

In the end, Bob was able to sell the home quickly for $320,000.00, Gary was then payed back the full amount of the loan at the time of the sale and Bob walked away with over $92,000.00.”

http://houseflippingloans.com/houseflipping.html

Unfortunately though, If “Bob” didn’t sell the house by the “six month or one year drop dead date” and make the interest payments on time, then what? “Bob” loses $20,000, PLUS, all interest payments he’d paid and other fees on ONE house! Not to mention the time he wasted ; )

So, Lee. You never, ever, borrow money like that if it limits your options when you buy a property, i.e. refinance it after repairs and 1) live in it yourself
or 2) rent it or 3) or lease/option it.

That Lee, is ‘Common Sense 101′ ; )

Posted on 06-Aug-07 at 11:18 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

Steve in Texas–bravo!

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 10:13 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Yikes! Five more filings today…

MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC
Litigant Type: PLAINTIFF
Style: MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC
vs VCH FUNDING CORP

Date Filed: 08/07/2007
Docket Type: INJUNCTION
Case Status: PENDING

2007CI11751 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF

2007CI11750 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF

2007CI11749 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF

2007CI11748 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF

http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP01.asp

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 11:30 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas:

I just scanned case 2007ci04979 and posted it on my website:

http://www.flipthisforreal.com/records/FTH/montelongo/foreclosure/2007ci04979.pdf

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 11:42 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Interesting. That was just for ONE property ; )

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

You never, never use any of your own money if you can borrow it instead. Business 101.

Not entirely correct, using other peoples money can be a great tool, however, borrowing money is an expense and can be quite expensive if you do not have good credit and/or made poor business decisions (eg cut corners, fail to notify lenders of transfer of deed (mortgage wraps), have sufficient funds to make payments if you renter/buyer bails out, fail to pay property taxes on time).

This can lead to the situation that the Montelongos went though in April-May of this year.

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 12:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

If it’s Tuesday, it must be a busy day at the ‘Sheriff’s Sale’ on the courthouse steps, again ; )

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 12:34 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

Great! Thank you Boyson and Steve in Texas!

Hope Rob(ert) and the rest of the retarded Montelongo’s cheerleaders (including the last mexican idiot) can read and shut up!

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas on #506

The five cases you listed are in the filing room and will be available either Wednesday or Thursday.

BTW, in July 2006, he filed a TRO to stop a foreclosure sale on a property located at 1126 King, San Antonio, TX.

Although he managed to sell the property, he lost the hearing held July 17, 2006 and forfeited the $500 bond he posted to Waring Investments’ attorney.

As you said, what chapter is this technique covered Armando’s course and will this house be included in the David and Melina Tribe Workshop bus tour in September?

http://www.flipthisforreal.com/records/FTH/montelongo/1126_king/2006ci10190.pdf

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Boyson when will your website be live?

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 9:15 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Re: Post #506

Steve,

Today (the first Tuesday of the month) was the foreclosure sale day on the Bexar County Courthouse steps. Probably more attempts to stop foreclosure.

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 9:49 pm | Permalink
Lee wrote:

“Lee,

Let me repeat this for you very s*l*o*w*l*y. On 4/2/2007, VCH Funding “Repoed” a multitude of properties and then they were actioned off on the courthouse steps the next day. Actually, you don’t need to see the injunction details to see that because it’s clearly stated in filings by VCH Funding AFTER the injunction was sought, and AFTER the auction on 4/3/2007 did in fact, happen.

Sooooo, again. Is that covered in the course? ; ) ”

VCH Funding nor any other business can auction off houses on the courthouse steps.
House that get auctioned off on the courthouse steps are owned by the state for deliquent taxes.
You are not understanding what you read.
Armando is borrowing money from VCH funding and is missing deadlines to pay them back, therefore VCH files an injunction against the house(s) to get Armandos attention to pay them. Armando then counters back getting an extension or whatever. It’s common business practice.
It doesn’t pass the common sense test that Armando would let a house he bought get repoed if he could have made an interest payment or some kind of payment to VCH.
Again, you are not understanding the county records and who owns what and what the circumstances are.
You’re making allegations and commiting libel.

On another note, I believe I read Armando is of Italian decent, not hispanic??

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 11:27 pm | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Has anyone gone to his web-site lately? http://www.ArmandoMontelongo.com has been DUMPED. It’s now directed to “Register.com” Hilarious!!
Has he been shut down?

Posted on 07-Aug-07 at 11:27 pm | Permalink
Ken in Houston wrote:

in simpleton terms what does the 507 post mean….other than he’s a fraud???

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 5:59 am | Permalink
Ken in Houston wrote:

obtw…I love this site and I am seeing cockeyed now from reading all 500 posts in one night. My wife and I love the A&E shows, but we had our doubts about Armondo And the Atlanta group. We truely enjoyed Richard Davis’s show and the other one with Kristen.

Thank you all for some good reading, now I must move out of teh way so that my wife may read.

p.s. it’s so obvious that the posts here sticking up for Armondo is truely Armondo. What an F’er, snake oil salesman.

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 6:05 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “VCH Funding nor any other business can auction off houses on the courthouse steps.”

You are a complete idiot. Read what I wrote again. I never “said” that ; )

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

What a mangled mess you wrote! lol Do you know how to read court docs? How about property records? Do you know what an injunction is? How about the difference between a defendant and a plaintiff? ; )

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 10:51 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

Re: “Today (the first Tuesday of the month) was the foreclosure sale day on the Bexar County Courthouse steps. Probably more attempts to stop foreclosure.”

No doubt! I wonder if the 5 is just part of a much larger number, again ; ) Since VCH Funding is the ‘lynch pin’ it will be easy to tell once the filings are posted

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 11:33 am | Permalink
shell wrote:

About #516

Christopher,
It works now maybe not for a long time… to Arando’s miserable pleasure :):) it’s all he has for now :):):)

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 12:00 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Ken in Houston: #517

Armando filed a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the foreclosure sale on the property located on 4719 Castle Rose, San Antonio, TX. This is the house featured in episode-27 “Flip 101″ on FTH.

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 2:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “House that get auctioned off on the courthouse steps are owned by the state for deliquent taxes.
You are not understanding what you read.”

Wrong again, genius…

http://weberlaw.com/BAPCPA/texas-property-code.htm#51.002

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 2:19 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Jeff in Indy: on #517

I hope to have a soft opening this Monday.

There was some security issues I want to test out before making it public - mainly to prevent spamming the message boards.

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 2:40 pm | Permalink
Noah wrote:

I have been in the real estate industry for over 20yrs. 1000 homes in 5yrs? lol….come on get real. you need a full time crew of at least 100 people to get that done, and from the looks of the show you dont have it. And if you have done that many deals WHY..WHY in gods name would you make that public, have you ever heard of the IRS?? maybe they want there cut of the supposed 20 Million in profits you’ve made.”your brillant”

Como se diche MORON..however their show is entertaining, its like Investors gone wild on crack in the hood.

Good Luck Armando, Your gonna need it.

A fellow “REAL” Investor,

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 3:50 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

why haven’t any of the news stations here in san antonio tried to expose the Montelongo clan? I first wrote all news stations when the show first aired. They all lied about the homes selling on the episode with the wives competing against each other. I watched the MLS and niether home sold for another 2-3 months. The other night one of the stations did a live feed from Chachos about the extra 30 cent charges on cheese without it being disclosed on the menu. They can do that but they cant find time to uncover these scam artists? As for David, he and Melina are just as bad ripping people off with thier workshops. I personally think one of the main reasons for the split was Melina wanting to take on a more featured role. Have any of you seen her sites featuring advice and another where she is trying to be a model or host of another show? when it comes to real estate the Montelongos are not qualified to flip a burger much less a house. One last thing, if you want to know where these guys probably learned their scam go to the other brothers web site: paulmontelongo.com

Posted on 08-Aug-07 at 6:12 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas:

They are indeed TROs to stop foreclosures sales on 4 properties. He filed each TRO in a separate district court.

You keep mentioning 5 cases but I only locate 4 of them. Do I miss something?

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 3:41 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hi Boyson,

It’s 5 by my count. All filed on 8/7/2007/…

2007CI11751 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF
2007CI11750 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF
2007CI11749 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF
2007CI11748 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF
2007CI11747 MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC 08/07/2007 PLAINTIFF

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 9:37 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I did a reverse check with VCH Funding and
doc #2007CI11747 isn’t there!? Weird!

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 10:12 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Here’s the cause number and info.

Cause Number: 2007CI11747
Business Name: MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC
Litigant Type: PLAINTIFF
Style:

MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT INC
vs VCH FUNDING CORP
Court: 131
Date Filed: 08/07/2007
Docket Type: INJUNCTION
Case Status: PENDING

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 10:17 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

It’s a race to the bottom on eBay! ; )

ARMANDO MONTELONGO - FLIP IT NOW COURSE

Buy It Now price: US $6.99

Tick (no tock).

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
Unchained wrote:

Thank you for saving me $97.00!!

I saw the “Montelongo Family” on TV and I live in San Antonio. I figured if that guy could do it…anyone can.

I was about to purchase his 5 E-book set when I decided to check out Ebay and see if someone might have a used copy printed out.

When I saw that I could win a bid for 99 cents, I started to wonder why these pearls of wisdom would be so cheap. I did some surfing and bingo..I found this site.

Thanks for saving me some $$ and opening my eyes to the Monte-Loco scam.

BTW: Ebay canceled the 99 cent auction and emailed me a notice. I guess even 99 cents is too much for the books. LOL

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
Unchained wrote:

Checking my email, I found one from the Montelongo website, it was an auto response type thing that offered me two easy payments of $48 to help me with the cost of the 5 e-books. I went back to the website and used the “Contact Armando” link. I emailed him my story, letting him know how close I came to buying his books. Then I posted a link to this site (which he apparently knows about).
I told him I would be doing some independant searches of my own to confirm his profits and business stability. I will check things on my own (nothing against your own research, but we all know how that goes).
Thanks again!

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 5:02 pm | Permalink
Realtor4U wrote:

HELP! I’ve started reading and can’t stop! A lot of GREAT information being shared and the shills, well they are entertaining. Glad to know we understand we can’t get rich sitting around in our underwear listening to some really expensive…what? Shill? Post 428 (Bob): none of his friends like him? hmmmm? I thought friends liked each other! Post 436 (F. Baken): I am sorry you had a bad experience! Buying a home is a huge investment, the largest most of us will make; representation is paramount. I am a Texas REALTOR and have been for years. You make very good, valid points. We are all “independent” and pay a Broker (called a Sponsor) a monthly flat fee, transaction fee or split commission (some times all three) to hold our license unless we personally hold a Broker’s License, own and operate an independent office. CAVEAT EMPTOR! Seeing and signing a Seller’s Disclosure only means the Buyer has read it. Receipts can be “created”; ask for copies of the cashed check payable to the trade. Texas Buyer’s can and should visit http://www.trec.state.tx.us/inspector/default.asp for a list of inspectors. Some cities have formed groups of inspectors that must meet certain criteria to be a member (www.HAREI.com) Some Seller’s are not required to provide a Seller’s Disclosure Notice. Don’t stop at having resale homes inspected; New Homes are built by humans and should be inspected at frame (pre-sheetrock) and before closing NOT MATTER WHAT THE BUILDER TELLS YOU!

P.S.: Post 366: Cost of air fare to South Carolina and Hotel on Debit Master Card under $997.00 - Hearing what Richard had to say…..PRICELESS!

Have a GREAT Day :-)

Posted on 09-Aug-07 at 5:13 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Interesting link in the San Antonio Express News about new law concerning builders and house flippers:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA081007.01C.BuilderBill081007.2b098e5.html

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 2:36 am | Permalink
Tom wrote:

Last summer, I worked on a house in N.H for a guy who builds homes in the south. This guy builds over 10,000 homes a year. Literally, 10,000.
SO, is it possible that they flip 20-30 a month? YES, but I still don’t believe it. The afore mentioned builder, his home was worth more than my family tree, he has a $20 million private jet, and more people working for him then most small town populations. I just don’t see a two person oper. with no retained subs doing 20 - 30 a year, never mined a month!!

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 3:00 am | Permalink
Jeannine wrote:

LOL! My hubby told me,today, we were moving back to his hometown, San Antonio. Aggravated with him that I have to give up my decorating/consulting business to relocate . I thought I would give Montelongos a call. Especially after the last episode of the intern! That had to be staged! I was dumbfounded. I actually felt sympathy for them,All!Contractor, Montelongos and the intern. ( I kept thinking, this has to be staged!)
I like how it showed Armondo’s soft side,believing in the intern no matter how much he screwed up. He believed in the guy. Contrary to his normal character.I was shocked. From day one ,I thought he was an overbearing ,controlling ,pompuos jackass who thought he could intimidate people.
But I can see how $ and power gets to people.BEEN THERE

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 3:37 am | Permalink
Jeannine wrote:

I don’t know what happened. Half of the writing got lost in cyberspace!Been there.

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 3:47 am | Permalink
Jeannine wrote:

I hope I am not duplicating this. Sorry if I am. I was trying to make a point , and 1/2 my message got lost.
Climbing the mountain is adventerous and fun, but the way down can be hazardous to your health and livlihood when both of your feet want to go in different directions, because you are uneducated about the journey.

This is why they need to pull the books etc.If indeed they made a mess of the business,they need not be leading .(blind leading the blind)
The Tv shows make it look too easy. Too many families suffer hardships stress and financial ruin over the dillusions of granduer to get rich quick with unrealistic time frames set by the tv shows.

Mike,Steve ,and all who are working on this Thank you for your comments!Keeep it up! This was the first time I heard of it!
MIke you need to do that reality show!

I WAS going to call for employment,until I read this blog.

The Montelongos are in my prayers.And if they made a mess, I pray they make it right.
A wise elderly lady told me. If you are not in God’s will, he will jerk your chain or put you on a shelf.

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 4:18 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

I think that Armando is a scumbag. I do watch the show for pure entertainment. Not sure if anyone noticed but with that house where he accidentally knocked parts of the mother section of the house down with a bobcat…. when Veronica was asking him to check the address on her so called green house…she did mention several times to him that she didn’t want to keep working on the house if he didn’t “PURCHASE THE HOUSE RIGHT”. That has to be the biggest flag and mis-step on her part. Why would she question that if he isn’t doing shady things.

I presume that the brothers have split as it no longer references them in the open credits. I went to the website to check and see if it says anything about them but nothing. I did find somewhere where David and Milena are giving seminars.

David seemed to have some sort of moral when it came to flipping the houses. Hopefully he can go on and do the right thing and build an honest business.

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 7:19 pm | Permalink
Melissa wrote:

I was going to purchase this set for my husband who is considering going into the flipping business (not exactly what I call it, but oh well!!) anyway, after much reading of these posts, I think I’ll save my $997 and buy him a new set of golf clubs instead! Thanx for the tips!

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 8:36 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

I did also notice the flagrant product placements in the current episodes. Very very said if you ask me. I do believe that the only honest and worthy person in these series has been Richard of Trademark. He is defintely building a great company, takes pride in what he puts his name on and seems to honestly care about people and not just the bottom line.

If it came down to it I would definitely buy a property from Richard and not from any of the others.

Thanks for this site full of information. I too was contemplating buying the books but I got a bit wary when I realized that something was up when the brother dissappeared and also the excessive product placement recently.

A lot of Armando’s figures on repairs seem very off to me. I recently installed hardwood flooring in my house and renovated my kitchen. No way was I able to spend as little as he does in a house with the inclusion of labor.

Posted on 10-Aug-07 at 9:47 pm | Permalink
Lee wrote:

“why haven’t any of the news stations here in san antonio tried to expose the Montelongo clan?”

Perhaps because there’s nothing to expose except a bunch of legal manuverings and no scam?
Perhaps because they don’t want to misread the county records and make up lies and be sued for libel?
Perhaps they could contact Steve and some others on here and get an ear full of hogwash and have a good laugh and tell them not quit their day jobs and leave the investigations to the professionals?

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 9:35 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Oh, Lee???

“Armando turned himself into a flipping machine, inspiring millions with his rags-to-riches story. In less than 5 years he became America’s largest residential real estate investor.”

http://www.armandomontelongo.com/armando_montelongo.php

Largest in America! ROFL!

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 10:33 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Here’s part of one, Lee, just for you! It’s in Java Script so I can’t cut and paste it here. I’ve typed it out…
________________________________

“Note Secured by Deed of Trust

Date: June 15, 2006

Holder: VCH Funding Corp.

Borrower: 114 Repose Land Trust

Date of sale of property: (first Tuesday of month) April 3, 2007

Time sale of property began: 11:19 AM

Place of Sale of Property: South enterance door of the County Court House in Bexar County, Texas

Buyer: VCH Funding”
_________________________________

“Misread” that!; )

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 11:14 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Oh, and Lee. When you’re in a hole? Put down the shovel.

Just a thought ; )

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 12:06 pm | Permalink
Ame wrote:

What is everyone’s problem with the Montelongos??? Man, you people really need to get a life–for real!

Re:#501 Shell?? You need to spell check your own message before you try to put someone down for their own mistakes—stupid ass! (why ON the hell…)you are definately an immigrant, and you call yourself a real American–bull shit!!! you have no idea what it is to be an American$$$$$! You just hate the fact that a Mexican is making more money than you can count and it eats you up inside, that’s why your life sucks and you will always be in a stand still.

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 2:43 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Hey Armando - here’s free advice: when you shill post, try to come up with something new - the ‘get a life’ attack, race card, and ‘your life sucks’ approach all give you away immediately you’ve done them so many times.

You’re a broken (and broke) record, dude.

PS: it’s definitely, not definately, fool.

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 2:52 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

RE:548 -I am a mexican. my mom came to this contry without speaking english, my father worked downtown selling fruit before joining the army at 16. they worked hard so today all my siblings have college degrees and good professions. You are showing your ignorance and lack of class by insunuating everyone is mad over the Montelongos because they are hispanic and supposedly successful. They are liars. I have access to MLS and the homes are not being sold like they claim. Also, non of the values they claim are anywhere near what comps for the area can support. From day one Armando has been trying to get into books and seminars which is fine, IF you really can substantuate what you claim. I will gaurantee you if the news ever did care to investigate they would expose all the Montelongo claim very easily. I advertise quite a bid with the express and just spoke to one of editors the other day about the Montelongos. there response was they view the show as entertainment.

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 3:09 pm | Permalink
Liz wrote:

Armando’s 12 min preview of his DVD today is the same house on tonights episode. Funny how on the video he said he will take $300 for the landscaping and on the show hes putting in $1000. Its also ironic since he said to never put in over $750 for the landscaping…

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 8:13 pm | Permalink
F Baken wrote:

Realtor4U, all

RE: My post #436

We lost $100’s of thousands of dollars.

I’m devastated. It’s the darkest time of my life.

Sometimes sellers lie and cover up problems, sometimes real estate agents help them or look the other way and sometimes the inspector makes big mistakes. But the worse people I’ve dealt with are lawyers.

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 8:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Because you “asked”, I’m putting a list
together of all the properties “sold” on the courthouse steps on April 3, 2007. And “bought” by VCH Funding.

It looks like it might be as high as 27 properties. It’ a LONG list so I’m just giving you an update. I’m still working on it ; )

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 10:16 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Just to be perfectly clear, and again, because you “asked” (for it!). I already have the list put together of the various “Land Trusts” etc. What I’m doing now is looking up the Trustees and/or Guarantors behind them. So far, six out of six are “Montelongo”

Just thought you’d like the LATEST update ; ) Still working on it.

Posted on 11-Aug-07 at 11:03 pm | Permalink
Christopher wrote:

Did anyone catch the new episode on 8-11-07? Not to sound perverted, but does anyone else think Veronica got Butt implants? Don’t get me wrong, it looks great, but it didn’t look that good before. Just curious.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 12:30 am | Permalink
Brendan wrote:

Notice Armando piped down after the webmaster posted the ip info?

Love it.

Hey Armando! Banished to reading and not responding? Sweat through another shirt reading these comments and rest assured big brother is watching.

The heat’s on and you’re gonna fry.

Get your books in order, armandick.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 12:33 am | Permalink
FIFI_33 wrote:

Oh my God I just finished watching the show where AM heads to FL to speak at an event. I actually went to google to see where AM may be coming to my area to speak because I enjoy him so much that I wanted to attend a seminar. Well I found this website instead and for the past 2 hrs I have read over 240 comments and you all have confused the hell out of me. I really believed the show was real and I was considering ordering the $97 dollar deal, but after reading ALL of the comments especially from Mike Voss I am scared as hell to do anything because I’m shocked at all of the information you all seem to have. However after thinking about some of the things he is quoted as saying don’t you believe he is merely being a salesman. Also why is writing a book or offering a guide to become rich eating at some of you. Don’t you think it’s smart to market what you do and who better to sell your product but “you”. In my opinion you are saying okay now that you have success don’t pursue the other options that you have. I do not have a negative opinion of AM because I have not taken the time to dig into his personal public business deals, however it seems like he is doing something “right”. What I found disturbing was that he was driving the Mercedes formally driven by his brother and when I didn’t see his brother on the show I said to myself there is about to be some drama. And I too think that “Brandon” might be AM and I also think “Dale” is too.(smile) Well I guess you have to speak out for yourself without causing a riot somehow, huh? I will say that my hopes of becoming wealthy flipping properties is now fading after you guys bust my bubble by “exposing” AM, whether it’s true or not. But you know what alot of us want an easy solution to good ole fashion hard work and determination and AM makes it seem soooooooooooooooo simple even though we ALL know it isn’t or each of us would be doing it if it were that simple. Question: I want to know if anyone can tell me how one figures out what size loan they may qualify for without going through a pre-qualifier to find out. Wasn’t there some easy formula to kind of calculate the numbers yourself ? Okay I am almost 40 and I want to move to Miami. I have never owned a property before. I have 3 children and have been self employed for 5 years, earning about 200k per year. Can I buy a million dollar home ? Sounds crazy but I have no clue. i’m in a 5bd 3bth rental paying $2600.00 monthly. If someone knows please share the answer with me. Thanks

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 1:07 am | Permalink
Turner wrote:

Steve in Texas wrote:

Audrey,

Re: “looked up Armando Montelongo on the Bexar County Assesors website and he and his company do not have more than $200,000 worth of properties - including his own residence

Does anyone want to comment on this?”

***** According to a search on Bexar County Appraisal District (bcad.org), seven (7) houses are Veronica’s name only (??), including their primary home on Jung Rd. in SA:

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.nxww7t6sz2m5_4152%20Jung%20Rd%2C%20San%20Antonio%2C%20TX%2078427_Montelongo%20residence__&encType=1

This was the ‘Rancho Montelongo’ house featured on episode 18 in season 2.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 2:22 am | Permalink
MANNY D wrote:

HY MIKE VOSS IM GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE THANKS.
IM NEW BUSINESS OWNER IN FLORIDA IN THE EPOXY FLOOR COATINGS AND GOT MY SELF A EXCLUSIVE TERRITORIES 7 MAYOR AREA CODES.

SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO HELP ME WITH MY NEW BUSINESS ON BETTER PROMOTE OR ADVERTISING.

I JUST NEED YOU TO GUIDE ME ON THE RIGHT TRACK IF YOU HAVE TIME.
I WILL PAY FOR YOUR SERVICES IT JUST WHEN I GOT IN THIS SITE AND FOUND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT CARES ABOUT COMPLETE STRANGERS ,YOU BEEN THE CREATOR OF IT MAKES ME PROUD OF KNOWING THAT WE STILL CARE ABOUT EACHOTHER IM SORRY MY TIPPING IS NOT THAT GOOD.

I LIKE WHAT YOUR DOING AND TO EVERY BODY INCLUDING Steve in Texas: GOD BLESS YOU AND IF YOU CAN HELP ME I WILL NOT FORGET.

THANKS MANNY DIAZ
http://WWW.CREATIVECOATINGSYSTEMS.COM

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 2:35 am | Permalink
Lottapaws wrote:

Anne, #548, you are ripping someone because he/she did not “spell check” his/her post, rotflmao, try using it yourself. “definately” ?

Everyone should do plenty of research before making any type of investment whether it is buying a home, going into a new career choice, buying a “get rich quick” kit or buying stock. If there are red flags, then the amount of research should triple at the very least. Sadly, A&E either didn’t do any research or they are totally knowledgeable of the scams involved in FTH. If the latter is true, and my guess is that it is true, A&E is worse than the tabloids printing the “My mother is an alien from Mars” because A&E purports to be legitimate while the tabloids are suspect at best. It certainly causes one to question the credibility of any show on A&E.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 2:56 am | Permalink
kathleen wrote:

What a terrific website this is! I have watched all these flipping shows for a long while…and have to laugh a bit about it. My husband and I also do flips. It’s NOT an easy business, that’s for sure. We’ve made money on some, and lost money on some. That’s the nature of the business. But, I will tell you this…one of the things we pride ourselves on is the care we take when rehabbing/flipping a property. We don’t just “put lipstick on the pig.” When we rehab a house, we really think about the buyer’s needs. Because I’m also a realtor, I WANT that’s buyer’s business when they’re ready to sell that home! And I WANT that happy buyer to tell everyone how much they enjoy their home, and what great service they received from their realtor, and flipper!

I like how each episode from shows like Flip This House notes how much a flipper will make after the house is sold. Ummm…what about all the other costs? There are holding costs, costs for selling the property, marketing costs, just to name a few. All that needs to be added in. It IS possible to make good money at flipping, IF a person knows how to buy a property correctly. But, these shows make it look like easy money. And that’s not really the case.

As for Montelongo’s course, I haven’t looked at it, and don’t plan to. My feeling is…if he’s making such good $$ at flipping, then why do a course? And how would he have time to manage that business, since he’s so busy with his flips? I know from experience that doing a couple of flips at one time is really difficult. Even with good subs (and I do have some, thankfully) it can still be a scheduling nightmare!

FIFI_33 - To get some info on what you might qualify for to buy a home, I would suggest contacting a mortgage lender. If you know a realtor in your area, or if one of your friends has a realtor that they know and trust, that realtor can suggest a good, trusted mortgage lender to you. That mortgage lender can talk with you (without doing a pre-qualify) about the options that are available to you, what loan programs might work best for your situation. They will also talk with you about your fico score. But I have to stress, BE CAREFUL! Don’t allow any lender to get you into a negative amortization loan (those are rare these days, but some places still offer them.) Also, don’t just assume your bank will give you the best options…many times you’ll pay higher fees to get a loan through your local bank. I can also suggest, if you are a member of a credit union, talk with them about a home loan. You can often get better rates through your credit union than you will through a bank, or even a mortgage lender. Lastly, you can find a good mortgage calculator on bankrate.com, which will give you an idea of what your mortgage payment might be. Good luck on your house hunting!

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 3:28 am | Permalink
kathleen wrote:

Mike Voss - Good info you’re providing! I just read your posts #74 and #76. They are spot on!

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 3:55 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Turner at 558,

LOL I didn’t write that but your post makes it look like I did. Just sayin’ ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 9:29 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Did you see the episode last night. I was laughing at the fake and almost scripted banter between him and his current project manager. Can you imagine any boss that would take being called a dick by his employee. Don’t think so. It’s also funny how they showed him and his performance at the learning annex…he was like it’s a sell out. They packed all the people towards the front and only showed them standing…lol. If you look carefully there would have been a good bit more chairs empty when they were seated.

It really does suck how they get away with this nonsense. You have a lot of people that thought that they were being honest about their rags to riches story…yeah right.

It’s ok because Karma is a bitch and it will come back on them. The way he “Fixes” these houses is a down right shame. Can you imagine the poor first time homebuyer that buys his house. For the most part a new homebuyer is a bit house poor when they buy a house. So go figure the shit they end up in after buying one of his houses.

It seriously disgusts me when he goes on about just doing things cosmetically enough so he can get things past the inspectors eye. I hope all or some of the house inspectors in Texas see him and do their damndest to look much harder at one of his rehabs. The last episode he totally and clearly states how he does the cosmetic fix to just get by the inspectors eye so they don’t know any better. What a scumbag. Absolute and total scumbag is what he is.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 10:38 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Partial list of the properties “sold” at the Bexar County Courthouse on April 3, 2007 and “bought” by ‘VCH Funding’. I have 8 so far and 19 more to look up ; )

Bristol Land Trust - Guarantor and/or Trustee - Armando Montelongo
Weidner Land Trust - Guarantor and/or Trustee - Armando Montelongo
1609 Jefferson Land Trust - Guarantor and/or Trustee - Armando Montelongo
San Carlos Land Trust - Guarantor and/or Trustee - Armando Montelongo
Kashmuir Land Trust - Guarantor and/or Trustee - David Montelongo
Gibbs Sprawl Land Trust — Guarantor and/orTrustee - Mandoman Management
Lennon Land Trust - Guarantor and/orTrustee - Mandoman Management
114 Repose Land Trust - Guarantor and/orTrustee - David Montelongo

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 11:06 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Re: Angie & A&E

This is a bit off on the thread but I was curious if Sam was busted for this fraudelent stuff as well how come Angie got her own show? Does A&E just think that everyone is a dummy or do they feel that the whole scandal with Sam was hushed up enough.

Here they are giving Angie a show meanwhile how much credibility can she also have if she was working with that guy Sam on another show.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 11:34 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

That would be a “Jr.” after all of those listed as ‘Armando Montelongo’. Armando Montelongo Jr. ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 12:05 pm | Permalink
Turner wrote:

To Steve in Texas at 563. - Oops, I meant to quote Audrey from 435. :)

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 1:20 pm | Permalink
FIFI_33 wrote:

Kathleen I really appreciate the positive info. I literally just started moving around at 1pm after staying up until 4am raeding all of the different comments. Okay I’m sure I can ask one of my friends for a reference. I’m just wondering as far as the numbers go is my income enough to qualify me for that type of loan. I’m considering 20% down and my credit score was around 700 the last time I checked. Well I’ll take your advice, thanks again.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 1:45 pm | Permalink
Coastal wrote:

Wow, some people really get worked up over nothing. You’d think he was Bin Laden by the way you people here talk about him. Calm down, it’s just a show.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 2:16 pm | Permalink
Karen wrote:

Wow…I have been on here for hours and I must say this is something!!!! I have to comment on Steve in Texas and of course Mike Voss…while I do find your information great in many ways, I don’t understand how you both have the time to be on here 24/7 and continue to go on and on. You both have stated your point over and over, and seriously I have to agree with you two…BUT do records and the same old thing and childish banter have to continue? I can see you are trying to protect people from being ripped off but after saying something it …never stops. Mike, I also have to say to you that just because someone drives a Hummer and has a new car that doesn’t pollute like many out there…you shouldn’t be so concerned. Yes, I have one also, and if I can afford one and enjoy it, then who cares? I’m the one that makes the payments and can afford the gas! And my dog loves to hang her head out the window..lol Don’t judge because of that…I have flipped a few homes and got into the Lending business because I was taken advantage of with not knowing enough and didn’t know I could have saved my home years before. I now give back to the community and have that satisfaction of doing so. I know you and Steve are trying to help, I just feel that you carry it too far. So..be gentle on me…lol I don’t mean this in any way to be a slam. Also on Post 437…I can’t believe what you said about “Dog”. I also judged how he looked and his past, but after actually reading about him after he was the one that was responsible for the capture of Andrew Lester…I found him to be someone that turned his life around…I have seen things he has done with a lot of people and where he truly tries to make a difference now. Whew..I never thought I would ever respond to something on here…oh, one more thing, Rich Dad, Poor Dad I felt was a great book as it showed 2 different sides of Real Estate. OK…I am done now. Keep up the good work and seriously Steve and Mike..I do feel you are only trying to help but also had to speak my mind like everyone else…lol Mike…I wonder if you’re related to the “VOSS” water Company….I love that pure water…seriously.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
Karen wrote:

Kathleen,

As far as neg ams go, unless you acutually are a Lender I wouldn’t say they are a bad loan. It really depends on what State you live in. I have about 6 rentals that are in the loan and including my own personal residence. For years I would never do that loan but after really learning and understanding it, I would do that loan in a heartbeat. I am in CA. and while property is down here like everywhere else, it still gives you an option to pay 3 other ways such as an “Interest Only” a 30 year or a 15 year. If the Lender makes sure your margin in index are decent then there is no reason to do that type. I however would never do in TX and a few other States as they don’t appreciate in value as quickly. Just sharing…lol

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 3:49 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

re: Manny D post 559

“HY MIKE VOSS IM GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE THANKS.
IM NEW BUSINESS OWNER IN FLORIDA IN THE EPOXY FLOOR COATINGS AND GOT MY SELF A EXCLUSIVE TERRITORIES 7 MAYOR AREA CODES.

SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO HELP ME WITH MY NEW BUSINESS ON BETTER PROMOTE OR ADVERTISING.

I JUST NEED YOU TO GUIDE ME ON THE RIGHT TRACK IF YOU HAVE TIME.
I WILL PAY FOR YOUR SERVICES IT JUST WHEN I GOT IN THIS SITE AND FOUND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT CARES ABOUT COMPLETE STRANGERS ,YOU BEEN THE CREATOR OF IT MAKES ME PROUD OF KNOWING THAT WE STILL CARE ABOUT EACHOTHER IM SORRY MY TIPPING IS NOT THAT GOOD.

I LIKE WHAT YOUR DOING AND TO EVERY BODY INCLUDING Steve in Texas: GOD BLESS YOU AND IF YOU CAN HELP ME I WILL NOT FORGET.”?????

My brother, you didn’t ask me for help but I have to give you some anyway. You have to take some writing, typing, reading, english or some kind of class to make yourself seem a little more educated. People will not do business with you or maybe just take advantage of you if they see weakness. Im not trying to put you down, put after reading your post through two times, I still have no idea what you are talking about. Really my brother God bless and best wishes. I hope things go good for you.

Jeff

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 4:37 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Yo Steve in Texas
about post 656
what the flip does all that mean? Can you explain all the legal mumbo jumbo pls?
thanks,

Jeff

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
Julie wrote:

I know this is in response to a post made over a month ago and most of you have probably forgotten it but I wanted to address something. Dale wrote a very lengthy post about how the Montelongos are the only “real” people on TV and that “everyone in America is too scared to even feel, think or act like a real person. So many Americans in this generation have gone beyond and overboard of being sensitive, politically correct and paranoid!!! It’s called superficial judgmental people.” I am a middle school teacher. My patience is tried on a daily basis but never once have I cussed a student out because they didn’t get their work turned in on time. Even more, I don’t have the desire to cuss them out. Not all Americans treat others like crap. On the episode last night he said that he was really good at being a b****. Not all Americans take pride in that personality trait. You don’t have to agree with the posts on this site but you also don’t have to insult me. I am a real person and I act nothing like the Montelongos.

Btw, thanks for all the real information, not just personal attacks. Public records (most of the time) don’t lie. Thanks for shining light on the truth.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 5:39 pm | Permalink
Julie wrote:

Also, why on earth would you respect someone that destroys a phone, cusses you out, completely defies your authority, kicks in a wall, and then trespasses on your property. Who works for whom????

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 5:43 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

Here ya go! ; )

51.002 Sale of Real Property Under Contract Lien

http://weberlaw.com/BAPCPA/texas-property-code.htm#51.002

I found the ‘51.002′ thing on the docs themselves ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Karen,

No problem ; ) I’m self employed with a home based business so I’m on the Internet all the time anyway. This is just the ‘Perfect Storm’. The hype doesn’t jibe with the easily searchable property records for one thing.

Actually, I find the Montelongos’ MILDLY entertaining : ) lol

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
kathleen wrote:

FIFI_33 - While a score of 700 is excellent, I’m not sure your income is enough to get you qualified for that size of a loan. My personal experience tells me that based on the income you noted, you’d be more in line to qualify for somewhere between a $500-$600K property, but that would be for a lender to truly decide, as they’ll look at a lot of factors to make that determination…most importantly, your debt ratio. If you have a lot of extra money to put down, you could make up the difference to get the size home you want. However, if you have that much money to put down, it could be a better decision to buy less home, which would require less money down, and keep your additional money diversified in other investments.

Some items of note…the lender will be looking at the ratio of debt that you are carrying, and how quickly you pay off your balances. Your debt ratio will need to be below their limit…around my area, the top limit typically has been around 36% of a person’s income (with A+ credit), but lenders are tightening up on their qualifiers these days. So, you may find that some lenders will require that you are carrying less debt to qualify for a large loan. That’s where shopping for a lender is important…but just be sure the lender is reputable and is truly interested in getting the right loan for you, the potential home owner. The LAST thing you want to have happen is to lose your home because of a “funny money” mortgage.

Another item to consider…my understanding is that the housing market in much of the Miami area is soft right now. So, you may find that you can pick up a wonderful property for less…which also means you’ll be able to sell that property more quickly when the time comes for you to sell! Remember, expensive homes normally take much more time (and money) to sell, and they typically eat up a lot of money in maintenance and repairs during the time you own it. Again, here’s wishing you great luck in your home search!

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Oh, and Karen - That dipstick Lee accused me of committing ‘Libel’, twice! If anyone is going to try to ran that kind of SMACK on me they better be able to back it up. Hence, the property record details ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 6:16 pm | Permalink
kathleen wrote:

Karen (post #572) - You’re absolutely right, and I probably should have clarified a bit…a neg am loan is not necessarily a bad thing. However, as a realtor, I NEVER recommend them for first-time home buyers. I also have rentals, and I have a couple of variable rate loans with a neg am payment option. I find them perfect for me, as a rental owner. But, so many first-time buyers (and even savvy, experienced buyers) get themselves into trouble with these kinds of loans. I live in Colorado…we are running #3 in the US for foreclosures. Much of the foreclosures are because people got into loans that they could not manage, and they decided to pay only the lowest option, which forced them into a neg am situation. Couple that with a serious rate increase after the initial low interest period, and it’s a recipe for disaster. But…if an individual understands how to handle that kind of loan, it can work just fine. But again, I NEVER recommend that kind of a loan to a first-time buyer.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 6:38 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Despite their best efforts to conceal the identity of the house, I found it.

Armando is trying really hard to cover his tracks, but not good enough.

Either this was a contract flip or he is operating under/with GJ Properties LLC.

They/he took out a 192,371.09 loan (May 15,2007). I guess that covered the sale, rehab and closing costs. Of course this DOES NOT add up to what was shown on TV.

Good luck in getting 235K, comps in the area are going for around 200K. The curb appeal is terrible.

Legal disc: Lot 18 Block 18 New City Block 10065

Address: 219 Shannon Lee, San Antonio, TX

Current Tax assessed value: 135K

Notice some changes on the show:

He is now founder of Armando Montelongo Companies. Veronica is vice president of the same. What happen to Montelongo House Buyers?

I got this vibe that Randy the roofer didn’t want to be there.

Chris the Intern, nowhere to be seen, no loss.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 6:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

Here’s how it breaks down easier. ‘VCH Funding’ was their hard money lender on a ton of properties that they, Montelongo et. al., defaulted on in some way. And subsequently lost on April 3, 2007.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 7:18 pm | Permalink
FIFI_33 wrote:

Kathleen wow how informative you are. Let me tell you I was looking around for property in Miami and stumbled across Keyes RE website and I saw some phenominal property. I love the nice homes located on the water where you also have a boat slip for those with boats. I also saw some very nice properties in the 500k-600k range as well. I was really going back and forth over the downpayment @ 20% on a million dollar home anyway. So I may just go with one of the nicer lower priced homes. Thanks

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 7:21 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson!!!

You ARE good!!! I knew you’d find it ; )

I caught the ‘219′ on the show but that was it

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 7:59 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson - On the show…

“The Montelongo Bunch” - Episode 40

Paid $125K
Renov $45K
Overage $4K
_______________

Total Inv. $174K

Asking $235K

Pot. Profit. $61K

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 8:05 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Texas Steve
Thanks for the link but I still dont understand a few of the “terms” and “players” in the mix. for instance: what are
Docket Type: INJUNCTION
Case Status: DISPOSED
Guarantor and/or Trustee

who are:
VCH FUNDING CORP
Bristol Land Trust
Weidner Land Trust
1609 Jefferson Land trust
Or maybe you can explain the process of losing your house on the court house steps(something I dont want to experience.)

I know I sound like a twit but I just dont know about all this litigation stuff
Jeff

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 8:35 pm | Permalink
Karen wrote:

Steve…totally understand about the Lee comment…all is good here. I feel better just by commenting.

Kathleen…I agree, but I have done 1st Time Buyer’s with a neg BUT they have totally understood the loan and also put 30% down. This was before the market went soft everywhere. They are still ok though, as when someone put’s down that much in CA…the equity they keep is good even in a tough market. Besides, I have faith the market will get better, it always does…You have been wonderful with explaining things though on here, I wish the CA Realtors cared like you do :) Although…I would never tell a client about what the Realtor’s job is and I would never want a Realtor to tell my client about loans when that’s my job to be the informative one. I do understand how many people are not ethical though. I always tell my clients when they ask about something that pertains to the house they are buying…ask your Realtor..that’s their forte’ mine in reagarding the loan. The Realtor always appreciates that. So…best of luck to you and I appreciate all you have said here.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 8:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

A contract lien was put on all of those properties due to default.

My best guess would be 1) The contracts had an expiration date for full payment and the clock ran out and/or 2) The interest payments weren’t kept current. That’s just my best guess and ONLY a guess. The only thing I know for sure is that it happened ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 9:21 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Correction:

My mistake, GJ Properties, LLC was the (hard money)lender and not the owner. The property is still owned by 219 Shannon Lee Land Trust. The trustee (one of) is still MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT, INC. - Armando Montelongo as it’s president.

Moreover, MANDOMAN MANAGEMENT, INC. failed to file it’s required list of officers with the state of Nevada and thus is NOT in good standing. Then again, he may have moved his company to another state.

Operating a company not in good standing can expose it’s officers to the company’s debts, lawsuits, taxes, and liabilities. This mistake can screw you up big time.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve in Texas:

There were way too many tells.

1) I knew Armando was driving on McCullough near Oblate (I saw the bus route number on the side and the school sign) when he was telling us how he found the property.

2) Typical ranch one story homes built in the 60’s located in Shearer Hills or north of the area.

3) When Armando mentioned center of town and behind a major mall. I knew he was talking about North Star mall. The house is located about a mile north of the mall.

4) The basketball court across the street was another tell. It’s still in the driveway.

5) They forgot to cover the address up when Veronica was waiting outside for the Kitchen expert, but I already found the house.

6) The house is a few blocks away from their first featured flip - “Movie Star” episode. Not a tell, just FYI. :-)

7) Position of the garage and shadows (street going east-west) means it was an odd number address. The terrain was flat and one block away east of a busy street (Armando bouncing the test ball in the street - McCullough Ave). Took about 30 minutes to find it.

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 10:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “The Montelongo Bunch”

That HUGE yellow background with black letter silk screen thing on it tacked on the house at that end of the show has NO contact phone number on it whatsoever. Same deal with the ‘FOR SALE’ sign planted by Veronica in the yard.

Only this on BOTH of them as a contact. http://www.ArmandoMontelongo.com

And of course we already know that site has NO houses listed ‘for sale’ on it. Only Ebooks and similar “product” unless I’m missing something ; )

Haha. Busted again ; )

Posted on 12-Aug-07 at 11:41 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Jeff (Post #587),

VCH Funding is a hard money lender in San Antonio. They lent money to the Montelongos on numerous properties. The Montelongos titled those properties in the name of numerous trusts - Bristol Land Trust, Weidner Land Trust, etc.

From the research others are doing it appears that while the property was titled in the name of the trust, many of the the loans were personally guaranteed by the Brothers Montelongo.

While we may not know exactly how, or to what extent, the bottom line is that the loans being discussed went into default and were foreclosed on and taken back by the lender VCH Funding. In other words, the Montelongos had the homes repossessed.

I am told by someone locally that many of them are now listed on the MLS and are for sale by VCH Funding.

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 1:29 am | Permalink
David Sprinkle wrote:

Shame on the Montelangos, the Atlanta people, and A&E for continuing to push forth with this travesty.

Shame on my wife for contiuning to make me watch it. :-)

Armando, if you do read this site…where you are going…don’t drop the soap.

Thanks for the fun read folks.

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 2:19 am | Permalink
david wrote:

I sent an email to the dynamic duo about the claims via their myspace pages.

I think the show is a farce. It makes outrageous claims. It makes real estate look like a game for clowns with more time spent with Hummers than anything.

997 dollars is a tax on stupidity. I’m glad for this great resource!

I’m going to make a show called “Flip This Stock” where I’ll drive around fancy cars and yell at others to find better stocks. I’ll throw things and blah blah blah.

Then I’ll start selling $997 programs to pick good stocks as well as I do. I’m successful; you see me on TV!

Successful people DO write books about their experiences. People like to teach. Guess what? I can buy a book by Bill Gates for less than $997 dollars. Oh sorry, CDs and DVDS- what a joke.

Scam scam scam scam scam scam…

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 2:32 am | Permalink
Lee wrote:

“Yo Steve in Texas
about post 656
what the flip does all that mean? Can you explain all the legal mumbo jumbo pls?
thanks,

Jeff ”

He doesn’t know, he’s guessing Armando got some of his houses repossessed.

“Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

A contract lien was put on all of those properties due to default.

My best guess would be 1) The contracts had an expiration date for full payment and the clock ran out and/or 2) The interest payments weren’t kept current. That’s just my best guess and ONLY a guess. The only thing I know for sure is that it happened ; ) ”

When you have actual facts about what the records mean then come back and post them…until then I suggest you stop giving the impression Armando is a con man and is defaulting on loans, etc, etc.

Armando mentioned in his webinar he recently sold off a bunch of houses and is going to concentrate more on commercial property.

My guess is he had VCH funding sell the houses for him or something like that.

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 7:00 am | Permalink
Sue wrote:

Yesterday I heard, for the first time, a commerical on the radio starring Armondo himself. I cannot remember what he was hawking because near the end he said “Being broke sucks!” I was floored! That is SO professional. And he wonders why people don’t think highly of him. What a joke!

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 12:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “My guess is he had VCH funding sell the houses for him or something like that”

ROTFLMAO!

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 4:01 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I figured you saw some landmarks ; )

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FTHFan…NOT!,

Yep. “VCH Funding” is the current owner of record on 37 properties according to the Bexar Appraisal District site ; )

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 4:20 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Lee:
You said…
“Armando mentioned in his webinar he recently sold off a bunch of houses and is going to concentrate more on commercial property.

My guess is he had VCH funding sell the houses for him or something like that.”

YEAH RIGHT… then why did Armando go through the trouble and file a TRO…not once but SEVEN times (July 2006, April 2007, August 2007-five times)????

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 6:06 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Boyson - GREAT job finding that house brother! You should be CIA or a cop or something! :-)

Mike Voss - When are you going to fill us in on your review of Armandos junk? Or did I miss it???

This kinda sucks guys… I used to idolize Armando… Thanks for the knowledge here! :-)

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 6:56 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:

Other things that could have happened…

1) As of April 2007, all those properties had unpaid property taxes. The note clearly states that property taxes must be kept up to date. On May 31, 2007, the property taxes on all the foreclosed properties were paid on May 31, 2007 by the various Montelongo trusts.

2) Transfer of a portion or all of the interest of the property without getting permission from the note holder or trustee of the lender. Discovery of such transfers can trigger (at the option of the lender) a “due on sale” which the borrower has 30 days to pay the note in full. See Section 16 on the note.

I think number 2 was the most likely scenario. Someone must have notified Texas State Bank (or they discovered) several of their deeds of trust were transfered from the original borrower to another party and in some cases had addition liens (second mortgages) made by the second party.

Many of Armando’s controlled properties show a transfer of deed to another party but there is never a release of lien from the original lender (Texas State Bank/VCH Funding). I suspect he never sought permission to transfer the deed to another person and unfortunately the bank found out and thus triggered a multitude of “due on sale” notices.

Facts:
All these foreclosures in 2007 are being conducted by one lender - VCH Funding.

Moreover, several release of liens (notes paid in full) from Texas State Bank on other Montelongo properties…

Doc #20070151288 $297,500 - Rancho Montelongo

Doc #2007051265 131,240 - “Movie Star” house.

On the “Movie Star” house, the Montelongos had the new owner sign a 170K promissory note. And then the Montelongos sold that note to another hard money lender.

However, there was never a release of lien from the original lender (Texas State Bank/ VCH Funding) but there was a transfer of deed to the new owner. Thus, this property which is tax appraised at 135K in 2006, and sold for 175K (according to FTH), at one time had mortgages totaling more than 300K!

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 7:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

You first landed on this thread on July 10, 2007 (post #359) and you said you and your brother were about to buy your first house to flip. After trashing just about everybody on this thread first, of course ; )

Nothing wrong with flipping, nothing. I might do it myself. You had best take off the ‘Rose Colored Glasses’ first though, Lee.

Aren’t you at least intellectually curious enough to get a FREE registration and read for yourself the documents that you keep incorrectly guessing about?

Do it here, right now…

http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/

If you don’t educate yourself backwards and forwards about what’s involved and think you’ll “learn as you go” on the financial and contractual end, you’re Shark Bait!

Forget what Armando said - “Flipping is like riding a bicycle” - It isn’t ; )

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 10:05 pm | Permalink
Sonia wrote:

I have been watching the Montelongos for some time. I have always thought Armando was a jerk and treated his wife like a contractor. How can she take this and even the contractors and project managers call him harsh names in front of her.
I like the show but I hate his arragant attitude.

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 10:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Killer job of pulling it all together! WOW! Excellent!

Posted on 13-Aug-07 at 11:13 pm | Permalink
James in California wrote:

I was flipping homes before it was actually called flipping. Trust me there is not a whole lot to it. I have purchased over 50 properties all will VERY little or no money down, rehabed them, rented some and sold the rest. You don’t need a $100 or $1000 package from Armando to figure this out……

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 1:14 am | Permalink
kathleen wrote:

Karen - Sounds like you know your stuff on the loan side! I agree with you…the market will get better. It’s only a matter of time. And now is a GREAT time for investors to buy and hold properties! I’m trusting you’ve got some terrific loan business coming your way! And I do understand your thoughts…best to leave the loan questions to the mortgage lender, and the realtor questions to the realtor. :^) Here’s wishing you well, too! And thanks for your insightful comments!

FIFI_33 - Here’s wishing you well, too! Sounds like you’re finding some interesting info on properties in the Miami area. Have great fun finding and buying your perfect, first home! (My favorite part is the doing the showings. I LOVE looking at homes!)

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 1:49 am | Permalink
Lee wrote:

Steve #604:

Yes, my brother and I did buy a house several weeks ago, we close Aug 24.
We bought a 1400 sq ft, 3 bedroom house in Grand Prairie, TX for $43k. Assessed value is $74,500. The house needs very little work and we’ll make a good profit.

I didn’t buy Armandos book nor recommend buying it(because of the cost)…but watching Armando has given me motivation to flip a house. I’ve learned a lot from him and still am.
I’m not interested in the Armandos county records because like you I’m not going to understand all the legalities and business manuverings he and his lenders are doing, nor do I care to know.
I’m flipping a house using common sense and a little bit of smarts…and motivation from Armando.
We’re paying for the flip house with cash so no need for financing with someone like VCH financing.
Actually I have a personal line of credit I’m using for my half to pay for the house, like I mentioned before..use other peoples money, I’ll keep my cash under my mattress.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 3:37 am | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Steve in Texas post 604

That is what I have been doin for two years now. Learning the flipping game everyway I can before acually buying. I am glad I did because, 1. I now know what to expect and 2. the market is changed and I might of taken a hit from the soft market. I live in Indianapolis and our market is not as hot as say, Chicago or Detroit. I read earlier this year that Indys average housing market only appreciates .02% - .75% a year so any negative change in the national rate hurts us alot more then a place like L.A.

Anyway I have been thinking and I came to the conclusion that A&E not only knows about the Montelongos(which includes all 4 of them because David, Milina, and Veronica all had their parts in this lie)but also help them with their lie. Think about it. If they kick them off the show that will me 3 different cast they had to change. That would hurt rating and also slow the sale of people buying they shows online. Not to mention their reputation would be hurt. They are probably getting a Percentage from Armando’s book and cd’s. We know Departure Films were in on the Laccima scam. Also, if they took the San Antonio cast off they would be left with the Connecicut guys and IMOH I dont think they are pulling in the ratings. They are ok but there is no drama or personality on their shows. Its somewhat boring. What would A&E put in that time slot, more Dog the Bounty Hunter? Things just dont add up. Maybe I am reading more into it than I should.
Jeff

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 4:54 am | Permalink
Doug wrote:

Boyson - Great job in finding that house from the episode on August 11, 2007.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 9:46 am | Permalink
Jeff in Texas wrote:

I just recently found this website, and I have to reluctantly admit, that I stayed up late last night reading all 600+ posts.

My comments are as follows:
1. I started watching the Flip This House (FTH) series on A&E during the first year with Richard Davis and really enjoyed it, mostly because I am a weekend warrior and watched the show mainly to learn more about home improvement projects. The learning thing is still the main reason that I watch the show.
2. I continue to watch FTH on A&E with Armando, again, mainly to learn.
3. As with all reality shows, my on-going assumption is that alot of the show is “staged”, and take with a grain of salt some of the overacting, especially with Armando. Yes, he comes across looking like a total ass sometimes, but again, I chalk alot of that up to the staging and pure entertainment value.
4. I also take with a grain of salt some of the proposed profits that Armando claims on the show. And, I also seriously doubt that he is able to do some of the flips on the show for the money that he claims he spent.
5. All aside, I view this FTH show as purely entertainment.
6. Mike Voss, I am anxiously waiting on your assessment of Armando’s material, more out of curiosity than anything else. I would never pluck down $1000 of my hard earned money for his material, because as with most things like this, you can get the same expert stuff at the library, or somewhere on the internet.
7. I am not here to try to convince people that Armando is a saint, nor am I here to villify him. With that said, here are my other comments:
a. Why are people knocking Armando for trying to sell his expertise, whether or not you believe he has any expertise? He certainly is not the first so called “expert” to try to sell educational material to the public.
b. Even if Mike Voss finds that most, if not all, of Armando’s material can be found elsewhere, what’s wrong with that? Again, he won’t be the first person to charge for something that is available cheaper elsewhere.
c. This is a case of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). This applies to both the FTH show, as well as anyone contemplating buying his course. As stated before, I don’t believe half of what I hear/hear on the show because I consider it to be meant for pure entertainment only. And for those of you thinking about buying the course material, then wait until Mike Voss’s review before making a decision.
d. Although I have never flipped a house, I can imagine during the housing boom in many parts of the country these past five or so years, that there was alot of money to be made flipping. Now, with the housing markets slowing down, I am also sure that it is now much more difficult to make money flipping. So, whatever techniques are in Armando’s course, those techniques may not work in today’s market.

’nuff said I suppose.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 10:05 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “We bought a 1400 sq ft, 3 bedroom house in Grand Prairie, TX for $43k. Assessed value is $74,500.”

Howdy, neighbor! Sounds like I’m about 30 minutes from you ; ) That’s the way I’d do it too. Bankroll it myself. Let us know how it turns out

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 10:33 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Texas,

I don’t know if there ever was any but any credibility Armando may have had with me flew out the window when he obviously embellishes what he’s done and is doing to the point of absurdity.
20-30 flips a month ain’t happening and never did, IMO, and he also isn’t the “Largest residential real estate investor in America” either ; )

In sales, you first have to sell yourself. No sale ; )

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 11:08 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Again, great job! There’s a laundry list of things that can trigger a lien on those hard money loans which is basically anything and everything that constitutes “non performance” and/or deviation of the agreed upon terms.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 11:24 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lee,

Re: “I’m not interested in the Armandos county records because like you I’m not going to understand all the legalities and business manuverings he and his lenders are doing, nor do I care to know.”

The details of the notes aren’t available to the public. Hence, “best guess” why the default(s)

It’s “Contract Law 101″ and that I do get ; )

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 12:16 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Texas wrote:

Steve in Texas:

I agree that flipping 20-30 houses a month has to be a gross exaggeration of the facts. But, as I said before, I consider Armando and the FTH show to be nothing but pure entertainment, and alot of playing up to the cameras. I do learn things from the show just by watching demolitions and some of the reconstruction work.

It’ll be interesting to see if he stays in business, or if A&E continues to air his show. He had to lose a lot of money on that house that had the seriously cracked foundation and resulting “warped” roof. I wish A&E would have showed us how he fixed the cracked foundation.

As for those people who buy these self proclaimed expert’s products, well, there’s a sucker born every minute, or so I hear.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 1:02 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Texas,

They leveled the foundation (for now) and “fixed” the roof because it was visible. The ‘bones’ or structure though has gotta be severely ‘tweaked’ with loose nails all over the place I would think at minimum.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 1:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from the TWOP Forum (posted tody). LOL!

“My husband called me on my way home from work yesterday to tell me that a Montelongo SUV was parked at a house up the street from us. I did not notice a “for sale” sign when I drove by nor did I see a camera crew but I will keep my eye on it for awhile. It seems that my husband was almost hit by the same Montelongo vehicle (driven by one of the women) in traffic not too long ago. I sure would hate to see his ass in my neighborhood. If they start filming, we have vowed to drive by regularly and yell, “Armando is a tool and a douchebag!” and other such truths.”

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 2:24 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

FYI:

It appears The Montelongo Bunch house is still being rehabbed. I drove by to do some photos, but there were contractors outside. The garage door was opened and I noticed a pallet of sheet rock inside. I thought they were finished with rehabbing?

I have the raw jpeg (large 1.5 meg) picture on my website and decide for yourself.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 2:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I guess that “potential profit” of $61K is circling the drain ; )

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 2:43 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Boyson: RE: THe Montelongo Bunh house still being rehabbed: Undoubtedly all Armando’s work is now being ripped out and done correctly by someone competent hired by whichever investor foreclosed on it, took it back, and is now liquidating it! (yeah Armando, a tennis ball is much better than a level or laser….especially since it has a felt-like exterior subject to flattening or catching - a solid ball would have been a more competent incompetent tool.)

FYI Everyone sorry I am so far behind on getting my review of Armando’s e-books up. Unlike Armando, I actually have to build houses most days and do other things when I have free time! I am shooting for having it up here by the weekend.

Best regards,

Mike Voss

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 2:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I saw your PDF’s too. So the TRO’s were for…

433 Marquette Land Trust
San Bernardo Land Trust
Jesse Land Trust
Painted Horse Land Trust

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 3:17 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

boyson wrote:

FYI:

It appears The Montelongo Bunch house is still being rehabbed. I drove by to do some photos, but there were contractors outside. The garage door was opened and I noticed a pallet of sheet rock inside. I thought they were finished with rehabbing?

I have the raw jpeg (large 1.5 meg) picture on my website and decide for yourself.

Look like they got new windows and a nice lawn but the drive way could use some work.
Jeff

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 3:36 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

To steve in Texas…you go…lol. That gave me a good laugh to think of you driving by their job site and hollering “Armando is a douchebag and a tool!”

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
Shay wrote:

I am a realtor here in San Antonio and have heard thru numerous sources that the whole show is fraud. These houses they show that have sold for so much are still available now. I have access to the Multiple Listing Service and they are on there with price reductions. Reality TV is nothing but a huge prop of crud.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 8:46 pm | Permalink
Shay wrote:

Well I just read all the recent posts and figured mine wasn’t as informative as I thought. :) You all know it’s fraud.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 9:06 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Texas wrote:

Just a note:

You can now find the set of 5 ebooks from Armando on ebay for about $5.00.

Prices are falling fast….get it while you can!

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 9:07 pm | Permalink
Jane wrote:

Seems as though Armando keeps thinking of new ways to sell his “knowledge.”
******
WOW! Over 10 000 emails have come in today about
our Assessing Properties DVD located at

http://armandomontelongo.com/dvd.php

My internet team and I are working VERY diligently to
get all your questions answered in a timely manner
but please give us a few business days.

I just wanted to let you know
that if you do not get a response today, you will get one
with in 2 business days!

My deepest apologies!

–Armando Montelongo
President
Armando Montelongo Worldwide Inc.

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 10:04 pm | Permalink
Abel wrote:

FRAUDULENT SALES………Steve and Mike. I was just told about this website from my brother. Unfortunately I am related to Armando through marriage. However thankfully we don’t share blood. I am not an avid viewer of the Television show, however on occassion I have seen it. There was one show in particular, I believe this was the show where they purchased the home from a flipper who had gotten in over his head. Veronica sold a home to a woman with red hair, who was purchasing the home for her son who was moving to San Antonio from California. The lady got out of what appeared to be a silver colored Dodge vehicle. This woman was Veronica Montelongo’s mother Maria, pretending to be a buyer. I am sure that there were several other shows that were doctored as well. Just food for thought…

Posted on 14-Aug-07 at 11:24 pm | Permalink
BOHICA wrote:

Here’s how it ends….The fool is outed nationally, the wife dumps his A as she tells the media she was “put up to it” and never meant to hurt anyone - in fact she’s a victim herself. A few months later she’s flippin’ for Playboy and the fool goes on Oprah saying he’s reformed, redeemed, and born again. They start a ministry and make billions laundering money for the Cartels.

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 11:03 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jane,

Hehe. So according to the video… Armando gets a hard money loan, buys the property, rehabs it and has about $20K left over which he keeps and puts in his pocket right out of the gate. I’m having a REAL hard time believing that, real hard time.

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 12:05 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Texas wrote:

Steve in Texas,

I agree with your last poat (632). I had to listen to the video twice before I totally understood what he said about the $20K that “he put in his pocket at closing”.

So, what he’s basically saying is that he got a loan for $65K for rehab costs, used only $45K to rehab the house, and put the balance in his pocket?? And, the lender just says, “sure, keep my money??”

Yeah, right.

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 12:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “I’m having a REAL hard time believing that, real hard time.”

Deed of Trust Terms

“A portion of the indebtedness, the payment of which is evidenced by the Note is in part payment of the purchase price of the property…

The balance of the indebtedness, the payment of which is hereby secured represents cash advanced to the Grantor, by the Lender, for the purpose of construction of improvements to the hereinabove described property.”

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 12:51 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:
Lets just say he actually pocketed 20K at closing, yet this is LOANED money, he has to pay it back. I guess he was flipping out on those cost overruns because he already had that 20K spent :-).

Mike:
I doubt they were refixing defects. We would have seen a TRO :-). Did you notice they only showed ONE of the bedrooms, ONE of the bathrooms AND no after shots of the backyard (bet the back part of the house is unpainted).

I also went by “The Cottage” house. Guess what, they’re still working on it. The east part of the house is unpainted and there is a side door also unpainted. Chris the intern must have missed that :-). It was covered up by a clump of trees.

Jane:
I got the same email from Armando. My guess he’s shitting bricks that the truth about the “Montelongo Bunch” house is out and has to re-edit the DVD and do damage control. If it was 10,000 emails, I wouldn’t be surprised if 9750 of them are requesting refunds. :-)

Jeff:
You mentioned the lawn appeared in good shape. Sorry to say but the lawn looks awful (the photo doesn’t really show it). There are three types of grass mixed in the yard with weeds and dead spots. There are several house in the area on the market that have 10 times better curb appeal.

FYI, David and Melina Montelongo’s website tribeworkshop.com is offering a bus tour in an upcoming seminar in September showcasing properties featured on FTH. It’s now been re-edited and there is NO mention about FTH on the bus tour.

I wouldn’t be surprised if David and Melina claim they were victims of identity theft and it was their evil twins from another dimension who appeared on FTH… it could happen :-)

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 1:59 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “Did you notice they only showed ONE of the bedrooms, ONE of the bathrooms AND no after shots of the backyard (bet the back part of the house is unpainted).”

Hehe. Yep. If you recorded it take a CLOSE look at the tile on the bathroom floor ; ) LOL

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 2:22 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

wow, this is alot of information. I did not know all this about the show. But even with all the good and bad of the show, its making everyone here take time off their lifes to write something about Armando and Veronica. So that means that they are doing something right,with our without merit they are getting paid. We all play the roll when were at work to get the job done even if it means telling the customer what they want to hear to make them feel good about themselves. I have small independant real estate and mortgage compnay in California and I enjoy the show,true or not. its entertaining and it makes us do what they want and that is watch the show. all reality shows are edited and staged, theres no script in life only in reality TV.

they are taking advantage of their recognition and there is nothing wrong with that. We are all grown men and women and can make our own mind.
AS THE SAYING GOES,”DON’T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME”

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 4:56 pm | Permalink
FIFI_33 wrote:

TO POSTING #607 JAMES IN CALIFORNIA: DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR A FIRST TIME FLIPPER ? MY IDEA WAS TO DO WHAT YOU HAVE DESCRIBED RENT SOME AND SALE SOME. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR A FIRST TIME PURCHASER ? AND DOES IT MATTER IF THE PURCHASE IS A TOWNHOME/CONDO VERSUS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME ? I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME KNOWLEDGE FROM AN EXPERIENCED “FLIPPER”

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 6:24 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I’ll go on record and say right here and now that any DVD Armando is selling purporting to tell people how to assess properties is 100% worthless.

Armando and his cohorts have next to zero knowledge as tradespeople, builders, or assessors and, as such, have no place advising anyone else as to how to assess the value of properties. I know full well I have better qualifications than most of the appraisers/assessors in my local phone book, yet I do not hire myself out for that purpose. The ability to determine the value of any property is in direct proportion to one’s knowledge of constructing such a property and years of experience spent doing/evaluating such construction *in that specific market area*. Mechanics are the experts when it comes to cars, builders and tradespeople are the experts when it comes to houses, and housing is regional so they need localized expertise.

Armando is nothing more than an amateur speculator and, as such, has no business selling a DVD purporting to tell people how to value properties.

Don’t buy it - it is a waste of money. End of story.

Mike

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “219 Shannon Lee”

Check out the house next door, 215 Shannon Lee, at the “Records”. It’s owned by “GET OUT N GET IT CASHFLOW SYSTEMS LLC”. 2brm/2bth, 1,300+ sq ft. Recently sold for $1,6+M. LOL!

Hehe. There’s some serious games going on here ; )

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: 215 Shannon Lee

Doc # 20070167308

$1,658,625.00! LOL!!!!

I’m getting that “sinking feeling” that the entire street has some foundation “issues” ; ) LOL

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 10:02 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

FIFI_33,

DO NOT look at a single family residence as being an ‘Investment Property’

- Richard Davis, 7/27/2007, Charleston

I paid about $1,000 to get there and hear that, among other things ; )

You just got it for nothing ; )

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Boyson,

Nice picture there. hehehe Looks like a quick drive by picture.

My wife and I have driven by the properties on Trinity and off of Babcock. The Trinity one’s were still being worked on and the Babcock was up for rent for the longest time. This was a few months ago though, dont know how they are now.

Posted on 15-Aug-07 at 10:32 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:

You might recheck that, the property listed on that document is in near/in Hill Country Village.

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 9:52 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Good eye! Forget the doc# then but check out the address, 215 Shannon Lee

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 10:35 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

“GET OUT N GET IT CASHFLOW SYSTEMS LLC” owns 215 Shannon Lee and several others. I just grabbed the wrong doc#

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 11:03 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

VCH FUNDING CORP 20070186824 8/7/2007

It looks like the 4 that had a TRO on them were it in the last go around ; )

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 2:06 pm | Permalink
ronnie dobbs wrote:

Long time lurker, first time poster. I HATE Armondo, he is so phoney, any way the reason I posted was no one said anything about his “sweaty man boobs” about 3/4 of the way through the show, it’s where he is firing his new “contruction foreman”. You can see his shirt is wet under his ol nasty man boobs.

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 3:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Ha! I found the 5th one! The one we couldn’t find a TRO for.

34th Street Land Trust

It’s unclear though at this point if it was foreclosed on and sold at auction on 8/7 though!? We’ll have watch the records as they become available.

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 9:10 pm | Permalink
Ric wrote:

Hey all…I live in Vegas and there are a lot of homes for sale out here. I own a house and have always thought about flipping one. Thanks for all of the advise. Im one of those people that watches all of those house flipping shows. I watch for the entertainment but also to learn. Im glad I found this site. You all have opened my eyes to a lot of the BS stuff and I just wanted to say thanks. Ric

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 9:11 pm | Permalink
William J. wrote:

Good info on Real Estate Investing http://www.success.org/re/

Some good info about the credibility of Flip this House on here. To those who did some credible reasearch for this site, thanks for the help. And for the few who just keep cryin and whinning about Armondo, shut up and see a psychiatrist for god sakes, we know you hate him already. LOL.

Posted on 16-Aug-07 at 10:23 pm | Permalink
jim_p wrote:

to mike voss:

so mike what do you suggest for a 38 year old who has a no where job but can’t quit because of a disabiled wife and a 3 year old child? I would love to finish college but can’t because of my family obligations and also for a lack of money. I’m very interested in real estate and want something that can give my family a good future and income. I’m not sure what to believe with all these experts out there. Where do I start?

Posted on 17-Aug-07 at 12:08 am | Permalink
David Corley wrote:

There is some really great advice in this forum and the general consensus is that Armando is a crook. I love the Flip This House and Flip That House shows for entertainment value only.

Armando Montelongo is so popular with people because he represents the false dream that you can be exceedingly wealthy with no effort or resources to begin with. No knowledge, no money down and this appeals to the public mass because many of them have no knowledge of this business and no money to get started. It’s the classic “if I can do it you can do it” lie. He repeatedly says he couldn’t do the simplest of home repairs if he had too yet he does 25 - 30 flips a month.

This is like someone telling you that you can be a doctor quite easily with no lengthy and expensive formal education.

I want to get into this biz, but my plan is to learn as much as possible in a year and start small with a townhouse rental and attempt to acquire 1 - 2 properties per year and get the real world experience.

In my research I’ve found a true guru who doesn’t even call himself that. John T. Reed. He won’t sell you a multi-thousand course or one-on-one time with one of his personally trained “mentors”. His books are about the nuts of bolts of the real estate world and cost about $30 each. Research him for yourself and make your own conclusions http://www.johntreed.com/rateseminars.html

Mike Voss is right. There are no shortcuts in this industry.

On the John T. Reed website there is a B.S. checklist. Armando hits many of the points on this list. http://www.johntreed.com/BSchecklist.html

P.S. I ordered montelongo’s ebook through a half off offer ($47). Interestingly, the book is five chapters long and I don’t recall seeing the word “tax” once.

His whole premise seems to be to prey on other’s misfortunes, con them out their dire situation, fix the property, and sell it for below market value. All with the help of a hard money lender.

Posted on 17-Aug-07 at 11:12 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

David Corley,

Re: “The Real Estate B.S Artist Detection List”

LOL! PRICELESS!!!! ; )

Posted on 17-Aug-07 at 2:08 pm | Permalink
tonisatx wrote:

I have flipped 3 properties in San Antonio. My father, who is my invester, is also on the county tax appraisal review board. He’s heard claims made my Armando. We find it really hard to believe the money amounts that are listed as being true.

I’m sorry that I don’t have a specific show in mind but weve commented many times that with the amount of workers on the property there is no way the improvements cost what they are showing.

There was one show in particular that I really got a good laugh out of. When they were flipping the house that they then moved into they sold their previous home too soon and had to move into a hotel for a while. He complained about spending $200/night. In San Antonio $200/night is almost the best hotel in town!!! If he doesn’t want to spend that money then he could have spent the time at a nice hotel for $100-$150 without any problem!!

Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 8:15 pm | Permalink
Stacy wrote:

Doesn’t A&E mean Art & ENTERTAINMENT???
I love to watch the show for the pure entertainment value. I’ve been flipping houses full time now for 9 years and there is no way that one person or 10 people can flip 25-30 houses a month. That’s a huge hint that the show is for the pure entertainment value it offers viewers.I can see though how newbie investors would believe that it’s real. The flipping shows appeal to a large mass of people looking for a better life style. Rehabbing is a whole lot of work that comes with a whole lot of headaches that can come with a whole lot of money. Unfortunately, the flipping shows are too short to show what really happens on a day to day basis and they rarely stress that flipping is NOT a get rich quick scheme.Most anybody can get in the game and most everybody Will make money IF the house is purchased properly and the renovations are appropriate for the area and if they can take the stress. I love this line of work and wish I had started when I was 20 years younger instead of wasting 22 years of my life in the electric/gas utility business. I say Go For It! Who cares what Armando or anybody else does? Read everything you can get your hands. Here’s a hint, I’ve been reading many different “guru” programs for many years and they all basically say the same thing. Different words, maybe a different path but all seeking the same results. I started with Carleton Sheets in 1998 and it was just what I needed to begin the education process..I knew nothing! His course was a complete eye opener for me, just what I needed. It was easy to learn and it made sense. To this day,I continue to be on his national infomercial (since 2000). No matter where you get your educational materials from or who motivates you, it’s all a step in the right direction to a new career in real estate investing (buying,holding,flipping,renting,etc.). Most courses that you buy for your business are a tax write-off so keep that in mind, with your receipts. If you like Armando and his style suits yours, then you will probably learn something of use. Bottm line: Whatever floats your boat or trips your tigger..go for it!

Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 8:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Stacy,

Re: “Doesn’t A&E mean Art & ENTERTAINMENT??? I love to watch the show for the pure entertainment value. I’ve been flipping houses full time now for 9 years and there is no way that one person or 10 people can flip 25-30 houses a month.”

“You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig” ; )

Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:16 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

stacy:
At what point does entertainment become fraud? when your passing yourself off as an expert and making false claims to have people buy your products when does a “realty show” cross the line?

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 12:02 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

I watched flip 101 again and they now have an update at the end. It says that the sale fell through and it’s currently being rented for a profit…

They need to do yet another update. Armando sold the house on August 3, 2007. The new owner took out a loan for $51,000.

Even if the new owner put up 20% down (I doubt it), it still doesn’t add up to the $95,000 Armando claimed it was worth. If you add up the holding costs, back taxes, closing cost, and filing a TRO to save it from foreclosure, he lost money on the deal - even if you add in the rental income.

Reference docs 20070186471, 20070186472

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 1:50 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

If someone can call themselves a success at flipping 25-30 houses a month how come they have such a small team. I believe it can probably be done but with a huge support team and staff. Which these guys definitely don’t have. They can’t even keep their contractors and laborers on staff.

I watched that house last night where Armando bought it from a guy trying to do a flip and couldn’t hack it. I wonder how on earth he thought he could tell the new foundation guy that he could take the previous guys tools. Did you guys find anything that shows if the foundation guy did indeed put a lien on the house or was that just more hogwash?

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 9:30 am | Permalink
Stacy wrote:

657 & 658 I couldn’t agree with you more and I certainly don’t condone fraud. My point of view was more from an entertainment value that the show offers, with a few truthful and helpful points made along the way coupled with motivation (for sale).
Like I said, I can see how a want-to-be flipper may be conned by the show with the idea that the business is a get rich quick business. However, the show certainly does reveal that there are real headaches associated with the business of flipping. You are right: “putting lipstick on a pig still makes it a pig” but most folks can identify a pig as a pig..all it has to do is open it’s mouth and squeal.
I would also concur that motivation and education can come from many cheaper sources, most come free of charge. However, IF an individual likes the style of the person they are watching, (and can identify with them in some way) AND they find some sort of motivation to do something different in their life, then the money may be well spent. It all boils down to making a decision, based on your own due diligence, prior to making a purchase of any product.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 1:02 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

661 stacy:
The reason I don’t like what the montelongos are doing and I feel they are seriously hurting some people is I have clients all the time that want to buy houses and flip them based on shows like Flip this house. I’ve been a successful realtor in san antonio for over 10 years, before that i was a construction supervisor out of college. I have to talk people out of stupid investment at least 2 times a month. There are only a very few areas of san antonio where you can buy a home so below market that fixing and selling it at a profit can even work. Also, you can’t sell the home FHA or VA for just about a year. Even conventional loans will not allow you to flip without verifying work, getting reciepts and then a complete inspection and appraisal. People are risking their savings, even refinancing their homes to take out equity to buy another home based on lies and false pomises. It can be done, yes, but its getting harder and harder. Only two of my investors know what they are doing and will turn a profit on flips maybe once or twice a year. Also, they have the recources to cover multiple mortgages and cost over runs. With the market slowing contractors are in need of work and offering discounts but sellers are also having a harder time and discounting prices.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 1:34 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “I watched flip 101 again and they now have an update at the end. It says that the sale fell through and it’s currently being rented for a profit…”

Even taking that at face value (ha!) a ‘profit’ is when you have a Debt-Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) over ‘1′ (one).

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dscr.asp

No way! ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 1:37 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Beth:
There was no mechanics lien filed on the house.

I think the interaction between the foundation guy and Armando was staged. The kids coming up to Armando and telling him that someone was lurking around the house was obviously staged. All of that plus getting a guard dog for the night was just for phony drama.

I think the sob story that “new flipper” was just that - a story. Rumb Line Investments (the previous owners)are not new to flipping. It would not surprise me that they feed Armando’s ego with this sob story of getting ripped off and Armando in his greed thought he could take advantage of this opportunity.

However, I think Rumb Line realized in mid construction that they bought a junk property and were more than happy to unload this money pit to an another flipper.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 2:00 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

post 656 Doesn’t A&E mean Art & ENTERTAINMENT???
I love to watch the show for the pure entertainment value. Who else called Flip This House just a show? Let me see? Oh yea it was Sam Laccima right after he got busted.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

I see Alanta crew was on the show last night. I thought they did away with Angie and her crew? Anyway how did it go. I missed it. I was watching The Real Estate Pros and Property Ladder.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 2:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Beth,

I don’t see any “mechanics liens” that were ever on it but the “bailing out another flipper” part appears to be legit from the records. On 9/13/2006 David Montelongo got a hard money loan from VCH Funding for it for $56K. $13K of that was held back for rehab costs to be dispersed “only in proportion to the satisfactory progress of rehabilitation” being made ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “David Montelongo got a hard money loan from VCH Funding for it for $56K. $13K of that was held back for rehab costs”

According to the “show” they paid $40K for it and rehab costs were $21,300. Oh, and they “staged” it too. What did that cost? Another $3K? ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 3:28 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:

Even taking that at face value (ha!) a ‘profit’ is when you have a Debt-Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) over ‘1′ (one).

Steve, that is all mumbo-jumbo gobblygok greek to me. These guys have no idea about real estate and sit all day in their ivy-league tenured jobs :-). I bet Armando was making more than $500 positive cash flow per month on that house. So there! :-)

And who is this Darrell guy? 10 years selling real estate with a background in construction. That’s nothing, Darrell didn’t come into San Antonio on his last tank of gas. That’s what is takes to make millions in real estate.

He’s jealous of Armando’s short cuts and Armando’s disregaurd to truth in lending, full disclosure, warranties, building permits, regulations, etc…

You know, those things that a ethical licensed real estate professionals such as Darrell have to follow everyday.

What’s wrong with going full steam ahead, living “credit rich”, keeping one step ahead of your creditors, one day away from foreclosure, robbing Peter to pay Paul and then paying John with interest from what you borrowed from William, filing a TRO to find another Peter, and offering DEEP discounts on course material just to stay afloat?

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 4:16 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson,

LOL! ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

They did MAJOR structural work and NO permit was ever pulled and a “stop work” order was posted on it. It ended with the house being foreclosed! LOL

Don’t forget to stop by A&E and read
Angela’s “Flipping Tips” LOL!

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
Stacy wrote:

662 Darrell: Like I said, I don’t condone what they are doing but there is SOME truth to what they do so maybe that is how they are able to pull off any fraud charges? I know there are seasoning issues when trying to sell a flip, at least in my state and the lenders I have dealt with. I do wonder how they are able to get around this even if they do provide all receipts and copies of contracts for work performed by Class A contractors. You and I both know that a property being sold to a buyer getting a government loan must be inspected. I have a question: Wouldn’t you think that the Montelongos would have a legal team advising them what they can and can’t say on national tv? Has Armando actually tried to sell his course on tv or was it just the ebook? I don’t remember hearing him pitch his course. And what about the credibility of the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul that supposedly recommends the book? Wonder what, if anything, this negative stuff has on him and his future?

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 5:54 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Not defending them but the dog that they got was supposed to be Armando’s dog. I remember that episode where they had to sneak the pets intot he hotel and it showed them owning a Rottie.

I also wonder how on Earth that A&E still has Angie doing her thing. I would assume that by association with the whole Sam nonsense they would have put a wrap on her as well.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 6:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “They did MAJOR structural work and NO permit was ever pulled and a “stop work” order was posted on it.”

The house is ‘378 S Howard Street’ in Atlanta. I checked the permit site and indeed, no permit was ever pulled on it.

Brilliant! ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 7:25 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Ms. Wilford, who watched and was inspired by the series last year, and who will be a familiar face on this season’s show, felt confident that she “could do the same thing” for Atlanta property.

http://www.houstonrealnews.com/printer/article.asp?c=180867

Richard Davis, owner of Trademark Properties and creator and star of A&E’s reality show “Flip This House,” says no one can watch his show and get the impression that this is an easy way to make a living.

“In our original video, we had a warning,” Davis says. “`Do not try this at home. It’s for trained professionals. You will lose money.

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2006041108?OpenDocument

That pretty much says it all ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 7:48 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson, back at ya! ; )

“The percentage you’re paying is too high priced While you’re living beyond all you’re means And the man in the suit has just bought a new car From the profit he’s made on your dreams But today you just read that the man was shot dead By a gun that didn’t make any noise But it wasn’t the bullet that laid him to rest Was the low spark of high-heeled boys, high-heeled boys

http://www.everydaycompanion.com/lyrics/songs/low_spark_of_high_heeled_boys.asp

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 8:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Stacy,

The “Chicken Soup” guy, the guy sitting
next to him, and Armandos’ brother Paul are all part of that motivational speaker crowd.

For what it’s worth, I went to Richard Davis’ speech last month in Charleston. He’s not a fan of that real estate infomercial garbage and has never messed with any of it. Furthermore, he’s been approched by the ‘Learning Annex’ and basically told them to take a hike! ; )

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

stacy:
I’m sure A&E has a legal team that really lets them massage the grey area of any legal issues with armando, or they some how distance themselves for liability purposes. Regardless, after the show my rule of thumb is I wont deal with any contractor on the show or anyone named Montelongo. I was actually getting estimates on my home to change my roof from composition to tile. One of the estimates was going to be Burch roofing until he started showing up with armando. I cancelled immediately. We do have seasoning issues in Texas as well so as best I can tell, if they actually do sell anything its probably on a wrap. (lease purchase)
Also, FYI on the last show with the new supervisor, the realtor Tracy Smith with c21 that comes on and tells Veronica how great the home is and she has some buyers to call immediately, is also peddling a book and being promoted by Paul Montelongo.

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 10:07 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Steve posts 671&674
Drama makes good TV Staged or not. A&E does not care if the casts make or dont make money because they are producing ratings which equals high commercial prices. I can just hear the dramatic music play as the voice over guy tries to build up the tention right before a commercial lol. I always skip that part on my dvr just so the surprise isnt ruined :)

Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 10:24 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Stacy:

Just wondering how much money you made being Armando’s affiliate partner:

http://www.yesyoucaninvestments.com/links.htm

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=208478103&blogID=283095599

There’s another saying, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck…

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 6:50 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

By “staging” I meant renting furniture
etc for the “open house” ; )

Boyson! NICE catch!!!

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 8:29 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Ok can you tell me what ever happened to Montelongo Plaza. Remember a bit back it showed David and Armando unveiling their new building that they bought.

I am listening to a webcast by David and it seems that he bought that building with an investor named Bob..no mention of Armando.

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 10:15 am | Permalink
John P wrote:

I have watched Armando on a couple of episodes. I am in Real Estate investing so I don’t watch to get tips. i watch because i find it interesting and he kind of pumps me up and motivates. His tecnniques are a little over the edge and unusable but I like the show because guess what people its TV. I could tell people how to make money in real estate too. There are so many techniques and different approches.

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 1:01 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

steve post 681 rgr that.

I say we start a new thread and everyone can answer Boysons duck saying. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck…lol

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 1:40 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

662, though i agree , buyers see these shows and are quick to jump in head first. however how is it different from what richard davis and armando, they both claim to flip properties for a profit. I beleive were all grown men and women. there is no way in hell that someone even with a staff can flip that many homes in a month, that is why its on TV. its entertainment.
We as licensed REALTORS have an obligation to educate and consult our clients,because we are not saleman we look for the best intrest for our clients. Not all REALTORS do the same. That alone has helped push the market to a dwonfall and increse in foreclosure in California. We must all understand that its TV,entertainment, at least until we see it on 20/20. they will unravel the truth in this flipping craze in san antonio and atlanta. You will never see a California firm flipping home on TV. Its just not possible right now for the average joe.

I say enjoy the show, have your clients watch the show and tell them “what not to do in real estate”.

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Beth,

EXCHANGE PLAZA II
8026 VANTAGE LLC
BOBBY J WARD - % Ownership: 100.0000000000%
Mailing Address:
198 SADDLE RD
BLANCO, TX 78606

2007 Appraised - $1,444,610

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 3:00 pm | Permalink
jason wrote:

lmao at all you texas people mad at armando making all the money and trying to get revenge on him by badmouthing him.

Its funny how the mods of the site go through the trouble to trace isps and turn this into a game of clue when something good is said about armando,then another guy researches the bankruptcy accusations,finds out its a different guy with the same name,and no mention of this by the mods because theyd rather have the mud out there.I would love you to trace my isp,i bought the course,loved it,and flipped my first 2 houses already profiting 72000 total

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The market turbulence is not only pushing people from their homes, “it’s weeding out the novice investors, the seminar junkie investors,” Brandt said, referring to those who got the low-end real estate bug from late-night infomercials or shows like “Flip This House.”

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2007/08/20/distress_0821.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13

Excellent article!

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 9:42 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Stacy,

Re:”I would also concur that motivation and education can come from many cheaper sources, most come free of charge. However, IF an individual likes the style of the person they are watching, (and can identify with them in some way) AND they find some sort of motivation to do something different in their life, then the money may be well spent.”

Well, Stacy. That’s PURE crap. You can’t BUY ‘motivation’. That comes from within, you have it or you don’t. You’re conflating ‘motivation’ with short term ‘feel good’ which lasts about as long as it takes to get your credit card out of your purse/wallet ; )

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 10:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

jason,

Re: “i bought the course,loved it,and flipped my first 2 houses already profiting 72000 total”

Excellent! Post the addresses of the ‘flips’ and we’ll take a look! Until then, buzz off ‘Armando’ ; )

Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 11:29 pm | Permalink
Stacy wrote:

677 & 678 Good info guys, thanks!
680 boyson: nutin’ honey! LOL
With all of his hype I was interested to see some follow-thru…talks like a duck must be a duck. So far no duck, maybe it’s too soon though, I’ll let you know. Heck boyson, this site even advertises for Montelongo, and others. Look at all of the advertising shown on this page and the home page. Makes sense that the web site owner would want to offset some, if not all of the costs associated with operating the site. I post to this blog and others AND read armando’s blogs and others, just as you do and countless others too. I post to blogs where there is a lot of chatter, makes for good informational reading and sometimes humorous. Afterall, how do you think I found this site? boyson, are you quacking at me? LOL..I’m having fun with you kiddo, nothing more.
689 steve: good point. You are right that you have to have the drive first. My opinion is that sometimes the words or actions of others might stimulate the motivation process. BTW, my eyes are brown..LOL!

Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
Craig wrote:

As one who “signed up” on Armando’s site and Forum, I can truthfully say that I’m glad I didn’t buy into the “Masturbator Course”. Yes, you read it correctly. That’s exactly what it is, because if you go to the site forums and read about it, you’ll find you’re getting jerked off! The $97 eBook he offered had nothing solid to offer and after reading the many threads on the many sites, including the armandomontelngo.com forum threads, I’ve determined that I’m not quite as negative or skeptical as I thought I was, but rather I’m a realist!
My wife beckoned me to buy the $97 eBook Armando put out on his site, which I did. After reading it I discovered that I myself had better writing skills in my left eyebrow than this guy has in his entire person. What a pile of fodder! You charge me 100 bucks for no real information and then want me to spend another 1000? I was born on a day, but it wasn’t yesterday. He “told” his wife that if he was successful that he would help others learn how to do the same? Wait, just one minute here. This is rapidly starting to sound like a job for Mythbusters.
In his latest webcast he states he received an email from a woman named Janice, who tells him she wants to break into the biz, but can’t afford the $40 for his 2.5 hr long DVD, but can afford $30, and thus he decides to offer it to her (and others) for $29.97. But wait,… if you login to his forums you’ll find that several attempted to buy into this wonderful DVD only to find that their order couldn’t be processed. What amazes me, is this woman must work for the CIA, because she was able to send a personal, private email to a man that not only doesn’t have his personal email address listed anywhere on armandomontelongo.com or montelongohousebuyers.com, but doesn’t list a single phone number that can be reached.
Here’s the way I see it. If I were busy buying and selling 30+ houses per month, with no real work force or staff to speak of (which by the way, I believe is BS), I would have to ask myself, “where DO I find the time to spend with A&E filming a series, write a book, and do ‘webinars’, and run my ass off taking care of REAL business?” I could easily go on for hours on this, but at what point? Several posts have made the same and other points, which is; Don’t be conned by a con artist.
It was once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”. Yes, I bought the $97 eBook because my wife was (at first) convinced that Armando is the ‘real deal’. Sometimes lessons are expensive. I’m one who believes that acquiring an education in real estate can be done by learning from people who are really willing to openly share their knowledge and experiences. But you must seek them out, because real investors and action people don’t have the time to baffle you with BS. They’re too busy DOING what they do.
Cheers.

Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Jason AKA Armando…

You make quite the claims in your email… I would love for you to provide proof, or addresses of the homes, or your phone numberto talk further with you about this… :-)

-=Chris=-

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 1:16 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

It’s just amazing how much smoke screens there are in the whole Montelongo gangs dealings. I am not saying that people like Trump don’t have investors and subsidiaries and all that nonsense but these guys have a maze of crap. It would be interesting to see how much the Montelongo’s really declare as income on their taxes…too bad that isn’t public knowledge or can it be seeing as they are filing returns as a corporation?

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 9:19 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Stacy,

The advertising you’re referring to is Google “pay per click stuff” based on relevant content. If we talked about ‘Hamburgers’ about 1,000 times you’d be seeing ‘Hamburger’ ads. The site owner has no control over which ads Google displays. Savvy? ; )

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 6:44 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “If we talked about ‘Hamburgers’ about 1,000 times you’d be seeing ‘Hamburger’ ads.”

Just to expand on that if I wasn’t clear. Googles’ automated system picks out “key words” and displays the ads based on that. That’s basically the way it works ; )

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 7:01 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Texas wrote:

I’ve been monitoring this forum for several days, and I don’t believe I have read a post from anyone who has actually ordered and read Armando’s $1000 real estate course. Is there anyone who has? If so, what are your thoughts?

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 10:51 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

I noticed Mike Voss has not posted in awhile. I know he got the AM course so I am wondering, did he learn so much from the course that he is out busy flippin houses? Oh crap I bet he is out buying and flippin all the hot deals! OK I have to go buy the course myself now! Later!!

Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 11:57 pm | Permalink
Dal wrote:

Armando is great at what he does, I am in the flipping business and understand what he is talking about and agrees on the way he treats contractors. All of you saying negative things must be jealous of the Montelongos because they are doing fliping better than anyone in the US. Just mt thoughts…

Posted on 23-Aug-07 at 1:54 pm | Permalink
Michele in Texas wrote:

Has anyone heard of the “Inverse Purchase” real estate program being offered by John Alexander? His websites are http://www.paperbiz.com and http://www.johnalexander.com

Posted on 23-Aug-07 at 2:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Dal,

Re: “they are doing fliping better than anyone in the US.”

Are you talking about just the mainland
US or does that also include Alaska and Hawaii?

Posted on 23-Aug-07 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Dal,

I still stand by what I posted on this thread on May 19, 2007 (comment #53)
which is this…

“Anyone that buys this is sucking on Armandos’ tail pipe. What worked then, doesn’t work now, the game, market, rules, and requirements have changed.”

Posted on 23-Aug-07 at 10:28 pm | Permalink
Craig wrote:

RE: 687
“Its funny how the mods of the site go through the trouble to trace isps…”

Explanation of Technological Terminology for Armando’s benefit:
The “mods” most likely need not go through the trouble of doing anything. Efficient webmasters utilize programs that automatically extrapolate information such as IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, domain names, etc., from server logs to generate reports. These reports are useful in determining marketing strategies, as well as keeping track of certain redundancies such as repeated visits (from the same crackhead), attempted intrusions and much more. It’s something we refer to as “automation”, and is widely used in the world of “information management”. I could go into more depth, but I’m sure you’re extremely busy, so we’ll keep it short.
To reiterate on a previous post and to elaborate just a bit, the fact that they make mention of the “ISP” (Internet Service Provider) is moot. The relevance is in the IP address itself. It simply reveals that multiple messages are originating from the same IP address in a short time frame from allegedly different people. Same IP, hence the same computer, hence the same person(s).
Anyone possessing this knowledge might, and in this case I place heavy emphasis on the word ‘might’, be savvy enough to contact cohorts using computers in different locations to send their retorts for them. But, surely someone has brought this to your attention by now.
Not to conclude that message 687 was written by Armando, only to clarify the terminologies so that he can better understand how things work, in case he stumbles across this post. I hope this helps.
Kahplah!

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 12:57 pm | Permalink
Dal wrote:

Steve,

Not sure what business you are in, but flipping still works. Lot’s of people making money in various states from flips. Real Estate will always be big bucks, regardless of the high foreclosure rates right now.

What I do not understand is all the hate towards the Montelongos. You all must agree that they are making money and will continue to make money.

So Steve give up your hate and turn it into positive energy and try to flip a house or two…maybe it’ll make you enjoy life and not hate! Best of luck.

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 4:40 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

jason is right in one aspect not everyone can flip houses, I myself have sat on my investments at least a year before selling them fora profit, not always the case but i have been lucky to rid of them at a good time. like i said before “DONT HATE THE PLAYER…HATE THE GAME” if you cant play the game you dont belong on the court. The montelongos have been and are still making money on your dime. good or bad reviews, rating are up and i think that what matters to A&E.
Keep up the hustle Armando say Hi to your beautiful wife for me.

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Well, Dal. I never said flipping doesn’t work. What I “said” was Armandos’ info
is dated and apparently doesn’t work NOW, as evidenced by the 20+ properties that were foreclosed on, on 4/2/2007

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 8:43 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex,

Re: “I myself have sat on my investments at least a year before selling them for a profit”

There you go. If you’d used a “no money down”, hard money lender (Armandos’ method) and the note called for payment in full in six months or a year… TOAST!

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 8:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Dal,

Re: “Not sure what business you are in”

I flip used machinery. Same deal, you make your money on the “buy” ; )

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 9:09 pm | Permalink
Tierrell Brown wrote:

Flip Tip. If you buy the property right, you’ll always make money. There’s many factors in flipping homes. I think I should right a book. I sell million dollar homes in 4 days, because I buy the right, do the right renovations, and sell 1-2% below the outdated homes in the area. Armando is a butterfly when it comes to me dealing with contractors. If you dealt with contractors you would understand.

Posted on 24-Aug-07 at 10:13 pm | Permalink
Jason wrote:

Check this out from a Craigslist list in Austin. We all heard that Armando got picked up for another season, now they will have a new team in Austin. This team just formed and has never flipped a property. How can they show people how to flip properties?

We are a growing investment company and we have several homes in the prime Austin location that we would like to purchase to flip. We are Extreme Homes. Our team of seasoned professionals are in the running for a show on A&E. We are looking to gain serious investors to purchase homes to renovate and sell. Please contact me at sabrina_gkem@msn.com

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

License info: Unlicensed

PostingID: 405340048

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 9:36 am | Permalink
Robert in Michigan wrote:

I think you all are hating on ARMANDO. he obviously is doing something right to get on T.V. the man has his own show and MIKE VOSS why are you so worried about what armando is doing?? worry about yourself!!. If ARMANDO is involved in fraudulent activity he will get what he deserves. His books, DVDS are all GARBAGE !!! but I have to admit i do like the show. his wife is pretty hot. The bottom line is the man is a con, he has a hot wife and his own T.V show. HE HAS SOMETHING COMING TO HIM

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 10:57 am | Permalink
Craig wrote:

Throughout this thread there are several comments regarding the negativity toward the Montelongo’s, and I too am guilty of throwing stones. Shame on me.
I don’t begrudge anyone their success or wealth, but when anyone wants to sell me a course on how I can get rich “just like they did”, then I have an obligation to myself (and my wallet) to question the methods on how they obtained it, or even IF they obtained it by practicing what they preech. Too many scams via television and the internet have left too many people broke, both financially and in spirit.
WAKE UP!!

I believe that if the majority of networks and media companies had any real moral integrety, they would perform in-depth background checks on self proclaimed gurus selling their information. The bottom line is, they’re in the business of making MONEY. They don’t give a damn if the info is good or bad as long as it brings in the purse!
If you apply for a loan to make a major purchase, the bank checks you credit history, right?. They look at YOUR CREDIBILITY,… DUH!!
The general public MUST begin asking the same of ANY self proclaimed guru, expert, or whatever they may label themselves as, in order to protect their hard earned dollar.
Take it with a grain of salt if you like, but BEFORE you spend money on any wealth building idea, send off an email similar to the one below and see just how long it takes to get a response, if you get one at all.

Dear
Your success in real estate is phenominal and I’m very excited that you want to share your your ideas and methods with me for the low price of X dollars!
Before we get started though, I’ll just need to check your CREDIBILITY. Please post clear and legible copies (without any text blacked out) of your 10 most recent completed transactions on the web reflecting all profits from sales. Also, If any transactions took place under an entity name, I’ll need documentation stating your relationship with that entity.
I’m sure you can understand and appreciate these requirements to insure my utmost financial interest in this endeavor. Please send an email containing the URL where I may view these documents as soon as as they’ve been posted. I look forward to purchasing and delving into your course soon!
Sincerely,
Iwasbornonaday Butitwasn’tyesterday.

If you happen to get a reply, don’t fall for a smokescreen of nonsense regarding the legal reasons why they can’t disclose this or that, it’s BS. Legitimate businesses have nothing to hide. Financial statements for those companies listed with the stock exchange are made public, so why would you expect any less from someone you’re about to throw money at?

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 1:01 pm | Permalink
KJ wrote:

Armando may not be the most likable person in the world of flipping. However, he presents the appearance of success and demonstrates drive needed in business today. People complain about how he talks trash to contractors, but he realizes there are two types of people in this world, “givers and takers”. He just decided to “give it” rather than “take it”. Even with all the complaining, Armando has manage to still get your attention because some of you have taken the time to write about how much you feel about him, good, bad or indifferent…

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 8:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Cat House”

Update at the end of the show…

The sale fell through and it back on the market. I’m SHOCKED! :o)

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Cat House”

Also, at the end of the show they showed a pre “flip” photo of the house. No leaves on the trees whatsoever. Then then showed a post “flip” photo immediately afterwards, leaves all over the place! 20 days later? LOL

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 9:48 pm | Permalink
ben wrote:

Armando Montelongo = William J. McCorkle. Google it.

Posted on 25-Aug-07 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
Sharon Burchett wrote:

I’ve purchased the system and I think it’s great. I was concerned at first because it took a bit to get to me but I have ZERO complaints.

Posted on 26-Aug-07 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

Armondo is a total fraud!!! I cannot get over the fact that A&E allow this goof ball to continue on there network. Richard Davis is by far my favorite, He gives back to the community and has a “staff” like a “real” company! I think all the “new” flippers since Richard Davis suck. Armondo is the worse of course but Angie is a prop and Than is little bit better than Armondo and Angie. Wow- A&E really keeps missing it.

Posted on 26-Aug-07 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

I would also like to say that “The real deal” is a very good show. I also like “The Property Ladder” show. They show the reality of flipping on that show. People lose their butts alot and then over price it and sit on it for 6 months if its not priced correctly. Kirsten Kemp gives great advice on the show and no one ever listens to her! Lol

Posted on 26-Aug-07 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
Dylan wrote:

Armando is the classic wanna be tough-guy investor/ contractor. Excpet for one detail…. He is not! As him what a 10d nail is or what a TrusJoist is or the word Simpson StrongTie. As a general contractor myself in the state of NJ flipping houses and new construction in the US sucks right now. If you do not have knowledge on residental remodeling or custom one off homes and just do straight new construction “cookie cutter homes” right now you are out of work as are many companies that just do new construction. I wish I could drive a new Hummer like Armando’s. But then again any degenerate con contractor drives a Hummer and in the black color too. Real hardworking general contractors drive Ford Super Duties or Chevy utility bodies that are still being paid off while still trying to get customers to pay. Thats why Armando goes through so many guys. He doesn’t pay. Soon he will be bankrupt again and maybe in jail.

Posted on 26-Aug-07 at 11:46 pm | Permalink
Colleen wrote:

Hey.. If you watch the intern show, then it shows that not all the sales went through. Of course, the producers like a quick ending, but it’s not always reality. That’s why Armando is FLEXIBLE. There are no real roadblocks; only mental roadblocks. I love listening to Armando and am interested in his bookset. I’m not too interested in flipping houses, but I do think I’d be good at it if I followed him & my gut. By the way, it’s not really cool to hear about how Richard is better. He’s so ADHD that it’s painful to watch. Anyway, I’m very interested in buying his book when it becomes available. Everything he says is so inpiring to me.

Posted on 28-Aug-07 at 11:28 am | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

I enjoy watching A & E’s flip this house, simply because I enjoy observing people in the same profession as me. (By the way Richard Davis is the best though)I like to see what design choices they make for a property and pay no attention to the false numbers that are randomly spewed to the viewing public. I do believe it is wrong for a TV program to do that simply because they are going to get amateurs who are interested in flipping into a whole lot of trouble. (just watch property ladder!)
Most people do exaggerate when telling stories. I do agree with the research you guys have done on Armando, pretty much proving he has not flipped 1000 houses in five years, and that he has exaggerated the numbers tremendously. I also think that every almost every property flipper on TV ever has done the same thing. From being a pro in the game, I pretty much knew this without having to do any research (I’m sure you did too, you just like facts to back you) I also think that currently the way the market is, that you have to get creative with your flip. There is a property that instead of me buying it, fixing it up and selling it- I found a person interested in living in it to buy it, and I fixed it up. Technically not a “flip,” but I found the property, I found a buyer, suggested what to pay for it, and fixed it up. It was a classic flip minus the property going into my or my partners name at any point. What Im saying is, that if I said I flipped a 1000 homes in the last 5 years, that I would include that one in my comments. Maybe he does construction work on the side for other people, and is calling it flips. Those are not quite as close to flips as mine, but he would still be doing the real work. Okay, Armando, I love you show but soley for its entertainment value. My suspicions about Armando not being as big time as he claimed came to the surface at the same time as many others. On the cat house episode where he claimed he flipped 1000 houses in 5 years. I do not think this feat is impossible, or even that improbable for a person to do, by the way. But what aroused my suspicion was that if Mondo made even an average of 20,000 off of each of these deals, which wouldn’t be all that great, that he would have accumulated over 20 million in the past 5 years. If he has 20 mil plus, then why would he be sweating sleepless nights over possibly losing on this one property. Whats wrong with winning on 1000 and losing on 1? If he lost 20,000 on that deal, it would be .1% of his total wealth, hardly enough to lose sleep over. It would be like someone who only has 2,000 dollars to their name, losing 2 dollars. The wouldn’t give a crap. When attempting to sell his “secrets” (I’d be more interested in buying his real life secrets by the way) he claims he rolled into town on his last tank of gas 50k in debt with bad credit, and didn’t even have rent money when it was going to be due. But he also claims that he flopped and lost when starting out like many others and we can avoid making his mistakes by learning from his. If he was 50,000 in debt, bad credit,no rent $, how could he afford to keep sinking deeper and keep at it? Also Armando, if you and your family were in fact living in someone elses garage for a while, then sir, its time to suck it up and get a job at McDonald’s or something, not try your hands in flipping, and risk even more, even if just temporary-provide for your family. Beyond these immense exaggerations that are being spread to the public, which are potentially harmful, I would like to reiterate that I do still enjoy watching the programs. I do not mind Armando’s attitude one bit, and he does have a beautiful family, and all the opportunity in the world, just give us the real numbers, it really doesnt matter what they are, you are still on TV, people will still watch and appreciate you (on property ladder people dont make that much, if any at all and people still tune it), and I’m sure you’ll sell just as many of those cd’s at 1000 a pop.
ps if that is a true story about your wife and kid were not supposed to survive, Im very glad that turned out in your favor-thats all that really counts. They are beautiful.

Posted on 28-Aug-07 at 11:57 am | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Although I do not agree with driving a Hummer to a jobsite, simply because it can only cause your contractors to drive up prices, thinking you’ve got it great- whats wrong with spending some of your wealth on nice things? You can’t take it with you, so you mine as well enjoy it. In Armando’s defense, Richard Davis whom everyone thinks the world of (including myself) has a helicopter, and nobody seems to think that is a waste of money. (His “protege” Ginger drives a Mercedes)

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 2:59 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Brandon,

Re: “(His “protege” Ginger drives a Mercedes)”

That’s a very LOW END 2003 Mercedes. Bad analogy

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 3:52 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

“Low-end Mercedes”-thats just an oxy-moron, although I can’t claim it costs as much as a Hummer, the Hummer is no Bently, or Ferrari, everyday people have them everywhere, I live by hundreds of them. I’ll take that Mercedes over that Hummer any day of the week, I’ll bet it gets at least 100k more miles on the engine and trans. The Hummer isn’t even the best SUV on the market, not even 2nd, or 3rd… Still no comment on the Helicopter? After all Ginger is just the protege, even Armando’s brother only drives an Acura or something similar. People who have money should be able to buy nice things without being criticized- that Merecedes although is not in the highest class of cars, is the best cars in its class (more dependable, safer, more luxurious). Its not a Ford Fusion, or a Toyota Corolla. Are you telling me that if you have a surplus of money, you wouldn’t buy nicer things? A nicer, bigger house in a more stable, safe location, and a higher quality car?
Some people in fact, have a lot of money and don’t buy nicer things- Conan O’Brien still drives a old school beat up Taurus, and there is nothing wrong with that (Of course he lives in NYC and has less need of a car). But there is also nothing wrong with him wanting to buy a Hummer if he can easily afford it.

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 4:21 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

The real question is: Can Armando easily afford it,or his he living beyond his means to appear flashy? My answer: None of my business- I got my own problems to worry about.

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Brandon,

That’s a 2003 C240 Mercedes. ‘Best guess’ is she paid around $25K for it, give or take

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Brandon,

That’s a 2003 C240 Mercedes. ‘Best guess’ is she paid around $25K for it, give or take.

Update: Sheesh, wrong thread, disregard! ; )

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 6:24 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Well, form a practical point of view, a hummer is really overpriced, gets terrible gas mileage, is not particularly good as a 4WD, has no payload to transport stuff, and is a target for lots of people who hate them. So, why does someone buy one? Probably mor to project an image than anything else, and Armando is nothing but image, so that shoe sure fits.

If he were a real builder, he’d have some kind of truck with a payload area. I personally am hoping to get a CNG capable dual fuel pickup next year and install a CNG filling device in my garage. (you can get one for under $3k now) The cost works out to about $1.10/gallon even after factoring in the electricity to make the CNG! And, best of all, you can flip a switch and run on gas if you ever run out of CNG. I don’t know whey more people don’t use CNG - it’s the cleanest burning fuel there is.

Mike

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 8:56 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Brandon,

Does he even OWN that Hummer???

http://www.dfweliteautorental.com/cars/black-2005-hummer-h2

My guess is not

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 9:09 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

The rental of an exotic, classic or luxury car in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio is a great way to getaway or to impress a client if your luxury car rental is for business.

The rental of a truck, suv car is a smart move. Your Hummer H2 rental can be delivered right to DFW Airport or your hotel, timeshare, or condo. Nothing turns heads like a sharp black Hummer H2 rental in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio!

http://www.dfweliteautorental.com/cars/black-2005-hummer-h2

LOL

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 9:12 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

The Hummer - Several Observations

1. Veronica FREAKS OUT when she sees the pump price on a fill-up on one episode

2. Armando takes the Hummer 4-Wheeling through pot holes and mud on an episode

3. It’s ALWAYS super clean on the inside, no personal stuff laying around.

All of the above leads me to believe it’s a RENTAL ; )

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 9:41 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve - you’re close - it’s leased, as is his CL 500 Mercedes and Ford Mustang. All leased. In truly consistent fashion, he has no equity in much of anything.

Entirely possible he made a deal to trade airtime for usage, but probably not as those are usually not leases - just straight loans from the manufacturer for some period of time.

MV

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
shell wrote:

Never saw my messages posted.

To AME: you are an idiot if you think Armando is successful.
I’d care less about his “success” as he is a scumbag and cheater.

Good luck in being lost in this life.

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 10:36 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Although I cannot deny the fact that the Hummer could be a rental, all of those facts also point to someone attempting to produce entertainment for a TV show (say when they are lacking in other areas) Hummer- flashy TV vehicle, clean inside- the camera man is always in there, 4-wheeling- for TV entertaiment or to say “look at me, money aint a thing” and the gas price quote-more talked about amongst everyday people than the weather. It sort of reminds me of what I despise about the New Haven shows, is that 30 minutes of their hour long program is spent with filler. Many drive-bys of scenery, the sun going up and down, the local neighborhoods, mindless banter in the car rides, and of course non-property related hogwash such as soccer games, hyperberic chambers, coffee shop visits, wheat-grass drinks, buffets, etc. I thought it was a program about property flipping? Also, they show that they really don’t know too much about construction themselves…The contractor cut himself on a miter saw and one of the guys called it a tablesaw, the episode where the contractor ripped out the tub and pulled some pipes from the wall, it held the project up forever, like it was a big deal, when it should have been taken care of in 30 minutes. Armando would have deducted it from the contractors pay :)

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 10:40 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Oh yeah, I’m giving up on the mercedes comment, not because I concede, but merely because I don’t want to get tag-teamed bt the great Steve in Texas, Mike Voss duo- just playing:) Still waiting on word back about Richard’s Helicoper vs. Armando’s Hummer. Again, Richard’s awesome, but he’s almost never used that chopper except for flash (intro for program, to jump into the lake for TV)

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 10:45 pm | Permalink
Randall wrote:

Ame,

What’s the problem with the Montelongos (particularly Armando)? They are rude, crude, crass, tacky, cheaters, liars and just all around crap.

I have a question for you…what kinda medication are you on?? Whatever the doctor prescribed for you needs the dose upped a bit.

As for “Shell” being an immigrant…uh…so the friggwhat?? If you are an example of what it is to be an American…then we are all in deep doo-doo. Who said anything about Armando being a Mexican…unfortunately, he is an American…(sigh)…as I am guessing, are you. I just got done reading these posts…and where do you get that Shell (or anyone else) feels their lives suck or are at a standstill?? You must be a better “read” of text posts than 99.9999% of the rest of the population to get that kinda information.

I think you might want to call Armando and get him to stop by and reno your rock before you crawl back under it.

Ame wrote:

What is everyone’s problem with the Montelongos??? Man, you people really need to get a life–for real!

Re:#501 Shell?? You need to spell check your own message before you try to put someone down for their own mistakes—stupid ass! (why ON the hell…)you are definately an immigrant, and you call yourself a real American–bull shit!!! you have no idea what it is to be an American$$$$$! You just hate the fact that a Mexican is making more money than you can count and it eats you up inside, that’s why your life sucks and you will always be in a stand still.

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 11:42 pm | Permalink
Randall wrote:

Well…I think I am done reading for a while…seems that the results of all these people’s hard work is to confirm a simple and obvious truth…Armando is a shyster and his wife is a willing patsy.

Good Job A&E…good reality show…but it should be “How to Screw the Unsuspecting”…pay Richard Davis what you know you owe him.

Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 11:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Brandon,

Awesome helicopter, isn’t it? Maybe Richard will take me for a ride in it someday!

LOL

Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
Amber wrote:

I’ve seen all the episodes with the Montelongs in it. I like them. They show their true colors. It’s nice to see. I’ve learned so much from watching their episodes from what to do and what not to do. No business is going to come easily, and I’ve never seen him treat his wife badly. The one thing that bothers me, is the fact that they still keep that idiot intern. I totally would’ve fired him, espially after the project he tried to do on his own. Now that’s an idiot.

Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 2:37 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

I’ve been reading the 738 posts about Armando, and the comments about the other flippers that are popular right now, and would like to add some comments from a slightly different perspective.

I have a degree in psychology with a focus on trauma and its effects, and work with abuse victims. Just watching Armando’s behavior as he deals with people leads me to believe that he is a serious abuser.

There was one episode that I found particularly telling and disturbing. This was the one where Veronica wanted to have a “tricked out” garage instead of replacing windows. While the issue *seemed* to be that a good compromise would be a nice carport and new windows (since there wasn’t enough in the budget to do both the garage and the windows), it was clear that Armando’s agenda was to abuse and control Veronica by bullying and humiliating her, instead of just being a coach and mentor by pointing out the compromise between either garage or windows.

And it wasn’t enough that he was verbally abusive to her–he then started breaking windows. This is not funny stuff–this is terrorism no matter how you look at it, and with respect to abuser profiles, breaking the victim’s stuff when they won’t do what you want is one of the most common characteristics of someone intent on getting power and control over someone else at any cost (to the victim). Then as if that wasn’t bad enough, he got his son involved and not only encouraged his son to disrespect his mother, but he got his son involved in the physical violence of breaking the windows. As I sat there watching this, I couldn’t help wondering what kind of similar stuff is going on at the top levels of A&E that they would actually be stupid enough to air something like this as “entertainment.” The lies about property improvement aside, to me the most important issue in all of these Montelongo shows is the way Armondo’s abuse is passed off as entertainment. And then to add to that the teaching of a child that being verbally and physically abusive to anybody, and in this case his own mother, is something to be rewarded for, is beyond disgusting.

In my opinion, the exagerations about the money being made is important, but it’s minor compared to the issue of celebrating the bullying and intimidation of a woman tha then escalates to physical violence, and which then escalates to training a child to do the same thing, again as “entertainment.”

I listened to Armando’s recent one-hour interview with his buddy, and I noticed that when commenting about his relationship with Veronica, he stated that the reason *he* married *her* (as if he was out shopping and picked her as the best bargain and she had nothing to say about it) was that she was very patient and nice. Hmmmm…. Now ain’t that innerestin’. Basically Armando wants a wife that is compliant and submissive, not one that provides any intellectual stimulation or contribution. In other words, the ONLY aspect of her that he cites as HIS reason for marrying HER, is that she more patient and kind that other people (women). This also fits in with the profile of an abuser…abusers don’t go after people who set boundaries. Abusers “groom” their victims using specific mechanisms of abuse and terrorism, and they “reward” their victims for being patient and nice.

I would not be at all surprised if eventually we heard that Veronica left Armando, and that she started talking about what has been getting covered up all this time. There are just too many occasions in which Armando bullies and verbally abuses people on these shows where that is labeled as “the drama of entertainment” for me not to suspect that there are very bad things going on that we are not seeing.

I also noticed all the verbal “false starts” he made during his interview, promising to tell you something and then getting ’sidetracked’ with some other issue, never really going back to the original point and clarifying it. This is also how abusers work, and it’s also how cult leaders work–they get people all hyped up by staging some kind of pep rally type thing, but there are no specifics to back up what they say.

While I recognize that in business sometimes properties are held in names of other companies instead of in an individual’s name, that is still no excuse for the Montelongo clan to not spell that out as part of their “how to” guides, how the titles to the properties are held. The fact that so much of what Armando writes is replete with misspellings, grammatical errors, and ambiguous statements makes me think that he doesn’t even have enough money to hire someone to take care of that stuff for him…

All in all, from what I’ve seen of the shows, Armando and David fail repeatedly to do their homework, and then when the result is something unexpected, they try to bully their way into getting what they want. There is nothing else to say about that except that it is classic abuser behavior.

On a final note, if Armando is so concerned about helping people get ahead financially, why isn’t he creating some low-income housing with incentives for people who are in school, or single mothers who are in job training, etc? You don’t change society under the guise of trying to help people get ahead financially by telling them that you are going to teach them all the oppressive “tricks” of the big dogs…in other words, there is nothing wrong with having money. There is something definitely wrong with telling people that getting rich any way you can, no matter who you abuse and terrorize in the process, is an entertaining and great thing to do, or that it is a good thing to teach our children to do.

A&E, in my opinion, has a lot bigger things to worry about than Armando lying about the financial end of things and misrepresenting how easy it is to flip or rehab houses…they owe the public an explanation as to why they are promoting a verbally and physically abusive individual and promoting it being OK to teach that behavior to little kids.

A&E…shame on you.

wyldwmn

Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 3:13 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

One other thing about Armando…for all the people who say that they purchased his course, learned a lot from it, and believe he is interested in helping people: You are exactly right. By that I mean that Armando is not writing for other experienced professionals with whom he can excchange tips, perspectives, and resources…he is specifically targeting people who do not know how to research a topic, who do not know how to utilize public libraries (including on college and university campuses), and he is specifically targeting people who believe that the only way they can get 1) out of a bad financial place and 2) informed about something that he makes seem “glamorous,” is by getting “lucky” when someone who has power (money) decides to give them some information. So, did you learn something from the boosk you bought? Of course–that is how the sale of the books is designed. And that is exactly how the “grooming” takes place by the abuser and the cult leader–the victim is given some information or experience that on the surface “seems” to be exactly what they were **hoping** for. The brainwashing process happens by giving little bits of “truth,” albeit often twisted bits of truth, in order to maintain a trust bond that is actually an ever increasingly dependent bond between the victim and the abuser. People who are calling Armando on his bheavior and his falsehoods are not jealous of Armando–they are incensed that he is taking advantage of a specific sector of the population by manipulating their vulnerabilities.

If Armando were a decent human being, he would be telling people where to find this information at low cost in the library, and he would be telling people how to get jobs that would give them a “closer look” at real estate flipping while they were picking up some skills, instead of running these pep rallies about making big bucks through manipulation and deceit that he calls “leveraging.” Be aware that your thinking that he is a helpful, nice guy is based on your thinking that you got a bunch of really helpful information…it is true that the information helped you. Armando’s intention, however, is not necessarily an honorable one just because you are happy that you “got lucky” and found information that you enjoy having. In other words, another characteristic of abusers and cult leaders is convincing the victim that the abuser or cult leader cares about the victim enough to just hand over some kind of valuable information or sense of belonging, just because the abuser or cult leader cares more about the victim than anybody else. This is entirely based on the mechanism of convincing the victim that the abuser or cult leader is the *only* source for that information or sense of belonging. It’s a kind of favor placing where that favor can be called in at a later time. In other words, he’s giving you a big discount on the books now, but later on when he tells you that you “need” these other books that cost a whole bunch more, he will very subtly “guilt” you into buying those books, and very subtly throw in your face that you found the first ones really helpful, and so you can’t go wrong on the next, more expensive set, never telling you that you can also get that information (and more) for free.

That is not jealousy…that is putting the light on the specific mechanisms of abusers and cult leaders so that people can see exactly how the engine of abuse works…and so that they can take steps to dismantle those parts and stop that engine from running us all over.

wyldwmn

Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
Kim wrote:

Steve and Mike,

Great information and thanks to you all for sharing.

As to Nevada entity for Montelongo….probably due to different usury laws in Nevada which, as I recall, provide for charging approximately thirty percent interest. I noted that the corporation was “Beneficiary” in the cause number.

I know a number of private lenders who have Nevada corporations in
order to take advantage of this benefit.

Keep fighting the good fight. It breaks my heart to see the scam artists thriving from the crushed dreams of the decent person.

Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 4:26 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

Hey wyldwmn …..
Your post are tooo long man. Its like reading the dictionary.
Armondo is a fraud. Everyone knows it. Especially Armondo!!!!!

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 12:15 am | Permalink
Amy wrote:

Okay, well…I’m sitting here feeling like a fool. I actually have the loan request form open on my desktop to take a loan out on our retirement fund, to become a part of Montelongo’s Coaching Program.
That’s right…we fell for it, to a degree. I say a degree, because I did google him tonight before finishing the loan app, and found this site. Two hours later I sit here almost in tears.

My husband is in the Air Force. We get out next year. We are young, 30, with four kids and no college education. We were looking for something we could do together, for ourselves. No more working for someone else. This flipping/real estate investing seemed the perfect thing for us. We weren’t trying to get rich quick…just make a life for ourselves by working hard, for ourselves.

I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under us. We were too nervous to try it on our own, but felt confident that, with a team of “experts” helping us every step of the way, we could do it. Now, to discover the expert is a liar…I feel betrayed.
I don’t even know if we should stick with the flipping/real estate plan now, or, with just 11 months to go, look into something else. So lost now.

Anyway…I want to thank you guys for all the info you have put out there for people like us. You saved us from making an $7,950.00 mistake. Thank you!

Amy

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 12:22 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Wyldwmn - you rock - are you single? :)

As someone with a minor in psych and more than a passing interest in the field, that was fascinating to read and well put. The dynamic of needing to belittle others to make himself feel important permeates everything Armando does that I’ve seen at many levels.

His characteristics also make him pretty easy to profile in writing - see how many of his shill posts here you can find - it’s fun!

Fortunately, his reach long ago exceeded his grasp, and it’s just a matter of time now.

Amazing how reality tv shows always find these classic narcissist types - Armando, Rocco DiSpirito, Jonathan Antin, Jeffrey Lewis, etc. Bad business makes good tv I guess.

MV

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 1:58 am | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

First of all, its obvious wyldwmn is a woman, not a man. Wyldwmn, great points indeed. I have no idea of your knowledge of real estate or a jobsite, but my question is…Do you think this is an attitude he could have easily carried over from a jobsite to his family, treating them as he is used to treating his workers in order to get what he wants, or do you think it is simply a part of his inherit personality. One thing I’ve never had a terrible problem with, like others is SOME of his aggressive behavior, because the real estate industry is a go-getter business, where you must be in command and in control of your business and your contractors or they will take advantage of you. It must be obvious to them that you know the aspects of their jobs (hence you can’t go in with no knowledge of real estate and expect to get rich-start from the bottom, work to the top) and you must be stern so they understand its important to show up everyday, on time, and work in the order you want things done, etc. Now that being said, I know Armando can take it too far, let the power go to his head and be border-line abusive to them, which is why he has run through contractors like toilet paper- but I think hes got the right idea, he just enjoys the power too much. Also he doesn’t use his knowledge as leverage, he just uses. “my money, my money, my money- hey my name is Armando Montelongo- my money.” He could be fooling us all, he may not even know how to hablo ingles, just may be able to say “my money.”

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 3:08 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

But one important fact is that your wife is not a contractor

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 3:10 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Re: Amy post #745
Try this site if you are looking for a plan. http://www.daveramsey.com/.
This guy tells it like it is.
Jeff

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 3:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Amy,

WOW! You and yours have a GREAT weekend!

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 4:18 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Amy, there is plenty of other literature, for a much more affordable price that will give you the correct info on what you need to do to proceed with your desires. You just need to research it. Go to bookstores, check libraries, and surf the web. Check out the blog page regarding Mike Voss’ reveiew of Arando’s E-Book. (The very first entry of flipthislawsuit.com) He has a list of books to purchase that I back as a solid list. Also, understand in order to learn how to flip a house, you need to know about a house. So check out not only books that have to do with flipping homes, but also books about rehabilitating homes. I always say it is best to start from the bottom and learn what you can, and work to the top. Someone on your team needs to know the jobsite, and how to evaluate what a property may need. You need to be able to know if a worker is doing something wrong, or if they are taking too much time, or doing things in the wrong order. You cannot simply trust people you don’t know with your investment (hmm-hmm…Armando). You need to know the areas you plan to invest in. Historically what have they been like. Not just what are the comps in the area, but is the government funding growth in the area? Has it been on a steady rise or decline? Buying properties can be like investing in the stock market, buy low, sell high, have some kind of insight to the company- ex./would you invest in toyota stock, or ford stock, smart reason to invest in toyota is not only because of ther product, or because they have been rising while ford has been falling, but whats behind the companies? Toyota has been working towards the future, mastering fuel efficient hybrid cars, ford has been laying off workers, shutting down plants and stopped production of the minivan all together. Toyota is optimistically looking toward the future, Ford is cutting bait and hoping something works out.) Buy the ugliest house on the best block. We all know the first 3 rules to flipping are 1)Location, 2)Location, 3)Location. Furthermore, don’t rehab your home to your taste, because you are not selling it to you. Make choices that will attract the majority of people. Don’t spend unneeded money, you need to be able to get a dollar or more out of every dollar you put it. If the house will only max out at 250k in the area, you simply can’t make it worth 500k, no matter what you do to it. Get in touch with a good realtor early, and sit down and go over your plan. Have multiple contractors bid your first jobs and walk through it with them, to compare their prices and to see which ones seem more knowledgable….tell em Mike- “Good, Fast, Cheap- pick any 2 (so true)” Don’t ever get precious about a house- set max limits what you are willing to give for a property and don’t exceed them because YOU JUST
HAVE TO HAVE THAT HOUSE- no you don’t. There are plenty of fish in the sea. If you are not confident about you or your contractors ability to inspect homes, get them inspected for major issues. Check thoroughly (if u can) those things that could cost you to destroy your budget and shoot you into red numbers- foundation, sewage, asbestos, termites, electrical, etc. These are just key critical key aspects for beginning flippers- not even the beginning of flipping 101. Just do your research and don’t trust anyone who spends there time trying to sell their secrets, because if they were any good at flipping, they would spend most of their time doing that.

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 5:37 pm | Permalink
Christie wrote:

Armando is a serious investor who knows how to make the money consistently. I purchased his $97.00 program and loved it. He is so full of ideas.In his defense….
You say Armando is a liar, politicians are liars too. We trust them to run our country! Armando is a jerk. Jerks get the job done! He stated “DVD” instead of “AUDIO”. You think Trump cares about that? Or making money? Give me a break. The best of the best get sued all the time for being the best. Mike, I will look for your self help book on “Frivolous Lawsuits the Easy Way!” Underdeveloped individuals are upset because they dont have the “ganas” to do the same!
Do you and your families all a favor. Swallow your pride, learn something from somebody who makes more money than you (irregardless of how), and do something constructive with your life!

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

721.Colleen….. I mean Armondo, Let me just say Richard Davis Is the REAL DEAL. Armondo is the very cheap substitute. With bankruptcy written all over it/him. And as “Wyldwmn” wrote earlier. he is headed for the big D as time goes on. What an arrogant Tool Armondo monta-crook is. I hope you give him some money Colleen cause he needs it so bad. It will go to good use. NOT

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 11:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Fascinating analysis, wyldwmn You’ve nailed it! I’ve read it three times (so far)!

Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 11:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Christie,

Re: “learn something from somebody who makes more money than you (irregardless of how)”

Brilliant, so that would include Amy tapping her retirement savings for $9,750 in the form of a loan against it for Armando’s crap advise. That’s OK with you, “irregardless of how”. Your words.

Robbing banks also fits your, um, ’standard’ as well it would seem.

GET a clue and while you’re at it, BUY some ethics

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 8:17 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

For a review of Armando’s e-book, click here ; )

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/08/28/mike-voss-reviews-armando-montelongos-e-book/#more-56

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Christie (aka Armando in drag)

You have no idea what Armando makes. And, if you were smart, you’d be able to tell he is likely close to insolvent based on the public data unearthed here, so you are, in fact, hearing from many people making more than he.

We don’t say anything we cannot back up, and you’d be wise to do the same. Armando is a clown, I’m not. Tengo mucho ganas, amigo. Hola a Veronica y Mondoman!

MV

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 8:55 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

Hey Christie,
How about drug imports. You could make lots of money selling drugs. Its all about the money right? Like you said “irregardless of how”…..
Just to let you know irregardless is not a word. Its regardless. That way, next time you won’t sound like Armondo Montacrook.

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:01 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Amy - You don’t know it yet, but what you will some day feel when you look back at what just happened is incredible relief and good luck. You just avoided making a huge mistake. That money would have been gone forever and you can do so many far better things with it. Pleae take a look at the other books and sources of information talked about here and THEN decide if real estate is for you. If it is, then use that money as part of a down payment on your first property.

You dodged a bullet for you and your family - that’s something to be happy about, not sad. Everything you need to know is available free or very inexpensively - the only investment you need to make is your time.

Believe me, you just KEPT the rug from being pulled out from under you.
You’re off to a good start - you spent your time doing reserch and avoided making a mistake - that’s something to be very happy about. Keep it up.

Mike Voss

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:04 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

My favorite Armando episode so far:

The one in which he buys the “cat house” that smells beyond belief and repair WITHOUT seeing the house from inside.

Unbelievable.

The icing on the cake on that episode was the fake buyer at the end.

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:29 pm | Permalink
Debbie wrote:

Thank you Wlydwmn for explaining so eloquently that ripping people off is the least of Armondo’s problems. May Veronica one day see what the rest of us do…a controlling, dehumanizing personality who gets pleasure from his abusive ways. Worst of all he is the role-model for Mondoman…what is that sweet child learning about honoring and respecting one’s wife? Thanks again…I agreee wtih Mike - you rock!!!

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:36 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

PS Christie

After you BUY some ethics take what’s leftover and buy a dictionary

“Irregardless” is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less. It was probably formed on the analogy of such words as irrespective, irrelevant, and irreparable. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. Irregardless first appeared in the early 20th century and was perhaps popularized by its use in a comic radio program of the 1930s.”

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
Debbie wrote:

Hmmmm..Brandon thinks Armondo “has the right idea”. Since when is tearing people down through humiliation the “right idea”? A lack of maturity leads to such behavior when one cannot manage success and relate to people. Birds of a feather?

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:44 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Montelongos have defaulted on over 20+ loans. Has any major media outlet picked up on this story yet?

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 9:58 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

OK. I read some earlier posts about Montelongo’s defaults. The reason for Montelongo default is simple:

Hard money loans typically last 6 months. They held theirs for 15 months–way into default.

Example:
131 Bristol - Purchased Jan. 20, 2006
Foreclosed - April 3, 2007

They couldn’t flip the house for 15 months! (I thought it was like riding a bike?) Not to mention they bought the house for $39K, but borrowed $48K, pocketing approx. $8K at closing. Do that 20 or 30 times quickly and you have a nice chunk of change to effectively ‘take the money and run’ as they say in real estate. I feel bad for whoever lent them the money. They’ll never get it back.

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 10:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Veronica for Vice President” and “The Rookie”

What do they have in common? The SAME ‘potential’ buyers. In “Veronica for Vice President” the gal has her hair down and the guy has no facial hair. In “The Rookie” the SAME gal has her hair pulled back and the SAME guy has a goatee this time, and they have a kid in tow.

Just MY OPINION but that’s what it looks like to me and I have both episodes on DVR ; )

Posted on 01-Sep-07 at 11:14 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

RE post #752
“Christie wrote:
Armando is a serious investor who knows how to make the money consistently. I purchased his $97.00 program and loved it. He is so full of ideas.In his defense….”

Well of course your going to say you “loved it” because who would waste their money buying that junk and then post here saying what a mistake. No one wants others to know that they go taken especially when it comes to cash.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 12:38 am | Permalink
Steve wrote:

Really!! Why don’t all you whining ass people get a life and try to make some money doing something constructive besides “hating” and fomenting your venom. You sound like a bunch of jealous fools!! Get a life!!

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 2:06 am | Permalink
Al wrote:

Steve in Texas (and several others):

Wow, I re-read all the postings here, and you have done thorough research on these quick-study artists. I knew about some of their loan defaults, but not the extent you have discovered. Have you been able to forward your research to any national publications? The information is plain as day on the county clerk’s website.

BTW, for those who have attacked you and the truth seekers, I guess the truth hurts. (Also, it’s not libel if it’s the truth).

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 9:17 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

HOW TO SPOT A SHILL POST BY ARMANDO:
(example, # 768 above)

Look for common elements including

- the word whining (often misspelled)
- the phrase “get a life”
- the phrase “hating”
- reference to ‘jealousy’
- phrases like “why don’t you try to make some money”

- no concrete reasons or examples of anything good or useful originating from Armando, just negative attack on people posting here.

As you can see, post 768 is so obvious it’s comical. You can find many other posts by Armando by looking for these things - you’ll generally find several of them in each shill post.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 11:02 am | Permalink
Michael M. wrote:

You guys need to understand something. I do video production, although unrelated to what Armando Montelongo does. When my girlfriend and I watch his show, we usually break up laughing at the contrived conflict (yes, CONTRIVED) that is added to the show to create drama.

That’s right, it’s contrived and it’s drama. Lighten up guys. It’s a SHOW and it’s on TV and it’s not intended to be a Bob Vila how-to knockoff.

I have never met any of the Montelongos but I’m pretty sure Armando is a decent guy. Once more, people, just for emphasis. It’s a show, it’s TV, it’s contrived drama, it ain’t real. If you don’t believe me, find someone who produces or directs TV shows or movies, ask them to watch the show with you and comment on things as the episode unfolds. Chill out, man. Hahahaha.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 11:53 am | Permalink
Al wrote:

That’s funny! Classic case of attacking the messenger’s character instead of dealing with the facts/issues–several dozen defaulted loans (so far) by the self-proclaimed biggest investors in Texas?

FYI, Just learned this the other day…did you know that one of the contractors from the show tried doing a flip and lost it to foreclosure recently? (It was listed on MLS). What a shame because he’s a nice guy(contractor is nice guy, not seminar graduate Armando). You would think they would bail out their contractor, but I guess they were too busy making a book and trying to bail themselves out at the same time…

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 12:09 pm | Permalink
Nolookpass wrote:

He’s just another internet tough guy who will get what he has coming to him.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 1:00 pm | Permalink
Mar wrote:

Rob can you send me details.on the purchase did you had a chance to send it back? Because i was looking on their web page and i had order something for 29.99and when i finish it showed that i had bought 2 programs for 47.97 and i wanted to know if you were able to send it back. i just had that done 8/31/07 and was ttrying to find a #but coun’t find it so i close my bank card but bank told me that they had charge it off already and that it was going to cost me.to cancel the purchases:(

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 3:19 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

I meant by the comment “the right idea” in reference to him taking command of his investment. I did go on to say that he takes it too far, which would reference him humiliating his contractors and leveraging his “money” of their heads rather than just proving he is an expert who knows how it should be done. You must in fact control your contractors and not let them control you (but this does not mean humilitate them and act like you are much better than them.) One of the only comments I believe that Armando has said is…”this business is not for the weak at heart.” It is a business, and you are the CEO.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

Where do I begin?

I just found out about ALL of this about 3 days ago. Before that time, I never knew who Montelongo was. I wanted some advice on flipping, and found out about Armando through the TV show and was originally inspired that he was from S.A., where I live also. Now, wow, I don’t know what to think of the guy.

I think Steve de Tejas and Mike Voss have been great crusaders for the cause, and its easy to get wrapped up in fighting for the ‘good’ in life. Ultimately, though, I think Armando lost those houses more because of the market than anything else. I think he’s made money flipping, and he obviously wasn’t homeless on the street before A & E brought him fame. He’s got skills, I will give him that, but he DOES NOT have a problem lying either, and that could lead to his downfall. While he hasn’t seemed to be as bad as Leccima or commit criminal acts, he may be headed down that long, winding road eventually. As for A & E, they are more to blame than the Montelongos, and claiming that they aren’t responsible for the buy and sold claims on the shows, that doesn’t help their reputation for solid programming.

On the flip side (no pun intended), this makes Richard Davis and Jeff from ‘Flipping Out’ look like angels, and it makes us more disgusted about having people and TV stations lying right before our very eyes, which is actually a good thing.

I have nothing but love for Armando and A&E. I don’t know about the people who have spent $997 on his program, but honestly, if it carries the message that he conveys on his 10 minute sampler ( http://armandomontelongo.com/dvd.php ), then I think its a worthwhile investment for someone getting into flipping. He is knowledgeable, lets at least give him that.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

OK I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I’m not done yet.

Like anyone reading this would spend $997 anyway, knowing they could get it on EBAY, I retract my prior recommendation: Buy for $0.99 on EBAY instead!

Now, with the understanding that A&E and, likely, the Montelongos both keep an eye on this webblog, I am giving my 2 cents. No crimes have been committed, other than crimes against people’s dignity (I’m thinking of reporting to the San Antonio Current, S.A.’s underground publication, since Express News won’t report it). However, my advice to the station and the flipper is to go back on the air with new shows, scrapping the actor(s), and being honest about the flips. We all know Montelongo can make money flipping, and who REALLY cares that its $10,000 profit and not $50,000. There’s no need to lie to the public. Be honest, and realize that even with honest profit reporting the level of entertainment in a Montelongo show is still better than a more boring Trademark show.

I’ll try, but I doubt I’ll be able to avoid posting again and getting involved on this website. Feels like an addiction coming on.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

That smokin hot Veronica is obviously going to leave Montelsmallgo as soon as the money runs out.Look me up when it does babe.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 5:31 pm | Permalink
Brandon wrote:

Classic Armando in the “…house that hasn’t been rehabbed since the 60’s…”
Roof: Armando says, “I just need it to pass the inspectors eye so I can sell it.” Translation: Fix it so its good for one important day, after that it will be the buyers problem.
To On-Site Supervisor: yelling about him continuing to be over budget- though budget issues came from foundation problems that were worse than Armando originally thought, after Armando purchased the house knowing it had substantial foundation issues. Secondary budget overages came from the roof which was damaged due to foundation repair, and any other overages would had came from his wife’s design choices. None of the budget overages were due to on site supervisor, yet he was getting screamed at for them. Also Armando commented to the on-site supervisor after encountering some more issues, “All you want to do is throw money at them, money solves your problem, it doesn’t solve mine.” Hello, hes the on-site supervisor, he has no problems- if something is wrong with the house, its your problem Armando, and you must fix it, and how do you fix it- maybe labor and materials which cost….hmmm…money, which will fix YOUR problem. Your real problem is that you thought you could buy a house with visible substantial foundation issues and it thought it would be fast and cheap to fix them, creating an unrealistic budget that you would have to go over, then blame someone else for going over it. This entire comment is simply idiotic, and proves that he is the worst kind of blame-shifter.
To Keno (the foundation guy): Keno asked for 4 grand extra due to the foundation being much worse than originally thought, and Armando swindled him into doing the sidewalk for free as a part of the deal (labor and materials) and then told him “you’ve been honest with me in the past, so this one time I’ll cut you a break and do it for you.” Hello Armando, its Keno who is cutting you the break, Armando said himself in the same episode, “if Keno can’t do this, I’m (screwed).” Someone does Armando a favor, and its Armando who acts like hes doing the favor. (Something tells me Keno won’t be around for too much longer.) This sounds very close to the wyldwmn description of an abuser.
Also in the same episode, Veronica goes with some higher end design choices than usual- including higher end cabinets and appliances than they usually use. Trying to attract the potential buyers eye somewhere else? You go over budget, and none of the blame goes to choosing some of the best cabinets and appliances you’ve ever used on a job?
I do not think Armando is this stupid, I really don’t. I don’t think he is unintentially blame-shifting, or believes he cutting the workers he swindles a deal. This is simply just the way he abuses his power to get what he wants and once again uses his “money” and not his knowledge as leverage over his contractors.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 5:51 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

#776 & 777: I agree with everything you just said except the part about who cares if it’s 10K or 50K (or zero). And no crime committed.

I think people do care, because 20+ times they made a whopping ZERO profit. I looked at the house on 131 Bristol and the reason he lost that one was because it’s in a gang area, plus two huge barking dogs on each side of the property. These are serious considerations when re-selling a house.(a guru should know this). Few people want to live in a gang area or next to huge dogs. That’s why it sat on the market for 15 months. Plus, they paid too much for it–full listing price on MLS. Apparently in a bid to acquire as many properties as possible, they decided to pay top dollar. There simply are not enough deals out there and they must’ve felt compelled to buy things at full price to meet their monthly quota. Problem is when it came to resell, they couldn’t get the high re-sale price because they paid too much for ‘em in the first place. It’s all on MLS for anybody to see how much they paid for their houses.

As for the crime thing–jury is still out. But if buyers of the program soon realize they won’t make $50K on a flip like these guys claim, they might ask for their money back. I don’t know. Attorney General Dan Morales went after McCorkle about 10 years ago for the same thing when people complained they weren’t making the profits like the guru said they would. Check it out…

http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/020797/ags.htm

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Michael M,

I’ll give him this much. As a “cast member” on FTL his “role” is to play an “asshole”. Which he does quite well ; )

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 7:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Al,

Re: “I think people do care, because 20+ times they made a whopping ZERO profit.”

Or WORSE than ZERO if you figure in carrying costs ; )

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 8:23 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Michael M, I think some folks here just want to get the facts out to people so they can make their own judgements about these guys is all…

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 8:48 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Interesting link, Al!

Check this out, you too Veronica! LOL

http://www.freechantal.com/frames/home.htm

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 9:10 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

Messages #776, #777, and #780 don’t pass the sniff test. Nice try, though.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 9:12 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Chantal Watts McCorkle (born 1968, Slough, England) is a British citizen. Along with William, her American husband, she was tried and convicted in 1998 in Florida for her part in a financial fraud. The McCorkles sold kits purporting to show buyers how to get rich by buying property in foreclosures and government auctions. They advertised on infomercials; among the grounds for their conviction was their representation in the infomercials that they owned luxury automobiles and airplanes (actually rented for the commercials), and their use of purported testimonials from satisfied customers, who were actually paid actors.

She and her husband, both represented by F. Lee Bailey, were each originally sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison under mandatory sentencing laws. After two appeals, the McCorkles’ sentences were reduced in 2006 to 18 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantal_McCorkle

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 9:17 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Interesting. Seeing that the TX atty. general went after McCorkle, I wonder if Montelongo is on their radar yet. Clearly, sale of his courses is predicated on false claims and deceptive practices.

Amazing how McCorkle was doing the same crap 10 years ago - these guys are all the same. “Fortunes in Foreclosure” - yeah - how many of you know some foreclosure millionaires from 10 years ago? What crap.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 9:29 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Wow, Steve in Texas, I had no idea the McCorkles actually got prison time. I thought they were sued and paid financial damages or something like that. Very interesting. I wonder if history will repeat itself with Montelongos?

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

#785, not sure what you meant when you say it doesn’t pass the ’sniff test’. But here’s something to scratch at…From the Bexar County Court House, I’ve just now downloaded the .pdf files of some of the Montelongo’s acquisition deeds and Trustee’s Sales (foreclosure documents) that I can email to you directly, or maybe post somewhere on this web page. It is public record after all.

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 10:32 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

Re: “how many of you know some foreclosure millionaires from 10 years ago?”

That would be none ; )

Remember “Bob” of Enzyte fame? Same outcome. “This is Bob” now…

On September 21, 2006, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, its owner and president, Steven Warshak, and five other individuals were indicted by the United States, Southern District of Ohio, U.S. Attorney Greg Lockhart, on charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and mail, wire and bank fraud. The indictment alleges a massive scam totaling roughly 100 million U.S. dollars. The United States Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, postal inspectors and other agencies participated in the investigation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyte

Posted on 02-Sep-07 at 11:05 pm | Permalink
Peter wrote:

I bought his ebook. Yesterday. I just printed it. It has 94 pages if you buy from him it cost you $97. if you buy somewhere else it cost you $4.25 I didnt read it yet so I cant judge. but looking forward to it. Let you know later.

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 8:11 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #744 Rock wrote:
“Hey wyldwmn …..
Your post are tooo long man. Its like reading the dictionary.”

Now, a lot of people might just dismiss this post as being Rock’s personal issues, but I think that it is a really good example of how anger makes us vulnerable to abusers and cult leaders.

First, everything that we write is about ourselves and what we want to say about ourselves.

Second, all of the issues of our lives are what can be called “bi-level,” meaning that there is a surface issue and then a deeper, underlying issue. It is that we do not know this about ourselves and our brains that makes us vulnerable. Then, it’s that *feeling* of vulnerability that comes from not having the words to describe and articulate these feelings, that contributes to our anger and lashing out. It’s not that everybody has a hidden agenda—it’s just that our brains and psychology work in this bi-level way. In other words, we can say that our goal is to provide retirement income by getting into house flipping, but there is also an underlying goal that is rooted in our instincts for survival, including getting our emotional needs satisfied, that is referred to as the “underlying” issue.

Third, what Iyanla Vanzant says is very true: When we know better, we do better. The road to knowing better is what we often refer to as our “learning curve,” and as we travel that pathway our feelings of frustration come out under the *umbrella* of anger and angry statements. What a lot of people don’t take into consideration is that it’s one thing to acquire information about house flipping and it’s an entirely different but related and *highly essential* thing to understand how our brains and our psychology work. I know, for example, that if I want to eat a steak, it’s wise to help my innards a little bit by cutting it up into manageable pieces instead of just stuffing the entire thing down my own throat all at once. It’s the same thing with information—it’s up to me to know what my brain can acquire and internalize and how it does that, because otherwise I’m doing the mental equivalent of trying to swallow the entire steak at once, which is *exactly* one of the vulnerabilities that come up on the abuser/cult leaders’ radar when they are out gillnetting for victims to dupe.

In psychology, anger is considered to be an “umbrella” emotion that holds frustration, confusion, pain, sense of helplessness, etc. This is why *on the surface* it might seem like Rock is all about making a personal attack, when it’s the underlying issue that is the more truthful issue, i.e., that it was probably frustrating for Rock to read those two posts. My guess is that he hasn’t learned yet how to take a big piece of information and use a mental steak knife to cut it up into chewable and digestible pieces, so he reacts in frustration and anger, making a personal attack in order to avoid the reality that he doesn’t know how to manage his feelings of discomfort, frustration, etc. It is *that* behavior that gets picked up on the abusers/cult leaders’ radar. Abusers and cult leaders are looking for people who are lonely, frustrated, angry, scared, speak in cliché’s (more about that later) and who do not know about their own psychology or thinking processes. Abusers/cult leaders look for people who are invested in trial-and-error thinking alone, with little or know analytical thinking. In other words, they look for people who make choices based on the desperation that comes from unsatisfied emotional needs. They look for angry, frustrated, irritated people who make personal attacks because the know that these people can be lured into the gillnet with a few strategically-worded promises.

One way of *reacting* to Rock, then, would be making sarcastic remarks about it being obvious that I’m a woman, etc. A way of *responding* to him, on the other hand, would be to offer to break the information up into smaller chunks so that he would have an easier time accessing, processing, and internalizing it. However, *before* making an offer to anyone to break up the information into the chunk sizes that are better for *them,* it is essential to first take the time to learn more about that person’s deeper issue. For example, I have no way of knowing if Rock’s issue is that he gets frustrated when he gets too much information all at once about human psychology, or if he’s just randomly looking for people to snipe at, or if there is some other issue for him that maybe even he isn’t aware of. Is Rock’s issue that he wants to access the information and feels frustrated and angry because he doesn’t know how? Or is Rock’s issue that he feels entitled to be mean to other people when he doesn’t like what he’s feeling?

What is essential to know about wisdom-gathering is how to distinguish our own *reactions* to other peoples’ behaviors from our *responses* to other peoples’ behaviors. Gathering wisdom is about putting away from ourselves that which does not serve us, and creating a plan to open the doors so that we can access what *does* serve us. Reacting is a roadblock, whereas responding is stepping back and taking a broader view with an open mind. Making a rude personal attack is a *reaction.* Asking for clarification or smaller pieces of information at one time is a *response.*

I read a quote recently that I think was attributed to Ben Franklin…it said something about wise people surround themselves with other wise people. I have a different take on that. I am a wisdom-gatherer…so I surround myself with other people who are wisdom-gatherers. There is a big difference between a person that I label as having wisdom, and a person that clearly has wisdom-gathering skills that they are constantly bettering by looking in the mirror. I don’t want to surround myself with people who *appear* to be smarter than me. I want to surround myself with people who are good behavior models.

In our society we can easily find books that explain how car engines work, how clock mechanisms work, how plants benefit from different kinds of compost or watering methods, but we don’t have enough books that teach us the basic psychology of our own brains and we don’t have any books that I know of about “brain tools” that we can use to tune up and better the way we acquire information and wisdom. It doesn’t do me any good, for example, to buy a box of candy bars on sale if my thinking is that doing so would cut my food bill in half. It does me a lot of good, on the other hand, to first go learn about my nutritional needs and digestive system, and then decide whether that box of candy bars that is on sale will free up some of the “treat” money included in my food budget. In that sense, buying the box of candy bars on sale might meet two of my needs—a low cost stash of treats *and* an extra few bucks to add to an investment. And that investment might just be in the form of library fines for the books that I check out on house flipping. :-} :-} :-} :-} :-} :-} :-} :-} :-} :-}

And yes, I am writing a book about brain tools.

wyldwmn

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #745 Amy wrote:

“Okay, well…I’m sitting here feeling like a fool…

We were looking for something we could do together, for ourselves.

I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under us…I feel betrayed.

I don’t even know if we should stick with the flipping/real estate plan now, or, … look into something else.”

A lot of times when people are figuring out what to do, they skip the step of figuring out what has just happened and why, and instead use “all-or-nothing” thinking to pick a next step to take. The step of figuring out what has just happened and why includes first identifying the information that the person had right before the experience that left them feeling like a fool or feeling betrayed, and identifying the information that they *didn’t have.* Then the next thing to identify is what was the information that the person didn’t know that they didn’t have.

So, as I read Amy’s post, it was very good that the information that she did have was that she and her husband were looking for something that they could do together for themselves. This statement says a lot about Amy’s relationship being a solid partnership. Maybe some of the information that Amy didn’t have was about house flipping. And maybe some of the information that Amy *didn’t know that she didn’t have* was about how con artists, abusers and cult leaders work, and how they make you want to be part of their group, clan, religion, etc. The result then is that Amy is left wondering if it’s house flipping that she should avoid, which is where the “all-or-nothing” thinking happens, i.e., maybe house flipping isn’t for her family.

What I would offer then, is that it’s not about whether house flipping is a good or bad thing or whether it is right or wrong for her family…it’s about what a person knows about their own learning style and what a person knows about how to figure out if the information source is a reliable one. In other words, a lot of people go straight to the first loud-mouth source of house flipping that shows up, because nobody has ever taught them how to first give that source what I like to call “the job interview.” Before I decide to take someone else’s information into the intimate and sacred pathways of my brain, I’m going to do some research to make sure that I’m really going to receive what they are promising to deliver. If I do not take the time to give them the “job interview,” including a background check and calling their references, then I’m not just handing over my money—I’m handing over my *TRUST*, which is a far, far, far more valuable thing.

I research psychology and how the brain works. That means that I don’t just pick up an article or a book, read it, and then react to it. It means that the first thing I do is research the author. I want to know where they went to school, what kind of training they have had, what articles they have published in *peer reviewed journals,* and I want to know what their critics say. Now, that doesn’t mean that I choose not to read their stuff just because a bunch of “respectable” psychologists don’t like them. It means that I look at what the “respectable” psychologists are saying and how they are saying it. If they are speaking to the information and citing research, then that’s a good sign that reading the article or book would be a good idea. If the critics are *reacting* in anger or personal attacks, then I know that the critics are processing their own personal issues at the author’s expense. Now, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t bringing up good points, doubts, etc. It just means that the wisest thing I can do is recognize *reactions* when I see them, and set them aside while I look for *responses.*

In this forum, there are people who are telling the truth about Armando in anger which is a reaction, *and* some of them are also responding by offering very valid, reliable guidance and information. That is a sign that it’s not “house flipping” that is a good or bad thing—it is a sign that it’s how a person goes about learning to flip houses that is the issue. To illustrate this point, I notice that on Kirsten’s shows in particular, she interviews the wanna-be flippers and asks them the basis for their budgets. A good portion of them giggle and laugh instead of showing the numbers that they have “crunched.” In other words, they appear to be just picking numbers out of the air for their rehab budgets, and then insist on doing it their way just because they like it, refusing good, solid advice and training. Then they are shocked when they get in trouble, and they blame it on everyone else. Even when Kirsten asks them what they know about flipping, they choose to giggle and laugh. The analogy I see is that this is like deciding that you would like to learn to dive, so you go find a bridge and jump off head first not knowing what’s under the surface of the water or how far is a safe distance to dive, head first or not. Con artists, abusers, cult leaders, etc., are looking for the people who are ready to jump off a bridge head first.

When I am approached by people making me “big promises,” I get stupid. I ask a lot of “essay” questions, and I ask for a lot of clarification. One reason is that con artists and abusers have a certain style of grooming their victims, which includes a lot of flattery, professed “love,” professed “selfless sacrifice,” etc. They also look for people that they perceive to be lacking knowledge in certain ways. That doesn’t mean that they are looking for “stupid” people—it means that they are looking for people who don’t yet have certain types of analytical or research skills, and they are looking for people whose thinking tends to be toward assuming that there is some guru out there that will teach them everything they need to know so that they can go jump off a bridge and live happily ever after (often in great wealth). Life doesn’t work that way. There are some great honorably-intentioned people out there who are willing to share information and knowledge, but if we do not take the time to learn about ourselves, then we make ourselves very vulnerable to those who would take advantage of us. It’s not enough to use the either/or thinking of “Mike Voss is a better guru than Armando Montelongo,” for example. It *is* essential to know about how our brains work, to learn how to learn, to learn how to research information, etc. People like Mike Voss are going to be generous with those who are showing that they are learning about themselves in order to help themselves. People like Armando Montelongo are going to go after people who are convinced that they have to join up with some group or cult and pay a bunch of money before they can receive the big promise… The reality is that the big promise never becomes reality. When Mike Voss and people like him say that the information about flipping is available for little or no money, he is correct. What is also correct is that all the information in the world about flipping isn’t going to get you very far unless you also know about your own learning style, your own abilities to identify and process reliable information, your own vulnerabilities, and unless you know how to spot a con artist.

Amy, I think that it’s good that you figured some things out before you “took the plunge” with Armando’s books, but in my opinion it’s not enough to be satisfied with “at least I saved my family from losing it’s retirement savings.” The most important thing is to make sure that it doesn’t happen again by not “just” identifying what you now know about con artists like Armando—but instead by identifying what things about yourself that you didn’t know, that in turn made you vulnerable to that kind of person. Avoiding disaster is one thing…knowing what to change so that you avoid disaster in the future is what wisdom-gathering is all about.

wyldwmn

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 1:17 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #746 Mike Voss wrote:

“Wyldwmn - you rock - are you single? :)”

Yes.

wyldwmn

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 1:21 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

Laying out the addresses of Montelongo projects geographically, he’s been all over the city. I would expect, although I haven’t yet flipped any houses, that the best way to flip is to concentrate on a few key areas of the city that you flip in. Areas, for instance, who have strong neighborhood associations, property values, historic districts, proximity to work centers, etc.

I would be interested in some comments by flippers as to why this is. Also, I’m curious about flipping in different areas of the city. In San Antonio like most cities, we have different rings of suburbs starting with 1950’s first ring housing, culminating with lush northside development of the past 10 years which likely needs no refurbishing, therefore no flip potential. Anyone’s comments are appreciated.

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 2:26 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #747 Brandon wrote:

“Wyldwmn,…I have no idea of your knowledge of real estate or a jobsite,…

and

Do you think this is an attitude he could have easily carried over from a jobsite to his family, treating them as he is used to treating his workers in order to get what he wants, or do you think it is simply a part of his inherit personality.”

First, I grew up in a family of people in the trades, so I have some familiarity with how to do certain things, and some familiarity with terminology. I also know about board stretchers and sky hooks… ;-} ;-}

Second, Armando doesn’t have “attitudes” so much as he has *behavior.* That behavior did not start at the job sites—it is inherent in his personality. Most likely he has read this book that was popular a number of years ago about winning through intimidation and most likely he has encountered his own set of con artists who have taught him how to take advantage of people and how to “play the numbers.” But the bottom line is that people who abuse do it because they have serious mental problems. And the statistics on the reformation of abusers is more than just dismal. In other words, anger management classes don’t work. Abuse is not about anger management—it is about power and control. It’s not the money Armando wants—it’s the opportunity to have power and control over others. He has graduated from having power and control over his wife and kid, to having power and control over his contractors, to having power and control over the victims of his house flipping scam. Some people have heard the quote “Those whom the gods despise they make mad with power.” I would say it’s a good bet that Armando has pissed off quite a few gods….

Abusers and cult leaders all exhibit certain behaviors that are based on instilling fear, making grandiose promises, and then verbally and emotionally abusing their victims. The other night I saw just a few minutes of an Armando show where he was berating this contractor whose name was Brent I think. When I tuned in, the camera showed Armando in relationship to Brent where Armando was really going at him verbally, making statements about how it was Brent’s responsibility to ensure that Armando didn’t lose money, etc., and then at the very end of the show, Armando is standing above Brent, wearing sunglasses, going off about how “it’s all about respect” and how lucky Brent has earned Armando’s respect by hanging in there and working with integrity, which means that Armando was “rewarding” Brent with a little bit of Armando love, for having accepted the abuse. This is a main characteristic of abusers, i.e., “The fact that you put up with my beating you up and stay with me, makes me love you all the more.” What Armando and other abusers do is create what are called “double bind” situations. These “double bind” situations require that the victim accomplish tasks that are either impossible for the victim to accomplish, or impossible for anyone to accomplish. The double bind causes very serious trauma, and in these situations the victim is expected to do the impossible, but no matter what they do, they are hurt. Then later the abuser goes back and gives them some kind of reward—notice that Armando hands out pats on the head to his victims, not money, when those victims have put up with the abuse and worked for far less money than what they deserve. That’s what makes Armando’s followers cult-like. With Brent, you could see that Armando was acting like it was a pat on the head that Brent wanted at the end of the job, not a cash bonus, and you could see on Brent’s face that he was trying to smile and be happy, but there was a good deal of hesitation going on. Most likely Brent instinctively knows something is not right, but doesn’t know enough about his own psychology to be able to articulate what, exactly, is happening to him.

I think Amy made the comment that she just wanted to belong to Armando’s group, and that is exactly what abusers and cult leaders want to manipulate—the desire to belong. Human beings have a very strong instinct to feel like they belong. Con artists focus on that vulnerability—and again, the need to feel like we belong is not a vulnerability because it’s a defect—it’s a vulnerability because we don’t know about it.

Also in this episode I saw snippets of Armando getting ready for some public speaking engagement. He was completely full of himself in a way that was frightening. Jim Jones type frightening.

wyldwmn

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #752 Christie wrote:

“Armando is a serious investor who knows how to make the money consistently.

and

Armando is a jerk. Jerks get the job done!

and

Underdeveloped individuals are upset because they dont have the “ganas” to do the same!”

These three statements are perfect examples of one of the major thinking errors that humans experience—using “cliché” as logic, or to justify abuse.

First, is it true that Armando is a serious investor who knows how to make money consistently? Yes. Unfortunately, that is only a *partial* truth. Armando knows how to make it *look* like he is making money. And Armando knows how to make money at other peoples’ expense, which is not making money—it is financial abuse.

Second, is it true that Armando is a jerk and that jerks get the job done? Of course. Unfortunately it’s how you define “the job” that is the issue. Abusers will use the *partial truth* of needing to get the job done to justify their cruelties. They justify the harm they inflict on innocent people with the excuse that it’s the big money that is more important than the dignity of the individual. Armando rewards his contractors for putting up with abuse by giving them approval and pats on the head, and excuses his own behavior by saying that he had to be abusive in order to get the job done. What is missing in this picture is that Armando creates an *impossible* situation, and then puts each individual in a “double bind” when he is alone with them. How many times have you seen Armando humiliating a contractor or demanding the impossible from them when anyone else (except the camera) is around? He yells, speaks quickly, makes accusations, makes threats, gets in their face, invades their personal space, doesn’t give them a say, and otherwise humiliates the person. He is not asking what the person needs in order to do their job—he is asking *them* to make sacrifices because *he* (Armando) has to make money. This is no different than how a pimp operates with a prostitute—she has to go out there and take all the risk and be humiliated in order to take care of *his* needs. If “the job” is to make money by abusing and humiliation other individuals, then you are correct that Armando gets the job done. By claiming that what Armando does is admirable, you make it OK for someone to treat you abusively, to humiliate you, and to make you feel like it’s your responsibility to make sure that they get rich any way they can. But most importantly, using clichés as logic is a thinking error that makes you vulnerable to abusers and cult leaders.

Third, saying that people who complain about Armando’s are “unerdeveloped individuals [who] are upset because they dont have the “ganas” to do the same!” is exactly the type of abusive behavior that Armando is inflicting on his intended victims, and exactly the type of justification he is utilizing for his abusive tactics. And it is exactly the kind of abusive behavior that Armando and abusers and cult leaders like him require that their followers utilize to bring more members into the group or cult.

Furthermore, “ganas” means desire, and there is a big difference between having the desire to flip houses and being an abusive coward. Abusers are not people who have “ganas.” Abusers are desperate, cowardly individuals who are desperate to have power and control over other people any way they can get it. Armando’s behavior has escalated, like I’ve mentioned before, from abusing his family, to abusing his contractors, and now to abusing his would-be followers by selling them a bunch of promises. I don’t know where you learned your Spanish, pero el decir “tengo ganas” significa que “tengo deseos,” no que “tengo huevos.”

He dicho. Caso cerrado.

wyldwmn

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Its fairly plain to see by watching Armando and his group, that they are less than honest in their dealings, so why would anyone be suprised that this man, would put out crap and sell it on line. I could sell you a book, everything I know about running a multi million dollar business….never have I done that, but it would be the same vien as Armando and his get rich quick books…..btw what he doesn’t tell you is the only one getting rich is him, $100 for every sucker, and $1000.00 for everyone that took the intial bait. These books will sell because every con knows that people are greedy, and greed breeds stupidity. Can you make money flipping? Definatley, is it an overnight process, never. People look at the differance between Richard Davis / Trademark and Armando. Richard Davis runs Trademark which is a full service commercial residential real estate service, with property management. Not a flip a house business. Richard Davis has said we flip a house and it helps the niegbourhood. Armando flips for his pocket book, and he’s made money, but the question is who’d he screw to make the buck. Also I’ve noticed that there is now product placement / endorsement, windows, top of the line cabinets & appliances. My favorite quote on this I read on A&E’s forum, it deals with the Montolongo’s “two assholes flip a house” Now David’s gone so it should be called One Asshole flips a house and sells a crappy book.

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 5:51 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Hello! I have been reading a bit down this website and have found all the comments yall have posted to be quite interesting :) We were in SA this weekend for Labor Day and had the chance to go drive around and see some of the places related to the Montelongos. We went to their current office, or so I assume, at 8026 Vantage, their name was on the directory posted inside, so I assume so. We also went to the house from “investors special” WOW it looks worse now than it did before!! We also went by what I assume is their old office? On Dalhurst, are they still affiliated with that location at all? It looked awful! :) Anyway, we had fun! Just wanted to share. We took pictures too if anyone is interested :)

Posted on 03-Sep-07 at 8:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Elizabeth,

You can host the pics on ‘Photobucket’ FREE and then link to them here ; )

http://photobucket.com/

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 10:00 am | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

re: post 799

I think alot of people would like to see your pictures Elizabeth :)

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 11:30 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Wyldwmn you are awesome, right down to exposing bad Spanish. :)

Reminds me of a funny spring break movie I saw ages ago where a kid wants to talk to a Mexican street vendor:

kid: “Hablo Espanol?”
vendor: “Yes, you speak Spanish.”

I always have trouble in Mexico because I learned Spanish in high school back East, where it is (or was)taught more with the dialects of Spain. Once in Tijuana, I asked a shop owner about an item, “¿Senor, cuánto es éste?” He replied, “Ummmm, it’s five dollars, sir!” :)

MV

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 11:48 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Peter,

There’s an excellent review already on this website, click here…

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/08/28/mike-voss-reviews-armando-montelongos-e-book/#comment-17730

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 12:45 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #798 Greg said:

“These books will sell because every con knows that people are greedy, and greed breeds stupidity.”

I disagree. Con artists know that their products will sell because they learn how to manipulate the emotions of their targets. People do not fall victim to con artists because they are greedy and stupid–they fall victim to con artists because they have a goal, don’t know how to accomplish it, and their naturally occurring thinking errors draw them to the promise of instant gratification.

If I were to put the “stupid” label on anyone, it would have to be on Armando for not recognizing that he’s the self-proclaimed emperor that a lot of people are now saying is not wearing any clothes. But that would be a thinking error on my part. Armando is not stupid–he is desperate for power and control.

wyldwmn

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
Rock wrote:

hey wyldwmn…
I was being sarcastic. I like words…..(sarcastic again) Beer is good-Armondo is a tool

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 3:56 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

Once again, WOW! Fantastic comments!

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

Re: “I research psychology and how the brain works. That means that I don’t just pick up an article or a book, read it, and then react to it. It means that the first thing I do is research the author. I want to know where they went to school, what kind of training they have had, what articles they have published in *peer reviewed journals,* and I want to know what their critics say.”

This was of particular interest to me. It’s no secret here I’m a huge Trademark fan and am open to the possibility of becoming an ‘Area Partner’. My research though has been far more focused on Richard Davis himself, what makes him tick etc, and everything else you mentioned in that vein.

Don’t worry Richard, it’s all good ; )

Posted on 04-Sep-07 at 6:53 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

“I think Amy made the comment that she just wanted to belong to Armando’s group”

Actually, no, I didn’t say that. But I thought about what you said, and I agree, we were vulnerable for one main reason:

My husband and I, how shall I put this…we both err on the side of caution, you could say. USUALLY. I don’t feel that is a bad thing, normally, but it seems most entrepreneurs are the fast acting, bold, confident types. And we are just not. So, here we are, wanting to start our own business, something in real estate, and we are shaking in our boots. We have four kids, 8 & under, and the thought of one mistep sending us to the streets is just terrifying.
Enter Armando, who promises to walk you through it, make it easy as 123, with weekly phone calls, unlimited phone & internet support, a team of experts there to help us with every decision. We figured, we can take a chance on doing it on our own & losing the $8,000, or pay that much to *hire experts to guide us, minimizing our risk of failure.

So, I’m not sure I have a character flaw that guides me to a scam like a moth to a flame, but I did reach out to this particular flea for his seeming expertise and drive to succeed. We were missing both and he offered to lend it to us, for a price.
I do want to thank everyone for their kind words following my first post. I am reading all the suggested material asap. We have decided to continue to research the real estate/flipping idea. It has been a love of mine for years, so I don’t want to quit the idea just yet. Thanks again!
Amy

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 2:15 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Amy - good for you. Feel free to email me if I can ever help you and your family answer any question. (unlike Armando, I’ll do it for free. :) )

Mike Voss

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 3:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Amy never give up on your dreams, but following Armando down his path, can lead to no good on your part.

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Greed is a trait that all of us have, admited or not. Greed breeds stupidity, because greed blinds us. Who hasn’t wished to be rich, or have more? All of us are guilty. Con men know this and exploite it. Its the same with Nigerian bank scams…..we have 20 mil in a bank, and require your assistance to get it out….please provide your account numbers so we can transfer the funds to your account, and we will pay you x%…..is the same as buy my book for $100…then buy my kit for $1000. Whats $1100 if you can make $60,000 per house x times a month like Armando claims???? Its a lot of money. Even 1 house a month is $60,000 a month, thats $720,000 per year! Theres the hook.

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #808 Amy said:

“So, I’m not sure I have a character flaw that guides me to a scam like a moth to a flame, but I did reach out to this particular flea for his seeming expertise and drive to succeed. We were missing both and he offered to lend it to us, for a price.”

Amy, I think this is an extremely important statement for several reasons, and it shows that you are a very intelligent person.

First, you are clearly questioning the whole issue of having a “character flaw.” This means that you are in the process of dismantling a lot of societal brainwashing, i.e., you are no longer willing to accept that if you were nearly duped by Armando, that it’s because there is something wrong with *you.*

Second, you acknowledge that you reached out to him for his *SEEMING* expertise and drive, which shows that you aren’t going to be falling for that kind of thing again. That is another piece of very healthy dismantling.

Third, when you say that you were reaching out to him for the expertise and drive that you were both missing, that is *exactly* what Armando wants you to believe about yourself, and it points to a long list of other behaviors of his. In other words, Armando is specifically looking for people who *think* that they don’t have expertise and drive (among other things), when the truth is that every single person who believes Armando, DOES have expertise and drive, or they wouldn’t be listening to him in the first place. The part that is left out is that the people who listen to Armando don’t know what they don’t know about their own thinking and psychology. And *that* is where Armando makes his money. In other words, it’s good for people to seek information and instruction, and it’s not their fault, it’s not a character flaw, and it’s not stupidity just because some information and skills about *how* to find information and instruction are still missing for them.

What Armando is taking advantage of is that many people have never learned the difference between trial-and-error thinking and analytical thinking. Trial-and-error thinking is a person who buys all the get-rich-quick schemes hoping to get lucky. An analytical thinking person is a person who researches the subject, talks to people who are successful, and checks the backgrounds of the loudmouths who are professing an easy path to great wealth. Trial-and-error thinkers are like the little train that bumps into all the walls trying to find a path to their goal, when the analytical thinkers are the people who look for the wall with an open door so that the train can drive right on through to the next room. It’s one thing to think about the “little train that could.” It’s another thing to think about “the little train who, once it knew that it could, then did some research before just driving off into the dark of night.”

As for education…remember the comment in the movie “Good Will Hunting” about getting an education in the public library for the cost of a few dollars in late fees? Well, that is very, very, very true. Anybody can go to a community college or University website and get the course syllabus and then go buy the books and read them. If the professor is using copies of journal articles, all that information is there so that anybody can go to any library that has that publication and make a photocopy. And if they don’t have that journal, they can order a copy of it for you for a fee. And if you have friends who are students, *they* can order a copy for you for free. I have many times printed off the syllabus for a class that I was considering taking, and then gone to the library and looked at the text and readings to decide beforehand if I wanted to travel *that* professor’s suggested path for learning about that subject.

Another thing…at the beginning of each school term you can go to the bookstore of any college or university and purchase the books for whatever course you are interested in even if you are not a student. What I often do to save money, is go find out what texts a certain professor is using, and then go buy the most recent previous edition for way, way less money. In other words, if the professor is using a $150.00 text that is the 6th edition, I go buy the 5th edition somewhere for $10. I also then research what papers that professor has published or essays that he or she has published, to see what else they have said since the old edition was published. There are people who do this in order to challenge courses so that they don’t have to take them, or to score higher on the placement tests. In other words, if you have to take Algebra to get your AA degree and you never did well in math in high school, you can just go get the book and work the problems so that when you are ready to take the class, it’s easier because you are familiar with the information.

And another thing I do is research the critics and competition for whoever’s work I’m reading. That does not mean that I am trying to decide who is right and who is wrong—it means that I am opening my mind to collect as much valid information as I can.

I think a very wise thing to do is to take out two sheets of paper and put Armando Montelongo’s name on one of them, and Mikie Voss’ name on the other. Then on each sheet make a list of what information each one of them has shared, and how much they charge for that information. Ask yourself which one of them is claiming to have all the “secrets” and which one of them is saying that the information is available through multiple sources. Then have some chocolate and sleep on it. ;-}

On a final note…it shows a high level of intelligence, wisdom and courage to post about a personal learning process on a public website. It shows a high level of cowardice and desperation for power and control to represent yourself as the newest godlet selling high-priced tickets to instant-wealth heaven.

wyldwmn

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 5:36 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Amy,

Re: “We have decided to continue to research the real estate/flipping idea. It has been a love of mine for years, so I don’t want to quit the idea just yet.”

Go team! ; )

Here’s what I’m looking at, ‘big picture’. And I’m still schooling myself on all of this by the way. I’m looking at exactly that, the ‘big picture’. Buying and selling real estate and/or investing to hold, which may or may not include flipping houses (at this time). Generally that would include everything! By that I mean commercial, land, multiple family residences etc. Find the need, and then fill it. Or, if you prefer, ‘trend spotting’.

The same rules apply, you make your money on the ‘buy’

I’m not there yet but that’s where I’m heading ; )

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 9:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

PS Amy,

Knowing the ‘big picture’ can only help you with the ’small picture’ (house flipping) if that’s you sole interest.

I listened to Armando’s hour long webcast and he said he’s cut back to flipping just 5-8 houses a month because of his TV obligations! LOL Yeah right. Even THAT is an embellishment! As well as his claim that he’s looking for a “second” California ‘Beach House’! LOL

My “Crystal Ball” says NOT on ALL of the above :)

Posted on 05-Sep-07 at 10:14 pm | Permalink
Scott wrote:

I was hopeful all Armando said could be true. I live in Austin and frequently travel to San Antonio for work, so I checked out the row of houses they “rehabed” in one of their episodes–I believe it was called “Building Blocks”. They stated that they bought each house for about 25K and sold 2 to an investor for about 65K. Please forgive my figures, but I have since deleted the episode from my TIVO and am unable to verify exact amounts.
I was hesitant to step out of my truck to look at the houses, as they were in such a troubled neighborhood. To my untrained eye, the “investor” who bought them did not make his money investing in real estate. The homes were all in such poor condition that I would not let my dog live in them. They were located at the intersection of two of the cities interstate highways, and the noise was terrible.
Despite the condition of the neighborhood, the “rehabed” homes were an eyesore. Oh, and they were all vacant, about 4 months after the show. It is true that the homes could be valuable, but not in their industrial location. The show made gave the impression that the Montelongos had turned around a troubled neighborhood, but they had just put the lipstick on an ugly pig. I can not imagine that they could be valued at more than 30K even after the rehab.
In the episode “Rancho Montelongo” the family flipped their own house. Purchase price of 220K, rehab of 115K and had an “appraisal” of 550K afterwards. For those on the east or west coast, this might not seem extreme. In SA, you can buy a 4500sq ft home (new) on a golf course for that. The appraisal was based on comps for a home of that size on acerage. The issue is that the house is so far out of SA, it is really in a pasture.
Thank you for the info and the discussion. There is money to be made in truly rehabilitating homes, but there is also money to be made selling tapes and books. Work hard, provide VALUE, and maintain your reputation. The Montelongos have done none of the above.

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 12:26 am | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Ok, sorry. It took me a bit to settle in from our vacation. I uploaded the pics to photobucket and here they are! The first are of the directory inside the building on Vantage, which I thought I remembered it being white and green from the show… am I wrong or was it painted? Anyway, then there is the acutal building.

The green house is the “investor special” on Castle Rose… what a awful area. We were there at night, and luckily my husband is good with the camera and we got a good picture… makes it look like day time without the flash. I thought we were going to get mugged!!!

The last set of pictures is from 239 Dalhurst, who knows if they are still there or not, there was lots of dog food bags and I know they have big dogs, but so do alot of people. This is just a few miles from the office at Vantage.

I hope you enjoyed them!! :) :)

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 7:51 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

New Mortgage Foreclosures Set Record

“Now with home sales falling, the inventory of unsold homes rising and prices stagnant, some speculators are choosing to default on their mortgages.”

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070906/late_mortgages.html?.v=8

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 9:36 am | Permalink
Rock wrote:

Amy,
Rock here…. I just wanted to say that if you have the desire to flip then go for it. With that said follow a few steps first….If your not a realtor….find a “good” realtor {there are honest ones} that can help you with the “comps” in the neighborhoods that you are considering on doing your first flip. You MUST flip in a neighborhood that will sell. Do Not Do want Armondo the crook does and buy a home in the “hood” or an area that homes are just not “moving”. You must also see how the market in your city is doing. I live in Tulsa and our market is one of the best in the nation! Thank GOD! But as you know many areas of the country are having serious problems with moving homes that are listed. They may sit on the market for more than a year…..Ouch. It is most definitley a “Buyers” market. I also agree if you do a flip-that you mark the list price down from your competition so that (hopefully) yours will sell quicker and you can search for another home to flip again. I personally would rather make 15-20K now then sit on a home making the mortgage for months and months trying to get 25k-30k. Good luck. NEVER GIVE UP!
Rockman

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 11:45 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

A&E falls short on agreement with students, faculty member

snip

“I have been told that Armando has been contacted by an attorney and it is my understanding that he has now agreed to pay the students,” Tisdel said. “Currently, the money has still not been paid to the students.”

more…

http://star.txstate.edu/content/view/3602/178/

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 1:49 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Scott,

Re: “I live in Austin and frequently travel to San Antonio for work, so I checked out the row of houses they “rehabed” in one of their episodes–I believe it was called “Building Blocks”

Can you post the address(s)?

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 1:59 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Steve the single guy (he was just sayin’) in texas asked:

“Re: …I believe it was called ‘Building Blocks’…
Can you post the address(s)?”

Is this what you are looking for? See post #16:

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/06/27/casting-a-new-season-of-flip-this-house/

wyldwmn

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 2:57 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

No, that wasn’t it, dagnabbit ; )

You got me all excited there for a minute! lol ; )

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 3:27 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

My mistake, that IS it!!!!

You Rock! ; )

I’ll see what I can dig up. He he

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Building Blocks” - 5 ‘Row Houses’ get ‘Rehabbed’ as the Montelongo’s “give back to the community” ; )

It appears that 4 separate residential homes share the same address for appraisal purposes, 1507 N Trinity

Address: 1507 N TRINITY

Owner: 1507 N TRINITY LAND TRUST (aka Mandoman Management)
Owner ID:2508525
Mailing Address:239 DALEHURST DR
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201-2204

The 5th home is currently owned by…

Name:COBBS GREGORY
Owner ID:2537759 Mailing Address:3863 CHERRYWOOD AVE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90008

All of that is from the Bexar County Appraisal site (no log-in needed) …

http://www.bcad.org/clientdb/?cid=1

I’ll be happy to post a retraction if I’ve “misread” this! Ha! ; )

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 5:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Building Blocks”

Oops! The 5th house is 1515 N Trinity

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

The ‘Lien Holder’ for 1507 N Trinity et al is none other than Bobby Ward! Who, as I understand it, BOUGHT two of the units on the show FROM Montelongo et al.

What a mess ; )

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Re: post 815 from scott

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 7:55 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

RE: post 815 from scott
PICTURES DUDE!! Us folk from Indiana arnt able to just drive to Texas. Post some pics of the houses please!! thanks

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 7:59 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Sorry I got cut off
Scott from post 815
PICTURES DUDE!! Us folk from Indiana arnt able to just drive to Texas. Post some pics of the houses please!! thanks

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 8:00 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Second attempt at this, I guess the last one fell down a rabbit hole ; )

“Building Blocks” - 5 ‘Row Houses’ get ‘Rehabbed’ as the Montelongo’s “give back to the community” ; )

It appears that 4 separate residential homes share the same address for appraisal purposes, 1507 N Trinity

Address: 1507 N TRINITY

Owner: 1507 N TRINITY LAND TRUST (aka Mandoman Management)
Owner ID:2508525
Mailing Address:239 DALEHURST DR
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201-2204

Bob Ward is the “Lien Holder” for 1507 N Trinity et al

The 5th (1515 N Trinity) is currently owned by…

Name:COBBS GREGORY
Owner ID:2537759 Mailing Address:3863 CHERRYWOOD AVE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90008

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 8:33 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve,

The houses for “building blocks” was originally purchased by Bobby J Ward, one of David Montelongo’s backers. The 5 houses sit on one parcel of land and (from memory) 2 houses were sold off.

The Montelongo’s never owned the property :-).

Updates:

Castle Rose house was sold (for a loss) in August to Heather Boroweic and a loan for 51,000 was taken on the property.

Cat house on Lone Shadow Trail was refinanced in Veronica’s name via a sub prime lender (married woman - but separate from Armando) for 116K. I guess they will try to rent it out.

Cat House and Investor special (Castle Rose) had one common element, the previous owners was Rumb Line Investments.

………..

New episode “Estate of Affairs” airs this Saturday. The house on 6839 S Forest Haven in Leon Valley. Veronica took out a hard money loan for 101K (married woman but separate interest). I guess Armando’s credit is shot to hell from all those foreclosures. :-) Another quirk in now Veronica is signing loans as Veronica R. Montelongo (R is for Rodriquez - her maiden name) and not Veronica M. Montelongo (M for Monique her middle name), the name she used to sign out for loans, etc.

BTW, the house on Forest Haven is still being rehabbed :-).

………

There are 2 promos for Armando new funding DVD:

http://www.armandomontelongo.com/funding/index.php
Him in front of the house on Forest Haven. Mike check out what he says about submitting draws to lenders. :-)

http://armandoinfo.com/videos/fund/
Him in a room at “Rancho Montelongo”. It’s really cheesy :-).

…………

Speaking of “Rancho Montelongo” episode, that was misleading. He claims he purchased the property for 220K and it was appraised for 550-650K… What he failed to mentioned that they also purchased several tracts of land surrounding the house and thus such a high appraisal - there was no instant windfall of equity as depicted in the show.

BUT at one time he had loans totaling nearly 1 million dollars on the property.

One which was a promissory note for 97K with Great White Venture (a Montelongo company). Another for 297K from VCH Funding, which has been paid, one for 417K from a conventional lender, and the last one was an assumable note from Schertz State Bank (possibly for 220K or less).

BTW, they owe $10,709.89 in taxes for the house and as of 9-5-2007 are still unpaid.

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 9:20 pm | Permalink
Tim Hoffman wrote:

Elizabeth

We would love to see your pictures on photobucket. What are they posted under? Thanks

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
Mikey wrote:

Come on everyone this is not for real the whole thing is for television. I know because I have seen a script of a future show. The writers and producers make this shit up. The scenes are staged and are dramatized for effect. Anyone who thinks this is reality TV is an idiot.

Would you watch if Armando wasn’t such bully and jerk. He knows exactly how he is being viewed, it is his character and he plays it up. I have met the guy and I can tell you he has an ego, but the bully/jerk attitude is his character and he finds ways to reinforce it in the show.

Now I disagree if he is out selling DVD’s proclaiming to be an expert but the show is for entertainment and anyone who can’t see it is blind.

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

boyson!

Good to see you!

Re: The houses for “building blocks” was originally purchased by Bobby J Ward, one of David Montelongo’s backers.

Yeah, I caught all that!; ) And have noticed the more recent activity with Veronica too ; )

You read this stuff FAR better than I do!

Again, good to see ya boyson!

You Rock! ; )

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Steve - amazing - Armando actually goes on record on video describing how to 1) pad an estimate to pocket the overage (theft) 2) Falsify an estimate to an investor (a felony under securities law I believe) and 3) falsify estimates as part of a home loan application (a felony). Anytime you borrow money from an investor and use it for purposes other than you lead the investor to believe, it is misappropriation of funds at a minimum.

There you have to - from his own mouth -Armando is a criminal. You heard it here first.

Mike

PS - Mikey - post # 833: Nobody disputes that the show is for pure entertainment. We take issue with the cast (Armando) using that false entertainment to make people think he is an expert and take money from them. That’s fraud, and we seek to put an end to it.

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 11:12 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Note in video 2 that he literally cannot even SPELL professional.

Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 11:25 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Elizabeth,
Can you give a link or keywords to your pictures on Photobucket please?
thanks
Jeff

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 12:14 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #831, Boyson reported:

“Veronica is signing loans as Veronica R. Montelongo (R is for Rodriquez - her maiden name) and not Veronica M. Montelongo (M for Monique her middle name), the name she used to sign out for loans, etc.”

It is common in Veronica’s culture for women to use their maiden name as their middle name when signing legal documents. It is also common for them to sign “de [husband's last name]“. So, for example, Veronica might also sign as Veronica Rodriguez de Montelongo, especially if she lives in Mexico. As well, she could also sign as Veronica Monique Rodriguez de Montelongo, again, especially if she lives or does business in Mexico.

It is also common for abusers to let the victim take the risk for their own dirty deeds.

wyldwmn

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 12:40 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “New episode “Estate of Affairs” airs this Saturday”

So I take it it’s this one? ; )

“Betty Mills on Flip This House: The Montelongos Bond Over a Playhouse from The Betty Mills Company”

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070905/20070905005330.html?.v=1

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 10:53 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mikey,

Re: “Now I disagree if he is out selling DVD’s proclaiming to be an expert”

And the title of this thread what again?

“Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?”

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 11:29 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

What boyson is talking about re: Veronica. This is verbatim from a recent doc…

“The Undersigned Veronica R Montelongo (”Grantor”), a married woman, not joined herein by Grantor’s spouse…”

Armando who?? LOL ; )

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 1:06 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

wyldwmn post 838

Re: “It is common in Veronica’s culture for women to use their maiden name as their middle name when signing legal documents. It is also common for them to sign “de [husband’s last name]”.

The first thing I have to say is her culture is AMERICAN. I know you are talking about her being Hispanic but she lives here which means she should follow our laws and customs. If my wife started doing that I would think somethings up.

The second thing is why do people keep calling her a victim? I remember in a couple episodes that she said “I think we just sold the house”. She knows about all the shady deals. She used her mom in an episode to act like an interested buyer. She appears in the videos and on the phone calls for the ebooks. I remember a lady earlier in this blog saying she received an email from Veronica telling her how to receive her ebook order. Just because she is attractive and seems like a nice person on the show doesnt mean she is innocent. She is an enabler.
Jeff

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 1:28 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Steve the single guy in Texas gave the URL in Post #839 with the blurb about Armando’s new show this Saturday night.

So, I read the blurb…and it sounds like what they want us all to believe is that to show our children the value of hard work, we should solicit endorsement fees and very probably royalties from a company that makes outbuildings that cost just under $2,000, and talk about family values, hoping that those who have witnessed the abuse we regularly perpetrate against our families and others, will just turn their heads.

Hmmmm….reminds me of a song…”How many times can a man turn his head, pretending that he just doesn’t see???”

wyldwmn

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 3:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn who wrote - “How many times can a man turn his head, pretending that he just doesn’t see???”

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind ; )

Yep, yet another garbage ‘product placement’ written into the ’story’

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

Veronica is a ‘Chicana’. Which is a ‘California female Hispanic’ and it looks like she’s from the same area I grew up in. You’re getting WAY ‘off topic’ with that, IMO.

PS. LOVE Mexico and plan to retire there! Specifically, Cozumel, and sooner rather than later ; )

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 10:02 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn (who’s screen name is self explanatory) in post # 838 wrote: - “It is also common for abusers to let the victim take the risk for their own dirty deeds.”

This is a fairly recent development as boyson noted and I’ve noticed it also.
It’s like he’s “used his name up” and now it’s your turn! And, it’s in HER NAME, no LLC’s, Trusts, Inc’s, etc

All my opinion ; )

Posted on 07-Sep-07 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #842 Jeff in Indy wrote about Veronica:

“… she lives here which means she should follow our laws and customs.”

and

“Just because she is attractive and seems like a nice person on the show doesnt mean she is innocent. She is an enabler.”

First, another characteristic of a bully, abuser, and cult leader is that they insist that the victim give up their identity and take on a new one. I don’t remember any laws saying that it’s against the law to use any name you want, as long as you aren’t doing so for illegal purposes. So Veronica signing her name different ways *is* in keeping with “our laws and customs” as well as her own.

Second, victims who are in the clutches of abusers are not enablers. The seeds of “you let me do it, so that makes you as much to blame as me” are sown by the abuser well ahead of the time that other people start becoming aware of what’s going on (if they ever do), and those seeds are usually in addition to seeds that are sown in early childhood, not just by the victim’s own family, but by the culture in which they live. As you pointed out, Veronica is an “AMERICAN,” and so that suggests that it is the “AMERICAN” culture that has sown a lot of seeds that have led her to be vulnerable to an abuser like Armando.

As for pointing the finger at enablers, I have always thought it wise to look to the community around the abuser. In other words, it is “enabling” when the community around the abuser does not educate themselves about the specific mechanisms of abuse, the affect the abuse has on both the victim and the community at large, and why it is enabling to say nothing, turn one’s head, or do nothing and blame the victim for “letting” the abuser get away with it. In other words, it’s just a *tad* hypocritical to blame the victim for “letting” the abuser get away with the abuse when the person doing the blaming isn’t really doing anything more than name-calling and blaming the victim.

wyldwmn

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 12:09 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Werid… I posted them from Photobucket with that last message that I wrote. I wonder why they didn’t work. Here they are again. Maybe this forum doesn’t support Photobucket?

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 9:17 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

Does anyone have compassion for Armando?

I’m just curious, as it seems this site is filled with either intense animosity against him, or a blistering protection of him loaded with an often vulgar arsenal. Is this actually ‘Armando’ that we are hating (or defending), or is it someone else? Is this the ‘real’ Armando? I am not speaking of his colorful TV act, which most people here agree is put on. Rather, I am talking about the real Armando behind the asshole, the abuser, the anger, the cheapskate, etc. When all is said and done, and the true reality is put on the table for consideration, this is not Armando.

When we realize that, we are able to see him in a different light. What a wonderful gift! And it is not only for seeing Armando, but for seeing others in life who cause difficulties and conflicts. It is fun, then, to see the real Armando behind his mind projection of who he thinks he is, and to know that he is just fine. No matter how bad he acts, if his wife divorces him, he goes bankrupt, and others hate him, the real Armando is just fine.

This has happened to some prison inmates who have, through incredible suffering and emotional pain, finally realized their reality.

By the way, I had lunch with someone who knows Armando, and he said he is likely wealthy not from flipping, but rather from his construction business. My friend also told me that there was money to be made through foreclosures, given the many foreclosures Armando has gone through this year. I didn’t understand his explanation, though, and wonder if anyone else feels the same way. Thanks.

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

David,

“As I write this email, the memories of being cash strapped are
VERY haunting so I still know the value of even a copper penny!

(name) if you commit to yourself I will
commit to you and help you in the real estate flipping game!

But in order to help you, you need to understand the system I
have in place.

So here is my commitment to you! I understand that $97.00 is
a lot of money for many people.

So I have a proposal for you, I will take my $97 dollar e-book and
offer it to you in 2 easy payments of only $48.50 spread out over 30
days.

Yes, get my e-book today for only $48.50 and a second equal
payment 30 days from now!”

http://flipandgrowrich.blogspot.com/2007/09/armando-montelongo-real-estate-course.html

He’ll GLADLY take the last ‘copper penny’ from people that don’t have two nickels to rub together.

That’s not ‘projection’, it’s a fact

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 10:59 pm | Permalink
MERRY wrote:

HELLO, JUST READ ALL 848 COMMENTS, JUST ONE COMMENT OF MY OWN, WHY CANT ARMONDO MAKE THAT KIND OF MONEY? WHY CANT HE FLIP AS MANY HOUSES AS HE SAID HE DID? EVERY BODY TELLS THE WHITE LITTLE LIES, SOME JUST TELL MORE THAN OTHERS. IVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS AND HE HAS INSPIRED ME TO GO AHEAD WITH MY DREAM. I HAVENT BOUGHT ANY OF HIS BOOKS, BUT FROM JUST TALKING TO OTHER REAL ESTATE PEOPLE THIS IS A GREAT JOB TO GET INTO, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE A GO GETTER AND MAYBE THATS JUST THE MONTELONGO ARE. AND WHY NOT PICK ON OTHER FLIP THIS HOUSE “ACTORS” THERE ARE SOME ON THERE WHO ARE WORSE THAN ARMONDO. LOVE THIS SITE, THANKS MERRY

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 11:53 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Estate of Affairs”

From the show…

Armando: “When I’m not on a job site I’m very busy. Working on the book, putting seminars together, checking what they’re saying about me at ‘flipthislawsuit’, man, ‘wyldwmn’ is killing me. And spending time with my family”

OK, I made some of that up ; )

Posted on 08-Sep-07 at 11:56 pm | Permalink
Larry Brown wrote:

Just ny opinion. Doesnt matter if its Armando,Richard, or Mr. Smith.I think fliiping houses are just that you put your best effort forth and get what you can from them,usually at a discount ot the buyer for any sub par work, again just my dealings with flipping. I dont claim to be the best at any 1 trade. Just give my best effort toward completing the product and the buyer will let me know if its good enough. Steve it appears from postings that you put out a good product and the evidence is you get paid for it. Are you trying to be the next A& E person? I dont feel that it is up to me ,you,are whoever to say that what/how a person/s flips a house is the correct or wrong way to flip it. If a buyer decided this is the house and price they want then it is a good flip/sale. Doesnt matter if it is thier money,hard money,or private money. It went to a person who wanted that home and wanted to pay that price. Again this is just my opinion and my thinking as I Flip homes. Good day to all.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 1:07 am | Permalink
Gypsytrill wrote:

Well this blog has certainly been enlightening. I found it tonight while doing a search on info about Armando after watching the latest episode, where he “bonds’ with Mandoman after Veronica strategically discovers the Betty Mills playhouse on the internet.
I couldn’t believe the phonyness of tonight’s episode–that is what made me search in the first place.
The fake animosity and drama between Randy and Brent–who the F*** is Brent? What happened to that moron Chris-the-Intern? The staged drama and out of character hostility and obstinance from Randy–the overacting and downright BAD acting–sheez, I was embarassed for THEM tonight. What a terrible episode, and it just reinforces what terrible people the Montelongos are.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 1:28 am | Permalink
neverbetter wrote:

Never seen anyone paint bathtubs and countertops as much as Armando. He really knows how to screw the buyer and people who buy his crap. It’s not wise to cut corners when a camera is filming. Priceless!

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:59 am | Permalink
Al wrote:

What about the compassion of people who buy his e-book based on the phony flip show portrayed on A&E?.

The guy has DEFAULTED on 20+ properties. Haven’t seen that disclosure anywhere on the ads for the ebook or A&E.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 9:20 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Do you guys have any info on the docs for the “Estate of Affairs” house that just aired?? Said the total investment was $96,200 (75k to buy, 18.2k for renovations and 3k in overages)… Wonderign if he even owned it or what it sold for hahahaha

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 9:47 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Gypsytrill,

In the latest installment of the ‘Flip This House’ comedy show, Armando tells his ‘contractor’ “Randy the Roofer” what he intends to sell the property for. Only an idiot would do that in ‘real life’.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 10:48 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Ok the obvious product placement in this recent episode was just rediculous. I also was disgusted by the prima donna acting that Veronica was getting about her being questioned about the changes she wanted to the kitchen and blah blah. Jeeze. The whole fake and scripted interchange with the drama between Randy and Brent was also outrageous. Talk about bad TV. The producers and script writers of this show should be fired.

Another thing…that whole learning lesson he dispatched by bringing sugar to the job site was just stupid and I couldn’t figure out just what theyw ere suppose to have learned.

Funny how the ASPCA goes after Britney but they should have seen that episode. That was a bad thing to have two grown men chasing the poor scared pig. What if godforbid one of them had falled on her and broke her back or something. Then you see how Veronica came on saying how she loves Sugar and she is a member of their family and how she would never put her in jeopardy. How about the damn pig was terrorized as a “Learning Lesson” to his two stupid employees.

I am also curious to know. Randy is a licensed Roofer (or so we hope). For the renovations he does in the house shouldn’t he have any further licensing. Not sure how that works.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:20 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

I thought the product placements where funny, a girls play house for a boy…Armando’s self admitance that he couldn’t build it lmao….the shingles….for the play house….and the flooring ad…..had to laugh when he told his ’site manager’ and contractor to texture the wall, when every other flip show takes off the texture.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:20 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Hey did you guys get a good laugh when the supposed home owner said how she contacted him because they wanted someone honest..blah blah to deal with their house. Also if a house is in Estate doesn’t the estate have to be settled before they are allowed to sell it?

Did everyone get a good laugh like I did when he put on that hissy fit show in the messy room. How nice that everything is totally a shamble but there are dishes nicely stacked on that table for him to throw and then act like an idiot.

I have to give it to them though…they are good at scamming things. That product placement for the playhouse that they built allowed them to get it for free.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:24 am | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

My God, even his son was given lines to say this time.

In all fairness to A&E I suppose they couldn’t be more thriled that this web-site exists, to them it just means people are talking about “their” show. Are this many people talking about Gene Simmons or Dog the Bounty Hunter? I rather doubt it.

I wrote more but it’s all been said before….why add to the length the new folks have to wade through?

Bonnie

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:59 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

Re: “Do you guys have any info on the docs for the “Estate of Affairs” house that just aired??”

Boyson mentioned this upthread but Veronica took out a hard money loan for it in mid July for $100,343 from UMTH Lending Company. That’s the TOTAL amount, part of which included the purchase price.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
Mike wrote:

I think Armando and Veronica are great. I dont know why people are bashing them. I enjoy the show. I dont think he treats his wife bad. She is a strong woman and if she felt that way. She would leave him. Armando makes the show more watchable now then ever. If it wasnt for them, I wouldnt watch the show.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 1:19 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

I just read the Betty Mills article. The FTH coordinating producer’s name and address are on there:

Flip This House
Marcia Turner, 212-629-9666
Marcia@departure-films.com

Bonnie

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 1:36 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Here’s something I just realized many of you may not know and which further substantiates the fact that Armando is not wealthy whatsoever.

I know at least 3 people who have done reality TV flip shows and have seen documents used by the production company of FTH. When you see product placements like the Betty Mills house or Owens Corning shingles plugged last night, you probably think the network made a deal with those companies to promote thier products in the show. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, when you do a show like these, the production company gives you a letter on their letterhead with contact info for both them and the network saying that you are, in fact, appearing in a show for them. Since you are paid nothing for doing the show (Armando is not paid), you can then use that letter to go out and barter free products from companies in return for highlighting them on the show. They get a free mini-commercial, and you get free stuff. The people appearing on the shows do this to get free stuff for their flips, and that’s why Armando is doing it. THat should tell you a LOT about how much money he doesn’t have, especially seeing how the placements keep increasing in number. The contractors are subject to the same thing, and that’s why they frequently have on brand new t-shirts with their company logo, info, etc. on some shows. (on others it’s too much screen time so it’s not allowed - it varies)

So now you know the real deal - Armando is out there scrounging freebies for his substandard remodels, most of which never sell nor turn any profit. Small wonder he’s trying to sell books and such.

Did you ALSO notice that, at one point, he concedes to his son that he can’t even frame a wall for a playhouse and has to hire people for that, yet he would have you believe you should pay $200 for a DVD from him telling you how to appraise properties?!? Tell me, how does someone who by his own admission does not know how to drive a single nail to frame a wall purport to have the ability to assess the value of a structure? I’ll answer for you: he cannot and to ask you to pay him to do so is a flagrant ripoff, if that’s not obvious.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 2:18 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Good point Mike! I wonder how far he goes with these promotions… E.G how about the vacation he went on in the one episode? The restaurants he goes to? The Hummer or the Benz?

I wouldnt be surprised if he has a flunky intern follow him with a home video camera all the time trying to get free meals, stuff, etc hahaha

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:06 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Chris in Detroit, if you can find the property address I can look up the details at the county clerk’s website for you. No prob. Just takes a minute.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:06 pm | Permalink
Bonnie wrote:

I noticed even his son was given lines to say this time.

In all fairness to A&E I suppose they couldn’t be more thriled that this web-site exists, to them it just means people are talking about “their” show. Are this many people talking about other a&E shows? I rather doubt that.

I wrote more but it’s all been said before….why add to the length the new folks have to wade through?

Bonnie

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:25 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

I think last nights product placements were just as you said, freebies. They weren’t mentioned in the credits.

However, some have been mentioned in the credits in the past, “promotional consideration provided by”… Those I think are paid for (to A&E). 20% of households now have a DVR and it’s BIG business because of it ; )

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:40 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Beth,

Re: “For the renovations he does in the house shouldn’t he have any further licensing. Not sure how that works.”

To legally do what he CLAIMS to be doing you have to be a “licensed” ‘General Contractor’ in Texas ;

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 3:48 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

oh much bonding can you do with your child, when you pay someone else to assemble the play house for you?

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Something else here. I read on a site that the Two Corey’s has staged story lines. I believe that Gene Simmons show may have some staged senerios. Sometimes I have watched Dog, and wondered the same thing. Now there is a big difference between these shows and Flip my convictions. A&E has billed these are reality shows as they follow real people being themselves. Really no one is getting hurt if they are produced and somewhat staged. What Armando is doing is the exact opposite. He is using the format provided by A&E to promote poor business practices, and decieve honest people from thier hard earned money….and thats criminal.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 5:00 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

wyldwmn said this in one of her book like posts.
“Second, victims who are in the clutches of abusers are not enablers.

Let me guess Armando keeps her in a cage and made her say those rehearsed lines on the show Sat night? She does not appear phisically or mentally handicapped. If she has it so bad she can LEAVE. The show has sceens of Veronica alone. She simply get the son and drive away to safty at ANY time.

You also said:
“it’s just a *tad* hypocritical to blame the victim for “letting” the abuser get away with the abuse when the person doing the blaming isn’t really doing anything more than name-calling and blaming the victim.”

Why do you call her a victim? She is there for the money and limelight. If she was divorced she would be working a regular job just like us regular people.
You have no facts to keep saying she is a victim except for that freshman year psych book crap you keep babbling from.
If you want to see how Armando and Veronica really act around each other when the TV cameras are off then watch the video on YouTube of their vacation in Mexico.

oh and Texas Steve:

How is talkin about American/Hispanic culture getting OFF topic but Wyldwmn’s 5 or 6 book like posts about her being a victim is ON topic? *boggle*

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 6:20 pm | Permalink
George wrote:

You guys just cant stand to see someone successful.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 6:35 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

Where do i begin.First off,I do not like Armondo.But,I do like his show.It is entertaining.It must be because you pack of wild dogs seem to live,breath,eat Montelongo.You all HATE the show….and then camp out hours before it starts.Then rush to get on here and give the critiques.Come on people,you sound like a lynch mob.Why dont we hang,draw and quarter him in public?Would you feel better?For anyone watching the estate episode,couldnt you see the acting?BAD acting but acting none the less.Its obviously not THIS OLD HOUSE.Its more like THIS OLD HOUSE MEETS the O.C.What do you people want?I m really glad Im not doing one of these shows.Just because the Montelongos are on TV doesnt give you people the right to put them under investigation.Seriously you people are looking into his personal finances,whether or not he owns or leases vehicles,where he makes or doesnt make a profit etc.Whats next,a spycam in his bedroom?You are all obsessed.Its kinda like hes being stalked.A few of you people are off the deep end…..Mike Voss,you obviously know youre stuff,but you seem to want Armondo dead.Why such hatred?Did he kill your dog?And Wild woman?WTF?This is a stupid house flipping show on Aand E.Veronics seems like a lot of things but abused is not one of them.So ,long posts about abusers and victims…..are you sure you are on the right web site?I cant believe earlier posts where Melina was defending herself against some of you who were calling her a whore.WTF.A whore.Where the hell did that come from?And noone here defended her at all.I think I watched most episodes…could someone please tell me the episode where she was whoring?I THINK I MISSED IT.I have been lurking for some time but I could take this mob mentality no more.Personaly I hope the Montelongos get picked up again.I watch Richard on TLC and the Montelongos on A and E.Unlike some of you,I can do both.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 7:19 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “promotional consideration provided by”

In contract law “consideration” means “money” 99% of the time ; )

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 7:59 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Ok, I have posted the pictures I took twice now, this website doesn’t support them. Any suggestions on where else I could post them?

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 8:16 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Mike Voss:

You’re right that Armando is not wealthy. One would think if he was wealthy, he would easily have paid his bills on the 27 DEFAULTED MORTGAGES in April 2007. But he didn’t. I wonder if he still has the Hummer?

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 8:27 pm | Permalink
ronniedobbs wrote:

Man, the last time I saw that much bad acting, it was a porno. They even had cheesey music towards the end of the show. Do they think people are falling for this garbage, it is becoming unwatchable, even for “entertainment”.

i wonder why they don’t show the dudes from CT any more?

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 8:34 pm | Permalink
Mikey wrote:

#866 Mike Voss you are not correct. The network/producers do indeed negotiate the deals with the companies it plugs in the show. The companies supply the materials for the flip and pay a fee in exchange for the plug and placement on the show.

I know this because I work for one of the manufactures who have been plugged.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 8:41 pm | Permalink
Cailean wrote:

I just finished watching the “Lesson” that someone posted. The one where Armando is “teaching” people how to get money to flip houses without putting their own money into the mix.

I just had a horrible flashback to another “real estate entrepreneur” who did infomercials many years back. The premise was that you offer the seller a lower amount if you’d pay them in cash and then you would take cash advances from your (minimum) 200 credit cards to buy the house. Next you take out a 90% mortgage on the house and then sell it to someone else for the full amount or at worst let them take over the payments.

Armando had the same slick-talking, if-you-do-this-you’ll-make-money-hand-over-fist and NEVER have to spend a dime of your own money attitude.

All I could do was just shake my head. Thanks again guys for this site. If it saves just one person from making a BIG mistake it’s worth it.

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 8:51 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

john,

Re: “Just because the Montelongos are on TV doesnt give you people the right to put them under investigation.”

Oh yes it does! Comes with the territory. If you can stand the heat, get out of the kitchen ; )

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:23 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Al… I am not sure of the address of the house, as I am not local to Armando… But I would bet that someone on here will have the address of the house up this week! :-)

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

I think ‘wyldwmn’ has Armando’s ‘number’ all the way. Just my opinion and you are certainly entitled to yours ; )

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:30 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

John,

Re: I cant believe earlier posts where Melina was defending herself against some of you who were calling her a whore.WTF.A whore.Where the hell did that come from?And noone here defended her at all.”

This is an ‘open forum’, any idiot can post here. Including YOU or MYSELF ; )

Posted on 09-Sep-07 at 11:53 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Mikey - do you know when this was as of? I saw evidence to the contrary (the letter used to get free stuff) as recently as season 2. Maybe it changed at some point when the show started making enough money (perhaps from not paying Richard Davis his cut!) Or maybe they do both types now. It looks like there are both long plugs and super short ones, that might explain why.

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 2:08 am | Permalink
Wendall wrote:

I would like to buy Armando Montelongo for what he’s worth…then sell him for what he thinks he’s worth. I wouldn’t have to flip a house. One flip of Armando and I’d be a very wealthy man.

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 8:22 am | Permalink
KALA wrote:

I WISH PEOPLE WOULD TELL THE TRUTH AND STOP ALWAYS TRYING TO GET OVER ON OTHER PEOPLE.EVERYONE DOES NOT HAVE A $1000 JUST TO WAIST ON SOMETHING WITH NO REAL GURENTIES.

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 5:24 pm | Permalink
Rick wrote:

Voss

I have to comment about product placement. AE made 10 mill this year in add dollars for the show. I have it on firsthand that are selling placements and have booked about 1.3 mill for the next cycle.

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 8:58 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Re: posting 876

No one started out to bash Armando. I think everyone including me is just overall pissed at the whole sham that he has put on. I know when I first saw them and the intro I was totally taken by their “Success Story”. I watched because I was proud to see that someone made it. I started to wonder though at his practices and then when he started hawking the book that sent up some red flags.

Everyone that has participated on this site is just amazed and disgusted that A&E continues to allow this farce of a show to go on. 99% of all that he says is a bunch of horse manure. The bad thing is that there are so many unsuspecting people that have been taken by him and his how to help. When people see crap like that it tends to get the hackles up. I personally applaude Mike Voss and the others that have uncovered all the truths and put it out there. Honestly if you are so offended by the supposed witch hunt of the Montelongos then you shouldn’t be bothering to read much less post. You too were obviously questioning the legitimacy of what was presented or some other aspect of the show and that is why you came looking for info on them on the site. I know I personally came on after I saw the brothers break up and it was never addressed. I also noticed the change in the stated amount of houses flipped per month and that made me very curious and that is how I found this site.

So anyhow to those that have put the information here for enquiring minds I applaude you.

Also for that comment about people being nosey and checking into Armando’s personal finances…no one has done that at all. Comments have been made about his financial status but no one has tried to look up his tax information. What has been presented is information that is out there for anyone in the publice to find. If it weren’t for access like that we would never have things like the BBB or other reporting agencies.

The best thing is if you don’t want people to think badly of you or question your ethics then live above board. Keep things honest and don’t try to scam unsuspecting people. I wonder how many people have purchased his how to book and dvd…then actually gone on and invested in his scam.

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 8:59 pm | Permalink
Turner wrote:

David & Melina are cancelling their Real Estate workshop in San Antonio, Texas this month. Anyone have any ideas why?

http://www.tribeworkshop.com/workshops.htm

from an e-mail -

“….AS YOU KNOW WE HAVE been looking forward to taking OUR workshop to the next level in San Antonio. However, at this time we have to postpone the SAN ANTONIO event….Your registration fee will be refunded in full. Please send us your mailing address and phone number so that we may make proper arrangements to return your money to….”

Posted on 10-Sep-07 at 11:48 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

I just passed by the house on S Forest Haven right now and it didnt seem that there was any construction going on anymore. I did notice some plywood towards the back of the house but that’s it. There was no for sale sign outside either.

Posted on 11-Sep-07 at 9:59 am | Permalink
SILVIA wrote:

i THINK THAT ARMANDO MONTELONGO IS A GENTALMEN AND HE IS A VERY SMART PERSON,WHAT EVER HE IS OR WHAT EVER HE DOES IS NOT YOU GUYS BUSSINESS. GET OF THE WEBSITE AND DO SOMETHING OF YOUR LIFES AND STOP HATTING ON ARMANDO.M. THIS MESSAGE IS TO ALL THE “FUCKEN HATTERS”

Posted on 11-Sep-07 at 1:44 pm | Permalink
SILVIA wrote:

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR ARMANDO.M.: DONT LISEN TO ALL DOES HATTERS,THEY DONT HAVE A LIFE, THATS WY THEY GET ON THE WEB TO SEE WHO THEY HATE ON. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU ARMANDO.M. AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.”HUGES AND KISES”

Posted on 11-Sep-07 at 1:49 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Now we get Silvia - Armando in drag.

Every time ’someone’ defends Armando it’s the same old broken record - ‘get a life’, borderline illiteracy, ‘haters’.
Dude, you are SO incredibly obvious and predictable.

If a real Armando supporter could come along, speak intelligently, and support their views, I think it would have happened by now.

Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 12:46 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

From Armando on his blog…

“When I sign contracts with sellers, I also have agreements that I have the seller sign that puts my “interests” on title.

YES, the sellers happily sign this document and it creates A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY, before I even own the property. I simply have them sign this document when they sign the real estate contract.

The beauty is it only costs me about $14.00 to file the document at the county records department. If the seller tries to sell the
property to someone else, I have a ‘lien holder’ position on the property.

This means the seller cannot sell the property without my written authorization.

THIS MEANS I ALWAYS GET PAID.

I figure that this one strategy usually saves (or makes) me between $40,000 - $80,000 A YEAR!
____________________________________

From one of just a handful of approved comments on that topic on his blog….

“The Document Armando is talking about is called an “Option”. An Option to buy… yes, many people do sign these documents and here is why…
Let’s say you where selling your house for $100,000… Armando came to you and said “If you do not sell your house in 90 days… I will buy from you for $65,000 - I will not make another offer… Just sign this document and give me that option. Oh one more thing if you sell you house in the 90 days just pay me $1,000 to get out of the deal.” Well, you say what have I got to lose if sell my house I am out $1000 - If I don’t I get $65,000 and can move on with my life.
This works in C and D class neighborhoods…”
__________________________________

In one of Armamdo’s wecasts he talks about slipping the “lien” doc in the middle of the other “offer” papers he has the owner sign. In other words, undisclosed. “C and D class neighborhoods”. Very nice.

Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 2:18 am | Permalink
diablo ogre wrote:

Anyone who types in all caps is a moron, thus anything they say can not be taken seriously.

Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 9:56 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Cause Number: 2007TA103246
Name: ARMANDO MONTELONGO JR
Litigant Type: DEFENDANT
Style:

BEXAR COUNTY ET AL
vs MONTELONGO ACQUISITIONS INC ET AL
Court: 225
Date Filed: 09/06/2007
Docket Type: DELINQUENT TAXES
Case Status: PENDING

Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 12:43 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

no hatters here……..lmao atleast spell check before you post….its spelt haters…….no one here has claimed to HATE anyone……are we disgusted…you bet you ass…….Got to love how Armando got his mom to post in his defence!

Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 1:04 pm | Permalink
Cez wrote:

LOL!!! He can’t pay his taxes, he can’t pay those Texas State Architecture students the $3K he owes them in award money, and God knows what else we don’t know. Gee, i’d like to be as “successful” as Armando, maybe i should really pay the $1K for his “Real Estate Package”…lol I’m starting to feel sorry for Sugar, ’cause she might end up like bacon pretty soon :’(

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 7:00 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Joel Therien (Armando’s Webmaster) has a video on hist blog site (2nd video dated 8-14-2007). Near the end of the video he admits being over at the “Cat House” and it’s still not being worked on and the smell is still there!

http://joeltherien.com/blog/

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 8:14 am | Permalink
Brandon McAnuff wrote:

Armando is a great business man. People who know business know that in order to get your way you have to be aggressive, otherwise the business will tear you apart. Yes, of course his package is to make money, but I believe he is trying to help people excel in the field as well. Just because he is mean to people on the television show does not mean he is out to rob people of their money.

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 3:22 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Brandon McAnuff… I have something to sell you… Your gonna love it! :-) Don’t worry about the quality or the price, or that you can get it free online… E-Mail me your credit card number TODAY - as this is a Friends only sale and only lasts today!

Hahahaha… Sucker born every minute…

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 3:35 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Brandon he is out to rip people off. I have no problems with an aggressive business man…. that is the name of the game. But I do have a problem with a person that states that he does x,y and z and attempts to sell a book/dvd/information when it is in fact a damn big bag of lies. He doesn’t flip the amount of houses he stated in the intro, he doesn’t sell the property as he states on the show. Thus no profit as evidenced by the default judgments and filings listed against his corporation.

I know that a lot of the controversy is staged on the show….that is what these producers feel sells a show but I still have a big problem getting behind the pack of lies that he is trying to throw at us. It’s despicable that he promotes himself as a succesful and fairly wealthy individual due to the flipping and ultimately tries to sell that “Dream” to unsuspecting and trusting people. Meanwhile if he does probably have any money it’s from being paid for appearing on A&E.

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 7:36 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Someone on here had asked why they don’t show a lot more of the guys on CT….they have started but honestly I think that show with that group is rather boring.

Hey did they cancel the show with Angie and her husband?

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 7:38 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Investor sues ex-star of ‘Flip This House’

Web Posted: 09/14/2007 07:54 PM CDT

Rachel Stone
Express-News Business Writer

One of the house-flipping Montelongo brothers could be headed to court over a real estate deal.

A lawsuit filed in June accuses David Montelongo of breach of contract and fraud related to a real estate investment in Schertz. Montelongo denies the accusations.

“Mr. Montelongo has meritorious defenses to all the claims in the petition, and he’ll be vigorously defending this lawsuit,” Montelongo’s attorney, Clayton Smaistrla, said.

Montelongo co-starred with his brother Armando and their respective wives, Melina and Veronica, in one season of the A&E network’s “Flip This House.” David and Melina Montelongo left the A&E series after the second season, but Armando and Veronica Montelongo appear in the show’s third season.

Both couples have side businesses selling real estate investment programs.

Montelongo and wife Melina sell a workshop called The Real Estate Investors Boot Camp Education. Armando and Veronica sell a series of e-books called “Flip It Now” and a home study course on CD.”

more…

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA091507.01D.MontelongoLawsuit.29d6146.html

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

Hi, again :) Just thought I’d share my most recent encounter with Armando’s coaching program. After I posted my 2nd post, I got a phone call the very next day from my “coach”. He said he had come across a post on a site called Flip This Lawsuit that sounded like I might have written it and he wanted to check and see what was going on.
So, I told him all my concerns, and how we no longer felt confident enough in Armando to go thru with the coaching program. He was kind but obviously frustrated with us. He said that the site was ran by someone that had a major beef with Armando, naming Mike Voss specifically. He claims you are a relative of the guy from The Real Estate Pros, Richard, and that you just hated Armando for pushing your relative off of A&E’s show. He said the site is just a bunch of people that resent Armando venting, with no proof to back up their claims. I did tell him people had posted various documents to support their claims, but I’m not great at reading the legal jargon.

He wanted to address my concerns, so
I asked him about some of the stuff I’ve read on here, specifically about bankrupcy. He said Armando has never filed bankrupcy. I said, NEVER? He repeated, NEVER. I asked, what about flipping 30 houses a month? He said, now it’s about 6-8 due to his tv & speaking schedule. I said, but has he ever? He said, Absolutely. I promise you, I know him and he has done everything he said he has done. I asked if he had any proof of this and he said he’d have something ready for me the next day.
When I asked why we never see his houses listed for sale like we can Richard’s, he was very vague, finally saying to check out a site of Armando’s that listed either some buildings or MLS#’s or something. Then he said it’s because Armando has real estate agents that sell his homes. I said, well sure, but most real estate agents now use the internet to market & sell their homes as well…why can’t we see them on the agent’s site?
I also asked why Veronica’s mom was featured on the show as a buyer - he said he didn’t know about that one (seemed to throw him too).
Whenever he would finish assuring me how real Armando was, he would launch into his anti Mike Voss speach, then remind me of all the deals I was losing while I drug my feet, etc. Finally, he told me to contact Armando thru the email address on his site and ask him myself, let him have a chance to explain. I asked if he would give me proof too, or just “promise” me he was telling the truth, like my coach was doing. He didn’t have a good answer.

In the end he kept telling me he’d call me the next day and have something he could fax or email me, to help answer some of my questions.
Well, 30 minutes after I got off the phone with him, he called back. I let it go to voice mail and he said he had been thinking and he didn’t feel like he should have to defend Armando against people like Voss, that if I was still interested, I could research it myself then contact him, but the ball was in my court.
I felt like that was such a cop out. I do feel you should be prepared to defend yourself when people have legitimate concerns before handing over $8000 of their hard earned money to you, without any guarantee. Speaking of which, when we asked about any sort of guarantee or promise, he said Armando considered it but decided he didn’t want people to “limit” themselves by reaching the goal that Armando set in a guarantee, then stopping before they reached their full potential :)
Either way, after more research and checking back here periodically, we are sticking with our decision to rehab a house, minus Armando’s expert advice. Even if he is doing all he says, his business practices are questionable at times, and that is something we do *not* want to pay someone to teach us. I value honesty above all else in business and life in general.
Besides, between watching Property Ladder and some of the other Flip shows, and this site, we realize that there are many people doing this that don’t even have the sense God gave a bird, but they manage to come out on top, so we feel we should definitely give it a shot :) I’ve ordered Kirsten’s book and a few others. We are very excited, especially since we still have the $8000 in our pocket. Thanks again, everyone! And I guess my “coach” now knows our final decision ;)

Posted on 14-Sep-07 at 10:38 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

Oh, I meant to tell WldWmn, I really enjoyed your wisdom gathering advice. I’ve heard that before but you put it as concisely as I’ve come across anyway. I feel like I should lay on the couch when I read your posts, or at least fork over some money LOL (hmm, maybe the flaw that led me here?).
And forgot to mention as well that my Armando “coach” mentioned a possible lawsuit against Mike Voss & this site, for slander. His exact words were, “There’s nothing we can do to stop people from posting their lies about Armando online. Well, actually there is something we can do…we can sue them for slander….”. He trailed off without actually saying that is what they were going to do. Anyway, that should be interesting, seeing as Armando is the one that has to constantly keep rewording his sites after flaws are pointed out on this site ;) Keep up the good work, guys!

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 12:14 am | Permalink
ixydxy wrote:

RE: post 748
DO NOT believe all in Dave Ramsey’s website, or what he’s selling. I recently responded to his offer of a “certified” Ramsey-trained investment specialist to contact me, and received an e-mail reply from some broker, who said he would be calling me in the next couple of days. Never heard from him.
I then sent a message to Ramsey, himself, via his website, relating that his “representative” never followed through.
Guess what?
Not even a reply from Ramsey or anyone in his organization/website.
Bottom line.
These guys are only in it for themselves.
Don’t buy into half of what they’re shilling.
Do your own research, ask friends, make your own moves.
And be very skeptical of anyone who claims to “have the answer” to whatever you’re interested in pursuing.

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 3:48 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Local newspaper reports lawsuit filed against David Montelongo:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA091507.01D.MontelongoLawsuit.29d6146.html

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 9:15 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Brandon McAnuff wrote:

“Armando is a great business man

Brandon - you state your opinion intelligently and reasonably. I would ask, though, what do you base your impression that Armando is a great businessman on? From all the solid evidence I have seen, it would appear that just the opposite is true. He appears to have not sold most of the houses he purports to on tv and to have lost money on nearly all of them, he has defaulted on more than 20 properties, he has treated other businesspeople so badly that they consistently refuse to work with him again, and has even had his own brother walk out on him. In all seriousness: what makes you feel he is a good businessman and why? In my opinion, a good businessman makes money and does it while enriching those he works with and treating them well. I see no evidence that Armando does any of these things and a mountain of evidence that the opposite is true in each case.

Additionally, being aggressive is not always the best approach in business. THere are essentially 2 models - competitive and cooperative. THe cooperative model’s benefits frequently exceed that of the competitive model, especially in a market tht will support multiple businesses. Additionally, Armando is not competing against his subs and such, so all he accomplishes my saving a few percent is thathe has to constantly replace them - hardly an efficient model as compared to forging a relationship with a good and low proced vendor. (just one example)

Mike Voss

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 10:57 am | Permalink
john wrote:

Geez people,Im not Armando,but get a life.If you dont like what hes selling…dont buy it.I mean seriously,no body forces anyone to dish out any money for his stuff.I watch his show and I m not sending him a dime.For all you people who say you are defending the naive….dont you think you are being patronizing?Youre infatuation with this dude is making you look ridiculous.I think at the end of the day you are all suffering from a little jealousy.He has a hot wife,hes a minor celebrity and he gives the appearance of having wealth.So until hes indicted…why dont you internet IRS agents but together a flipping crew,and approach And E with your own idea for a show?I nstead of hanging out here bashing him?Might I suggest a Mike Voss crew?He can show us how to put 150,000.00 into a 40,000.00 dollar house and sell it for 35,000.00.As long as the client is getting a deal everyone should be happy.Cmon people,the idea of business is to sell something for more than you pay for it.How much work to u think can go into a 35 -40 thousand dollar home?Granite countertubs?jacuzzi tubs?I dont think so.So anyway,I know you all love this word…..but you sound like a whiney,group of haters.Give it a rest.

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 11:06 am | Permalink
Al wrote:

FYI, Montelongo sued for alleged bad business dealings. Here is link:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA091507.01D.MontelongoLawsuit.29d6146.html

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 11:50 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Amy,

Too funny!

Hey “coach”!

NO SALE! LOL

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 3:06 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Amy,

THanks for your post - I’m honored to know that I’m a thorn in the side of Armando and his boiler room personnal. Just to clarify something there IS something they could do if I were spreading lies here, which would be to sue me for Libel (slander would be for spoken or gestured lies, written is libel, illustrating how little this “coach” you heard from knows)

However, since I go to great lengths to make sure I don’t say anything here that I don’t know or believe to be true, they cannot do so and, hence, have not. The first step for anyone believing they are being libeled would be to send a cease and desist letter to the party they felt was doing so. I have never received anything from Armando, despite the fact that I am 100% aware that he knows how to contact me, so I think it is readily apparent that, in fact, he knows that everything I say is true and as such that he can do nothing about it. Incidentally, the statements of the individual who spoke to Amy claiming that I run this website (I don’t) and that I am related to Richard Davis(I’m not, but that is really amusing) actually *would* qualify as slander (claiming falsely that I am libeling another for personal gain - that’s a crime), so maybe I’ll have my lawyers look into that. Be advised Armando, everything you do and say, even through your reps, gets back to me and documented. Sometimes in video, understand? Conduct yourself accordingly, as I’m no joke, amigo.

And just so there can be no doubt, I have personally invited Armando to substantiate his claims here at least twice (obviously he knows what gets written here, right?) and not a word has he spoken, yet he will have his boiler room flunkee tell any manner of lies to attempt to steal $8000 dollars from her. Amy - has that proof he mentioned shown up yet? haha, of course not. I wonder, why doesn’t this “coach” post that proof here since, by his own admission, HE READS THIS BLOG! Well Mr. “Coach”? WHERE IS THAT PROOF AMY IS WAITING FOR??? WE ALL WANT TO SEE IT !!!!!

I’m sure Wyldwmn will tell you that this “coach’s” tactic to isolate Amy to pressure her was no accident. Speak to us all here, Mr. Coach. Enlighten the whole world as to how we are mistaken about Armando being a liar and a con artist. I await your response.

Bravo to you Amy for seeing through these creeps, educating yourself, and pursuing your dream with real knowledge and $8000 in your pocket.

And I guess we know who writes Armando’s shill posts now. :)

Sunlight disinfects.

Mike Voss

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 6:03 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

Re: Mike Voss, #916–that’s why I read this thread. Bravo!

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 7:16 pm | Permalink
Shari wrote:

While you all go on and on… I’d like to say that I LOVE watching the show. Armando deserves an Emmy :-) for his performance. He is obviously good at one thing…ACTING! He’s full of ****
But the show is sooo fun to watch… I think it should have an “NSPP” rating though to warn some viewers from being easily impressed. No Stupid People Please.

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 9:25 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

In an interview in May, David Montelongo said that his brother had put “good TV” ahead of sound real estate investments.

“We have different business philosophies,” he said then. >>>

And that is exactly our main reason for pulling out. Say he really does what he says he will do - coach us for one year to flip houses. We are not interested in learning his particular techniques & style of doing business. Integrity above all, always.
>

I thought you might enjoy that ;) Again, thank you for all the *FREE* advice you have given us already. And Wldwmn: I copied & pasted your entire wisdom gathering post into Word, to always remind me, good information can always be found for free, if we are motivated to find the truth. Thanks!

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 10:09 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Shari,

Interesting. Here’s the title of this thread you just posted “on and on” about, “Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?”

What was that again? About “stupid people”?

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 10:10 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

I agree from previous posts about a lynch mob mentality which has taken root early into these 900+ posts and which has become a growing vine intent on suffocating Armando’s empire. It reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where the lynchmob mistakenly attacks each other when they suspect of wrongdoing. It is the human mental condition which has been so evident historically, and which often goes unrealized until its too late.

I don’t want to personally criticize anyone on this page, neither the ‘haters’ nor the ‘lovers’. Armando is not the best businessman, or the greatest of moral character in the world, but he is still a human being. There are countless people in business in America these days who are much worse than him, let alone people who commit barbaric physical crimes against others.

My main point is this. If there are mothers of murder victims who can find the empathy, compassion and love within their hearts to forgive and ‘love’ the perpetrators, then can’t we love someone like Armando also? We should definitly point out to people on this website that we feel they are wasting their money on his publications, especially since it is a lot of money and there is some evidence to back that up. However, such vitriolic hatred toward him can become something destructive. Anyone who falls into that hatred is not seeing the ‘real world’. To see the real world is to see it the way that children see it, and animals. They don’t have time to let their minds get wrapped around things like the ‘flip this lawsuit’ website, but rather they are too busy enjoying everything about the present moment.

This last part was a plug for Tolle’s book, ‘The Power of Now’, and he talks about the lynchmob mentality as well as the characteristics of behavior like Armando and Veronica. A fantastic read for bringing this world closer together. I dream of one day seeing Armando and Mike Voss embracing in peace. Seriously.

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 10:23 pm | Permalink
Shari wrote:

:-O ouch! Dont forget to breath there steve from texas…XOXO…

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 10:40 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

David,

Re: “It reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where the lynchmob mistakenly attacks each other when they suspect of wrongdoing.”

I know the episode you’re talking about and it’s a piss poor analogy. It has NOTHING to do with the topic at hand, nothing.

Your “hate” characterization of us ‘regulars’ is bullshit also but thanks for the book plug. Yawn. I’ll see your ‘Tolle’ (utopia) and raise you a ‘wyldwmn’ (reality)

How did you land on this web site and thread again? I missed that part I guess.

Back to the boiler room, amigo. If this is your “A Game” quit while you’re behind

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Shari,

Back at ya! LOL

XOXOX

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 11:59 pm | Permalink
LngBchMike wrote:

Greetings to all from Long Beach, CA. I’ve been following the posts daily on this site since early June and decided that I should throw my two cents into the mix for the possible benefit of what may be the vast majority of posters and lurkers. I too discovered this site when I was performing basic Google searches on Armando Montelongo, Richard Davis, et al, and keep coming back for more.

First, thanks to everyone for your posts - they have been entertaining and in some cases real eye-openers. Not so much for the revelations about Armando’s “flipping” acumen (or lack of), and character flaws, but the behind the scenes, legal background investigations, which present a more complete picture than what the television producers convey to the viewers.

Anyway, the purpose of my post is not to condemn, promote or praise any of the “flip” shows that are being discussed. But hopefully, to provide a starting point for the visitors to this site that are interested in flipping - (I prefer the term rehab; flipping seems to have become a somewhat pejorative term) - homes and are seeking an inexpensive way to gain some basic knowledge without bankrupting their household budget by purchasing possibly questionable programs hawked by the many gurus seeking to fatten their own wallets.

Education and hands-on experience (practice makes perfect) are the keys to any successful venture such as rehabbing. Whether one intends to provide their own sweat-equity, or hire general or specialty contractors (subs) to do the work, the flipper absolutely needs to have some knowledge of the various construction processes - if for no other reason than to keep everyone honest, or risk having them take advantage of you.

There are many books and videos dealing with specific trades (e.g., framing, roofing, floor covering, painting, plumbing, and electrical, etc.) that are available for a pittance compared to the potentially high and disasterous costs that can accrue from ignorance; and, which should be part of everyone’s library if they are serious about pursuing rehabbing on a long- or short-term basis.

First, in the interest of full-disclosure, I do not flip houses. However, I am a California licensed general contractor and also hold another five specialty licenses (e.g., painting, floor covering, ceramic tile, etc.). While I used to have my own contracting business in the past, I do not hold myself out as an “expert” in the construction field and would defer any technical issues to someone such as Mike Voss, who appears to have the expertise I lack. With that proviso, I would recommend the following:

1) The first must-have book one should obtain is the Uniform Building Code (UBC), which is available from many sources (and, in various iterations), such as: http://www.constructionbook.com/icbo-uniform-building-code/?CMP=KNC-Google (Note: I am not promoting any particular source that I list - they are but one source that I located while performing a simple Google search). While most cities and counties have adopted the UBC, they may have other specific codes to which they adhere.

2) The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction by Larry Haun available from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Very-Efficient-Carpenter-Residential-Construction/dp/156158326X
List $22.95, and selling for $15.61; and, 34 used copies are available from $10.64

3) Carpentry by Leonard Koel available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Carpentry-Leonard-Koel/dp/0826907288
List $88.00, buy for $79.80; 16 used copies available from $1.62

4) Carpentry and Building Construction by John L. Feirer and Gilbert R. Hutchings available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Carpentry-Building-Construction-Louis-Feirer/dp/002838699X
List $76.64, sells for $50.58 and 18 used copies are available from $33.50

A good source for construction books and videos for the various trades are available from construction book stores, as-well-as contractor license schools that have in-house book stores. A couple of retailers that I found online include:

Builders Book Store
http://www.buildersbook.com/

Construction Resources Bookstore
http://www.constructionresources.net/bookstore.htm

For do-it-yourselfers (DIY), Home Depot, Lowes and probably Orchards Supply have a variety of books and videos, and often have live demonstrations on the weekend for certain types of projects.

In addition, most if not all, construction material manufacturers publish product installation and usage pamphlets, manuals and videos for contractors and installers. These materials may be listed on their websites or available by written request from their customer service departments if you indicate that you are interested in using their product in your project.

While I apologize for the long post, I have one last pet-peeve that I would like to air; and, that’s concerning the waste of particularly good materials (cabinets, appliances, etc.) that appear to be the norm on the flip shows. Again, I’m not promoting any organizations, and have absolutely no affiliation with any organization/company that I have mentioned. However, I cannot condone the destruction and thoughtless disposal of materials that could be recycled for the benefit of others. One organization, Habitat for Humanity (and, there are probably others), has an outlet for donated materials from contractors and others, which seems to be a more responsible and in this current environment, a “greener” solution to the throw-away mentality characterized in these shows. If nothing else, donations are an alternative worth consideration (and, there may be tax cosiderations), when feasible. For more info, check out:
Habitat for Humanity ReStores
http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

Again, thanks for your continuing posts. While I probably will not contribute (at least I hope I contributed - that was my intention)again, I will continue to lurk and enjoy the varied viewpoints.

Posted on 15-Sep-07 at 11:59 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

David - I appreciate the spirit of your post, but I do not see “hatred” anywhere here really. The shill posts supporting Armando are repeatedly calling people posting here “haters” (# 913 is the latest laff fest) however, I see nearly zero personal attacks on Armando (more on me I think) and hundreds of posts stating facts and how they contradict his claims. That isn’t hatred, that’s people looking for the truth and asking pertinent questions and only someone with an interest in obfuscating the truth would attempt to depict it as otherwise to dissuade them from doing so.

Almost 1000 posts, and not a WORD from the Montelongo camp refuting any of the things discovered so far. That’s what I see, not hate.

Another thing the shill posts always claim is how people are “wasting their time here”. Nothing could be further from the truth. If Amy above is the only person who has taken pause and saved their hard earned money (I’m sure there are many more, though) then, as far as I’m concerned, every minute here has been well spent.

I’m sure somewhere in San Antonio there is a dingy office full of boiler-room phone salesmen watching their leads dwindle and die who spend every minute reading this blog and desperately thinking up things to post here to stop the hemmoraging. There’s just one problem: they cannot refute the facts, which leaves them with little to say except that we’re haters, jealous of Armando, whiners, wasting our time, etc.

I should save us all time and bandwidth and just list and number the same crap they put in every post, then they could just use a numeric shorthand and write like, “2,5,6,7,9″ for a post instead of writing out the same lame things every time.

They’re re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Sometime soon the national news will pick up Armando’s story and that will be the end.

Mike Voss

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 12:02 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Numeric notation for armando shill posts:

1) You’re a bunch of whiners!
2) Get a life!
3) I’m not Armando, but
4) You’re all jealous of Armando’s success
5) Don’t you think Armando is too busy making money to care what you think?
6) Why don’t you get out of here and go make some money!
7) You’re all wasting your time.
8) You’re all haters!
9) Mike Voss doesn’t know crap

Armando and shills: Please use this new notation to conserve bandwidth. For example, post number 913 above could be condensed to:

” 3,2,4,9,8 ”

If anyone has more entries to add to this new notation protocol, please post them here for addition! I’ll see about getting an RFC number or something. :)
For now, let’s call it ASN - Armando’s Shill Notation.

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 12:11 am | Permalink
john wrote:

Yawn, Steve from Texas.I find you extremely boorish.Face it,you are a member of the pack,nothing more.

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 1:11 am | Permalink
» Armando Montelongo | Flip and Grow Rich Risky Schemes: Honest Reviews of Business Opportunities wrote:

[...] Here is a comment posted on FlipThisLawsuit: [...]

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 12:49 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

I somewhat agree with David and dont agree with what Steve in Tx responded to him. I’m no Armando “lover” or “hater” I live in SA also and have driven by most of the properties on the show. Some are still undergoing construction and one other was still waiting to be rented out. I dont find anything wrong with the show, my wife and I watch the show mainly because its here in SA and its even better since I keep her informed of all the news from this website. I dont pass judgement on him or his brother, I just like it for its entertainment value. I was dumb enough one time to buy one of those $1500 seminars a couple of years ago and never used the info I learned from it. I’m sure there are some of you out there who get pleasure from hearing all the bad news on the montelongos, it doesnt really matter to me.

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 6:00 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Ok, I am sorry this has taken me so long, I haven’t been on this site in a bit. I try to keep up and read, but sometimes I don’t have time to respond :) Anyway… here are links to the photobucket pictures. Hopefully it works this time!!! ENJOY!

“Investors Special” House- Looks beautiful eh? LOL. It was dark outside but luckily my husband was able to get a better pic with his nifty camera. This house was in a really bad area… I was slighly afraid :)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3384.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3389.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3388.jpg

This is the office building on Vantage. Apparently this is David and Melina’s office?
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3381.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3380.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3379.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3377.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3376.jpg

And this is the house on Dalhurst. Are they still there? I remember this house from a few episodes, but I wasn’t sure.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3372.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/nmetcalf84/IMG_3373.jpg

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 8:46 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth wrote:

Mike Voss,

Your new “ASN” system is not even close to mildly funny, it is extraordinarily funny!! :) If I think of any more to add, I will let you know :)

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 8:51 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

John,

Yeah, well, whatever John. Here’s your Twilight Zone episode: “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”

http://www.scifilm.org/tv/tz/twilightzone1-22.html

Go back and tell your “coach” your game of divide and conquer didn’t work.

Put in another quarter and try again ; )

And another thing. Stop hating, get a life and go make some money! LOL

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 9:20 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Mike Voss, #926 is right on.

You are right. Since Armando camp can’t refute the facts, they resort to attack the messenger, instead, i.e. ‘hater’ comments, etc. Sort of a weak attempt at cyber-bullying I think.

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 9:34 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

However, such vitriolic hatred toward him can become something destructive….they (children & animals) don’t have time to let their minds get wrapped around things like the ‘flip this lawsuit’ website, but rather they are too busy enjoying everything about the present moment.>>

I just want to say, I hate NO one. Not the nice guy that spoke with my husband & I on the phone about the coaching program, not Armando…no one. I don’t wish anyone harm or ill will. My hope is that Armando & the coaching staff realize just how many people are trusting them to be honest & reliable, and they live up to their expectations. Other than that, I am not their judge…God is.

As for this site, I came here looking for more info on a man before I spent $8,000 to have him mentor my husband & I. What I found here raised enough questions to make us turn down the offer. I keep coming back, though, because the info is useful, the people friendly & caring, and all for free. Can’t be that with a stick!

PS…I’m definitely enjoying the present moment MUCH more with the money still in my retirement fund ;) Personally, I feel like I dodged a bullet.

PS LngBchMike - thank you so much for the book suggestions. Just today I was in Books A Million, on info overload. I finally bought just one, Kirsten’s (thanks again, Mike!), and took pics with my cell phone of the other ones I was interested in, to check for them my local library first :) Thanks!

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 10:15 pm | Permalink
EastCoast wrote:

That cat house episode showed just how low Armando is. There is no wonder (from the web masters video) that house still stinks. Armando would not replace the walls. He painted over that roach and rat crap on the walls. Ya’ll know that cat urine seeped into everything. If it wasn’t on slab it seeped into the ground below the crawl space if it was on slab it seeped into the concrete. I’m no contractor and I can figure that out. Not to mention the carpet was butted up to the walls so you know that sheet rock soaked up it’s fair share of cat pee. This is low of the low. It shows a total lack of integrity and no forthought into the over all health and stability of the home.

Posted on 16-Sep-07 at 10:47 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I just found this site a couple of days ago. I have only read thru #200 but I was checking out this and that and looked at the montelongo site mentioned and read some of the reviews. All you have to do is type in a name of a reviewer/testimonial person suck as Robin Feltner like I did and then check out one of the names on the reviews. A Felton of Cincinnati, Ohio. I don’t know what I stumbled on but after doing some searching I found a spider web of info giving great reviews of specialty candles, letter to newspaper editor on property upkeep, and that there was a female RF with two different last names but her family connections have listing in San Antonio, TX. I agree with most everything that has been posted so far, can’t wait to read the rest and the only show I prefer to watch at this time is the Property Ladder that shows how much time, trouble, unknown problems that arise shows pretty true to flips (or should I saw flop this house since most of these have failed or barely broke even)? Call me paranoid but I would like to add my 2 cents and my junior detective work. I would be interested if anyone else has followed through looking for Veronica’s maiden name, her sibblings and their new names in order to see if family, friends and some of these posts that I do believe are Mondoman undercover!
BTW–my dad is from Arkansas, he says guys like this are “Big Birds” — all mouth and full of shit!!

Posted on 17-Sep-07 at 12:26 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

my mother in law has a cat basement, and I am not looking forward to the day I have to rehab it. I know it will be days with a heavy mask on, you walk by the window and you can smell it…..so imagine what a whole house would be like! I know at my inlaws, the drywall, vapour and insulation will have to be pulled, flooring as well….I am thinking even the cielings…..then I can worry about taking care of the concrete….no way would anyone imagine leaving urine soaked drywall in place, UNLESS they where scamming people.

Posted on 17-Sep-07 at 10:49 am | Permalink
TRB wrote:

Thanks for the pics Elizabeth. We were in San Antonio at the same time and I too wanted to scout out a few of the Montelongo’s “projects” and their office building, but my wife said no way we were spending any of our vacation on that! I’ve enjoyed seeing the “other side” of the Montelongos on this website that would have probably never been exposed until after the Texas Attorney General got involved.

I remember the first time my wife and I saw the Montelongos. Ironically it was during another vacation in San Antonio earlier this year (gotta use those theme park season passes!) that I actually saw an episode. I was impressed at first, especially with the “fact” someone rose up from deep debt to own a “lucrative” business, and now is getting national fame for all his hard work. As I watched more episodes, the “facts” about his business really started to seem exaggerated. I looked at his old website (before the seminar days) when they actually had several houses listed for sale, and a couple of them were homes featured on FTH episodes.

I realize much of his on screen persona is probably an act, but he sure is entertaining! I especially like it when David and Armando’s own wife go against him behind his back and do what they wanted to (and what was right) like in the house that needed the whole new bathroom, from floor joists to ceiling. Their episodes just feel like soap operas to me. LOL!

As an aside, I noticed on the episode of FTH this weekend that A&E was allowing the CT guys to plug their own version of how to seminars and such. I guess A&E is going the way of the “get rich quick” infomercial cable channels.

Keep up the good work on here guys (and ladies).

Posted on 17-Sep-07 at 12:05 pm | Permalink
Confused wrote:

What kind of trickery is used when we watch Armondo “completly” flip a house to looking great and ready for sale ,, then to find out it is all sham ??

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 8:22 am | Permalink
alisha wrote:

I purchased this course after seeing the show and then finding the site on the web. I love the materials, the webinars and the emails. I was a total newbie to flipping homes but I already have one sold and another one in the works. I could not have done it without finding this course or something like it! If you haven’t actually tried the materials I personally don’t think you should criticize it! I flipped one house for $15K Profit and hopefully on the next one we will come close to doubling that.
I will keep you posted of our results. Almost every method I used I got from the Kit from Armondo and Veronica & A&E Flip This House.

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 11:17 am | Permalink
Doug wrote:

Help! I am here in San Antonio and seeing Armando on TV and being here in this same city - I thought surely he could be someone I could learn from - Now I come here to this blog and I think I am in trouble. When purchasing this DVD fro $47.97 (price was reduced after several “offer pages) - there is no “confirmation of purchase” on the website. I did not know if I had completed the transaction and there was no “confirmation” e-mail coming to my inbox for sometime. After going through the steps again, I then discover that the site shows I purchased the same program twice ($47.97 each) - when I did not authroize this purchase. This was on September 9th - Now, I have e-mailed the Support at Armando’s site, 7 times and have not gotten any communication from their “billing department” - I would like to join any class action for injunction or for civil restitution if possible. The response I get is from “technical support” 5 days ago which said they would notify the “billing department” and have marked this as a “high priority” issue. They would not provide any contact for the billing department and asked that I be patient? I am very angry and the charges are on my credit card. I cannot believe I fell for this - but I will keep you posted on any further developments. Thanks

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 11:52 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Why does Armondo use female names in most of his post ???
ASN #10 LOL

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 11:58 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Alisha:

Specifically, which course did you purchase, what methods from that course did you use, and what was the address of the house(s) you bought/sold?

Please substantiate your claims, as your post appears highly suspect.

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 12:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Doug,

Texas Attorney General
Consumer Protection & Public Health Hotline: (800) 621-0508

First, contact the business. Take your problem to the salesperson, manager or the company’s customer service representative. Most problems are resolved at this level. If you are still not satisfied, contact the owner or the company’s headquarters.

Then seek help. If the business will not resolve a problem directly, consumers can file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, or a small claims court. The complaint should explain in detail, with documentation, what the problem is, who it is with, and what you have done. In particular it should:

1. Identify the business. Include the name and current address of the business.
2. Describe the problem. Describe as completely as you can the problem with the product or service you have purchased. Were you told something that was untrue? Describe what you were told and how it was untrue. Is it defective? Explain what is wrong. Did the business refuse to honor a warranty? Explain what needs repair and include a photocopy of the warranty.
3. Include photocopies. Always include photocopies of documents relevant to your complaint receipts, warranties, both sides of cancelled checks, contracts, etc. Do not send originals. Only send copies.

Credit Card Purchases. In a credit card purchase dispute, the card issuer may credit your account and charge the item back to the business - if you follow certain steps.

1. Write to your credit card issuer at the address for errors or inquiries found on your billing statement.
2. Include vital information such as your name and account number, the date and amount of the disputed transaction and the business name and address.
3. Describe the dispute. Explain in detail actions you have taken in good faith to resolve the complaint, and why you feel the business should not be paid.
4. Send photocopies of any papers or other documents you believe relate to the transaction. Do not send originals!

The business must then try to collect the disputed amount directly from you. You or your attorney may wish to consult the federal “Truth-in-Lending” regulations (1 2 C,F.R. 226.12 and 226.13).

More…

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/consumer.shtml#ifyou

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 2:41 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Doug,

Before you do ANYTHING else, call the Texas Attorney Generals Office…

Main agency switchboard
Public Information & Assistance

Consumer Protection Hotline

Open Records Hotline

(800) 252-8011 or (512) 475-4413 (in Austin)

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 3:42 pm | Permalink
Beckie wrote:

Wow! I love Flip this House, and Armando’s episodes are my favorites. I tease my husband all the time that I want to be just like him. I’ve busted my butt for everything that I have and why put down somebody that is making something of themselves. Oh, I know why, you must be jealous. But oh well, to each his own.

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 7:31 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

post 947 ASN #11

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 8:04 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Greg wrote: - post 947 ASN #11

LOL!

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 8:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“Little House of Horrors” - ‘The Cat House’

12906 Lone Shadow Tr

On the show…

Purchase price: $55,000

Total Inv after Rehab: $140,050

Sold For: $165,000
__________________________________

Well, not exactly. According to the ‘records’ it was sold in late August for
$116,000!!!!! Ouch ; )

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 9:00 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

‘The Cat House’

Clarification: On second blush, maybe not

The original loam amount was for $101,400 flied on December 8, 2006. The $116,000 amount appears to be a loan transfer and refinance for $116,000.

Borrow: Veronica Montelongo

Doc # 20070196195 at the “records”

So they still have the ‘Cat House’.

Meow! ; ) LOL

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
Confused wrote:

It is rather amazing how other flipers waite days, weeks or months for a buyer and Armondo always gets a buyer on “open house” day ,,,, wow how does he do that .

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 9:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

‘The Cat House’ continued…

Sorry for all the previous typos! Yikes!

OK, the $116,000 loan is a conventional 30 year loan (now). Borrower: Veronica. So at least NOW the bleeding is less than it was. Still though, they’ve lost their ass on this one and continue to do so just not as fast now! LOL Meanwhile, the smelly ‘cat house’ continues to ‘cook’ in the hot Texas sun!

1. “You’ve got to know when to hold them. Know when to fold them. Know when to WALK AWAY and know when to RUN!”

2. “There’s never enough time to do it right but there’s ALWAYS time to do it over” ; )

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Beckie wrote:

ASN? Excuse me? Not up on the lingo.

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 10:12 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Doug:

Since you are in Texas, you can make your complaint online to the Texas Attorney General. Here is the link:

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/complain.shtml

Currently, the Texas Attorney General is going after mortgage scams, so they seem pretty pumped up about protecting the public welfare regarding real estate scams. If enough people make complaints, the attorney general will file suit to protect the public interest from these guys. Same thing happened 10 years ago with some ‘get rich quick with foreclosures’ guy named McCorkle. (Sadly, he’s in prison now).

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 10:17 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Actually post # 947 translates to ASN:

4

:)
I love how now that all the negative shilling lines have been outed, they’re switching to positive. I’ll catalog those soon too.

Something like:

10. FTH is my favorite show
11. I think Armando is doing great / a great businessman
12. I bought the course and am very happy!
13. I just flipped my first n houses and made (n).

etc.

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 10:26 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

Re: “I love how now that all the negative shilling lines have been outed, they’re switching to positive”

And any many of ‘other’ also, IMO.

As the saying goes… “The dogs bark but the caravan moves on” ; )

Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 11:33 pm | Permalink
Jwbiere wrote:

My wife purchased the $99 e-book, I took it to work yesterday and read the entire thing she stayed up till 3am reading it the night before. I thought it was good info, until tonight when I found your site I was a noob. All of the same info seems to be available free or nowhere near $99. I work in Encino and we are moving to Utah in about 9 months and are interested in flipping but will be taking it slow. My wife did a split pay and only paid for 1/2 of the book the other half didn’t go through as she pushed her card to the limit. I would love to not pay the remaining $47 but I feel it would be bad business Karma.

Mike V. you saved me $997. Thanks

Talk to you on the “Flip” side

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 12:38 am | Permalink
Mobic wrote:

If Armando is such a great businessman, then why didn’t he go inside the Cat House before purchase to inspect. I am not a Realtor, but rats and excessive pet waste have a distinctive smell anyone
with half a brain would not invest in. It is just too costly to deal with in most cases and has way too much liability. What if the people moved in with children and they got sick from the mold and biological hazard! This could be deadly to young children!!

Even if he did go inside, the failure to realize the house was a tear down, (even the foundation and plumbing were bad), shows he should not be giving advice to people about making money.

It seems every show he finds out it is going to cost much more or he has major problems that he missed. This shows that he doesn’t know what he is doing. There are always extra expenses, but he obviously has not flipped thousands of houses as he claims.

I think the show is entertaining, nothing more. Of course watching people doing stupid stuff is always entertaining and funny too, “Bro, Don’t TAZE me, Ouwww Ouwww.” It’s the same “Look at me!” mentality.

I don’t have any problem with Armando at all for doing an entertaining show, but I have a problem with him misrepresenting himself for money.

He is no expert! I just feel sorry for the people who don’t know better and waste their money on his worthless plagiarized garbage.

Armando, stick with doing goofy step all over yourself TV, and stop taking advantage of people! Also, be a little less obvious with your shill posts, it’s annoying.

BTW, Thank you Mike and Steve. You are doing a true public service in your thorough investigation and exposure of this “here today, gone tomorrow” wanna be celebrity. Cheers!

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 1:30 am | Permalink
NeverBetter wrote:

Armando’s failure to even go into the Cat House shows a lack of experience and poor judgment. As bad as that house was, it should have been obvious from the smell that this was not a suitable investment property.

Even if he had gone inside, he should have realized it was a “tear down” and not attempted to rehab it. The way they fixed the plumbing by digging tunnels will eventually settle and continue to crack the foundation and break the plumbing lines. Houses that have rats and animal waste are almost always a bad idea. They are too costly to renovate and have way too much liability. What if someone moves in and gets sick from the mold or biological hazard. This can be deadly to small children for Gods sake!!

I have no problem with Armando filming an entertaining TV show. If nothing else his wife’s surgically enhanced sweater puppies are nice to look at. But Armando should stick with “Step all over yourself TV” and not try to profit from it by making false claims and plagiarizing other sources.

I know this might offend some, but Richard Davis is only slightly better. His failure to pull permits and all the problems he has with, mold, rats, etc. shows his lack of experience. They also fail to properly inspect the houses they buy.

Get an inspection from a licensed inspector and bids from contractors for the work before you buy. If the bids are 2 or 3 times more than you can afford and still make a profit, then it is unlikely you can make the money back by doing the work yourself.

All this house flipping is good TV, but it is not for most people. If you can’t afford to loose the money, don’t even consider it. Flipping can be good every 10-15 years for a short time with real estate cycles, but for the people who watch it on TV and think they can get rich quick, they need to look else where. When flipping is on TV, it’s already too late to attempt to copy. Unless the market is overheated and there is not enough supply, it is not worth it to fix up houses for most people.

Kirsten Kemp does a much better job at exposing the real truths in rehabbing houses. I have rehabbed houses in the past and currently build new houses, so I am speaking from personal experience. I just hope that people realize there is no short cut to success or profits, just hard work and educated decisions.

Steve and Mike, thanks for your public service. Hopefully people will realize that Armando is not all he seems and seek out other sources for information.

Armando, please stop being so obvious in your shill posts, it’s annoying. Either you or who ever you are manipulating into doing it, needs to be a bit more convincing.

“Bro, don’t TAZE me!”

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 2:54 am | Permalink
EastCoast wrote:

As I have pondered the cat house episode and watched that video clip again I wonder.. does Texas have any type of public health inspectors? I would think that a home that was “infested” for lack of a better word with cat urine would be a health risk for the public. If they got a ticket for that house smelling so bad and by their own admission saying you could smell it several doors down. One wonders what kind of negative impact that might have on a persons respiratory system. Not to mention that fecal matter that was painted into the walls. Roaches carry a plethora of diseases not to mention the other vermin feces. The Monetelongs should be looked into for no other reason than for public safety. What other things are they “putting lipstick on” that are potential public health hazards. The house that had the rotten floor and mushrooms growing in it was also very nasty. David replaced those floors but Armando was VERY against it. That low standard of ethics on Armando’s part really puts all of his work into question, in my two cent opinion.

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 2:57 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

What ASN is post #941 ?
“don’t think you should criticize it ”

I thought wyldmn chased Armondo away LOL

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 7:29 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Becky refer to post # 927 :)

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 7:31 am | Permalink
Jon wrote:

“”"PS…I’m definitely enjoying the present moment MUCH more with the money still in my retirement fund ;) Personally, I feel like I dodged a bullet.”"”"”

no you didn’t dodge a bullet, you did gymnastics around a bullet…. because you were doing research that everyone should be doing before “investing” a dime…. unfortunately, fools and their money are easily parted, as con men have found out through the ages… it is too bad more people are not like you, and actually figure out that research is not that hard.

jon.

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 8:42 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Jon,
You are so right, there is no excuese NOT to research when we have internet and libraries.
It is so easy to research even a caveman can do it .

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 10:23 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

post #965 spelling correction “excuse” sorry :)

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Sounds like the ‘cat house’ episode must have run again. That episode really does make it abundantly clear just how completely inexperienced Armando is. It was a simple job and he was about to crack.

When a house has that much bio-contamination, a smart builder knows what to do. Either you tear it down and start over, or you bring in a biohazard mitigation team to make it safe before you start work on it and then do the demo with appropriate safety measures. It’s a relatively new line of business, but in recent years, these types of companies have become fairly common. They mostly do work like crime scene cleanups (yes, nasty, but someone has to do it), but can ususally handle all types and do a very good job. Once they’ve been in, THEN it’s safe to start doing demo and look at what’s necessary to treat the structure of the house before rebuilding starts. Safe to say if the small makes you want to puke or run out when you walk in, this is in order. In something as bad as the cat house, there should have been air sampling and such being done. I’m not surprised that it didn’t sell.

They bit off more than they could chew, got in way over their heads, and got their collective ass kicked. The show glossed it over and made it look like they still came out ahead - they didn’t. We now know they didn’t finish, didn’t sell, and lost money. Anyone with moderate experience as a remodeler would have known better. Certainly if someone had “flipped 1000 houses in 5 years” they would have, but since nobody has done that….

Mike Voss

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 3:53 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

RE: post 967

Mike your post was way off subject. I’m surprised post police Texas Steve didnt notice.

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
Winston wrote:

I would just like to say that there is money in flipping homes. Here in Michigan anyway. I am wacking banks on short sales for as much 60,000 in equity. I don,t do high end homes and stick to blue collar homes. These houses need max 10,000 in repair(and thats high) And I sell in the 125000 range. Typically I make 15,000 to 20,000 a home. I take pride in what I do and sell beutiful homes back to good people at below market value so they walk into instant equity. I have bought and sold 5 homes since Nov 06. to present. Michigan ranks as one of the highest foreclose in the country but life goes on and people move on in life and keep buying homes. I beleive that if you are honest and study your market you can be succesful in RE investing. the only problem I have is not enough money to do more houses. There are sooo many deals and I only deal in three cities in the metro detroit area. My biuisness is good and I am expanding. As i watch These A&E Real Estate Shows I watch them for amusement. Please dont expect to start a real estate biz by what you see on TV. They only show maybe 10% of what happens in real life, if that. These shows are for amusement only NOT FOR REAL EDUCATING MATERIAL. I was fortunate to find an RE Investing Guru from michigan that only works in michigan and went to his 3 day workshop. It was awsome and changed my life forever. My advice is to find someone from your area who is a pro and have him or her help you out. Remeber asking is FREE. Ohhh also read Think and Grow rich, that book helps tremendously. only you can make your desire for what you want out of life.

Peace.

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 9:32 pm | Permalink
Al wrote:

Mike Voss:

You should consider patent/copyright/trademark the whole ASN thing. Too funny. You’ve got his personality and M.O. nailed to a T! (And maybe could earn a 5 cent royalty each time he uses the ASN lines).

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Is it me or doesn’t anyone think that Kirsten Kemp, although being helpful, say the same things each week?
Kitchen and bathroom, a large percent of your investment; Check out the comp’s for the neighborhood and don’t over spend hoping to get more money back; etc., and almost every episode she pushes staging. I find myself making the same facial and eye movements before she makes them each week (and they kinda are like the same ones I’ve been watching John Black make on Days of Our Lives for the past 20 some years).
Don’t get me wrong, I am not dissing her or the show at all and I enjoy watching flips, flops and Armondo’s flapping mouth. Just like a Soap Opera as mentioned in one of the posts.
I would love to flip my house. I am afraid that even after watching all the different shows I would do exactly what I have been learning but probably in the wrong order. I also have found reading these posts as fun as watching the shows.
One more thing…Remember the 1960’s TV show theme song for Flipper? - well one more time for the great AM……..
“They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning—no one you seeeeee…..is smarter than he”
Yeh, right!

Posted on 19-Sep-07 at 9:48 pm | Permalink
Melissa wrote:

This site is the funniest thing ever. The Montelongo’s a joke. They need to go to jail for ripping people off.

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 9:25 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Great outfits is the only thing Kirsten Kemp does differently each show .

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 10:50 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy wrote in #842…

Re: “The first thing I have to say is her culture is AMERICAN. I know you are talking about her being Hispanic but she lives here which means she should follow our laws and customs.”

OK, Jeff. “Off topic” was a bad choice of words on my part. How does “off base” sound instead? Our “customs”? That’s a rhetorical question by the way. As far as I’m concerned that’s my last comment on that ‘topic’.

Peace

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 11:17 am | Permalink
JWBIERE wrote:

My wife paid the remaining $47.50 for the e-book as promised and got a confirmation e-mail from the Montelongo team. Ten minutes later she got an e-mail stating that her account had been cancelled. Does this mean that she won’t get the opportunity to be partners with Armando or to make 40% off the sale of his E-book.

If I was responsible for selling this to my family and friends I would expect them to promptly kick me in teeth. Thanks again for all the great info.

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 2:20 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Cat House shoulda coulda woulda……One of the reasons of the apparent brothers split….David wanted to take it down to studs, Armando disagreed……no wonder it still stinks!

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 5:53 pm | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Do you know how hard it is to take cat smell out of furniture ??? even out of walls?? it never leaves . Cat smell stays in everything it touches ,,, ewww that sound so gross

Posted on 20-Sep-07 at 11:49 pm | Permalink
Potash wrote:

This is my firt post since I posted my investigative report on Armando’s Cat House back on May 7th (post #20). I have appreciativelly read the subsequent investigative posts on other Monteglongo misrepreseantaions.

It is funny that cat house has still not sold, and that people are still talking about it. BWWWWAAAAAHHHHAAA!!!

The shill posts defending Armondo are a hoot as well.

In the past two weeks I have been hearing Armondo’s sale pitch on local radio. It goes something like this: “I have the #1 Reality TV program and I am the #1 House Flipper in the Country.” The guy and his wife are shameless. I will gladly urinate on their graves.

Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hiya potash! Don’t hold back! ; ) LOL

Interesting about the radio ads. There are a couple posts at TWOP about them also…

http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3128626&st=1230

Radio ads CAN be relatively inexpensive depending on the market. In cheaper markets they call them “A Dollar a Holler”. Somebody is bank rolling this though and it AIN’T Armando, he’s probably getting a “royalty” on each sale from them. Hopefully whoever’s backing this will lose their A$$ and that’ll be the end of it ; )

Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 9:55 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Potash (post 978), you would gladly urinate on their graves? You’re a disgusting and pathetic person.

Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 10:30 pm | Permalink
Potash wrote:

Steve,
Funny you should mention “not holding back” and TWOP in the same post. After I shreaded the numbers on four straight episodes of Season II Property Ladder by posting property addresses, actual purchase prices, showing that the properties were never sold and still listed for sale, etc.., and my personal favoite, the property in Santa Barabra that was ’sold’ to a Nevada Corporation that was owned by the flipper’s wealthy parents, I became the target of a shill attack and I was unceromoniously banned from the site. I guess TWOP is not completely without pity.

Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 10:57 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #874 Jeff in Indy complained with regard to Veronica:

“Let me guess Armando keeps her in a cage and made her say those rehearsed lines on the show Sat night? She does not appear phisically or mentally handicapped. If she has it so bad she can LEAVE. The show has sceens of Veronica alone. She simply get the son and drive away to safty at ANY time.”

and

“Why do you call her a victim? She is there for the money and limelight. If she was divorced she would be working a regular job just like us regular people.
You have no facts to keep saying she is a victim except for that freshman year psych book crap you keep babbling from.”

As a matter of fact, abusers don’t have to resort to keeping their victims in a cage, the reason being that they use threats and humiliation, among other tactics, to control their victims. I call Veronica a victim based on the many years of research by highly respected psychologists which is just a little more advanced than “freshman year psych book crap.”

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:36 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #876, John wrote:

“…Just because the Montelongos are on TV doesnt give you people the right to put them under investigation.”

The Montelongos are not “under investigation” because they are on TV. It is Armando’s behavior and business dealings that are in question because he is not a truthful person.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:38 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #894, SILVIA wrote:

“i THINK THAT ARMANDO MONTELONGO IS A GENTALMEN AND HE IS A VERY SMART PERSON,WHAT EVER HE IS OR WHAT EVER HE DOES IS NOT YOU GUYS BUSSINESS. GET OF THE WEBSITE AND DO SOMETHING OF YOUR LIFES AND STOP HATTING ON ARMANDO.M. THIS MESSAGE IS TO ALL THE “FUCKEN HATTERS”

So, Silvia, let me see if I understand you correctly: Your position is that what Armando does is not the business of the people posting in this forum, but what the people posting in this forum do is *your* business. Am I wrong, or is that what you are saying?

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:41 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #900, Greg admonishes another poster regarding spell checking by saying:

“no hatters here……..lmao atleast spell check before you post….its spelt haters…….no one here has claimed to HATE anyone……are we disgusted…you bet you ass…….Got to love how Armando got his mom to post in his defence! “

Um, Greg, I think your spell checker is broken. Otherwise I’m sure that you would not have mistakenly typed “hatters” instead of “haters,” “atleast” instead of “at least,” “spelt” instead of “spelled,” “you ass” instead of “your ass,” and “defence” instead of “defense.” Oh, and all those extra little periods at the end of each sentence–we can’t ignore those.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:43 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #903 Brandon McAnuff wrote:

“Armando is a great business man. People who know business know that in order to get your way you have to be aggressive, otherwise the business will tear you apart. Yes, of course his package is to make money, but I believe he is trying to help people excel in the field as well. Just because he is mean to people on the television show does not mean he is out to rob people of their money.”

Armando claims to “front load” the costs of fixing up a house by inflating them individually when he talks to his lenders so that he can pocket a good chunk of money before he even begins work. Then he pockets another chunk of money (or so he claims) when he sells the house. In the meantime, instead of offering a bonus for a job well done in record time, he demands that his contractors work long hours for little money and that they put up with his verbal abuse and threats of being fired. Then he sells a bunch of get-rich-quick promises to poor people, telling them that they don’t have to spend any of their own money to get rich—they just have to give what little money they have to *him.* Exactly how does all that add up to Armando **not** being out to rob people of their money?

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:47 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #908 Amy writes of her conversation with her “coach” that:

“He said Armando has never filed bankrupcy.”

It is probably true that *Armando* has never filed bankruptcy. Even in “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” the author recommends that the reader start a part-time home business, and then goes on to talk about how to put assets that are for personal use under the ownership of the business. From what I’ve read from the detectives who post here, it is Armando’s *businesses* that have filed bankruptcy. What the coach said, then, is an example of the subtleties that people like Armando use to manipulate the minds of their would-be followers. In this case, the coach was trying to imply truth when there was a lie of omission, the omission being the explanation that it was Armando’s *businesses* that went bankrupt and not Armando personally.

Amy also said:

“Well, 30 minutes after I got off the phone with him, he called back. I let it go to voice mail and he said he had been thinking and he didn’t feel like he should have to defend Armando against people like Voss, that if I was still interested, I could research it myself then contact him, but the ball was in my court.”

This is another example of attempts at mind control—making the would-be victim choose between their own instincts (misgivings) and the abuser/cult leader when the would-be victim is asking for verification of something that is in question.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:51 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #913, John wrote:

“Geez people,Im not Armando,but get a life.If you dont like what hes selling…dont buy it.”

Hey, John, I think this is absolutely *excellent* advice. Sorta like people who don’t like what other people write on a website—they too, don’t you agree, should get a life if they don’t like what they are reading?

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:53 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #921 David wrote:

“I agree from previous posts about a lynch mob mentality which has taken root early into these 900+ posts…
My main point is this. If there are mothers of murder victims who can find the empathy, compassion and love within their hearts to forgive and ‘love’ the perpetrators, then can’t we love someone like Armando also?”

and

“I dream of one day seeing Armando and Mike Voss embracing in peace. Seriously.”

So, do you think it is enough for mothers to forgive the murders of their children, or do you think it would be wiser for the community to educate themselves about how to spot the murderers and stop them before they murder those children? What do you think the mothers would pick? Forgive after their kids are dead, or ask the community to educate themselves to prevent their kids from getting dead?

As for Armando and Mike Voss embracing in peace, the issue is that Armando is not a person who appears to have any remorse for his actions. There are some people who are posting their anger here, and that is a natural result when someone has attempted to take advantage of them. But there is a good amount of posting here about the truth about Armando’s dealings and the truth about the nature of his behavior. That isn’t hate—that is wisdom in action.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 2:58 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #923, the brilliant, hilarious and apparently still single Steve in Texas lazily calls David’s hand by saying:

“Yawn. I’ll see your ‘Tolle’ (utopia) and raise you a ‘wyldwmn’ (reality)”

Raise him a ‘wyldwmn’???????

{{{gasp}}}

I think I’ve just been flipped!!!

And here I was saving myself for Armando…

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:02 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #935 Amy said:

“My hope is that Armando & the coaching staff realize just how many people are trusting them to be honest & reliable, and they live up to their expectations.”

My sense is that Armando and his coaching staff have taken some “get rich quick” marketing courses from someone else who is selling that type of information, and are counting on using a numbers approach, i.e., all they have to do is pitch their products to x number of people that they’ve convinced that they are honest and reliable, and statistics would indicate that they would get a certain percentage of that number to actually send them money.

It has been mentioned that it would be nice to see Armando and Mikie Voss embrace, and I agree with that. But what it would take for that to happen, and what it would take for Armando and his coaches to live up to the expectations that they have created in the minds of their targets, is for Armando and his coaches to have some humility and moral values, in addition to a good dose of remorse. Has anyone noticed that Armando never talks about what he gives back to the community? He talks about how he takes a lot of money for himself, but when does he talk about helping out any of his contractors, about giving them a bonus for getting the job done in record time, for staying late? The most I’ve seen him do is hand them a can of soda from a little ice cooler that doesn’t even have any ice in it after having verbally abused them and never apologized, while he tells his son that this is “taking care” of his workers.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:05 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #951 the brilliant, hilarious, and apparently still single Steve in Texas showed us his potty mouth when he said:

“The original loam amount…”

Loam? Steve, I’m surprised at you…I never expected to hear such “dirty” talk from your lips. But then what should one expect from a man who goes around flipping unsuspecting wyld women?

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:08 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post 959 Mobic asks:

“If Armando is such a great businessman, then why didn’t he go inside the Cat House before purchase to inspect.”

The reason Armando did not go inside to inspect is that Armando is *not* a businessman. Armando is a scam artist. I listened to his webinar the other night about how he tries to “front load” the costs of repairs on a house when talking with his lender, and he specifically stated that he front loads the costs of each individual repair so that the lender doesn’t recognize that he is asking for more money than necessary for the purpose of pocketing it. I find it very difficult to believe that people in the business of loaning money to people who flip or rehab houses, don’t have their own experts to advise them on how much the repairs cost. In fact, it seems to me that Armando is trying to convince the potential buyers of his how-to-scam-lenders instruction books that he is the one putting a fast one over on the lenders, when the truth is probably more along the lines of Armando and the lenders being in cahoots from the start, or perhaps it’s more like the lenders being the ones who are playing Armando. Common sense tells me that Armando isn’t the only get-rich-quick clown that they’ve dealt with who uses something like house flipping as the ruse when the real agenda is to make money change hands quickly for the specific purpose of pocketing some of it when no one seems to be looking or noticing.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:12 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #962 Confused wrote:

“I thought wyldmn chased Armondo away LOL”

Not yet. I’m waiting for still single Steve in Texas to flip him like he did me. :)

[Advice to Armando: Make sure you have panties on under your dress when Steve flips you. I wasn't wearing any and I caught a chill. I was going to ask Mikie Voss to loan me a blanket, but his dog was using it.]

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:15 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #965 Confused wrote:

“Jon,
You are so right, there is no excuese NOT to research when we have internet and libraries.
It is so easy to research even a caveman can do it .”

Even *Armando* can do it. But the thing is, Armando *pretends* to have researched house flipping. That is not the truth. Armando has researched how to manipulate peoples’ thinking to get them to part with their money. When Armando was talking in one of his recent webinars about how he didn’t have anyone to teach him the things he writes about in his books, he did *not* say that he wishes that he had known *where to purchase the information.* He says that he wishes that he had known someone who could have taught him. He never mentions *paying* for that education. He tries to make his would-be victims believe that he cares so much about them even though he doesn’t know them personally, that he is going to give all of them the information he so much needed and desired when he was just starting out. Then, of course, he wants them to hand over money—money that he never admits having “wished” he could have handed over to the people he “wished” had been there to teach him.

This is a tactic that I call “slight-of-mind” in the sense that it works the same way as a “slight-of-hand” trick works for a magician—it plays on the vulnerabilities of the brain. In other words, Armando talks about how hard he had it, learning all this stuff all alone, and then talks about how much he cares about his would-be victims, and how much he really wants to help all of them. Then he asks for money. Yet he never once says that he would have been willing to go get an extra job to be able to pay money to learn what he is now claiming to be selling. This is a very common tactic used by those who would manipulate the minds of their victims—they create the illusion of having done something selfless and generous, and then ask for something big in return. It’s no different than saying “After I paid for this really expensive dinner, the least you can do is put out for me.” In Armando’s case, he is making his sales pitch to people who have no money—that’s the whole point of his repeating over and over that you “don’t have to have money to make money.” So he keeps repeating the same themes over and over, inciting the *emotions* of his intended victims, and then when they are all excited he asks them for money…and he continues “doing them favors” by slashing the original prices of his products, all because he cares about them so much. Like I said before, Armando talks a lot about how helpful it would have been if he had had someone to teach him when he was learning about using other peoples’ money to get rich, and he holds himself out as the little godlet that’s going to take on that teaching role for the rest of the world, rescuing them from poverty, but first they have to fork over the bucks.

One of these days Armando is going to dupe the wrong person and find *himself* being “forked over.”

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:19 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #969 Winston wrote:

“I would just like to say that there is money in flipping homes.”

I agree. There is a lot of money in flipping homes. I’ve known quite a few people who have built up quite a bit of wealth purchasing properties that they then rehabbed. But they didn’t do it by lying and cheating, and they didn’t do it by puffing themselves up and showing off, and they didn’t do it by paying the lowest wages possible to contractors that they then verbally abused. They did it by treating their contractors with respect and consideration, by giving them bonuses once the property sold, and by frequently expressing their appreciation. Armando, however, is not in the business of flipping homes. Armando is in the business of selling the dream of getting rich quick by leveraging *other peoples’ money.* The home flipping is only the ruse to keep the focus off how he makes money move around in such a way that his “slight of hand” results in bunches-o-money in his pocket, or so he claims.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 3:22 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

Bravo! Clap, clap ; )

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 5:39 pm | Permalink
Christy wrote:

Cause Number: 2007TA103246
Name: ARMANDO MONTELONGO JR
Litigant Type: DEFENDANT
Style:

BEXAR COUNTY ET AL
vs MONTELONGO ACQUISITIONS INC ET AL
Court: 225
Date Filed: 09/06/2007
Docket Type: DELINQUENT TAXES
Case Status: PENDING

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 5:48 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

If you want a classic example of what Armando is selling and what happens to those who buy it, look up the name Casey Serin.

Many of you may know of this guy. At age 24 in 2005, after watching the ‘flipping’ tv shows and getting caught up in all the hype and then spending *$15,000* on ‘flip’ seminars (using credit card advances) he started buying houses with the intent of flipping to make a living and quit working as a web designer. Although he claimed to have made money on his first flip, I just today found a video on YouTube where he is interviewed by Robert Kiyosaki and he actually explains that his first sale was tied to a purchase that lost money, effectively negating any profit. Long story short, he bought 7 or 8 houses, lied about his income on all the loan apps, made simultaneous applications to hide his debt load since the new purchases weren’t on the credit reports yet, and got in WAY over his head. (all tricks he learned from seminars , tapes, etc.) He only sold 3 of the houses - the rest were foreclosed on. His case would have gone unnoticed except that he documented it in a blog called iamfacingforeclosure.com. I hadn’t heard much about him for several months (he came to light late last year and was in the news and even on Suze Orman at one point) so I started doing research. His willingness to tell all has not gone unnoticed - the FBI is after him. Lest anyone forget, lying on a credit application is a felony.

Serin fled the US and was in Australia for 2 months (without his wife), but appears to be back in the US now. Last I heard, he is being investigated by the FBI, owes more than $2MM, has ruined credit, no home, and more trouble than anyone can imagine. Even a book he was trying to write to make money by telling all about his experience has gone sour and been taken away from him by the publisher for him breaching the contract, netting him nothing.

Read my lips: this is a guy who was doing all the kinds of things Armando pushes and endorses. Padding purchase prices to get cash back, “front loading” repairs, lying about income to get loans, using shady contracts, and on and on and on.

THis is not how legitimate businesspeople buy, develop, and sell real estate. Casey Serin, who is NOT a dumb kid, went in with his eyes wide open knowing nothing about real estate and believing all he was told, and look what he got for it: He’s broke, 2 million dollars in debt, and looking at a long federal prison sentence.

THAT is the reality of doing things Armando’s way. Believe you me, the clock is ticking on him, andthat’s just based on what little we know.

As we approach 1000 posts (!) on this thread, I hope you have all learned just one thing:

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS!

Mike Voss

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Christy wrote:

Cause Number: 2007CI09026
Name: DAVID MONTELONGO
Litigant Type: DEFENDANT
Style:

DAVID ESCALANTE ETAL
vs MONTELONGO DEVELOPMENTS LLC ETAL
Court: 288
Date Filed: 06/15/2007
Docket Type: BREACH OF CONTRACT
Case Status: PENDING

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn wrote - As a matter of fact, abusers don’t have to resort to keeping their victims in a cage, the reason being that they use threats and humiliation, among other tactics, to control their victims.

As of mid August Armandos ‘problem’, the “Cat House” became Veronicas problem. It’s in *her* name now and *her* name alone

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Bob wrote:

Why would anyone want to buy ebooks from this guy?? To learn how to go bankrupt? According to the San Anotonio Clerks office site he has been foreclosed on over 20 houses… this information is posted on A&E’s blog for the show… even with the addresses for the houses. They were all bought in Land Trusts. What a joke!

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 7:49 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #999, Steve in Texas who, as far a we know is still single (I’m just sayin’), wrote:

“As of mid August Armandos ‘problem’, the “Cat House” became Veronicas problem. It’s in *her* name now and *her* name alone”

And this is an example of *one* of the many tactics that abusers use to make their victims carry the responsibility for their actions. There is no such thing as “what an abused woman looks like,” mostly because by the time there is physical evidence such as a black eye or a broken limb, an unbelievable amount of insidious mind control has taken place. It is a *myth* that if Veronica is abused she should look like she is abused.

To put it into a simple analogy, this is how abuse works: If you have a pot of boiling water and try to put a frog in it, the frog is going to kick and scratch and do everything possible to *not* be dunked in that boiling water. On the other hand, if you put the frog in the same pot when the water is cool, it happily goes in. Then as you start heating the water one degree at a time, the frog will adjust to the rising temperature, one degree at a time, never jumping out. It will stay there and boil to death.

So…at what point does that frog look like it has been abused? When it is cooked well done? Or does it look like an abused frog when the rest of us recognize that the intentions of the person putting it into the pot are to cook it to death?

Veronica is in Armando’s boiling pot of water. And so is her son.

Steve is a person who is willing to look at Armando’s intentions and understand how those intentions affect Veronica and her son. Other people would just criticize Veronica, saying that if she hasn’t boiled to death yet, she’s not abused and hey…she can jump out of the pot whenever she wants, so if she doesn’t, she deserves what she gets.

wyldwmn

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
Bizzymammabee wrote:

Oh boy tonights show was so damn corny. Why would a person tear up landscaping like that with a truck. Then to top it all off that corny speech he gave while she was on the porch about how he had run on and they brought the plane back so they could see what he wanted. Does that just stike anyone of horse shit or is it just me. Sure they are going to let him by the gate and out so he can have then bring back the plane..so not happening…his ass would be right in jail.

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 8:49 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Bizzymammabee,

Not only that but they let him on the plane without a ticket too, yeah, that’ll happen. Not! LOL Not pre 9/11, never.

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
Jeanne wrote:

Makes one wonder what Mike Holmes (”Holmes on Homes”) would have to say about the “flips” of the egomanical Armando.

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 9:46 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Instead of tearing up the lawn, I think Armando and Veronica should have solved their differences by chasing a greased up pig. It work for Randy and Brent…right?

This episode clearly shows Armando’s inexperience on how to deal/manage/supervise people. Throwing tantrums or chasing pigs/peacocks is no way to solve problems.

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 10:04 pm | Permalink
Don L wrote:

Just got done reading all the post and love it. I cant stand Armando and it makes me sick to hear his commercial on the radio. I have some other info that is not mentioned. This fool and his wife took over a little Mexican restaurant on Pierrin-Bietel&Wurzbach Pkwy, a very low income area with mostly tattoo parlors, hole in the wall bars and lots of auto repair places. He tried to turn this cockroach infested place into a white table cloth restaurant by having the servers wear tux shirts and bow ties. This does not fly in this area where you can choose from a handful of little mexican places and eat for under $5. Needless to say it only lasted for a few months before he had to close the doors. He is now suing the former restaurant owner who moved about a mile away and claims that she stole all his customers. Talk about sour grapes. Everything this fool touches turns to crap. I would love to see him exposed for the fraud that he is.

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 10:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

To the brilliant and hilarious wyldwmn, who got a “chill” when I allegedly ‘flipped’ her while she had no panties on,

Did you catch tonights episode? Veronica jokingly said she and Armando were “Partners in Crime”. I’ve seen this before. “It’s me and you against the world, BABY!” (and everyone else is fair game, and/or a potential ‘mark’). “Isolation 101″, that’s how it starts. Whudaya think wyldwmn? Am I right? ; )

Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 11:05 pm | Permalink
chickenhauler wrote:

this place is full of inch high private eyes. i read every post. i need a life as bad as armando needs a loan lol.
you people rock.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 1:52 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

I do think that Armando hit it on the head when he was reaming Veronica out about over spending. She definitely did what she wanted to do because she knows that he wasn’t going to tell her no if he ever wanted to have a chance of getting some in the near future…power of the goodies. Lol.

He struck me as some sort of hilly billy white trash driving that truck like that while decorating the outside of the house. Then his stupid hissy fit talking about how he is going to put slate on the driveway.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 9:19 am | Permalink
AF wrote:

Don L, are you talking about the area near the Main Post Office on Perrin-Beitel? I dont think that its a “very” low income area, I’d say that somewhere off of Southcross or General McMullen would qualify as very low income.

That is interesting about the restaurant though, maybe he figured that anything he tries he will automatically be good at.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 10:42 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alright people, lets focus… Especially you down there in Texas… Let’s find the address of this house on last nights show, check the records and see if our freind Armando once again lied like a rug… Let us all know! :-)

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 11:19 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

I’m looking (online) but no luck so
far ; )

‘E Sunshine Dr’ and ‘Dickinson Dr’ was on Armando’s GPS and ‘Timothy J DeWein’ was on the paper ‘Heather’ had! lol

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 11:25 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

wyldwmn, why did my mistakes in grammer upset you so? I am sorry that I do not run everything through spell check, or that my typing skills arn’t at the same level as yours….btw spelt is a word, and colour is spelt with a u same as labour… you might have fiqured out that I live above the 49th, actually quite close to the 50th… We can’t flip houses here, Armando’s bs won’t fly, why you ask? Cuse all our equity melts in about July, and the rehab starts in Sept……If you believe that we live in igloos, I have a ebook, and a seminar for you to.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 11:26 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “E Sunshine Dr’ and ‘Dickinson Dr’ was on Armando’s GPS”

YIKES! “‘E Sunshine Dr’ and ‘Dickinson Dr’ WERE on Armando’s GPS” ; )

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 11:41 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

The show was staged to prove Veronica can stand up to Armondo and is not controled by him . But we know better :)

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 12:23 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from TWOP…

“And I could not believe (well, I could, because it’s Armando), that he said this to his wife: “I taught you everything you know, but apparently I didn’t teach you everything I know.” Condescending, insulting, dismissive. . . it’s just beyond belief that anyone would actually say that. That’s the kind of statement that would have me right out the door, assuming I had been crazy enough to marry someone like Armando in the first place.”

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 1:30 pm | Permalink
sa wrote:

anyone notice that on the 9-22 show, armondo used the phrase “at the end of the day”??????

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

sa wrote - anyone notice that on the 9-22 show, armondo used the phrase “at the end of the day”??????

He sure did and he also said something VERY similar to, ‘get in, get out, and go home’ ; )

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 3:03 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

I guess I should have watched last night….turned it off after the kitchen…..I tell Armando that you did the plans…..its in your hand writting…….If I wanted to watch poor acting and pandering for the camera, I’d rent porn.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 3:50 pm | Permalink
REManager wrote:

This guy has a huge banner at this website:
http://www.linkedin-entrepreneurs.com/group/startinginternetbusinessstepbystepinstructions/forum/topic/show?id=804293%3ATopic%3A5251

*It is the 4th vertical banner ad from top to bottom on the right corner of the page - at least as of today 09/23/07.

I went to school to learn RE and property management in Germany. I am glad I have the foundation necessary to recognize a legit operation and calculate risks.

I was curious with the design of the banner and went to his sales website/page, watched him and his wife in what I call amateurish video, including obviously denoucing body language (pretend you can change it from this on, but you can not), and from there I was curious to get my suspicions sustained. Ditto. Not only google has it… Get a comprehensive search on many other search engines.

Who is paying his advertising campaigns around the whole net?

Black list and watch all them! Connect the dots and vaccinate yourselves!

As far the comment of him being an abuser, I do not doubt it from what I just saw in one of his video presentation. Every school teaches a bit of speech, presentation, sales pitch, and the art of manipulating, and it is a weapon given at own discretion. He misuses it.

I would like to say, “what goes around, comes around”. Where is he supposed to enjoy his “mighty” (or hallucinating) power of manipulation? In his own vultures & hyenas cage? Is he going next convert to a religious extremism and pray upon but not letting a rifle off his side? Though… He probably must be slipping with a gun beneath his pillow.

The biggest battle is within one self. He lost it already. “He has the disease”

Watch yourself to not get infected!

Cheers!

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 4:02 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Steve in Texas: Ha! I knew you would be on it!!! Please humor all of us with your findings… I know that you guys will come up with the address, and thereby the truth in the numbers :-)

Great job on the detective work so far!! Hahahahaha, very impressive with the GPS and the paper… Armando has no idea the caliber of people that are on to him! hahahaha

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 6:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Jungle House”

Someone on the A&E board who says they grew up in that house says it’s on ‘East Quill’ but didn’t give a street number. E Sunshine (which was on Armando’s GPS) intersects it! ; ) Getting closer ; )

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 6:29 pm | Permalink
PatrickInOhio wrote:

I wish I could say I read *every* post (prolly the first 20-30 and the last 20 or so), but I’d have to say I agree with most people here that Armondo is full of it. I’m no RE genius, but I’ve been around and in it for a loooong time. My dad had rentals since before I was born, put me to work demo’ing, painting, and doing basic labor when I was 12 (and yes, I got at least the prevailing wage). I passed the Journeyman Carpenter’s exam at my Local Union w/o taking the apprenticeship (goes to show what dad passed on, huh?), and have built decks, sheds, and rehabbed homes on the side for the past 10 years. Today, I own 1 (yes, Armondo, one) rental, and plan on building my “empire” (I seem to remember him telling Mondoman about building his “empire”). So many people ask me if I’m going to “flip” it, like they understand RE. If I had a decent offer that made me more than 5 years profit on the rent, yea, I’d sell, but at this point, I’m bringing in $300 after taxes each month (here’s the secret…pay for everything in cash - if you can’t buy it with cash, it’s not worth buying. i.e. My rental was bought for $7500). Next year, I plan on buying another and rehabbing it for rental. If I continue this pace (a realistic ONE HOUSE A YEAR) and continue to pay in cash, at retirement, I’ll have roughly $6000/mo. and full ownership of 20 homes. I’m not a betting man, but I think I’ll be better off than Armondo.

Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 11:54 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:

I’ll know exactly where to look and will tell you in the morning. I always find it :-)

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 1:10 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

BTW steve, thanks for the clues. I watched bits and pieces of the show (on tape). It’s too painful to watch the show - even for research!

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 1:13 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve I found it.
“Jungle House”

The house is located on 130 E Quill off Bandera Rd. House includes a gang graffitied mailbox (great for curb appeal). GOOD Luck in getting 160K for it. Tax appraisal is at 98,000. My guesstimate is around 115,000 on a good day.

Guess who owns the house?

Not Armando…..
Not Veronica…..
Not little Mondoman….
Not David…..
Not Melina….
Not Sugar the Pig….

Brandon Holt…AKA Brent Holt the Montelongo’s project manager!

Check out documents 20070154814 and 20070154815 in Bexar County Clerks Records.

Document …815 shows that Brent took out a 65K loan (5K for closing cost). Hard money lender of course :-)

Did A&E learn from their mistakes with Sam Leccima - (flipping houses he didn’t own)?

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 5:20 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

BTW, It’s going to be interesting to see how Brent will sell this property. He has 2 outstanding judgments for over 20K.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 5:26 am | Permalink
San Antonio wrote:

The reason I’m written this is because I have a client that has done business with Armando. My client did some work on a house that was featured on Flip This House in San Antonio. The guy I know never got paid for the work that he has done. I asked my client what he was going to do. He said that he stops by Armando’s house and asks him for money and Armando says he does not have the money. Said he told Armando that he would put a lien on the house that he completed the work at and Armando said he did not care. This just shows the type of person that Armando is. I have another client that has an office near Armando’s personal residents “Rancho Montelongo” which is in the middle of the city surrounded by homes that are in the 80K to 100K range! So I drive by Armando’s residence at least once a week. I have noticed that nice new Benz is not around any more. I also asked if the show that my client was on was staged and he said every bit of it. For example you will see Armando get out of his car and walk into the home like it is the first time he has been to the property today and be covered in sweat from head to toe. I know his leased Hummer has A/C.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 8:42 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Way to go! Too funny, I actually looked at that house on the appraisal site (and every other ‘3/2′ on East Quill) but didn’t catch the name ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 10:34 am | Permalink
Christy wrote:

From the A&E website:

Re: Armando the plane-stopper
Sep 23, 2007 6:16 PM Report Abuse
Well, I watched the episode last night just because this was the house I grew up in. My Dad was the out of town owner who needed to sell the house. Although the house looked great, I have to say that I was very disappointed with the opening of the show.
My Dad did NOT get 65k for that house as was disclosed during the show. He asked for 65k, but Mr. Montelongo said he would only give him 60k which is fine. My Dad really needed to sell the house, however I think it would be helpful if the show was honest with the viewers and not misleading.
So, if you think about it….he actually invested more like 115k to “rehabilitate” the house. Although I am very thankful that the house looks nice because of the emotional attachment I have to it, I really think that I needed to let everyone know what actually occurred. Thanks.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 10:59 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Boyson and Steve in Texas, and what was the number they said they bought it for in the show (I cant look it up, at work, not at home)? You know, the number Armando said he was going to buy it for, with no negotiation, so that the seller could pay his medical bills (what an angel Armando is)! lol

Please keep us posted on the sale (or repo!)… hahaha

Also, does Holt have a published number, I will gladly give him a call and ask him about it! :-)

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 11:12 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Boyson - brilliant work. Funny - I saw that gang graffiti on the mailbox by slowing down the show in my DVR to 1/15 speed while trying to see the address. When you consider that this episode was shot at least 2 months ago, that says a lot about how little upkeep has been done on that house. In fact, that would indicate that it was never even gotten into a “showable” state. If the graffiti was a big red “R” looking symbol, it’s the same as I saw and the show is a flat out hoax as not even someone as stupid as Armando would show a house with that on the mailbox.

You hit it square on the head: this is now Sam Leccima all over again. Clearly Armando now cannot even purchase anything and is having to get others to buy the houses he pretends to remodel.

Time for Fox Atlanta to start looking into this one like they did Leccima. This won’t be getting any better…

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 11:51 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “BTW, It’s going to be interesting to see how Brent will sell this property. He has 2 outstanding judgments for over 20K.”

There’s a judgment in 1999 for $11K+ but the other entry in 2006 is a payment on that judgment it looks like. It wasn’t payment in FULL though so there’s still a balance due ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 12:58 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve:

What I did was I went through 2006 tax records and did a deed search on those properties with out of town owners and with transaction activity for 2007.

I drove by the house to confirm my findings. Sure enough… 130 E Quill :-).

If you drive by the house you will see that there is NO way they will ever get 160K in todays market.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 1:05 pm | Permalink
sa wrote:

how bout when armondo said he didnt build new homes—there’s no money in building new homes–its all in flipping!! ive been in new homes for 20 years—i’ll take my business over his anytime!!

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 1:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Yeah, the curb appeal is ZERO! I saw the red spray painted mail box on the show. The front yard looked like cr*p and driveway looked worse! And, who in their RIGHT MIND would buy a house with an A/C vent smack dab in the middle of the kitchen floor! LOL And that’s just for starters, I could go on… ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 1:51 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

$65K! ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 2:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I’ve developed a very simple system if if I just know the street name. I open up Zillow in one window and the appraisal site in another. I literally go down the street on Zillow and plug the street numbers in on the appraisal site. Takes about 10 minutes. ‘Brandon Holt’ although I saw it didn’t register!

NICE job! ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 3:03 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Steve #1035:

Those are 2 separate Abstract of Judgments against Brandon Holt. The second one (2006) reads more like an affidavit. If it was a payment, it would have been filed as a partial release.

When he attempts to sell off the property, whatever profits made can be taken away to satisfy the judgment.

I’m surprised they didn’t get Randy the Roofer to file a $50,000 mechanics lien.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 3:11 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

SA: I laughed at that too. Consider the source: Armando can’t make a dime in flipping, so for HIM there’s certainly no money to be made in homebuilding. (as opposed to competent builders everywhere who make money in any market by leveraging their SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE.)

Now, if he just figured out that he isn’t making any money in flipping EITHER, then he’d be on to something!

What a tool. Actually, tools are useful for something, so Armando doesn’t deserve even that designation.

Hey, where is that COACH with Amy’s proof of Armando’s bona fides? COACH, WHERE ARE YOU?! POST THAT RPOOF!! HAHAHAHA!

Mike

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 3:57 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “I’m surprised they didn’t get Randy the Roofer to file a $50,000 mechanics lien.”

LOL Every one of those ‘good friends’
would slit each others throats if the price was right, IMO ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

I used a variation of the Zillow method with Angie’s Atlanta ‘flips’ on another thread and nailed every one of them except for one. They ALWAYS did major construction so I crossed Zillow with the Atlanta permit office. The only one I missed was the last one that they didn’t, but should have got a permit for. Notice I said ‘last one’? ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 6:08 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Just when I thought he couldn’t top himself….he out does himself again!
Just a few pokes at this weeks show:
1. Don’t you have to wear safety glasses when tearing up the kitchen and other areas?
2. Randy and “Flopper” also took chances swinging and breaking all that stuff.
3. When did they stop dressing up for Open Houses and putting out signs, balloons, candles, cookies, etc.?
4. Flopper had a bad 5 o’clock shadow at his supposed 3 o’clock open house when showing it to some couple I think that they pulled off the street.
5. Veronica cloths–Vision San Antonio, hot weather and summer months, she has on sleeveless tops but manages to wear two different styles of, I believe, winter courderoy caps. Do you think she gets free cloths and stuff like Flopper does for promise of advertising or however they work the system?
A & E, what the hell have you purchased! I will continue watch and hope they find better people to represent. I love this site because it is REAL.
Last, thanks for everyone who is doing the P.I. work out there. You are greatly appreciated.

Jen

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 6:44 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Interesting about the Jungle House. My brother lives one block from there, I could literally walk there in 5 min. I’ll drive by tomorrow and take a look at it. There is no way he can get 160K in that area. I dont know how Heather figured the average sale price was in that range.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 6:53 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Oh and one more point for that neighborhood. My brother had his mailbox broken and some punks spray painted their graffiti tags on their driveway. Not a good area at all.

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 6:58 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

How do you guys know that Brent Holt is Brandon Holt and not a family member?

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 9:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“The Jungle House”

OK, I’ll ‘go on’… ; )

I’ve got HDTV and the after ‘rehab’ shots of the house looked horrible. From the painted kitchen cabinets, bathroom tiles with grout voids, missing light switch covers and funky unidentified ‘other stuff’.

But the kicker was this, wall paint slopped on the baseboards and/or visa versa! They must have been pretty heavy into those cases of ‘Dos Equis’ and ‘Bud Lite’ beer when they painted. The empty (and fresh) cases were on top of the dumpster as they were hauling it off! LOL ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 9:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jeff in Indy,

Re: “How do you guys know that Brent Holt is Brandon Holt and not a family member?”

It never occurred to me that “Brent” is short for “Brandon” but Boyson nailed it! Learn something new everyday ; )

Posted on 24-Sep-07 at 10:27 pm | Permalink
darrell_anthony wrote:

re post 1034 Mike Voss:
the only ones it seems that could expose the Montelongos for the frauds they are is the fox channel in Atlanta. I talked again to the express news when going over my ads and they again said the show is entertainment. when reading an article last sunday about how flipping shows contenue to be popular dispite the current market slow down the article mentioned one of the owners of the show, Flip this House, also has ownership in the express news and local tv news channel five. Why the other television stations wont jump on this is byond me. again, channel 12 (KSAT) literally sent a crew to cover the 12 cent increase in cheese to a local restaurant but this is too beneath them?

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 1:11 am | Permalink
bocage wrote:

chris in detroit:

the price armando said to give to the guy with the medial problems was $75,000.00

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 9:02 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I looked at the web site just to see what they were selling. I set up a second screen name thru my carrier and now I am getting spam from everywhere just by signing in to look at their offer. Do you sell peoples email addresses for profit? Also the price is lower now for the product offered.
I received email of which I directly got a laugh at and I was rude and wrote my thoughts back. This email was sent back undelivered but another email came from Armando stating box is full, etc. as you will read in the following post. I also sent email to stop their emails which didn’t work. I received one about the show Saturday and as you will read on Veronica is supposed to be emailing me. Again, I have gone to their site to stop the insanity before it gets to far.
This is what I get for being nosy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

a.montelongo@armandomontelongo.com
mailbox is full: retry timeout exceeded

—— This is a copy of the message, including all the headers. ——

Return-path:
Received: from [64.12.137.3] (helo=imo-m22.mail.aol.com)
by ksh006.ghshosting.com with esmtp (Exim 4.68)
(envelope-from
by imo-m22.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v38_r9.2.) id c.c9b.1a69b7c4 (39953)
for ; Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:13:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: ,my email address>
Message-ID:
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:13:44 EDT
Subject: i was interested in your $997 plan until….
To: a.montelongo@armandomontelongo.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=”—————————–1190441624″
X-Mailer: 9.0 for Windows sub 5132
X-Spam-Flag: NO

——————————-1190441624
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”US-ASCII”
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

After signing up on the page to stop getting email i sent this to them.

Montelongos,
I been watching FTH for almost two years. I have not always liked the way
you treat your family, the women especially, and the contractors.
It seems to me that you can’t get contractors most of the time because of
perhaps your anger or the way you bring down the prices that they need in order
to live as comfortable as your family is made to look.
I still thought at this point that I might just want to invest on your $997
package for the information to try flipping since we came into a nice sum of
money and want to start close to my own home!
After watching the shows, esp. “Cat House,” I would not sell something like
that or even some of the patchwork stuff you have been throwing out this
season. I looked for info on the houses you flip to get an idea of potential profit
but after reading blogs under flip this lawsuit and other blogs at other such
sites, I have to say there is a good deal of evidence out there showing you
have bombed.
Even the web links to the Bexar County documents where you had 27
foreclosures recently, that you have taken a loss on many houses that were shown on the
TV program as sold with a profit when actually the homes were foreclosed on or
even the evidence shows your wife taking out a loan on one of the homes just
to help.
Is that misleading or what? The final thing that put the icing on the cake
was the seem to be acted out “sugar the pig show.” Veronica says that was her
baby but yet it got hauled across town and two men chased it like idiots. The
poor pig was frightened, and you should have been turned into animal
cruelty/humane department.
Sorry fella, as I have read many blogs on the web sites, and A & E sight
also, as they say on DESIGN STAR …………”"YOUR SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED”" at
least by me, friends or ours, and you should really read what is being blogged
about you, your family, your business, etc. Is any of it true?
Sincerely,

PS: The weight that you have added to your butt and stomach and your huge
full face really doesn’t say much either, except that your eating so much that your body is expanding its square foot but giving you enough energy to have sh#@ come out of both ends.
+++++++++++
ALSO I received an email from them 1 day later that says this:

Hi ,

Armando here. I will NOT see this message so please
do not email me here. If you would like to get in
touch with me please visit:

http://www.armandomontelongo.com/contact_armando.php

The reason I ask this is because answering emails is
now taking up words of 4 hours a day because I have to
sift through hundreds of junk mail.

–Armando Montelongo
President
Armando Montelongo Worldwide Inc.

ALSO I then got this message:

Hi ,

If Veronica wants design and I
want rehab, who will win the
battle?

What is the difference between
design and rehab?

Design is the desire to upgrade
a house more than necessary to
make money. Rehab is the bare
essentials needed to make a house
look good and still turn…

**** A MAJOR PROFIT! *****

However, here is the trick. You must
know that good design is what sells
a house.

So what is the happy medium?

Catch tomorrow nights new episode
when …

VERONICA AND I GO HEAD TO HEAD!

Find out if design and rehab can have
a happy medium and…

WHO WILL WIN THIS DOMESTIC BATTLE!

Tomorrow catch a new episode of Flip This House.
Saturday @ 8:00 pm CST.

See you tomorrow night!

Armando Montelongo, President
Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc.
http://armandomontelongo.com

P.S. Veronica will be emailing you some
free design tips after the show and she
still has a special surprise for you!
If you no longer wish to get my emails, you can unsubscribe foreverby clicking the link below. http://www.armandomontelongo.com/contact/remove.php?c=42959

So, again I have emailed this address to stop the incoming crap and you are back to a company promoting online seminars featuring Armando.
Where does he find the time to flip houses, be husband and father, a businessman, and try to answer over 400 emails a day…………?

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Bocage: Thanks! Thats funny that he said 75k, because he was such a good guy and all, but then Steve In Texas found he actually only bought it for 65k!

Changed his mind on the guy with the medical problem after the cameras stopped rolling and went down 10k maybe? lol

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
Ronnie wrote:

I heard about the free CD on the radio so called to order. They sent me a complete package asking $450.00 for it. I went thru the training package and now Armando’s TEAM is calling and wanting me to jojn them for a small fee of $10,000 to $20,000. It is a scam for these people to get rich off idiots who buy their crap.

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 4:01 pm | Permalink
Ronnie wrote:

Armando’s claim is how he made a fortune with no money and he will show you how to do it. Then they ask for $500 to $1000 for the training program and then $10,000 to $20,000 for his support. I asked them what happened to doing this without any of my money. Their answer, its an investment in my future, what crap

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 4:05 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Now this is downright sick…

I have a longer post I’m preparing about several issues regarding the show where Veronica called Armando a maniac and then at home told him he was dining alone for disrespecting her…but I couldn’t help posting about an email I just received allegedly (to borrow a word from apparently-still-single Steve in Texas) from Veronica. She goes on about her confrontations with Armando on the recent show, and then says that she is going behind his back, using HIS email account, and selling his e-books for two low payments. Now…maybe it’s me, but is that a way to attract customers and instill trust in them, i.e., telling them that you are breaking into your spouse’s email account and selling your spouse’s property at a low price without your spouse’s knowledge?

Maybe it’s me, but it looks more and more like the Montelongo’s are patterning their behavior on those wrestling shows. Geez…why would I ever give my money to anybody simply because I wanted to be part of them getting back at someone else????

I think they should change their last name from Montelongo to Tackylongo. They can call their next business “Tackylongo Flop Houses, Ltd.”

wyldwmn

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 4:19 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

Geeze! What a bonehead gimmick, and yes, definitely ‘allegedly’

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 5:51 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUYAa6FQMFU&mode=related&search=

Armando on Vacation…..talking about the Cat House……priceless.

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 6:52 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Ronnie (or anyone else),

Re: “I heard about the free CD on the radio so called to order.”

I’d like to call that number and get my FREE CD. Can you post the phone number?

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 8:22 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1060, the brilliant, hilarious, and apparently still single (I’m just sayin’) Steve in Texas sets himself up by asking:

“Re: “I heard about the free CD on the radio so called to order.”

I’d like to call that number and get my FREE CD. Can you post the phone number?”

1-800-BUY-CRAP

wyldwmn

Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 11:27 pm | Permalink
Amy wrote:

Re:#1042 (Hey, where is that COACH with Amy’s proof of Armando’s bona fides? COACH, WHERE ARE YOU?! POST THAT RPOOF!! HAHAHAHA!)

Right?! I’m still waiting! Well, not really, but it would have been nice ;)
This site is addicting!

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 1:42 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

Make sure your phone number is blocked when you call for the FREE CD :)

Before Armondo moved to the “ranch” there were older episodes showing the outside of his house and when he first started writing his “book” . Then he moved to the “ranch house ” . The newer episodes should show his “ranch house” ?

In the “jungle house” episode
It is showing the same house and doesnt look like the “ranch house” he moved into except for the remodled kitchen . Am I wrong or has be been living in the same house this whole time ??

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 8:40 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

I just called 1-800-BUY-CRAP and just got Armondo’s answereing machine ,,, bummer

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 9:37 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

“1-800-BUY-CRAP”

Apply Directly to the Forehead LOL

Actually, I just want to do some due diligence on the phone number ; )

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 10:00 am | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

post1054
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Bocage: Thanks! Thats funny that he said 75k, because he was such a good guy and all, but then Steve In Texas found he actually only bought it for 65k!
Changed his mind on the guy with the medical problem after the cameras stopped rolling and went down 10k maybe? lol

The girl on the show said the owner wanted 65K and Amando said give it him and not haggle.
The offer was never 75k
Jeff

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1066 Jeff in Indy said:

“The girl on the show said the owner wanted 65K and Amando said give it him and not haggle.
The offer was never 75k
Jeff ”

My recollection was that the WOMAN was recommending that Armando counter the asking price of $65K with an offer of $60K, and Armando then dramatically said to give the man what he wanted.

I was curious about what her role is in the Tackylongo empire…it seemed like she may have been a finder of some sort.

wyldwmn

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn wrote: “it seemed like she may have been a finder of some sort.”

This was verbatim from the phone call to Armando..

“Hi, it’s Heather. I just got a really hot lead off THE website…”

I just took it as a shameless plug for THE website. They seem to do it at least once on every episode. And I believe NONE of it! ; )

Funny that ‘Heather’ didn’t get a mention in the credits but ‘Honey the Pig’ did a couple of weeks ago! LOL

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 8:52 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

In post 1067 wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1066 Jeff in Indy said:

“The girl on the show said the owner wanted 65K and Amando said give it him and not haggle.
The offer was never 75k
Jeff ”

My recollection was that the WOMAN was recommending that Armando counter the asking price of $65K with an offer of $60K, and Armando then dramatically said to give the man what he wanted.

I was curious about what her role is in the Tackylongo empire…it seemed like she may have been a finder of some sort.

wyldwmn

I cant remember for sure but I dont think 60K came up at all. But my point is that the CHICK or Am…. never said anything about 75k. Im not A.M.’s name anymore here because it helps his web advertising anytime by finding key words.
Dios te bendiga
Jeff

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 9:44 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

wyldwmn: #1067

I believe her name is Heather Boroweic.

She’s a real estate agent for Executive Reality and has recently purchased 3 properties: 4719 Castle Rose, 202 Jesse, 527 S San Bernardo. All of these were about to be foreclosed on by VCH Funding but the sales were blocked by TROs filed by Armando.

Each property is occupied (rental) and she got them at a bargain price. :-)

She also just listed (today 9-26-2007) the house on 219 Shannon Lee. Not sure of the asking price.

I think you have it backwards. It’s not what her role she has in Armando’s empire but what role is Armando in hers. :-)

Posted on 26-Sep-07 at 11:14 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1070 Boyson points out:

“I think you have it backwards. It’s not what her role she has in Armando’s empire but what role is Armando in hers. :-) ”

I agree with this. Is she a house flipper? I wonder why she would get involved with someone like Armando? What else do you know about her?

Interesting.

wyldwmn

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 12:04 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Hey guys, some of you asked for the 1-800 number for the Armando commercial… I figured I would never hear the commercial, as I am in the Detroit area and not Texas… but, last night while bowling (maybe they have sat radio or something) I heard the commercial! I cracked up! I immediately copied the number down to post on here… Here it is…
800-970-5644

Enjoy!

P.S. I called it today… Call if you want a laugh! You have to PAY $9.95 for shipping and they said it normally takes 10 to 14 days to get to you. If you dont like it, you ship it back. They said it costs between $1.50 and $2.00 to send it back (3rd class mail bookrate). I asked then why are you charging me $9.95 to ship it, if it only costs ME $1.50 to $2.00 to ship back… She stumbled around trying to find a good answer (claiming because since its unwanted, the Post Office is going to give me a price break, etc). Hahaha

She said the package includes Armando’s CD “How I built my flipping machine” and the DVD “How to assess properties”… She claimes these alone are worth $99.00

She said it also includes Armando’s complete “Flip and grow rich” program for 30 days. She said if you dont like it, then you owe nothing, just send it back and you get to keep the CD and DVD. If you do like it, you have 5 payments of (and they stress ONLY) $79.95!! What a crock!

I said I needed to think about it, as it seems fishy that they are making money off the shipping when they advertised it as free. She began to ask me how long I had been investing in real estate, if I ever flipped before, etc… Since I have, I think she didnt know what to say (couldnt say “Well, with this you can learn” etc).

She asked if I have ever heard of Armando before. This was great because then I told her yes, that I watched Flip This House and also read about 1,500 posts about him on FLIPTHISLAWSUIT.COM… She repeated the website, acting as if she had never heard of it (yeah right!). I told her how there were some interesting things on here about houses being foreclosed on, begs for proof of claims from Armando with no response, etc…

Her response was that A&E wouldnt let someone on if it wasnt true. I asked her if she was familiar with Sam Leccima being on Flip this House… After she said she was, I politely filled her in on the basics of his story and how that has all unfolded. hahahahahahahahaha. Of course, she played like it was all news to her.

She then, in a last desperate attempt to get me to do it told me how her company (so its apparently not Armandos) really researches and looks into all aspects of someone before getting involved with them. And that they had the proof of the claims being true. So, I politely asked if they could mail or e-mail this proof to me and then they would have a sale. Of course, as we all expected, she said they could definitely NOT do that! :-) Says it all…

I would caution you, if you do order it… BE CAREFUL! I wouldnt be at all surprised if they bill your card for the payments (the same one you give them for the overinflated “shipping fee”)… I also wouldnt be surprised if they try to screw you on the 30 days free (e.g. they said it takes 10 to 14 to get to you, the may try to count that, and then the time it takes to ship back, etc). Anything for a buck?

If you call or order, would like to hear your experience…

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 9:23 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

Bravo! That’s pretty much what I wanted to do, screw with them! lol Great info!

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 9:57 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

It sounds like it could be VERY similar to this ; )

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/video_professor

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 10:04 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Here’s another one (scam)…

“John Beck Free and Clear Complaints”

9/21/2007 - Don writes:
I bought the so-called Free & Clear Real Estate “System” thinking that I was going to receive a complete system that was not only going to enlighten me as to ins and outs of tax lien sales but also act as a sort of guide by which to follow. My first impression of the Free & Clear package that I received was not good. The booklets and CDs are just full of poorly written and very general information leaving you with still more questions. Much of the info was full of repetitive statements added over and over as filler. Although there is some educational value in the materials that I bought, I soon realized that this was not any type of “system” and that the so-called “Property Vault” that could be accessed via the Internet, that I believed would have tax lien listings in it, were just lists of lists that you could purchase. A few days after getting the package a got a phone call from a John Beck rep. who talked about setting me up with a specialist who could help me achieve my financial goals. Then I relized that the actual system, if there was one, was something extra that would cost me more money. After talking to the rep and then some clown calling himself director of something for about 30 minutes he finally asked me how serious I was about making big money and I said that I was serious and then he rambled off a lot of fast talk that included something about $8000 up front. When I questioned the $8000 and said that I would not make a decision to hand them over 8 grand on the phone at that moment, he said somewhat rudely, that the program was probably not for me. Then I relied probably not and then hung-up. It’s a shame that we allow poeple like John Beck and his associates to suck us in, leave us fealing like we are not getting what we thought we were buying, and then allow them to just continue to do this to hundreds of other poeple every day seemingly without fear of reprocussions.”

More here…

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/john_beck_free_and_clear

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1072 ChrisInDetroit commented about his conversation with the Flop-o-mongo hawkers:

“I asked then why are you charging me $9.95 to ship it, if it only costs ME $1.50 to $2.00 to ship back… She stumbled around trying to find a good answer (claiming because since its unwanted, the Post Office is going to give me a price break, etc). Hahaha”

In times past companies often charged only the postage and cost of packaging for shipping. Eventually the trend toward “shipping and handling” became more prevalent, where the “handling” chcarge included the administrative cost of the shipping department personnel. In other words, shiping departments stopped being a cost of doing business and became, instead, a profit center. Nowadayas in addition to the cost of postage, supplies, and wages, there is an added something-or-other that creates profit in the shipping department.

Recently I read somewhere that inasmuch as eBay charges fees on the sale price of items being auctioned, that some sellers will inflate shipping and handling charges while selling for a lower price, in order to avoid paying commissions on sales. I have not researched this, however–I only just recently read about it.

My guess is that the hawker you talked with gets some kind of commission for every Tackylongo packaged crap they sell. Wouldn’t it be a hoot to find out that the hawkers were family members who had been given a quick tutorial on hawking? Just another attempt to amass hangers-on so that Armando can pretend that the clock is not ticking (to borrow a phrase from Mikie Voss) on his “empire” (such as it is).

wyldwmn

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 10:46 am | Permalink
WhyStillWatching wrote:

Guess what you lucky folks in California? Armando is back on the seminar circuit and he’s heading your way in October. Now you can learn the secrets of real estate investing from “The #1 property flipper in America- a man who flips between 25-30 houses EVERY MONTH.” As “America’s LARGEST investor of residential real estate, Armando is not an expert…he’s the EXPERT.” Yeah, I’m just devastated that I live on the opposite side of the country and won’t be able to take advantage of this priceless opportunity to invest in my future.

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 10:48 am | Permalink
Confused wrote:

WhyStillWatching,
I can sell you a great cheap air and hotel package so you can see Armondo in person !!
I will make all the arrangements so you dont have to waste your valuable time . Just simply give me your credit card and social security numbers and have a peace of mind :)

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 11:30 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: Heather Borowiec

“Fawn Creek Project

A joint venture between Bill Embley and Heather Borowiec

Well, here it is, the reason no one has seen me for three months. We purchased this house for $28,000 in November. We invested $15,000 into repairs, fees, utilities, etc. Our asking price is $83,500. The house sits on 1.7 acres in Spring Branch, TX, on the north side of Canyon Lake. My sister, Heather, found the deal and ponied up most of the money. I used my remodeling company to do the work. Heather handled most of the design elements. David Gonzalez and I did all of the rest except for carpet, electric, and a/c. Special thanks to David for helping it all come together.”

http://home.satx.rr.com/fawncreek/

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 2:43 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I really do not know how toll free numbers work but……would it be a pinch to the pocket book of a company such as flopper’s if people started bombing them with phone calls? Long, questioning calls as described in post #1072. Phone calls until I get to talk to the boss. Does anyone know how toll free numbers work? I am guessing here but could the toll free number cost a set amount per month plus so much per call if they receive over the set agreed amount? That way all of us can ask questions, demand answers, ask to talk to the “boy” (with a small b) and/or his wife and get some of this SH*% out of our systems and put it where it belongs in the first place — directly to Mr. and Mrs. Flopper Tackylongo!
I am going to do it first thing Monday morning because I have time to do it then. The more I read the angrier I get for believing in this show when it came out until S*&t started flying. I have misplaced anger and yes, I want to do some damage where it hurts - the checkbook, even if it is just a few cents, I will not talk to an employee though. If you can’t get answers from the persons responsible it is not right to take it out on the hired help. I’m not saying that has happened, just that it happened to me at work doing what I was trained and paid to do and took alot of butt chewing until I had the sense to say shove it to my cheating, sly, etc. boss (who was fired several weeks later by the out-of-state owner after customers catching up with him). aybe in this situation they are the hired help! But, as I posted earlier, if they don’t have time to answer emails and their email box is full because of receiving over 400 emails a day because they don’t know what is spam or not (do not believe this bullsh&^) and they are busy buying, selling, flipping, etc. everyday (do not believe this bullsh@% either) and no money to pay for hired help as shown in past episodes or could it be Veronica on the phone? (BTW - where is their old contractors like Keno? Can anyone around San Antonio find any of these fellows that used to work for FTH A-hole?) I am going to ask many questions Monday, but I am not going to get bitchy unless I am talking to the right scam artists.
Now I read flopper is going to California to promote his Rip Off Scam….I am not on a soap box, I am not whiny, I am ready to “GET IT ON”.

Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 10:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jennifer,

The ‘Boiler Room’ on the other end of that phone number could be almost anywhere, i.e. Florida, New York, etc. I sounds like a third party marketing firm

Posted on 28-Sep-07 at 9:42 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Jennifer… If the company actually answering the phone isnt Armandos clan, then, then they will surely drop him when it costs them more (in headaches and money) than they make as a commission of his weezly package.

Would be a shame if you accidentally set your fax machine to call the number, and then it automatically kept redialing it trying to connect…

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 9:11 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1077 WhyStillWatching hilariously posted:

“‘America’s LARGEST investor of residential real estate, Armando …’”

My guess is that Armando changed that wording to “LARGEST” once he realized that viewers were noticing that he has gained a lot of weight. Maybe we should suggest that yet another way for him to make big bucks scamming, would be to become a spokes-person for Jenny (Craig). ;-} ;-} ;-}

wyldwmn

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 10:58 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1080 Jennifer commented:

“I really do not know how toll free numbers work but……would it be a pinch to the pocket book of a company such as flopper’s if people started bombing them with phone calls?”

I have my phone number signed up on the “do not call registry,” but I still get telemarketing calls. I tell the caller that I make it a point not to do business with companies that use telemarketers and ask to be removed from their list. The next time they call (I keep a list), I keep them on the phone as long as I can and then ask to speak to a supervisor. I then tell the supervisor that I kept the caller on the phone as long as possible so as to prevent their company from making any money. Every single time I have done this, I have never received another call from that company.

As for junk mail, I was told by my local postmaster a while back that the postage-paid return envelopes only pay for one small slip of paper which is charged to the junk mailer at a very low rate. As soon as more than one slip of paper is put in the envelope to increase the weight and/or the envelope is thicker than the acceptable thickness for one first-class stamp, the junk mailer is charged full postage and then some if the amount of stuff or thickness in the envelope is more than what would normally be charged first class. In the case of local companies who send me their junk mail, repeated requests to be taken off their list have not been successful. However, when I stuff the return envelopes with everything they sent me and then some extra stuff, I don’t get any more mail from them. In one case, nothing worked–not calling them to be removed, and not stuffing their envelopes. So finally one day I took a length of toilet paper and squirted chocolate syrup on it, and sent that back to them in their postage-paid envelope. I haven’t received anything from them since. :)

As for junk faxing, there was a travel/vacation company that was sending me faxes on an automated fax program, and when I called them to ask them to please take my number off their auto-dial, they were rude. So I finally set my fax machine to call their 1-800 number every five minutes. After about 4 hours of this, I called to ask them if they liked it that my fax machine was dialing their number. They didn’t. I said “Well, then perhaps now you understand how I feel about your fax machine dialing *my* number all day?” They took me off their fax list and I never received another fax from them.

wyldwmn

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 1:16 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Re: Jennifer post 1080
“I really do not know how toll free numbers work but……would it be a pinch to the pocket book of a company such as flopper’s if people started bombing them with phone calls? Long, questioning calls as described in post #1072. Phone calls until I get to talk to the boss. Does anyone know how toll free numbers work? I am guessing here but could the toll free number cost a set amount per month plus so much per call if they receive over the set agreed amount”

It has been a few years since I had a 800 number but mine worked this way. We payed a small monthly fee(about $10 if I remember correctly) and also payed 5 cents per minute for incoming calls.
I dont think you can really hurt their pocket book much but you could disrupt their business by organizing a group of people to call the number at the same time of day for a couple of weeks.
Jeff

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 2:48 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1081 Steve in Texas (who is still single??) said:

“The ‘Boiler Room’ on the other end of that phone number could be almost anywhere, i.e. Florida, New York, etc. I sounds like a third party marketing firm ”

I’m guessing it’s in Nigeria.

wyldwmn

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 4:05 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

The Montleongo Bunch house is listed on MLS:

List price 235,000 … good luck. I would love to see the discloser list on this house :-).

http://realestate.mysanantonio.com/Sales/Listing.asp?lid=12627-681498

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 7:16 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn,

They might be getting some calls via craigslist from guys seeking ‘escort services’! I’m just guessing of
course ; ) lol

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 7:22 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

Re: steve post 1070
Who are Bill Embley and Heather Borowiec and what is that flip about?

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 10:08 pm | Permalink
Jeff in Indy wrote:

sorry I meant post 1079. I didnt proof read.

Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 10:09 pm | Permalink
Lisa wrote:

Regarding your earlier post about the contractor threatening to file a lien (I saw that episode).
Any supplier of labor and or materials used to improve real estate who is not paid, can record a lien against the subject property in the State of Texas. You do not have to be a licensed contractor, you do not have to be a contractor at all. You do have to provide statutory notice to the owner of the property within a prescribed timeframe prior to recording a lien. If in fact that foundation contractor was hired by the previous owner (not Montelongo) then his lien would be invalid, he’d be out of luck because his claim would be against the previous owner.
The owner of a property undergoing improvements also has requirements that need to be followed, particularly withholding a percentage of payment for a prescribed time period (retainage) so that if any claims are made by unpaid contractors, those payments would be disbursed from the withheld retainage. If the owner did not follow this procedure, he would be liable for paying the claimant. If he did follow this procedure, he would only be liable for payment to the claimant to the extent of retained monies. (For example, if his builder’s contract was $5,000, owner would have to hold $500 until the timeframe for claminants to make a claim is expired. If a sub made a claim for payment of $700 (within the timeframe), he would only get $500 and the owner would only be liable for $500.
Again in this example, the foundation contractor can’t make a claim against the new owner’s property. New owner has no obligation to him, and unless it was a lightning-fast sale, that contractor, in all liklihood, missed his window of opportunity to file his statutory notice and record his lien prior to sale, then he would have been paid by the title company at closing.
In any event, my point is, you do not have to be a licensed contractor to record a lien on a property in the State of Texas. In fact, the State of Texas doesn’t have much in the way of any licensing requirements to begin with.
Not all states are the same, in Louisiana, for example, you do have to be a licensed contractor to have a valid lien claim.

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 1:06 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Boyson,

Re: “The Montleongo Bunch house”

Too funny, it’s Heather again! I thought Traci Smith with Century 21 got the listing (on the show)? What was that all about? ; )

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 10:35 am | Permalink
AF wrote:

Wow, I cant believe some of the posts on here about having fax machines call and posting ads on craigslist to bother the Mongoloids. Yes I call them Mongoloids and I’m not a defender them, I just watch the show for the entertainment value. I like reading this site but I think some of you on here need to really get a life. Spending hours searching Bexar county records? I do drive by the houses and know not everything is at it seems on the TV show. But I’m not logging on to the Bexar county website or searching on mysa.com for listings. I think there are other ways to get your points across other than harrassment.

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 11:37 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

AF (who likes reading this site) wrote:

“I do drive by the houses and know not everything is at it seems on the TV show. But I’m not logging on to the Bexar county website or searching on mysa.com for listings.”

So instead, you’d rather we do the research for you while you knock us for “spending hours searching Bexar county records” and that we need to “get a life”

NEWS FLASH! It doesn’t take “hours” but then you wouldn’t know that, would you.

This thread, on this forum, is the most comprehensive source about the REAL ‘The Montelongo Comedy Show’ on the Internet. Bar none!

As for the fax and craigslist thing, Those were presented as being hypothetical in nature and not actual :)

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 2:20 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

AF (who like reading this site) wrote:

“I do drive by the houses and know not everything is at it seems on the TV show.”

And just where did you get those addresses? Could it be HERE, from Boyson? Who “spends hours searching Bexar county records”??? ; )

ROFL!

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 3:20 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

AF,

HAHAHAHAHA! What are you doing on this board???????????????? Hope you havent read all the posts, as this would obviously take time… But if you havent, dont judge this board or the content thereof…

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 3:26 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

To AF (short for Almando Follower)?

You don’t have to read this board.
____________________________________
To Steve,

“Nobody Says It Better!”

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 3:50 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #193, AF (Armando’s Friend) chastises us all by saying:

“I just watch the show for the entertainment value. I like reading this site but I think some of you on here need to really get a life. ”

Hmmmmm. I’m not sure that I understand exactly what it is that you are saying here. So,…let’s see…I’ll just reflect back to you what I’m heairng and then you can let me know if what I’m reflecting is accurate?

What I understand you to be saying is that *you* watch the show for “entertainment value* and that *you* enjoy spending time reading this blog, which means, of course, that you are spending time on both those things.

Then you say that some of the people posting to this blog are spending too much time *doing research* and that instead of posting factual information and information that actually helps save people from con-artists, that they should instead “get a life.”

Hmmmm….so as I undestand what you are saying, it’s OK to watch Armando’s show as entertainment, and it’s OK to read this blog site for entertainment, but when it comes to exposing Armando’s mental manipulations and dishonesty about his business dealings, then that’s NOT OK.

OK…I think I get it. Sitting by and watching a con artist in action is OK, and exposing that con artist and helping people to stay out of his clutches is NOT OK.

I am *SO* glad you pointed this out to me. Geez…and here I thought I was actually helping other people by sharing information about how con artists and bullies get control over people, when all along I should have just been enjoying watching Armando lie and rip people off, not to mention laugh my ass off while he abuses his wife and child.

I feel so very fortunate to have been let off the hook with regard to any responsiblity I felt to contribute to the betterment of society. Now I know that I can just sit back and pop myself some bon bons and *enjoy* knowing that people are getting deeply hurt by Armando.

I feel so relieved now.

wyldwmn

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 4:52 pm | Permalink
Gaspard wrote:

Guys, I get this crap from Armando on a weekly basis. The stuff he writes is obviously attempt to get me to buy his e-book for $997.00. I never buy any thing for Armando but when I’m looking for a good laugh I read his email. Here’s is just one of the emails he has sent me.

Dear ?

I am frequently asked what is the biggest mistake people make when trying to create wealth in their life.

I am going to tell you the mistake and why so many people make it.

You must read these words carefully and understand the power of what you are about to read.

If you simply read these words and do not take action, you will continue to fall in the same trap that 99% of all Americans make.

The single biggest mistake people make when trying to create wealth in their life is…

TRADING TIME FOR MONEY!!!

Trading time for money is the single most foolish mistake a person can make when trying to create wealth or time for their loved ones.

A doctor is only worth the amount of patients he can see and a lawyer is only worth the amount of documents they can process.

THIS IS CALLED A PAYCHECK
or…
TRADING TIME FOR MONEY

You see ?, the key to wealth is that you can never make more money than your money can make.

What if you have no money? Doesn’t matter!

When you know the principles of investing and specifically investing in real estate you are no longer trading time for money.

Please visit:
>>>>> hxxp://www.armandomontelongo.com/news/?p=26

to read a real life testimonial of a couple who no longer wants or has to trade time for money.

They have done well on their first deal and done well in a BIG WAY!!!

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 5:09 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Update on house located 130 E Quill (Jungle House):

The house was transfered to a Quill Land Trust on 9-14-2007 (file date)

Details of the document number 20070219532:

Dated: 7-5-2007
Notarized: 7-24-2007
Filed with County Clerk: 9-14-2007
Air date on A&E : 9-22-2007

This clearly shows that Armando and Veronica have to resort to loan fraud via a third party because it appears they can’t get a loan - even a hard money loan. I thought they funded properties based on the deal? :-)

My question is what chapter in his flip course does Armando cover this technique?

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 5:46 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

It looks like Mr ‘25 Flips a Month’ is having trouble coming up with ‘product’ for A&E so he can continue to create the illusion that he’s making a fortune doing ‘rental quality’ (at best) rehabs in a falling market while paying Hard Money interest rates, carrying costs and so on. Too funny!

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 8:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mr ‘Flopper’ has been losing his A$$ for quite some time according to the ‘Bexar County Records’, IMO. I guess it’s a ‘loss leader’, keep the illusion going on TV and make up for it on the back side (or try to) selling crap that doesn’t even work for him anymore.

A fitting end for ‘FTL’ would be (and there will be one), Armando leaving town, on his last tank of gas! ; )

Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 10:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Gaspard,

So his point is, I suppose, is that you need to purchase his $997 ‘Decoder Ring’ so that you can decipher all of that gibberish! LOL

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 4:30 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from the Melina thread…

Well lookie here!

Premier Mentoring, Inc DBA “Armando Montelongo”

Here’s the BBB report…

http://www.saltlakecity.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=2009446

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 4:23 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Premier Mentoring, Inc

“Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record”

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 4:35 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

It’s Monday! Usually that means “oh, geez, back to work” - but today, it is phone call day!

I called this afternoon, got someone on the first ring, she said something like “hello, I’m (name)” asked me my name, spelled it back to me, asked for zip code, street address and town. She was very pleasant, even when I told her that I wasn’t giving her my phone number. I live in a town where we pay a $1 a month for caller id block and also if you call me you get the phone companies speech about if you are a telemarketer it is illegal to continue and if you are not then push #1 to connect the my phone, for another $1 a month.
Anyway, I told her that I had been doing research about flipping and was interested in checking out the product but that my email had came back with one from “AM” and that he was too busy with over 400 emails a day to correspond with me. She pondered that statement. She asked if I watched the show and I said I had been a fan of all the flipping shows for a couple of years. She told me that was wonderful! I then said that I didn’t jump into purchasing things on the internet or TV without researching the item first. She said how smart I was. Then I said I had found “FTL” and that I was concerned about what I read and about the way “AM” has been getting more reckless lately and how badly he treated his wife.
HER ANSWER: “He is not really like this. He is a character they created for him, you know, reality TV!”
I asked if I could speak to “AM” or “VM” and she said that they were just a type of answering service. Then she asked if I would hold and I did but after several minutes I decided she was probably trying to check me out or whatever…
I have many thoughts here but my question is if this is just an answering service, how can they say that he is not really like that and that it is a character they created for him? Who is they? I thought this was an A & E TV program. This gal commented on his TV character, his personal character, was acting as a spokesperson for “AM/VM”, “A&E” and told me she was just an answering business for his infomercial at the same time.
Wow…I was confused before and now I’ve just located the pain in my brain!
Where is all this going? If we continue what’s the chance of them cancelling “Stumpy”?

Any idea’s?

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 6:40 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Steve I am sure they will tell you that $997 for a ‘decoder ring’ is a steal.

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 8:18 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jennifer,

Re: “This gal commented on his TV character, his personal character, was acting as a spokesperson for “AM/VM”, “A&E” and told me she was just an answering business for his infomercial at the same time.”

If this ‘marketing firm’ is claiming to speak for A&E they are in DEEP SH*T, legally :)

Posted on 01-Oct-07 at 8:49 pm | Permalink
WhyStillWatching wrote:

Check out Premier Mentoring’s website. They “create and implement wealth-oriented coaching programs for authors and intellectual property creators.” My guess is that Armando is one of their “strategic partners” and they are running his little boiler room for him.

Posted on 02-Oct-07 at 12:04 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Hahahaha. Called Armando’s 800 # again today. Now they have a $6.98 shipping plan you can do, where you get the CD and DVD I mentioned in post 1072, but not his full package to try.

I talked to Laura. She was very slow and stumbled at the beginning. Then she started laughing and said that it was because her script didnt pop up on her computer like it was supposed to! lol hahaha

I asked her about this site, and while I would swear it was the same lady I talked to before (and mentioned this site), she claimed she had never heard of it. I LOVE when they say that! Totally opens the door for me to tell them everything about it!

She questioned the credibility of our research here, asking if I actually clicked the lins to the tax authorities, etc (as you guys might have made them to smear Armandos good name).

She also doubted Mike Voss’s review. I informed her how I read in his review that most stuff in Armandos book were either filler or available free (or next to free), so why would I pay the $400 for it?! She stated “We probably can get a lot of it free, but do we? It’s about the way its presented here. And how in his way, we will actually do something about it.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I asked her if she worked for ARMANDO or another company just selling the stuff, etc. She stated, several times, that ARAMDO owns the company. I asked her if she watched the tv show, she stated no!!!! Hahahahahahaha SHE doesnt even watch it! She stated she has only seen him on the DVD and the internet!

I asked her how come he is charging $400, after he said that if he was successfull he would help others, etc… She stated that she couldnt answer that. But that it might be because he didnt realize how expensive it was to ship this stuff out!
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

Interestingly, she said she was in Utah, and it ships from another branch of their company in California.

What are your stories?

I was seriously covering the phone the whole time trying not to laugh!

Posted on 02-Oct-07 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

WhyStillWatching and ChrisInDetroit,

LOL Yep, that’s Premier Marketing in Draper, Utah and they actually do business as ‘Armando Montelongo’ and about a dozen other names. Click on this link and scroll down to ‘Armando Montelongo’…

http://www.saltlakecity.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=2009446

Posted on 03-Oct-07 at 10:41 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Correction: I meant Premier Mentoring, Inc, not ‘marketing’ ; )

Posted on 03-Oct-07 at 10:47 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from the Melina thread…

“RE INVESTOR wrote:

I’d like to hear from someone that’s been talking with the “Armando’s Flip and Grow Rich Program”
They want $5,540.00 for mentoring services for a year. I enjoy the Montelongo’s show. I’ve had 4 different people from this place call me in the past month nad seem shocked when I tell them I’m talked with someone else. I pulled the company, “Premier Mentoring, Inc.” up on the better busines bureau website and found an “UNSATISFACTORY” rating. A total of 76 complaints in the past 36 months and 44 of them were closed within the past year.

Take a good hard look at the Better Business Bureau information before you make any deals with anyone. It might just save you a whole lot of money. It sure did me.”

Posted on 03-Oct-07 at 12:39 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Steve in Texas wrote:

“If this ‘marketing firm’ is claiming to speak for A&E they are in DEEP SH*T, legally :)”

I believe this gal said her name was Laura also and you have my word on my posting. I am not the type of person that says “what comes around - goes around” I say “and I am the one that is going to push it on around”! My husband calls me a “pot stirrer”. I still can’t get over her exact comments.

and to “ChrisInDetroit”

Has she put you on hold? Do you ask her why Flopper is mean to his wife or why he seems to act childist last week? Ask her if A&E is cancelling his show because of, oh I don’t know, his bullsh*%. See if she tells you the same thing she told me.

How come they seem to stay on the phone with you, answering questions seemingly not to question why you really called?
If they are associated with Flopper, along with all these companies, etc., (that the great posters on this site have found) - how far does that dollar get split up?

Anybody else game to call and give us data or just call to piss’em off. ,>

Posted on 03-Oct-07 at 7:45 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jennifer and all,

The ‘FREE CD’ is a “come on”! Yeah, they might do something “else” with your credit card number once they get it for the “shipping” but the PRIZE is the ‘Mentoring Program’. That’s what they do, at “Premier MENTORING” (’Coaching’ $$$$$$$!), in Draper, Utah.

Posted on 03-Oct-07 at 11:01 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

I notice that Armando has sent out a new email message titled “I married an ugly bride.” Nice going, Armando, comparing women to houses, and alienating at least half of the prospects for your DVD scam. He’s hawking some DVD that originally sold for $197 for the incredibly low price of $29.97. Yep. Sounds reasonalbe to me. And all those people who paid $197 are probably thrilled to know that Armando is now selling the same thing for about $170 less than what they paid.

wyldwmn

Posted on 04-Oct-07 at 9:06 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

On the phone with Armandos 800 # again right now… Got a Jennifer this time. She stated she even purchased the system for herself. I highly doubt that! The last lady told me this too, part of their schtick I am sure!

She too stated she had never heard of this site…

I asked her, as I did the last lady, if they work directly for Armando or a third party. She too, stated they work directly for Armando. Then, armed with the information Steve in Texas provided in message #1111, I said “So you don’t work for Premier Mentoring?” Hahahaha She stumbled and stuttered for a second then asked what that was… I repeated it, and she said (what do you know), she was new there and would have to check with a supervisor if I wanted to hold… She also stated that she was in Salt Lake City when I asked if she was in Draper, Utah… I am on the phone and holding now…

Okay, she came back… HAHAHA, get this! She said something to the effect of “I am soooo sorry. I guess you learn something every day! I found out that I do work for a company called Premier. I thought I was working for Armando. It says “Flip and Grow Rich” on here.” HAHAHAHAHA

I let her say her whole script… Then she said she has never heard anything her company being bad. I informed her of the better business bureau statistics on her cmopany (e.g. 76 complaints in last 36 months, 44 in last year, etc) HAHAHAHA.

I could go on and on and on… Needless to say, she said she has to go to training now, right after the call! lol haha

I told her hos strange I found it that she didnt even know the company she was working for… I told her I had never worked for a company before and then one day realized “Oh my God, I dont know the name of the company I applied to, work for, and pays my checks.” lol hahaha

Anyway, after 29 minutes and 4 seconds she hung up on me saying that I was probably fired from Premier Mentoring.

For those of you who have gotten burned, HERE IS THE 800 number to call for CUSTOMER SERVICE (to cancel, etc). She gave it to me… The other people wouldnt… 800-731-6072. Hope it helps you out.

She also referred me to this number stating that she had “missed some training days” and they could answer all my questions…

What a hoot… Jennifer, did you call again? Steve in Texas?

Posted on 04-Oct-07 at 5:31 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

Hilarious! You are tenacious! So the moral of the story is you can never have too much TRAINING at Premier Mentoring!!! LOL

Posted on 05-Oct-07 at 12:51 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1118, Steve in Texas jokes:

“So the moral of the story is you can never have too much TRAINING at Premier Mentoring!!! LOL”

Actually, I think the name of the company is pre-”merde”. ;-} ;-} ;-}

(Pardon my French, of course.)

wyldwmn

Posted on 05-Oct-07 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

RE: Post 1111 (Chris)

I have not called again but I did email that place with some of the web sites in the posts showing Floppers record in Texas, some info about how he changes his price on things every few days on his web site just in case they were interested, made a few pointers from all the good detective work done on this web site (without giving out how to find it OR copying direct quotes from anyone - just short summations). Then pointed it out that I had been checking out all people/companies they represent backgrounds, etc. I didn’t give out our “flip this lawsuit” at all!
Then, I sent A&E email to their customer service department with the same information semi-demanding a reply about this place in Utah highly (very highly) stating that “they” had created this character for Flopper on FTH and that in real life he is not the asshole nor treats his wife that way in person. I was confused about the real role in FTH or if Armando was running A & E. I did give them the same info about Flopper’s foreclosures/finances/etc. Espressed my anger at A & E for not checking or continue to check into this butthole and gave them the same web sites and info as I did the Utah company. Pretty much I told them that I could provide backup for my concerns and could take all these informational posts to write it out in BLACK AND WHITE, unless you all who post want them to have this site. I wouldn’t want them to take it away from us.
That was Thursday afternoon and it is 9:44 pm cst here and have not got any responses. I won’t hold my breath but I will let you know what response I do receive.
Your feedback is appreciated!
In awe of the detective work done here!
Also, I noticed in the list of people who work for the company in Utah a gal named “Laurel” which could be who Chris and I talked to. But, I can assure you that there are many people named Jennifer and she is probably new due to the amount of people calling to debunk Flopper the other gal’s have stopped trying to defend him or got into trouble for saying things like what was said to me.
Jennifer (in Kansas) Volunteer Caregiver

Posted on 05-Oct-07 at 10:04 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: FTH

According to my on air program guide, tonights episode (Connecticut) is the ‘SEASON FINALE’! YAHOO! lol

Posted on 06-Oct-07 at 2:09 pm | Permalink
chickenhauler wrote:

are they going to do another season with these morons?

Posted on 06-Oct-07 at 7:19 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Hey,

Anyone want to speculate on this web site with all the different businesses that Flopper is/has against him? A couple shows him as owner of some kind of Disaster Planner.

I’ll bite!

Jennifer

BTW you can look up Sergio Yutani, Sam Gomez, Miguel Garcia owner of Carrier, etc. basically check out any/everyone who is shown on FTH.

http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP02.asp?txtLitIsn=0003948099

Posted on 06-Oct-07 at 7:42 pm | Permalink
3milliondlrman wrote:

Armando sure is on his last tank of gas. You can flip any house in this market, unless you live in The San Francisco bay area. Thats where i live. I own 5 homes in California. 4 in the Sf bay area and one close to the beach in San Diego. Flip this house show is a real joke, anybody can do it, there is so much that goes into buying a house selling and they make it seems that they make so much money. Keep in mind, he is buying houses for like 20 grand, Armando, come to Cali to flip a house, his company and show is going off air, and yeah, he is a baby and a real jerk for sure.

Posted on 06-Oct-07 at 7:55 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alright, so I am sitting around the house on Sunday, after getting home from the gym, watching re-runs of Cops… Figured I was bored for a minute so I thought I would check out Armando’s terms of service for ordering his crap or becoming one of his associate sellers, etc… I found the following part interesting! hahaha

“In addition, for this type of information particularly, the phrase “Let the investor beware” is apt. The Service is provided for informational purposes only, and no Content included in the Service is intended for trading or investing purposes. Armando Montelongo Worldwide, Inc. and its licensors shall not be responsible or liable for the accuracy, usefulness or availability of any information transmitted or made available via the Service, and shall not be responsible or liable for any trading or investment decisions made based on such information. ”

So basically, Armando is marketing a Real Estate INVESTING program, but doesnt want to be responsible for any investment decisions made from his program! hahaha

Also, I love how they actually put in there, “Let the investor be aware” (of what he is buying) hahahaha You know its crap then! lol

Alright, let me not waste the rest of this beautiful day on Armando and his B.S… Im out!

Posted on 07-Oct-07 at 5:20 pm | Permalink
Ventana wrote:

This book is a JOKE! See for yourself

http://www.geocities.com/armandoflipitnow/

Password: flipandgrowrich

Posted on 09-Oct-07 at 10:13 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“Alright, so I am sitting around the house on Sunday, after getting home from the gym, watching re-runs of Cops… ”

I thought you where going to say you saw Armando get arrested in Cali…which is why he bailed for Texas on his last tank of gas.

Thanks for the info on his disclaimer….

Posted on 09-Oct-07 at 11:01 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Ok I just logged on to that site to read his manual. I skipped into the funding section first.

Not sure if what he states on buying a house on “subject to” basis is legal…does anyone know if it is?

Did anyone else feel that he scumbag took advantage of the home owner.

Also I am a bit disturbed by this statement from his book and I quote:
“We signed agreements that she would keep her existing mortgage in place, while I agreed to make payments. I told her that my paperwork shows that if I idn’t make the payments, I would not be held liable, nor would any of my companies. In addition, I could put a renter into the house, and shehad no right to the rental money”.

That really sounds like she had no recourse at all in anything. I mean why would I sign my house over to someone that would retain the mortgage in my name thus can be a blemish on my credit report and he is telling me that he nor any of his companies are liable for anything. Seems like a stupid move to me. I rather either have a fire sale and sell it for what I owe the bank and not make a profit or just let the bank foreclose. Her credit is already tainted with the late payments reported on her credit. I think it would be safer to not sell him the house the way he is trying or has gotten it from her.

Posted on 09-Oct-07 at 1:02 pm | Permalink
Alyssa wrote:

I bought the 5 Armando e-books on ebay (only spent 9 bucks, don’t worry). I got my $9 worth of info out of them, but he says in there that he owns over 100 rental properties. Browsing the Bexar County records, I saw no such thing. Or if they are under lots of different names, wouldn’t he still need masses of assistants or property managers or something just to keep up with the rentals, much less the flips? Hmmm…

Posted on 09-Oct-07 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Man that seems to have been a waste of your $9. I never saw him mention anything on any of the shows stating he has rental properties (sounds like he wants to be like Richard Davis…lol). I also haven’t seen any come up in the research these guys have done so it’s just a bunch of hogwash.

He would definitely need a full team. As we can tell his team was once 4 and is now 2 and he has yet to be able to keep a group of contractors on staff….so we know that the whole rental mogul angle he wants to put out is just a lot of BS.

Posted on 10-Oct-07 at 9:16 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“Alyssa wrote:

I bought the 5 Armando e-books on ebay (only spent 9 bucks, don’t worry). I got my $9 worth of info out of them,”

is thier a money back guarentee?? Send em back and get you $9.00 back. What you learn’t could possible cost you $thousands$ in legal defences!

Posted on 10-Oct-07 at 8:41 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Beth,

Yeah, that’s bunch of baloney. 100+ rental houses my A$$! lol I went to Richard Davis’ speech in July and he said very specifically…’Never look at a single family residence as being an ‘investment property’. I guess Armando didn’t go or he wouldn’t be making stuff up like that! ; ) LOL

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 10:21 am | Permalink
PapuManiac wrote:

Steve in Texas wrote:

Beth,

Yeah, that’s bunch of baloney. 100+ rental houses my A$$! lol I went to Richard Davis’ speech in July and he said very specifically…’Never look at a single family residence as being an ‘investment property’. I guess Armando didn’t go or he wouldn’t be making stuff up like that! ; ) LOL

What is that supposed to mean? Why shouldn’t a single family residence be viewed as an investment? That statement without any context makes no sense to me.

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

PapuManiac.

He also said “Remember Gus?” just after that.

They rehabbed a house, rented it to Gus (who never paid a dime). Evicted him a year later after Gus had AGAIN trashed the house out and they had to rehab it all over again. $$$$$

The key words here are “investment property”

Some people want to play landlord on a SFR. If that’s your thing, do it!

Me? When Richard speaks, I listen ; )

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“What is that supposed to mean? Why shouldn’t a single family residence be viewed as an investment? That statement without any context makes no sense to me.”

What that means, is a single family residence can only be rented to one family at a time, there by limiting the amount of income it will produce. If it is sitting empty it will earn $0.00 per month. However multi family units, will earn income X the amount of units. The price for a complex will be higher than a single family unit, but that is offset by easier management, and income potential. Can you make money with single family units? Sure, but you will earn that much more with multi family, with that much less risk.

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Ok, I dont think you guys get the idea here. ARMANDO MONTELONGO and his company is making $$$$$$$.Alot of money,yeah he has legal issues but yet still making a S**t load. He has done what has not been done before….making you watch and occuping a milisecond of your life on him is what drives him to say…..keep talking my bank account keep growing. anyone can be an investor and learn to flip, but it has to be at your own expense,time and hard work. hands on is what builds experience its like any job you may have at fisrt you dont know the business then eventually you become a professional inthat field. Live and Learn,as I have said before. “DONT HATE THE PLAYER..HATE THE GAME. If your were in armandos shoes youwould have a differnt prespective on these issues. but your not so live with it. build your own wealth…get your ass to work.

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 6:15 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Greg,

Well said! And I would certainly look at the ‘DSCR’ as well on a potential “investment property” and personally, would pass if it was less than 1. ; )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt_service_coverage_ratio

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 6:41 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hey “Alex”!

Re: “get your ass to work”

Seriously, you need to get some new material. YAWN!

How are those 100+ rentals working out for ya???? As, if…

Guess what? I have 6,000+ SFR rentals in San Antonio alone, AND, three condo complexes (400 units per) on MARS! PLUS, a 600 unit apartment complex close to completion on the MOON!

Idiot

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 10:12 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Dear Alex/Armando

Armando is nothing more than a modern day snake-oil salesman. He/you is/are a con-man. And we are on to him/you. He is not a hard working guy trying to make an honest living. He is actively trying to deceive people. If Armando was simply making a crappy show (which he does) nobody would have a problem with that. The problem is that Armando is using that crappy show to sell a product that is worthless. The problem isn’t that he is a crappy flipper, (we can all live with that) or that he is making money (which we all doubt) it’s that he lies about it, then uses those lies to pick the pockets of unsuspecting people who see his lies as truth. The fact is that people watch reality shows and expect reality. We are upset that those people are being defrauded out of their life savings.
But you already know this. You, Armando/Alex have preyed upon them.
These posts that defend him are ridiculous and useless. This is not simply entertainment, as you suggest. This is fraud. It stopped being entertainment at the point that he/you started using false claims to deceive the public at large into buying his/your freakin’ snake-oil. He/you have no shame. He/you should be run out of town with hat in hand. He/you is/are a stain on the home improvement industry. There ought to be a criminal investigation. And, if I have my way, there will be. So, grab your hat.

Posted on 11-Oct-07 at 10:47 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

alex “Ok, I dont think you guys get the idea here. ARMANDO MONTELONGO and his company is making $$$$$$$.Alot of money,yeah he has legal issues but yet still making a S**t load”

Alex go back and read all 1137 posts. You will see that Armando is not making S**T loads of cash, but very much the opposite.

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 2:43 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Alex:

Give me a break, Armando is not making a a sh$tload of money. He is robbing Peter to pay Paul. I’ll sum it up, Armando is a “Johnny come lately” in the real estate game that created the illusion he is making money.

His secret, mainly taking cash back on loans, padding invoices, and deceiving people via the show FTH to sell his ebooks and mentor program.

Getting cash back on loans is NOT creating wealth. It’s the same as getting a 20,000 credit card in the mail. YOU DON’T have $20,000 in wealth, you have to pay that back.

BTW, if he is SO rich, why is he $10,000 past due on his property taxes on his house (plus $17000 for the current year)?

If he is SO rich, he wouldn’t have defaulted on nearly $1,000,000 in mortgages…right? I failed to mention the seven TROs he filed to prevent seven properties from going to foreclosure.

Armando’s credit so so shitty and Veronica’s is so overextended that they needed to use another person to buy a house to feature on FTH… If he was SO rich, why did he use someone else to purchase the house?

You said:
I have said before. “DONT HATE THE PLAYER..HATE THE GAME.”

That should read, “IT”S PLAYERS LIKE ARMANDO THAT GIVE THE GAME A BAD NAME.”

And being in Armando’s shoe, sorry but I have two feet, Armando is a cockroach with six legs.

Let me ask you this Alex. Would you do business with a documented liar, thief, defaulted on 20+ loans, owes thousands in back taxes, 2 summary judgments for thousands of dollars, 2 pending lawsuits for breach of contract, AND can’t get a hard money loan on a house (and Armando says credit doesn’t matter)?

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 8:24 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

not to mention millionaires make hard money loans, not take them!

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
Todd Ebenhoeh wrote:

Armando is such a loser that he had to get a girl 9 years younger than him because anyone his own age would know what a looser he is.

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 6:55 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

To All But ALEX/FLOPPER –

“love you guys and here is a big
DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from me too.

To Alex/Flopper –

Oh, boo hoo—-are you getting a lot of flack over the multitude of phone calls asking questions and telling your phone service about you instead of signing up? Making any money there or is this just another company that will have to take you to court to get paid?

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 8:02 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Todd Ebenhoeh wrote:

“Armando is such a loser that he had to get a girl 9 years younger than him because anyone his own age would know what a looser he is.”

What does this half to do with anything? My wife is nine years younger! What a stupid comment it belittles the whole thread.

Posted on 12-Oct-07 at 9:08 pm | Permalink
Gary wrote:

There’s one post here for every house Armondo has flipped.Wait,there’s currently 1145 posts.Lokks like Armondo has some flipping to do.
P.S. Great work to Mike Voss.
Thanks.

Posted on 13-Oct-07 at 2:47 pm | Permalink
MHUEY wrote:

Armando is not stupid when it comes to real-estate, but RICHARD DAVIS out buys and out sells the Texas Tycoon everyday and makes around twice as much.

Posted on 14-Oct-07 at 9:09 am | Permalink
Beth wrote:

You know what god honestly blesses those that help others and that are good people. Not that I know Richard Davis but from what I see his morals and business practices seem to be awesome. So when you do good and give back to the community your already a success the financial success that he has is just the icing on the cake.

Armando has shown time and time again that his morals, ethics and business practices are in the damn toilet so there is now way that there will be rewards in this lifetime for anyone like that.

I am a true beliver in Karma and the saying that what goes around comes around.

Posted on 14-Oct-07 at 3:17 pm | Permalink
Jip wrote:

I agree Beth.

While Richard might not be a saint, he would NEVER try to sugarcoat a house with mushrooms growing out of the toilet.

Posted on 14-Oct-07 at 10:45 pm | Permalink
Marcia P. wrote:

Thanks to everyone who has posted! I found this blog on Google when I searched for the Montelongo website. I will NEVER watch Armando and Co. again. A&E should be ashamed to help this con artist find victims. Mike, you are doing a great service by overseeing this site. I LOVE how you caught the fake posts through the IP address. Keep up the good work!!

Posted on 14-Oct-07 at 11:07 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

RayMass I am not Armando fist of all, i can call you to confirm that. second everyone here complains and writes things that leterally take so much time out of your life. This is called “intrest” So if you all are so “intrested” in Armando and Veronica finance and lifestyle, he has done his job. His job is to sale himself. remember there are still people out there that will worship the ground he walks, so taking into consideration that there are 40million people in america. Only 1% will follow him, thats 400,000 people and he will make roughly 1000 form each==thats 4 million. and with a sucker born every minute thats at least 40million in the next 10-20 years. so again he is making money, thats his goal to make money, you have politicions,congress,even the president lieing and cheating the american people AND YOU VOTED FOR THEM. i wont be suprise if Armando got into politics, i bet he will win beacuse YOU WILL VOTE FOR HIM. bottom line he’s feeding his family on your dime, so thank you on his behalf…..DONT HATE THE PLAYER HATE THE GAME……even sports has legal problems,(ie steriods, illegal gambling,dog fights) but hell you will still watch the game… SO WATCH A&E..you have no choice.

Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 1:50 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

boyson to answer your quesiton Yes I would do business with Armando. If your a smart person you will take care of yourself first, then others

Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 1:56 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“alex wrote:

boyson to answer your quesiton Yes I would do business with Armando. If your a smart person you will take care of yourself first, then others ”

Doing business with Armando, and his business practices would amount to cutting your nose off inspite of your face. A good business man takes care of his business, and lets his business take care of his family.

Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Alex: The only interest I have in Armando is watching him go to jail. And, you’re wrong. I don’t watch him, not anymore. Like everyone else, I was tricked into watching him when A&E screwed up and put him on instead of the Trademark team. Even then, I couldn’t stomach the entire show.

We are not “interested” in Armando. We are interested in protecting people from him. But you can’t seem to understand that, can you? Here, I’ll dumb it down for you.

Firefighters fight fires, wouldn’t you agree? Do fire fighters want to be like fire, Alex? No, they don’t Alex. Firefighter want to put fires out. They are certainly not jealous of fire. Sometimes, they even warn people about the dangers of fire. Do you remember when the firefighters came to your school Alex? Did they warn you about the dangers of fire? Do you remember “stop drop, and roll,” Alex?

Well Alex, we’re just like those firefighters at your school. I’d like to give you the same advice that those firefighters gave you, Alex: Stop, Drop and Roll! It sounds like your already well on you way to becoming a little arsonist though. Are you burning people like your hero Armando Alex?

Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 9:47 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex…

Are you high???

You wrote some nice facts and figures. Too bad they are WAY off… First off, not 1% of people in America religiously tune into Armando’s Flip This House! lol He WISHES that would be the case, but its not… He’s a tool… Second of all, having a ton of forecelosures and junk (e.g. lawsuits) to pay for is expensive! hahaha And its only going to get worse…

You also wrote “YOU WILL VOTE FOR HIM” I write - No friggin way you tool!

You also wrote “SO WATCH A&E. you have no choice.” I write - hmmm, in my house my cable box and my remote come with a button or two that let me change the channel… I have a choice… Sucks to be you!

Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 10:47 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1143, Todd Ebenhoeh said:

“Armando is such a loser that he had to get a girl 9 years younger than him because anyone his own age would know what a looser he is.”

Actually, Todd, the truth is that oppressed peoples get really good at learning the behavior of the oppressors. In Armando’s case, that means that he learned how to abuse and exploit Veronica from men like you who insist on calling adult women “girls.”

Armando is a dishonest person who is doing his best to take advantage of people. He wasn’t born knowing how to do that. He learned it from the dominant culture in which he was socialized. In other words, he is a loser because he learned from losers who happen to hold power and privilege in that dominant culture.

wyldwmn

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 12:36 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

RayMass wrote: “I don’t watch him, not anymore. Like everyone else, I was tricked into watching him when A&E screwed up and put him on instead of the Trademark team.”

What I find laughable, well, one thing among many is that A&E continued to use the word ‘TEAM’ after Trademark left to describe the various ‘flippers’. San Antonio TEAM, Atlanta TEAM and so on. It completely butchers the word, and, what Trademark is all about and how they do what they do that sets them apart from the rest

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 10:02 am | Permalink
Jip wrote:

Just wanted to add my $0.02 in for Alex

1. Armando is NOT a businessman, he is a dishonest sack of F**K. Sorry to be crude about it, but sometimes the truth hurts.

2. REAL ESTATE IS NOT A F**KING GAME!!!!

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 10:35 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1152, Alex wrote:

“boyson to answer your quesiton Yes I would do business with Armando. If your a smart person you will take care of yourself first, then others”

Not quite. It is a *wise* person who has their own mental and emotional house in order who is then in a position to provide positive education and support to the community around her or him.

To use an analogy, the airlines ask you to please put on your own oxygen mask in an emergency before assisting others. This is not because it is “smart” to take care of yourself first. This is becaue the best way to help the greatest amount of people is to make sure that you have the strength and resources in place to do so *wisely*.

There are a lot of people who would do business with Armando, which is exactly what Armando is “banking” on. In other words, he knows that he has the power to exploit people who don’t undertsand the difference between exploitation/greed and acquiring knowledge and wisdom.

wyldwmn

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 11:26 am | Permalink
alex wrote:

all your responses are exactly what i anticipated. Your protecting people, how you going to protect peopl when all you do is b****h and complain on this blog where everyone is against someone who the “american way ” is innocent until proven guilty. your all racist. racist against people in the public eye. what about all the thiefs and drug dealers in your area . tell me WTF are you doing to protect them. i’ll tel you NOTHING! because you all are a bunch of whiners. What protest have you made beside talking smack here NOTHING. what schools have you gone to ans told children “stop drop and roll” NONE. so until you make good on protecting people and we all see it , you have nothing to say, Richard Davis does the same thing”””’ENTERTAIN YOU””” and he has done things in his life he propblerly doesnt want you to know….just like George Lopez said, “people will only remember the bad things you do,never the good.” thats life ‘GET OVER IT! GET A LIFE,,GO FLIP A HOUSE. BETTER YET GO ROB SOMEONE, YOU DESERVE It, YOUR JOB HERE IS DONE………………
if working with armando will make me money then why not, we al want money. the problem with you all is that your life envolves college degrees and rich parents. we grew up on the hustle and that all we know, do you thing we really care what you all say, NO! we dont. do you think people will read this, NO! only people who watch the show or have watched know. so keep making a scene, the ratings are great.

“God bless america and no where else”,,,,a politician said that

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:50 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

jip a businessman can make a controversy happen and get paid on it… how much do you make a year?

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:56 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Okay, I posted a couple of lines stating that Alex/FlopperWannaBe could stay off the site here if he didn’t like what he read, to keep on knocking himself out, and what he could do in some language that I see on here all the time.
It didn’t post…….
Anyway, the only thing that Flopper will go down in history in San Antonio for is the number of lawsuits, claims, tax notices, etc. that he keeps piling up and if that is how you want to live Alex then maybe I will put some money into paper products.
(annoyed for not getting my 2 cents in earlier)

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 7:14 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex,

Just a suggestion the next time you shake hands with your ‘good friend’ Armando. Count your fingers afterwards and check your wallet to see if it’s still there ; )

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 11:27 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Alex the only person who will make money doing business with Armando, is Armando. I drive a truck, I can teach you to drive a truck to for $2000, and for another $15,000 I will mentor you. I am sure my dr will teach me to be a dr for a sum of money, and would be willing to mentor me as well. People who want to help you do what they do, will do it for free. Armando wants you to pay him to learn, because what he is doing is not working, so he needs another source of revenue. So before you blow your life savings with Armando, do yourself a favour. Write a check to a charity like Habitat for Humanity. At least you would get the tax deduction on your lost money.

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 2:51 am | Permalink
alex wrote:

well Greg you will be happy to know that 10% of our gross income goes to carious cahrities throughout the US. our company gross last year was around 1.4-1.6 million. so do the math..Listen im not Armando but i know his way. I started with nothing myself 10 years ago and now own myown company, we stop flipping home 4 years ago because there was no way to turn a profit once the properties took off. WE’ve been there, done that. It works! the first year was a training year but we stil flip a porfit, we have private investors that we deal with and it took years to delvelop a good relationship with them. They have the cash and we have the experience. and thats what people pay for “the experience” Knowledge is only potential power, get your hands dirty. learn to fall on your ass and get back up. We’re blessed to have a great life and we give back to our communities, churches, schools, charities. that what we do but without the hustle we could not have done it. so when you sell your own home take a 25-30% hit and donate that money,,,,bet you wont…..we dont walk a mile….we walk for breast cancer, aids research,lukemia, etc. Do your share donate 10% of what you make…

if you teach me how to drive a truck and i have the potential to make 100k plus a year. I would pay 17k.

if you had to spend 30k to make 100k you will……you dont know a person by what you read..its by knowing the person. have you ever met armando and confronted him or just asked him questions…you might get the answer your looking for..

bottom line “THE BIGGER THE RISK THE BIGGER THE REWARD” Richard Davis said that ,,,,so stop being lazy waiting for you wealth, go out and get it……..

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Alex

I am a teacher. I believe that if my fourth graders had wrote as atrociously as you I would quit teaching. Shame on you….. Your spelling is horrible, your grammar just as bad. You can blame it on the fact that you were so mad you typed crazily or you were about to pee your pants. This sites information is as plain as day. People are trying to help other people NOT to get taken by a con artist as proved right here.
I feel sorry for you. Helping someone not to be taken by someone else is human kindness. I’d hate to put my trust and hard earned money into something without being able to find information as posted here to steer me into the right direction.

People, people who need people
Are the luckiest people in the world.
Barbra Streisand sang that!

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 7:17 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Alex:

Now I get it. First, I should blame the victims. If they are stupid enough to be a victim, they deserve it. And, if I’m clever enough to scam them out of their money, I deserve it. Second, I should give to charity to prove to that I am still a good person.

I recognize this second rationalization as being common among mobster types. They go to church on Sunday to give God his vig. God is actually running a supernatural protection racket. As long as God gets his 10 percent, we can do anything we please on the other six days. That seems to work out for them pretty well, so why not?

Thanks, you’re a great teacher and role-model!

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 11:35 pm | Permalink
Jip wrote:

No Alex, I do not own a business, but I know friends who do. Here is what I kearned from them:

1. Controversy DOES NOT drum up business. Doing quality work does

2. Treat those who work for you with restect and dignity! If your idol tried to pull that type of crap with the business owners I know, he can kiss his reputation and business goodbye..

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 11:39 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Alex you can earn $100 k a year driving a truck. So you built a business by flipping, then you should be ashamed by what Armando represents. Not wanting to do business with him.

Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 2:50 am | Permalink
BradNsa wrote:

Alex,

feel free to mix in some Mozilla Firefox, has an automatic spell checker.

Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 6:25 am | Permalink
Jip wrote:

I forgot to add one more thing; A true businessman takes pride in his/her work and has no qualms about fixing any problems that arise (within reason).

Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 11:21 am | Permalink
Sharisse wrote:

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:50 pm
“have you ever met armando and confronted him or just asked him questions…you might get the answer your looking for..”

Have you? It sounds as if you are very biased in favor of Armando and his band of thieves. I don’t think any of the posters on this board have to meet him to know that he is a swindler, plain and simple. His radio ads claim that he flips up to 30 houses a month, yet legal documents obtained from several unbiased sources show otherwise. Wake up, will you? It’s illegal to make those claims without proof and while, yes, he may have fooled hundreds, and possibly even thousands, of people with this scheme (or what you call “the hustle”), he is also being targeted by those same people in the form of a lawsuit. He could conceivably also be targeted by legal agencies for fraud (it has been known to happen).

Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 4:33 pm
“We’re blessed to have a great life and we give back to our communities, churches, schools, charities. that what we do but without the hustle we could not have done it.”

Incidentally, I think most of the posters on this board will agree that hustling people is NOT something you should be proud of, it should be something that shames you, depending on the strength of your moral and ethical fibre. Buying morality for ten percent of your gross revenue when you’ve “hustled” people to earn that revenue doesn’t count for anything. I’m sure the pastor at the church and other various charities to whom you’ve donated these monies would agree.

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:50 pm
“what schools have you gone to ans told children “stop drop and roll” NONE.”

I have to admit I thought for a moment about calling and asking for the package (he’s hawking teasers on the radio for a “small” $99.00 shipping and handling charge), therefore being tempted to “play with fire” (using the analogy above), but thank goodness for the hoards of “firefighters” on this website. Perhaps someday you’ll understand the reason for this board.

Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:50 pm
“the problem with you all is that your life envolves college degrees and rich parents.”

You don’t need a college degree to use the spell check and grammar tool on your word processor. Even my fourteen-year-old knows that. And what exactly do you have against the well-off when you so obviously are trying to become well-off yourself?

Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 5:42 pm | Permalink
JWBIERE wrote:

Thies iss two Alex

eye a gree Armhondo is the mahn!? Hi iz the beast hussler in the wurld yo.

Two words moron, Spell Check !!!

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 11:27 am | Permalink
alex wrote:

Sharisse Im not questioning Armando and his way of making money. Second thing you people worry about the dumbest thimgs(spell check) who cares I got my point across. its obvious that most everyone heres that post had a great childhood and maybe parents with good jobs, well my parents worked many hours and had to hustle their way thru life to get what they have now, no one gave it to them. they took it and that is what i mean when i say hustle. were not cons i never been arrested and i provide a good life for my 4 children and my wife. So dont be judge and jury all you know is what you read. i can file a suit on you just for being you that the problem with this country its FREE and people can do pretty much what the want to a limit. making money and providing for your family is what important in your life as well as mine. as 2nd gereration hispanic we are the lucky ones with the opportunities our parents didnt have. look back at your family tree so you can see how poor you really were…..America provides the tools, we just use them..you cant hustle a hustler especially when their better than you and you do it everyday taht you go to work. you have to do something to get paid. its no different than what we do.

and Armando if you see this send me an email, i would love to have a sit down with you…’VIVA LA RAZA’

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 1:24 pm | Permalink
luza wrote:

I’ve been making some money online and I’m keen to learn about new stuffs about “making money”.

Armando Montelongo just came to my attention. But seems like there are many haters here.

Just a thought about Armondo charging for the course when he said he was “helping” people.

When you give away something for free, people don’t appreciate it.

AND, why should he give his knowledge away for free? Even school and textbooks costs you $$$. And he’s getting even more competitors showing this.

He’s charging for the VALUE of the product.

If his stuff really helps you to make money, then consider that as an investment.

IF his stuff is good that is. If you don’t think it’ll help you, just leave it.

Now now, take this with a grain of salt because I wrote this in like 5 minutes while not knowing sh*t about “house flipping” nor anything about Armondo.

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 4:16 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

alex wrote: “Don’t be judge and jury all you know is what you read”

You wrote that, angry at what you think people are assuming about you, yet you assume that the rest of us here are wealthy, college-educated haters with nothing to do but read this blog and spout hatred for Armando. You can’t have it both ways. Your insecurity is startling. You need to knock the huge chip off your shoulder and re-read #1167 and #1172. I hope you find happiness–sounds as if it has eluded you thus far.

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 7:26 pm | Permalink
Sharisse wrote:

Alex,

I am first generation Filipino. My parents had wood for shoes, and my mother wore rice sacks for clothes, her family was so poor. They made it the honest, hard way — they worked, they saved, and they didn’t have to “hustle” honest people to make a buck. Haven’t you gotten that ARMANDO is using the TELEVISION that reaches MILLIONS of people TO SELL KNOWLEDGE that HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE? Haven’t you read the posts? One woman almost paid $9K to have that HUSTLER tell her what he couldn’t even do for himself! As recently as August, that guy was having to save his properties from foreclosure (which is a horrible way to ruin your credit, and is probably the reason he can’t get funding, even from a hard money lender).

That’s why people are “hating” on Mandoman, for no other reason than that. You’ve mentioned race TWICE now. Have you ever thought that this has NOTHING to do with race? That you are supporting that CON ARTIST for no other reason than that he is a Latino brother? Dude, wake up! What if it was your mama sita that he swindled…betcha you wouldn’t feel so kindly towards him then…

The point is, Mando doesn’t care about anyone, Latino or otherwise, as long as he makes a buck. If that’s who YOU respect…well, the old adage goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” It doesn’t matter what color you are.

It makes me ANGRY that he almost took my hundred bucks. And it makes me ANGRY that people like YOU don’t even get the point and look up to that sack of feces like he’s a hero. All I know is what I read? Yeah, it is! And I’ve read many a COURT DOCUMENT to know that this guy is nowhere near legit. Follow him if you want. But I BET my hundred bucks that YOU haven’t purchased his thousand dollars or twenty grand’s worth of “knowledge.” So how can you stick up for him then?

-S

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 8:02 pm | Permalink
BradNsa wrote:

Alex 1174,

Hustling is working 2-3 jobs and making an honest buck, it’s not telling someone you can teach them to fix their car then charge them for something you learned reading Chilton’s. Not only is Armando doing this, he’s telling people how to fix a Honda with a GM book. Viva my butt, this has nothing to do with race.

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 8:34 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Sharisse (and others),

You ‘guys’ ROCK! I haven’t had much further to add lately myself but love your comments!!! ; )

Posted on 19-Oct-07 at 10:39 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

luza wrote:

“When you give away something for free, people don’t appreciate it. ”

I couldn’t disagree more.

To keep the focus within this context, just look at what Mike Holmes does on his TV show ‘Holmes On Homes”.

He gets THOUSANDS of letters from people who have been ripped off by contractors. Many have lost their lives’ savings and now cannot live in their own home and face foreclosure and loss of everything they have. On some episodes, the homeowners had disabled children and were ripped off by contractors who were supposed to make their house handicapped-accessible for their child. Mike Holmes goes out and most of the time does all the work for little or no cost and gets suppliers and subs to donate materials and time - sometimes *hundreds of thousands* of dollars worth. And the whole time he shows the world exactly what happened and how, exposing a longstanding tradition of bad contractors being able to rip people off with total impunity and disappear into the nightso as to put an end to it.

He is almost single handedly putting every bad contractor (like Armando) out of business and educating anyone willing to pay attention on the right ways to completely protect themselves.

And it costs us not one dime.

I’ve spent almost 30 years learning to build houses, and I can assure you, Mike is giving something of incalculable value away for free and a hell of a lot of people, myself among them, appreciate it IMMENSELY.

The best things in life are, in fact, often free. That’s not to say, however, that you don’t have to look pretty damned hard to find them.

Mike Voss

Posted on 20-Oct-07 at 4:05 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Couldn’t agree more. Mike Holmes is a fly by nights contractor’s worst nightmare. Not only does he attempt to educate on what you need as far as permits go, but trys to show you what to avoid. He shows you whats wrong, and goes the extra mile to ensure the cause is repaired as well. The stuff Armando does to his home, well lets just say “it all has to come down”

Posted on 20-Oct-07 at 11:07 pm | Permalink
jwbiere wrote:

for Alex,

Your post(1174) still doesn’t make sense. Armando is a low life thief. I get his e-mails trying to hawk his crap every other day.

Thankfully I found this site before I was suckered into buying his master course for $997. Good news genious Armondo is hawking a slightly damaged version for only $500.

My wife spent $99 on his piece of crap flip and grow rich e-book. Armando has a n assload of bad karma coming his way. When he dies beware of that cockroach that you smash it just might be Armando.

Posted on 20-Oct-07 at 11:40 pm | Permalink
Bryan wrote:

I purchased the master course (the $997 one) back in June and since then I’ve flipped two wholesale deals, one for $5000 and another for just under $7000. I’m currently rehabbing a property that I bought for $65K, will have about $7K into and will sell between $100K and $110K once completed, based on comps (I am real estate licensed for those wondering where I get my comps). I just put another property under contract today for $43K that will sell after $4K - $6K of rehab for around $80K. If you’ve done the math and done it conservatively, I’ve accrued well over $50K in cash and equities in the last four months and within the next 3 months, the equities will be converted into cash and more projects will be underway. If you’re serious about being successful in this business, you’ve got to be serious about your education. Understand that while I learned a lot from Armando, I’ve also studied other real estate investors for the last year and I’m dead serious about being successful. There’s no room in this game for laziness. Now if you ARE serious and you’re willing to go the distance, don’t let a single nay-sayer drag you down! People simply don’t like the fact that others have surpassed them in their success due to their own lack of drive and downright stupidity. I’ve personally spoken with Armando, David, Melina, and Veronica and I can say that (some more than others) have been incredibly helpful and encouraging. For that alone, I would stand to defend them against anyone. I regularly blog about my progress so if you care to keep up, let me know and I’ll give you my MySpace addy. My e-mail address is airman8403@gmail.com. Thanks for reading my post.

Posted on 20-Oct-07 at 11:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Bryan wrote: “I purchased the master course (the $997 one) back in June and since then I’ve…”

Well, Bryan. That’s ’sounds’ interesting.

However, you went immediately from ‘purchased’ to ’since then’ which is why I’ve quoted that particular line of your ’story’. Umm, where’s the context? What ‘tools’ from the course did you learn and how did you apply them in each situation you’ve described? I’ll start with that but I have more questions coming for you! ; )

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 11:35 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Bryan,

Not that anyone doesn’t believe you… But we love proof here in this forum… Can you please list the full addresses of the houses that you talked about (the ones you wholesaled and the one you have now)??? We would appreciate it! :-)
P.S… How did you get to talk to David, Melina, Veronica and Armondo??? Just curious…

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 12:43 pm | Permalink
Chelle B. wrote:

I sooo love Mike Holmes! I really admire and appreciate his work ethic. If I ever hire a contractor, I can only hope he is half the man Mike H. is.

There is a part of me that would love to see Mike and Armando left alone in one of those crappy “flips” on FTH; no cameras, no gloves, no witnesses. Just the two of them left to ‘discuss’ the finer aspects of the home remodeling biz.

“Holmes on Armando” hehe *evil grin*

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 2:29 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Lifted from the A&E board…

“Come and meet Armando & Veronica Montelongo in person!

Saturday, October 20th, Noon – 2pm
At The State Fair of Texas®

Time Warner Home to the Future Exhibit

FREE Flip This House tape measures for the first 200 people!!”

Well, shoot! I wish I had of known about this. I would have gone!

I can see it now…”Hi, Armando! I’m “Steve in Texas”. Sorry Mike Voss couldn’t be here today also”

hehehehe

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 4:08 pm | Permalink
Mica Kingsley wrote:

that’s why it will never wor. Mica Kingsley.

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 5:17 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

hope the free FTH tape measures work better than Armando’s sales. But ya know, seeing as they are FTH tape measures, they are rehab rejects from the dollar store, and measure up a inch short, kinda like Armando’s mortagages payments.

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
lynn wrote:

I just finished checking out this website. I came to it thur Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. On Wikipedia there is no information on Armando or his company. But there is information on Mike Holmes and Richard Davis. I knew I didnt like Armando when I watch the show. Only watched it was never plan to watch him again.

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 6:27 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

“FREE Flip This House tape measures for the first 200 people!!”

I wouldn’t trust a single damned thing measured with that! If Armando had anything to do with making them, you can bet the markings will rub off the first time you use them…or every foot probably only has 9 inches to save a few bucks…you get the idea.

Steve - it’s just a question of time before I pay Armando a surprise visit at a public engagement and ask lots of questions. I’ll be sure to videotape it when I do and put it on YouTube.

I’m sure there’s plenty of people in TX who’d love to go to the fair with you and videotape, provide security, etc. :)

MV

MV

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 6:47 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mike,

Oh man, You Tube! Killer idea!

It’s just a matter of time. Tic toc..

hehehehe

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 7:03 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Mike Voss,

THAT WOULD BE SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please do let us know here after you do go to one of his things and video and ask all the questions! That would rock! I would say to tell us before hand, but we both know Armando monitors this forum and we dont need to give him a heads up… If you need a hand though, let me know! hahahaha evil grin

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 9:13 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Wouldn’t it be great to rip people off using 100 different names! HA! If you want to find yourself in five years operating business’s with so many different names, and the list goes on and on and on, why can’t you read the Bexar County entries and find the long line of Montelongo family law suits? Since it has been brought up about our “roots” maybe Alex would like to research Flopper’s and see how he comes so easily to his profession. Gracious, I’d almost guarantee you wouldn’t find all their aliases! It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul while having your parents, cousins, children and spouses doing the same thing. Pretty soon cousin Jill has stiffed your second brother-in-law once removed but it was done the same way 30 years ago by grandpa Jose who was taught by Great-Great Grandma’s uncle Jacko. With someone like A.M. where did it start and how will it end? And to anyone else that wants to live paranoid and insane like that, giving a percentage to a lawyer that is probably a member of your family keeping your head just above the water go ahead and defend people like this.

Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 10:07 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

You people still dont understand,there is always someone who will take the risk to better their lives and this is one of them. People pay for college yet they spend most their lives paying it back..would you agree? this is the same thing. We pay for knowledge and its up to us to make it work. I spend money and time to get my real estate brokers license and what I do with it will either make me or break me . so I worked 2 jobs and my wife had 2 jobs as well i saw my kids for 30min in the morning just in time to take them to school. Now i can volunteer all day if i wish to and at times i do. this is the rewards for all my hard work(hustle) we dont hurt anyone we counsel people into making their own destiny and wealth. but your bigest critic should be yourself, i can sleep at night without hesitation. Armando has taken the bulls by the horm and is riding it all the way to the bank. good credit ,bad credit there will always be an investor that is willing to take the risk..if you really want to know who the crooks are just look under politician. those are true crooks.

Posted on 22-Oct-07 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

One more thing - this was copied from Floppers site:
armandomontelongo.com/news
The excerpt is from him talking about illegal flipping –

Written on 24 May 2007 by Armando

How do I get around ‘seasoning issues’? Again, seasoning is the amount
of time a bank wants an owner to control a property before they will loan
a new buyer funds on that property.

You must first understand the banks position before you can create a solution.

Here is the example of what banks are attempting to prevent:

A team of unscrupulous people will create a ‘ring of illegal activity.’ They will get together an appraiser, a flipper, a friend and a mortgage lender. The flipper will purchase the property, then the appraiser will give the property a false value (he/she will say itis worth more than it’s true value). Next, the flipper will sell it to a friend. Finally, the mortgage lender will loan the ‘friend’ of the flipper the false appraised amount. The ‘friend’ will split the false profits with the flipper, appraiser and mortgage broker. Then, the friend will ‘flip’ it again to someone else they know and the profits are split again. After building in several hundred thousand dollars of false value, they will allow it to foreclose.

Coming from Flopper I’d say my previous post about keeping it all in the family is dead on and that Flopper just told us how he is really making money, as illegal as it may be!

Posted on 23-Oct-07 at 9:22 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

I work at a bank and what this Armando talks about “padding invoices” is Bullshit, he says thwe banks dont care.. HA!! any loan we underwite if we thought someone was padding invoices, say bye bye bye

Posted on 23-Oct-07 at 9:51 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Alex - give it up! Any fool knows you are one of Armando’s desperate boiler room telephone shills. Go look for another job - yours has limited longevity. Even you don’t believe the crap you’re posting - that much is obvious.

A college education and real estate licese are proven good investments in one’s future. Armando Montelongo is a proven fraud. End of story.

Damn I wish a news crew would bury this clown already.

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 10:07 am | Permalink
Joshua wrote:

I came accross this blog today, and spent about an hour reading as much as I could digest.

Can we all just admit that we are watching a TELEVISION SHOW? This is for entertainment purposes. I know, I know, you guys are yearning for real information but this is TV.

As much as Armondo may seem like a douche bag on the show and as pretty as his wife is, you have to admit that what he is doing is working for him. I don’t care if he’s in a 13. I don’t care if contractors took his cabinets. Shoot, my contractors mistakenly took a whole bathroom!

If a business man treats his workers like crap, karma will get him/her. I gaurantee that every person he has working with him greatly values their relationship or you wouldn’t see the same faces over and over.

REMEMBER: IT’S TV. IT ISN’T REAL. IT ISN’T REAL. IT ISN’T REAL. IT ISN’T REAL.

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 10:37 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Amen

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 3:05 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

Armando, since you read this…why dont you explain why your “intern” was a paid actor? do you think anyone was actually beliving he didnt know how to paint? dripping it all over the hard wood floor? come on now!!! then you get a free playhouse for your son and its a girls house…do you really have no shame!

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 4:06 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

mike, you dont know jack, i am a broker and have my own firm. i make good money and i dont rob people. a service is a service and people will pay for that. if you going to piont fingers start with yourself. Armando sells himself and there are people that buy into that. i learned from experience that flipping is not an easy career to build. but within time you meet people that help and push you in the right direction. Armando is just a marketing tool and people will or will not use his ways of working. but out of everyone who knows him only a few have issues with him. we are consultants, that’s what we do consult, you have the last decision, your a grown man or woman and follow your gut. if you dont like what you see or read, then do something about it . go on tv and expose him for what you think he is. spend your money to save others. as for timmy not all underwirters think like you, especially in this market , if anything its gotten easier to get loans approved because if banks dont lend money, then they lose money and banks dont want lose money and guess what Timmy “BANKS USE OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOW WHAT A SHOCKER I WONDER WHO DIDNT KNOW THAT.”
and what happens when a bank loses money, they lose investors, and beleive me they dont want that. i dont know what bank you work for but look around someone is doing it, you cant protect everybody..

life is a risks and what you do with it should be for yourself first then your family then your friends.

Hope yo make manager some day Mike, I heard McDonalds stock is doing good. Dont worry your job is safe.

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex wrote: “Armando sells himself and there are people that buy into that.”

Which is entirely the point. He misrepresents the ‘product’ (himself). Have you even READ this thread?? ALL OF IT???

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 7:23 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Joshua (Armando) wrote: “came accross this blog today, and spent about an hour reading as much as I could digest.”

Let’s see, you googeld ‘FISHING TACKLE’ and not ‘Armando Montelongo’ and just accidentally stumbled on this site???

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

“Joshua wrote — If a business man treats his workers like crap, karma will get him/her. I gaurantee that every person he has working with him greatly values their relationship or you wouldn’t see the same faces over and over.”

Have you watched the “Montelongo” shows? He has lost everyone that has worked with him the past two seasons except his wife. Her self esteem must be extremely low. When he can’t pay them and they walk off the job, he starts saying crap about them/their work, work hours, anything to look like he is a big stud in control on the show so that we don’t see they have filed law suits to get their money from him and he makes them look like the idiots that he really is!
Then the last contractor he had was dumb enough to let Flopper use him as a bank to purchase the house. For all the Keno’s and Sergio’s out there who have been belittled unduly - I salute you.
And for you Armando, just tell us it is you, put up or shut up!

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 8:31 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

For those about to Rock,
My “AMEN” was for Post 1198!

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 9:39 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

Ok so what you are saying is…Find an underwriter who allows padding of invoices???dont underwrite for risk and what happens??? you get foreclosed on 27 properties in one month…right Armando? I mean Alex

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 9:56 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

By the way if you follow this thread Alex goes from alex wrote:

boyson to answer your quesiton Yes I would do business with Armando. If your a smart person you will take care of yourself first, then others

Now he actually knows him???sounds kinda funny to mee,,, way to cover your tracks

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 10:05 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Bullsh_t, Alex. Put up - tell us exactly who you are, your broker’s license nmber, etc. and then I’ll maybe retract what I said. You won’t, and we both know why.

Only a few people have problems with Armando? Are you f-ing kidding? Can you not read or are you just in total denial about your boss? You cannot produce 10 people anywhere in the US who bought his materials and have demonstrable benefit and are happy with them. I challenge you - do it. We’ll wait. Make it his “Master’s Course” since we all know that’s where his really valuable stuff is. Get on that right away - we’ll all wait. The ball is now in your court to demonstrate what you have claimed.

Maybe you’re stupid enough to endorse a proven liar and criminal, but you’re the only one.

I’m sure you worshipped Tom Vu in the 90s too when you were manning his phones…right before he went to prison.

Give us all a break, we’re not buying - from either Armando nor you.

Posted on 24-Oct-07 at 11:07 pm | Permalink
Where Is The Prove wrote:

alex,
Armondo and his people (like you )
are still all talk and which by the way is STILL not persuasive.
We are still waiting for the prove that Armondo is running his business with integrity and not scaming preople.
One of the colossal differences between you amd Mike Voss is that he makes an effort to back up his claim showing us prove that Armondo is an fraud (on the home page of this web site )
Come on alex give us some “humble pie” all we want is to be proven wrong about Armondo . All the giberish just makes you look like one of Armond’s suckers .

Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 7:06 am | Permalink
Where Is The Prove wrote:

FYI I have been reading this site since Aug and have kept a tally of how many times
“Armondo pretends he is not Armondo” 93 times !!

Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

You people still dont understand,there is always someone who will take the risk to better their lives and this is one of them. People pay for college yet they spend most their lives paying it back..would you agree?

Alex,

The end does not justify the means.

In your world it would be OK to sell drugs. If I get caught, there is always someone to take my place…right? It’s OK because I’m supporting my family and I’ll give some of my profits to charity. AND people already know the danger of taking illegal drugs, so who cares, they should have known.

So Alex, if you need a pick-me-up, let’s do business!

Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 7:11 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

seriously though, how has 60 minutes, Dateline or 20/20 not done a piece on this guy…the last few shows are so staged it is unreal. Brent throwing the phone in disgust…getting faked kicked off the site, chasing a pig? on and on

Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 10:10 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Timmy,

I would guess the reason why the national media hasnt done a story is because of dumbasses like Alex who buy into it head over foot…

Mike,

Can you believe this tool? To criticize YOU hahaha. You put all your contact info on here… He wont… Hmmmm, we all wonder who is more credible! lol hahahaha

Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 10:59 pm | Permalink
Rob M wrote:

Attention intelligent people on this website (except Armando & his shills), it is official, the lunatics are now in charge of the asylum, so turn your brains off.

This is for the Nov 17-18 “Wealth Building Expo” being advertised on 770AM WABC Radio in New York sponsored by the Learning Annex. ARMANDO is appearing as an ‘expert’ where the forum keynote speakers are the likes of Donald Trump and ALAN GREENSPAN… He’s gonna milk this FOREVER…AARRGGHHH!!!

Armando Montelongo, star of A&E’s Flip This House
Flip & Grow Rich!

You’ve probably heard of flipping real estate. It’s when you purchase an undervalued property, make the right improvements and sell it for an excellent profit. Sounds easy right? The thing is, flipping real estate IS easy. You simply need to take a little time and learn the ins-and-outs of this potent wealth-building method. This is the perfect money-making method for both beginners and more experienced investors… and the country’s #1 property flipper is teaching it. You might already know him… Armando Montelongo is the #1 property flipper in America — a man who flips between 25 and 30 houses EVERY MONTH. You may have seen him as the host of A&E’s hit series, Flip this House.

In less than 5 years, Armando became America’s largest residential real estate investor. That’s right: he’s the LARGEST investor of residential real estate. He’s a multi-multi-millionaire. Now he’s going to show you what made him so rich. Armando isn’t an expert…he’s THE expert! There is simply no better teacher to get you started on flipping residential real estate.

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 7:39 am | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

FYI…ive hear the “keynote speakers” such as Trump and Greenspanthey appear on a big screen TV and are recorded, they arent there in person, its a scam

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 11:29 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Its almost worth it to attend just to ask Mike’s questions and you tube them. Ladies and gentlemen DEMAND that he prove his claims.

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
Amanda wrote:

I am so glad I found “flipthislawsuit”. I was recently invited to the “Big Money Expo” in San Diego and have to admit it sounded great. My first red flag was that I got confirmation yesterday morning (Thursday) the seminar would still take place in SAN DIEGO after the week of firestorms we have had. Late last night I got a message that they decided to cancel. Good thing. It gave me time to do my research and follow that nagging hunch I got. Thanks for all of the input and saving me the $$$ and time.

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 1:57 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Rob M,

And on the seventh day, Armando rested. LOL

Unfreaking believable

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 2:09 pm | Permalink
Rob M wrote:

After hearing the commercial and a variant inviting me to meet Armando at this ‘event,’ I yelled at my Jeep dashboard for a long time at the gullibility of people in general.

I bet “Armando Montelongo…the #1 property flipper in America” will try to ‘flip’ the Brooklyn Bridge while he’s here too… To paraphrase Ray Romano’s character in Everyone Loves Raymond, “right is wrong, up is down and wood is now a drink…”

ROLFMAO

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 2:54 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

So, where do we go to send the funds to get Steve and Mike to this convention?
“Have Gun, Will Travel”!!!!!!

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 7:37 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Just a dity I found…

10/27-10/28: Trump Wealth Building Expo Booths

——————————————————————————–
Reply to: trumpwealthbuildingexpoisa@yahoo.com
Date: 2007-09-11, 2:14PM PDT

About the Expo:
The The Real Estate Wealth Expo is a Two-day Real Estate Seminar, With 3 components: 1-Keynote speakers, 2 -Seminars, And 3 -Exhibit Booths http://www.trumpexpo.com This Expo is open to the Public. Focuses on Real Estate Investing, And Building Wealth. Feautures Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, And Suze Orman, The Expo takes place on Sat/Sun, Oct 27/28 2007., At The Washington State Convention And Trade Center. It has attracted over 45,000 Experienced and Novice Real Estate Investors at each of the Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, 2006 Expos Expos. There are Multiple Seminars on Real Estate Investing, Becoming A Real Estate Entrepreneur, Techniques on Purchasing Real Estate Investments, Purchasing Real Estate With No Credit, Purchasing Real Estate For Pennies On The Dollar, Purchasing Tax Lien Certificates, And Starting A Business. Call Roger For Booth Prices Tel 786-277-0258

HOW ABOUT CALLING ROGER FOR THE HELL OF IT AND SENDING LOADS OF EMAIL DIRECTING THEM TO THIS WEB SITE!

Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 7:47 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Can someone tell me out of all the real estate courses out there, which one actually works? I dont think any of them do.

Has anyone found out any info on Sergio and Keno now that theyre not working for Armando?

Posted on 27-Oct-07 at 3:15 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Hmmmmmmm….I got an email from Armando on 10/27 saying that while he and Veronica send their condolences to the California fire victims, “the good news is” that he and his followers are going to make huge profits off the desperate circumstances of those fire victims.

“The good news”?????????? I nearly fell off my chair when I read that statement, but then I reminded myself that this is Armando speaking, and wy would I expect anything else from his lips?

I bet those affected by the fires would be *really* *really* *really* happy to know that their misfortunate has such a good end result–making Armando and his gang of followers very wealthy.

Alex…this is WHY the people who post here have issues with Armando. Armando is not about making the world a better place…Armando is about building an “empire” by taking advantage of the less fortunate.

When have you heard Armando say that he is going to help Latinos affected by the fires to rebuild and re-establish themselves? He doesn’t give a crap about them. He is about amassing wealth any way he can, even if that means standing by and watching his own raza lose everything they’ve worked so hard for.

You claim to take the posters in this forum to task because you believe, without having any actual information, that the people here don’t care about the misfortunes of others. Well, how, exactly, do you explain Armando’s 10/27 email claiming that the “good news” about the fire victims is that he and his followers are going to be able to make tons and tons of money???????

wyldwmn

Posted on 28-Oct-07 at 11:35 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

wyldwmn wrote –
“The good news”?????????? I nearly fell off my chair when I read that statement, but then I reminded myself that this is Armando speaking, and why would I expect anything else from his lips?

I say Flopper needs to go on out to California and get those lips burnt off, of course Veronica would donate vaginal tissue to get his lips rebuilt. (not original idea, took from Nip/Tuck)
I also got the same email only I sent one back. I sent this to him a few minutes ago to wordpress@armandomontelongo.com
Can I get arrested for this or isn’t this Freedom of Speech?
Montelongo’s
I don’t know what to think and now that I have actually read the court records on your many, many businesses, I feel depressed that I was so gullible to almost spend my hard earned money on you and your products. I can’t even watch your flips anymore now that I have read this blog site. I was hungry to be just like you, had hopes and dreams to do flips like you. Now I am sickened I was almost conned. This is an unchristian life you are teaching your child and may the Lord help him when he finds out.
One more thing, this email was a clean address with no spam until I signed up at your site. Now, as explained to me by my email carrier, you have exploited my email address to those who wish to spam it to death, for money no less! I am learning, new to the computer life since my accident where I spent four months in a hospital four hours from my home town. I loved to watch Flip This House, looked forward to Saturdays, started getting out of my depression and saw an opportunity to do what you do once I could heal and get around again. Then our lawyer told us our first offer to settle out of court was for $200,000. Not enough to live on for the rest of our lives but something to invest into a new business.
I read this site, but of course it says on there and I have read it and believe it, that you are actually defending yourself by using other names. You need to check your morals and values. Are your parents proud of you? Why do you treat your hired help and your wife with disrespect? Pray!
Jennifer S_____(ashamed that I talked you up to anyone that would listen while in the hospital and since!)

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/04/16/anyone-purchased-armando-montelongos-real-estate-package/

My proof to you all my made up address just for correspondence with Flopper is
FlipFlopAM@__________ (wouldn’t mind yakking with some of you but there must be a way to do it without everyone (shillers) to see the carrier although Flopper now has it!

Posted on 28-Oct-07 at 3:46 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

This is my response I received.
In a message dated 10/28/2007 1:35:19 PM US Mountain Standard Time, armando_montelongo@faqsupportsite.com writes:
Hi there,

We have received your request and have
issued the following tracking code: ZDK-44466-217
The subject on file is: YOUR GENERAL ENQUIRY

We are working diligently to get a reply
off to you so please, be patient and someone
will get in touch shortly.

Posted on 28-Oct-07 at 3:58 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

also theres a banner on his site now and the wording says “I HAVE flipped up to 30 houses in a month”… this just keeps getting better and better

Posted on 28-Oct-07 at 9:28 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Timmy wrote: “also theres a banner on his site now and the wording says “I HAVE flipped up to 30 houses in a month”

I had a girlfriend once that flipped WELL OVER 30 HOUSES one month and probably 10 or so HOTELS! Four of us were playing Monopoly, she was getting her a$$ kicked and flipped the board over! LOL

‘Flip’, ‘Flipped’ or ‘Flipping’ as it relates to real estate is a completely subjective non word and means absolutely nothing ; )

Posted on 28-Oct-07 at 11:19 pm | Permalink
Beth wrote:

Wonder when he says he has flipped 30 houses in a month if he is indeed referring to the game of monopoly that he plays with mondoman and veronica…that is probably how he arrived at that figure seeing as his ass is so not doing that in real life.

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 8:31 am | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

the key words are now HAVE and UP TO

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 12:00 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

AF wrote: “Can someone tell me out of all the real estate courses out there, which one actually works?”

“Take every piece of advice you get from any investment adviser with a barrel of salt. Most are trying to sell you things that you probably don’t need or want. Think for yourself.”

http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/071024/23269.html?.v=1&.pf=banking-budgeting

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 3:20 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

The Real Estate Wealth Expo The Learning Annex,,,,,perfect example. who attended? who many people were there? and what did every speaker including the video of trump say to the crowd? I have a pretty good idea of what was said, and I have never attended one. So the big question here is that give it that armando is a shark..he’s only one of many.but in a way we are all sharks, because we look for the best intrest of ourselves.

So why not start a blog about Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, And Suze Orman…you dont think any of them have screwed someone to get where they are,of course they have, this is like a mob here. you have to take out the big cheese to takes his place and you must have the back up of the followers,(gang). I think all of you against armando are tring but you havent even scratched the surface..Again these people can tell you how to grow rich and you will beleive them, and you think the tactics armando uses are different, well its not…thiers just has more frosting on it and is backed up with millionare lawyers, how do you think these lawyers became millionares, by listening to them and then protecting them. Its the Amerinca Way, Insurance companies BK all the time (well when it was easier to do) just so they dont payout, they screww people for millions, these california fires we have here, there will be many insurance companies filiing BK rather then paying up. and the one that do will raise our premium to get their LOSS back, so we pay the price, start a blog about that. They screw us twice and no one does anything about it…just a note there are worst people in this world that really hurt the people. Stop bulliing one person go after the pack…you cant save everyone. people still buy into the The Real Estate Wealth Expo and The learning annex and they will spend the money. so dont hate,.go make yourself some money and i hope everyone here finds their dream and follows it…….
all your bitching and complaining will not change the fact that people will follow. there are leaders in this world and dumbasses that follow them , just get over it and continue your life, theres nothing here.

P.s. mike where is you info posted, I will contact you directly so you will know who I am

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Alex,

HOGWASH!

Regards,

Steve

PS. Sometimes less is more in a post ; )

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 6:36 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Alex Montelongoid wrote:

well, something forgettable again!

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
Robbiej wrote:

I don’t have a real estate license, nor am I a flipper. What I do possess though, is intelligence and common sense. What I have witnessed here are numerous people attacking a man and his family for business practices that they don’t agree with. I think that a lot of this hatred towards Armando stems from jealousy (I can see the “I’m not jealous of Armando” emails already)….But I do think that many people on this site are simply jealous of his success and are bitter that they aren’t the ones with the television show, driving a Mercedes, wearing designer clothes or living in a home, mortgage free.

You can generally find those, who aren’t happy with their own lives, jumping to the front of the line to be the first to put others down or to say negative things about them. I would suggest working on your internal issues instead of bashing others…..hopefully then, you’ll find inner-peace and won’t need to attack others so that you can feel better about yourself.

Long story short……Stop hating on the man because he’s hugely more successful than you.

By the way….I’m not Armando, not one of his relatives…..not a friend of his…not even his vet’s, barber’s, sister’s, cousin’s, aunt’s, mechanic that once fixed her Toyota…..I’m just a guy from Denver that admires ANYONE for making their dreams come true…INCLUDING ARMANDO!!

Robbiej

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 8:36 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Hey Steve in Tx, thanks for that website link, very good info on there.

I drove by the Quill house yesterday and one of the garage doors was partially open and it appears to be vacant.

Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1232 Alex said:

“Stop bulliing one person go after the pack…you cant save everyone. people still buy into the The Real Estate Wealth Expo and The learning annex and they will spend the money. so dont hate,.go make yourself some money and i hope everyone here finds their dream and follows it…….
all your bitching and complaining will not change the fact that people will follow. there are leaders in this world and dumbasses that follow them , just get over it and continue your life, theres nothing here.”

So, Alex. I am just a little bit confused about what you are saying here and am hoping that you can help me with some clarification.

As I understand what you are saying, it is *NOT* ok for anybody here to be critical of Armando Montelongo, they should just “get over” their issues where he is concerned, and get on with their lives.

On the other hand you are saying that it *IS* ok for YOU to be here criticizing the people who are providing factual information to support their concerns, and that unlike the people who post here, you should NOT be getting over what they say and you should NOT be getting over your life.

Is that what you are saying? I am just asking because I just really want to understand if what you are saying is that if people here find factual support to address issues with the way Armando does business, that that is an entirely different thing from your posting personal attacks on people about whom you have no information whatsoever.

I’m sure that there is a very important difference between the facts that are posted here and your personal attacks. And I just really want to make sure that I am understanding that distinction as well as I can, so that I can learn about what is NOT OK and what is OK.

wyldwmn

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 1:02 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Robbiej wrote:”Armando stems from jealousy (I can see the “I’m not jealous of Armando” emails already)….But I do think that many people on this site are simply jealous of his success and are bitter that they aren’t the ones with the television show, driving a Mercedes, wearing designer clothes or living in a home, mortgage free.

You can generally find those, who aren’t happy with their own lives, jumping to the front of the line to be the first to put others down or to say negative things about them. I would suggest working on your internal issues instead of bashing others…..hopefully then, you’ll find inner-peace and won’t need to attack others so that you can feel better about yourself.

Long story short……Stop hating on the man because he’s hugely more successful than you.”

Go read the main page on this site. Your boy, your idol had to fight off 7 forclosures in August, wes that is right 7. He needs to take out hard money morgages to finance his flips, he has to get these loans in his wifes name, and his contractors name, because his credit is shot to the point where his name is MUD to the lenders. Yea there is something to be jealous of. Me I am happy I drive a truck and drive a 03 Windstar. BTW the mercedes and the hummer, window dressing they don’t ownem its already been proven that they rent them! Before you reply do yourself the favour of reading all the posts on all the threads, get a education. You’ll see Armandos not the man!.

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 2:39 am | Permalink
Where Is The Prove wrote:

SteveinTexas ,,, DITTO :)

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 7:52 am | Permalink
Where Is The Prove wrote:

Alex/Armondo was that a confession ??

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 7:54 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Robbiej: Intelligence and common sense eh?

Armando living mortgage free? Have you even attempted to count the number of defaults pending against him on mortgages? And jealous of his Hummer and Mercedes - you mean his LEASED hummer and Mercedes owned by GMAC?
Those aren’t even mortgaged - they’re rented.

Intelligence and common sense would dictate that you do more research before commenting because you’ve been had.

As to whether or not people commenting here are happy with their own lives, that is irrelevant. They post here because Armando is a proven thief and con artist and they want to limit his ability to enrich himself by victimizing others.

BTW: See my post on Armando Shill Notation and save yourself some typing next time.

MV

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 10:33 am | Permalink
Robbiej wrote:

So he leases his vehicles……So what? 20% of all buyers choose to lease their vehicles……So put Armando in that 20%.

As far as his poor credit….Again, who cares? An estimated 15% of Americans (45 million people) have credit scores of 599 or less. Approx. 27% (81 million people) have credit scores of 649 or less……..So put Armando in the first group with the other 45 million people that have a credit score of 599 or less…..Who cares? Why don’t you write about the other 45 million people having crappy credit too?

Regarding the foreclosures…..Nearly 1.5 million homes out of the 80 million will be foreclosed on……So you can put Armando in that category too…..

It looks like to me that Armando is doing what millions of other Americans are doing as well……..Leasing vehicles, getting behind on their bills and exaggerating their accomplishments…….Welcome to the unfortunate, current U.S. trend!!! Now don’t get me wrong……I’m not suggesting that getting behind in your bills or not paying your debts is OK…It’s not…..But this guy is no different than millions…..MILLIONS of Americans…….Again….don’t misinterpret what I am saying…..I am in NO WAY condoning not paying your debts…I am also not justifying not paying by saying that it’s ok since millions of others aren’t paying their bills…….It’s NOT…..I just find it incredibly funny that so many people are exerting so much effort to bash this guy……Especially when he is doing a lot of the same things that I would speculate many of you, your friends, family, neighbors, and millions of other Americans have done as well……

It sure is interesting how so many people jump in line to throw stones…..

Robbiej

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 1:23 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

So your telling me that The Real Estate Wealth Expo The Learning Annex is Okay. Even if they claim to show you how to become rich,wealthy,independant.HMMM souns like what Armando is teaching, So its okay for the Big dogs to claim riches and wealth but the Little dog gets attacked.

Bottom line is you can say all you want and bitch all you want and you will not change a damn thing. from the thousands that have watched the show only a few that havent even tried the course are complaining , dont knock it til you try it, buy the product between all of you and try it, if it doesnt work then blame yourself. not everyones outcome is the same, its all about you, if you want it bad enough,, go get it. no one is going to hand you success you have to go and get it.
dont satisfy yourself with you lame ass life the sky is the limit, push yourself to grow dont get settle for what you have. buy the course and judge for yourself stop following others.

and mike where is your information posted?

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 1:55 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

and by the way most get rich books teach to lease or items and materials that depreciate in value HMMM cars fall into that catagory, never pay full price and never pay cash………you will lose money in the end.

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 1:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Robbiej wrote: “An estimated 15% of Americans (45 million people).

After I saw that the rest of your post went in my visual ’round file’

Let’s just say your math skills are SORELY lacking.

Thanks for wasting my valuable 5 seconds

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

And Robbiej,

Just for laughs, what’s the credit score for those AMERICANS 12 years old and younger? ; )

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 2:31 pm | Permalink
Robbiej wrote:

Hmmmmmm……15% of 300 million is 45 million…….How are my math skills “lacking” Steve???…..

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 3:20 pm | Permalink
pietro wrote:

The difference Robbiej??? The millions of AMERICANS you talk about are NOT trying to sell me a book on how they became the way they are. They aren’t scamming thousands of people using a television network as a springboard. They aren’t billing themselves as “America’s largest residential real estate investor.” or “a multi-multi-millionaire.” and they aren’t “going to show you what made him so rich.”

They don’t as Judge Judy says “pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining!”

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Robbiej I agree with you. Armando is no diffenent than millions of Americans, he’s broke to. Only difference is he’s to arrogant to admit it. Here’s your fiancial lesson for the day, courtesay of a card carrying Teamster truck driver. Ready here it is:

MULTI MILLIONAIRES DO NOT TAKE HARD MONEY LOANS, AT HIGH INTEREST RATES, THEY DO NOT LEASE OR RENT VEHICLES, THEY DO NOT FIGHT OF FORECLOSURES, THEY DO NOT HAVE POOR CREDIT OR CREDIT SCORES.

Why you ask? BECAUSE DUMB A$$ THEY ARE MULTI-MILLIONAIRES.

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Robbiej,

Got any room in all those figures to show where I Q numbers fit in here? That’s one major statistic con artists use/abuse against those people to follow him. {notice, i didn’t put A.M.’s name here, just his profession} ;{}

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 7:15 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Alex wrote: “So why not start a blog about Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, And Suze Orman”

I’ll blog about them. What evidence do you have that they scammed people? If it is only half as incriminating as the facts posted here about Armondo, please let us know. Maybe we could start a new thread.

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 8:18 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

How long before The Mando Mans name starts goin on loans…side note I have researched these Multi Level marketing scams…Russ Dalby Liberty League etc. They pray on the hopes and dreams of people who have no education, who want to :work from home” They DO NOT SELL PRODUCT, they Sell literature and “mentoring” and thousands of dollars later you have learned nothing…It is painfully obvious the same people behind these scams have gotten hooked up with the Montelongos, and theres a “new pretty face” to scam the public…Unfortunately people can dig up the houses Armando never sold and got foreclosed, very easily whereas these other “businesses” are so evily devised you Can never even figure out what they are selling…Side note its informercial 101…Look how happy we are we can go on vaction whenever we want!!! we barely work!!! look at our Hummer!!!

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Robbiej wrote: “Hmmmmmm……15% of 300 million is 45 million…….How are my math skills “lacking” Steve???…..”

Well, dipstick! How many of those 300 million are legally old enough to sign an enforceable contract????

SHEESH!….

Another 5 seconds wasted for me

Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 11:33 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

No competent bood nor advisor on wealth would teach anyone to lease a depreciating asset. LEasing vehicles makes sense only in very limited circumstances, and the use of a luxury vehicle by an individual is never one of those circumstances. Leasing vehicles is nearly always used by individuals when they cannot afford to buy the particular vehicle, and that is the case with Armando.

Lots of other people may indeed do the same things, but they aren’t publicly pretending to be rich and selling fraudulent advice claiming they can make others rich too.

You’re pushing a losing position. Give up.

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 10:20 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

RobbieJ,

Mike is dead on… It’s obvious that you have never had a business class (or maybe you did and just didnt pay close enough attention). In my FIRST entry level business class in college the professor addressed leasing versus buying. The scenario he gave was two twin brothers, both at age 21. One of them leases cars until retirement, the other BUYS a new car every 10 years.

Guess which one had more money spent more money at retirement? NOT the one who leased… The one who BOUGHT every 10 years… Even figuring in repair costs, etc, the brother who BOUGHT will have saved over $250,000 over the one who leased!

Hmmmm….

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 1:41 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

leasing a vechicle is tax deductable, if you purcahse the vechicle then its not. so if im paying 600 a month for a lease then i have a tax write off. a vechilce loses value as soon as it is driven off the lot. leasing give you the option to a tax write off and you get a new car every 2 years……
Corporation love tax write off’s and Im one of them.

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 1:51 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

yeah chris only an idiot like your professor and his followers(students ) will beleive that . no one in their right mind would lease a car until retirement that’s the stupids thing i ever heard. im sure the car dealers see his ass coming a mile away. tell you teacher to think of another example cause this is going to make you dumber.

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 1:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Chris,

I’d hate to see his credit card debt total, and probably around 24% interest too.

He he he

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 3:24 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Big corporations lease cars because it is cheaper to lease your fleet. Small business do not lease no real savings. I don’t know where you are, but any payment that is business related is tax deductable. Huge downside to lease is the milage cap. Think about it. Again DUMB A$$ I will spell it out for you M U L T I M I L L I O N A I R S D O N O T L E A S E C A R S T H E Y B U Y T H E M O U T R I G H T!!!!!! Why because they can afford to! Same as they don’t take hard money loans, they make em. Think about it. If flopper had all the money he says he has, did all the reno’s he claims he would be at a point in his business, where he would be able to pay cash for a house and the reno. YES DUMB A$$ PAY CASH.

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 4:43 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Alex wrote:
“Corporation love tax write off’s and Im one of them”

Are you a corporation, or a tax write off for your parents STILL. You stick your foot in your mouth every time you post.

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 6:57 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Remember Flopper lives in Texas and Flipper was a dolphin

Posted on 31-Oct-07 at 8:42 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

leasing a vechicle is tax deductable, if you purcahse the vechicle then its not. so if im paying 600 a month for a lease then i have a tax write off. a vechilce loses value as soon as it is driven off the lot. leasing give you the option to a tax write off.

Oh Alex:

You can write off depreciation and interest (car note) on a car used for business :-).

I don’t think Armando did it for tax purposes. In fact, Bexar County file another delinquent tax suit against him on 10-25-2007 (file number 2007TA104885). AND he also owes 27,000+ (10,000 is past due) on his home.

And you still think he took the bull by the horns while laughing all the way to the bank?

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 5:01 am | Permalink
alex wrote:

sure did, in the end, hes stil making money and your all still bithcing and complaining, and jennifer i am a corporation, move out my parents home when I was 19 and made my first million at 24. now im 33 and i own a few properties and have fliped homes in san bernardino county , I have helped many of my clients buy and sell real estate and have helped them build a great investment portfolio. we also sell commericial property and if you ask me thats where the money is…..so jennifer stop watching oparh and go cook dinner your husband is on his way from work.

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 1:38 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Greg you know nothing. tell us what you do for a living, besides flipping burger’s

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 1:39 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

I didnt say lease the same car till retirement… DUH!!!!!!

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 5:16 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Okay Alex,

I do not believe a freaking word you type or is that mistype. You have no clue. Prove how you made the million, heck just show us some little something. Again, as you have been asked, PUT UP OR SHUT UP!

“I do not have to read your nonsense anymore you montelongoid puppet.”

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 7:11 pm | Permalink
JUST MAD wrote:

ALEX ,,, HELLOOO WE ALWAYS PROVE OURSELVES TO YOU !!! WHEN YOU NEVER PROVE YOURSELF TO US !!!!! DUH
ALSO ,,, GRAIG SAID HE DRIVES A TRUCK FOR TRADEMARK ,,, LEARN TO READ .
ARMONDO HAS BEEN PROVEN HE IS A SCAMMER WHICH YOU HAVE NEVER PROVEN OTHERWISE .

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 7:37 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

Apparently you dont have to know how to spell to flip houses

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 8:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Alex learn to read english I already told you what I do for a living. As for flipping burgers I’d be surprised if you could do that.

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 9:00 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Alex - you have no proof that Armando is making one single dollar, so stick to what you can prove. The FACT is that all evidence indicates that he is seriously insolvent and sinking like a rock.

And BTW, any assett owned by a corporation, including a car, can be used for tax writeoffs - look up what a depreciation schedule for business equipment is.

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 9:17 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex wrote: “made my first million at 24″

Yeah, sure you did.

Alex, I’ll be coming to your ‘window’ in about 10 minutes. I’ll have #3 Quarter Pounder with cheese and a Coke, and don’t forget to Super Size it

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 9:31 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Alex, he is NOT making money. I just found a 2nd mortgage taken out by Armando on a house he and David own. The lender is one of his “testimonial students” Meredith Keller:

Doc# 20070255484
Loan Amount 11,000
Loan Date 8-29-2007
Filed: 10-30-2007

Question? Why would the Largest residential flipper in the nation, flips nearly 30 houses each and every month, master guru/investor, and a multi, multi,multi millionaire have to take such a “mickey mouse” loan - let alone have to use one of his houses as collateral?

The answer is simple. HE IS DESPERATE FOR CASH AND/OR BROKE!

PS. In his latest videos, he now driving the Mercedes, did the lease on the Hummer expire or was it repoed?

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 10:36 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Boyson,

Thats good detective work! Bravo!

Posted on 01-Nov-07 at 11:02 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

No no no no I do not drive for Trademark. I am a card carrying Teamster.

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 2:46 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Well done, Boyson. Not only does that loan demonstrate how desperate Armando is for cash, it also illustrates that he can’t even borrow an amount ($11,000) that most people can get on a credit card, HELOC, etc. More than likely he has terrible credit in addition to being a fraud.

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 10:56 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Alex wrote:
“so jennifer stop watching oparh and go cook dinner your husband is on his way from work.”
Just one more thing you looney, my husband fell to his death November 8, 2006 in a work related accident, and hell yes I would love to be able to watch Oprah. I would give anything accept money to that phoney Flopper to get my husband back.

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 5:05 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

One of them leases cars until retirement, the other BUYS a new car every 10 years.

THESE ARE YOUR WORDS CHRIS….PENDEJO

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 5:19 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Jennifer, I am sorry for your loss. I aplolgize to you for that comment.

As far as my first million, I am a real estate broker and have agents and loan officers under my brokerage, Thats how me and my company made my first million. As you know the market in California has always been good until the recent decline in March.

Any other quesitons?

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 5:29 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Just Mad,,,,you dont know anything……just stay mad and out of the way, cheerleader

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 5:30 pm | Permalink
mondo man wrote:

I have come to defend myself. I am the man. You all suck

STUP THE HATING (sorry my fat fingers cant type) I made 93 flips last month, I don’t beleive in paying taxes or bills!

Alex is my best friend!

just kidding. I’m not Armando. Just one of his many (total of 4-including Alx) followers

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 6:36 pm | Permalink
tyler wrote:

what are you all crying about. are you jealous or what?

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 6:49 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

It is truly amazing to me how many people on here have come to waste their time disputing Armando’s principles and strategies for being successful in real estate, yet not one of them so far have posted any real data supporting their opposition. His personal philosophy is to simply help people who are under duress from financial destruction regarding the possession of their property, and yeah, he teaches you how to capitalize on that - why would you not want to anyways?? Duh, it doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to figure out that if you didn’t buy the property for a cheap price and sell it for a higher value, you wouldn’t make a profit. I have his Master Home study course, both of his DVD’s, his audio book, and his CD that has ALL of the forms necessary to buy, sell, and make money in real estate. Additionally, I have personally talked to Armando several times over the course of the last few months. He is committed to helping people, and helping them succeed. Statistics will prove true, he simply CANNOT flip every single house he comes in contact with, either in the San Antonio are or anywhere else - the number of pre- and forclosure, burnt or flooded homes, and people looking to avoid a situation about to turn worse simply means that their are plenty more homes around than investors can gobble up!

Armando does flip 25-30 homes a month. That doesnt mean that he rehabs them in one or two days and then sells them - how foolish and narrow minded is that assumption! It is a system….buy a house this month, spend 3-4 weeks rehabbing it, sell it next month. Multiply this formula times 25-30, plus a good deal of “leveraging your money” and it can be done!

I sincerely believe that if most of the people on here had invested HALF of the time it took to post all of the derogatory comments on here, and had used that time to properly research Armando Montelongo, his system of rehabbing, they would be successful like the rest of us, and certainly would be doing other things than entertaining skepticism!

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 9:07 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

WOW Now Armando, I mena *cough* Alex speaks Spanish..Pendejo!!! What scam Armando has keep re-fing to put cash in your pocket and let houses forcelose, eventually I see loan fraud and and prison in your future, Nice Benz now!!!

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 9:20 pm | Permalink
JUST MAD wrote:

Alex,
here is a learning lesson for you ,, I am going to admit that I am wrong ,,,,
here is it ,, Post 1274 Greg I am sorry for giving the wrong informatino aabout you , TY for correcting me :)
See, Alex thats not hard

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 11:12 pm | Permalink
JUST MAD wrote:

Of course alex / Armondo you rather insult me than show prove ,, so typical .

Posted on 02-Nov-07 at 11:23 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

my god but you people need to give it a rest…..you come across as a group of sniveling old women.if hes guilty of any crime other than bad taste,he will go to jail.otherwise…..leave him alone.you really dont have anything better to do than this?seriously…get a real life.

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 9:15 am | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Wow. I’ve had to come back to this thread over a couple of days to read it all, follow the hyperlinks, etc. Don’t even remember how I surfed in here, and now y’all feel like old friends.

As an avid DVR-er of all the flipping and DIY shows, I would primarily watch them for tips, to see what others are paying for improvements, and to view other’s mistakes so I could learn at other’s expense. I myself am what one would call a rehabber, but I rehab very slowly and while living in the property so I can take full tax advantage. Also, living my life and working my day job, which pays over six figures, kind of gets in the way of flipping property fast. So real estate investing is a way for me to build wealth on the side, although it has long been my fantasy to quit the day job and just buy, fix up, and then sell houses for a living.

There is no way to get rich fast other than being one in 37 million who bought the right lottery ticket that week. It is possible to make money over the long term though. By way of example, I bought my first property at the age of 21 back in 1988. It was a studio condo in the Chicago area that cost $40K and I put $8K down and my mortgage payments were $276\mo. Before I moved in, I gutted the bathroom, stripped 8 layers of paint off trim and hardware and repainted everything. Lived in it one year, then moved out and began renting it for $500/mo. The $500/mo covered my mortgage, condo fees, taxes, and I was able to pocket a few extra bucks as a cushion for repairs, carpet and paint between tenants. Slowly over the years, the rent climbed to $800/mo as the market dictated. I also filed a schedule E with my personal taxes and although I was making money on the property, due to depreciation of the property, I was able to take a tax write-off every year. In 1992 I became a long distance landlord and moved to Houston. In 1999 I did a cash-out equity refinance and pulled $20K out to invest in another business. In 2005 I finally sold it for $107K to the current tenant (no realtor fees so I discounted it to him) who was renting it after spending $2K on improvements to the kitchen for him as part of the deal. In 17 years, it was paid for pretty much by the tenants, it had triple appreciated from it’s original purchase price, I had the side bonus of it being a tax write-off for years, and I walked away with a chunk of change to go invest in something else, plus I’d already pulled $20K out of it 7 years earlier to make money elsewhere. In 16 years I never had a bad tenant, just one temperamental slob who in retrospect wasn’t that bad. The only reason I sold it was I didn’t want to manage it long distance anymore and wanted to put that money into the Houston real estate market.

My aunt has purchased one rent house every year for the past 20 years and in my family we call her the real estate queen. Pretty much the same formula, but she has 9 kids she puts to work every time she gets another house - one cousin is a roofer, another a carpenter, everyone can paint, and so on. I wouldn’t even want to venture a guess at her net worth.

I’m just a regular divorced single mom, high school education, living comfortably. I’ve gone to my local REI club meetings a couple of times when they’ve had an interesting speaker, but the most I’ve paid is $50 for an afternoon of advice on how to be my own general contractor, and it was worth every penny. I’ve spent a bunch on reasonably priced DIY books and the like over the years. I wouldn’t buy a course from someone like Armando who couldn’t swing a hammer to build a playhouse for his son. I think he admitted in that episode he had no construction skills. It would be sort of like going for medical advice to someone who watched ER and diagnosed you after searching WebMD.

I can tell you that I have lots of people who think I’m successful and want my advice to shortcut the process for themselves, but in reality, it’s a lot of time spent actually working on a project a little at a time. The only daydreaming is about paint colors or imagining how it will look when it’s finished. It’s a journey, not a destination.

Mike Voss - are YOU single? I actually snorted at your ASN idea. How about we go get some margaritas together?

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Warren wrote: “I have his Master Home study course, both of his DVD’s, his audio book, and his CD that has ALL of the forms necessary to buy, sell, and make money in real estate.”

Well you certainly sound like you’re ready then. Ready to take the NEXT step and cough up $14,500 for his mentoring program

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

John to found this site by searching for Fishing Tackle

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Warren: Bullsh_t. Post proof of one single transaction where you made a profit using Armando’s methods and tell us exactly how you applied them.

You’re nothing but another shill spewing the same unsupportable BS we’ve heard 100 times now.

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 8:19 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Warren (Armando) wrote: “I sincerely believe that if most of the people on here had invested HALF of the time it took to post all of the derogatory comments on here, and had used that time to properly research Armando Montelongo”

We’ve done exactly that, “properly searched” the publicly available property records of his (your) transactions. If the results of that are “derogatory” I don’t know what to tell you

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 8:40 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

Seems to me like “Steve in Texas” and “Mike Voss” are both in the same narrow canoe drifting out to sea. I have been in real estate for a few years now, and have not found anything that Armando has said in his Master Course to be disputed by other sources. He has short-cutted the time it takes to find forms, and has put together a good strategy that is a baseline for rehabbing properties subject to my own moderation for my specific use. Properly researched??? You havent shown one credible iota of detail. Montelongo is a popular name, and being someone who is a native of San Antonio and now living up north, it could be anyone whose information you claim to be against Armando himself. I don’t need his mentoring program for both of two reasons 1.)I am educated enough, persistent enough, and diligent enough to govern my own investments, and 2.)I talk to Armando directly about any issues I might have, if and WHEN I might not be able to find the answer on my own accord and due to my own research. I certainly don’t feel the need to “prove” myself to anyone in here, and last time I checked, the only persons that I need to account to was the IRS. Good luck on your searches for negative information, and rest assured while you are looking up stupid petty details, which no one really cares about, I will be chasing my next deal!

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 9:33 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Warren,

Please put me in that canoe as well… If Mike Voss and Steve in Texas are both in it, I know its headed in the right direction!!!! Thanks!

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 9:45 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

Gee, thanks for telling me what I wrote… I am very familiar… However, I NEVER said leasing the SAME car until retirement… Rather a series of cars until retirement…. Who’s the PANDEJO now you tool?! lol

… Your pathetic…

Oh and by the way, we are still waiting for your proofs… Oh yeah, you dont have any!

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 9:49 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Montelongo Foreclosure and Court Activity
Friday, October 12, 2007
It appears that Armando Montelongo experienced difficulty with some recent financing from VCH Funding Corporation. Montelongo’s company, Mandoman Management, Inc., fought off August 7, 2007, foreclosures on four separate properties by obtaining a temporary restraining order, allowing Montelongo the time necessary to line up alternate financing. The restraining orders ended on August 21, 2007. The cases now indicate that they have been terminated. Neither Montelongo’s Attorney nor VCH Funding have returned calls requesting comment.

You can view the court documents to learn more.

Stopping the foreclosures, if alternate funding can be obtained, is an very smart move. Same allows the lender to receive cash instead of properties, and allows the owner to continue forward with efforts to sell the properties for a profit. An important lesson to be learned in the current real estate market is that owners should communicate with their lenders when business is not going as planned. Often, lenders are willing to work with a borrower, or will at least delay action if the borrower presents a solid plan that benefits all parties.

Additionally, public records searches have uncovered additional foreclosures and civil cases, all of which may be of interest to our readers. Due to the high cost of copying, some of the civil cases only include dockets, and some foreclosures do not include deeds or trust and acquisition deeds.

Properties:

1139 Lombrano Trustee Sale
114 Repose Deed of Trust
114 Repose Trustee Sale
114 Repose Warranty Deed
131 Bristol Deed of Trust
131 Bristol Trustee Sale
131 Bristol Warranty Deed
1410 Thorain Trustee Sale
1419 Woodlawn Trustee Sale
158 Ballard Deed of Trust
158 Ballard Trustee Sale
158 Ballard Warranty Deed
238 Basswood Deed of Trust
238 Basswood Trustee Sale
238 Basswood Warranty Deed
254 St Francis Deed of Trust
254 St Francis Trustee Sale
254 St Francis Warranty Deed
3123 Hicks Trustee Sale
Camada Trustee Sale
Colina Moderena Trustee Sale
Devoto Trustee Sale
F Street Trustee Sale
Gardina Trustee Sale
Gibbs Sprawl Trustee Sale
Jefferson Trustee Sale
Kashmuir Trustee Sale
Lennon Trustee Sale
Pleasure Park Trustee Sale
Rivas Trustee Sale
Rose Trustee Sale
Rosewood Trustee Sale
San Carlos Trustee Sale
San Eduardo Trustee Sale
Topeka Trustee Sale
Weidner Trustee Sale
Winnepeg Trustee Sale

Civil Cases:

Allison, et al v Armando Montelongo LTD, et al
Bexar County, et al v Montelongo Acquisitions Inc, et al
Escalante, et al v Montelongo Developments LLC, et al
Montelongo v Waring Investments, Inc.
Olsen, et al v Montelongo Inc, et al
Summers v Armando Montelongo, et al

Thus far, the producers of Flip This House have been unwilling to show viewers less than successful results. As the market declines, property flippers across the country are suddenly finding that they’ve overbuilt, overpaid, or overestimated demand in their areas. Now is a perfect opportunity for A&E to show the bad, as well as the good.

Failure can often be more educational than success.

Hmmmmmm this is not the same Armando? Please post proof of your claims.

Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
Anita wrote:

I came here to see if anyone knows if Armondo Montelongo’s book was self-published or went through a legitimate publishing house. Some of the tales of hawking ebooks through his website make me think all his materials were self-published.

Anyone know for certain?

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 1:07 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

What I find sad, is A&E will keep Flopper on, even though he is so full of sh!t his eyes are brown, but they suspend Dog, because he used the ‘n’word.

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 2:16 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Well then “Warren”, you should have NO PROBLEM POSTING PROOF OF SOME PROFITABLE TRANSACTIONS HERE. LET’S SEE THEM.

You won’t, and we all know why: you have none. Just like Armando. (if not EXACTLY like, which is more likely)

To everyone reading this blog: note one consistent thing since day one: NO PURPORTED SUPPORTER OF ARMANDO HAS *EVER* POSTED PROOF OF EVEN A SINGLE SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION HERE. You cannot hide them -they are public record. They cannot be faked - the records don’t lie.

CONVERSELY, VERIFIABLE PROOF OF DOZENS OF FAILED TRANSACTIONS, SUCH AS ALL THE FTH PROJECTS, HAVE BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED.

Shill post after shill post, a new name every few days saying the same old stuff or some new twist on it, and yet the same thing has never been posted: PROOF OF EVEN ONE SINGLE SUCCESSFUL TRANSACTION.

The point of Armando’s crap is that it supposedly enables you to buy real estate and sell it for a profit, right? So tell me Warren, Alex, etc., etc. why the hell is it not one of you can post proof of a SINGLE profitable transaction???
I’ll tell you why: because there ARE NONE. 1300 posts over 6 months is enough. If anyone is still considering buying Armando’s garbage, ask yourself one simple question: if it works, why is there no proof of it and and tons of proof to the contrary???

END OF STORY. It has been proven beyond any doub t that Armando is a fraud and his materials are worthless.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 2:49 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

I was going to buy it on ebay, but then I remembered you can’t burn a ebook, so it has no value as a combustible either.

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 11:49 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Cadge™,

Nice post! ; )

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 11:54 am | Permalink
alex wrote:

well said Warren, a busines like ours is not for everyone, if you a chicken like most here then they wont jump in head first. i have and have made a few good investments and bad ones, were no different than our stock broker telling us where we should invest, in this business you have to trust who you work with and these people here have no knowledge of what they can do if they take the risk. enjoy your 400 a month social security check. when you retire.

i wil not need it because i am doing something about it now and not waiting on the goverment to take care of me. i rather learn the tricks of the trade now then wait til im 65 and not have a chance to live like i want live. everyone with a problem cannot make it in this world, they want proof, well tell us who your are and where you are. i just dont give information to anyone,search public records do your homework…..live and learn you old farts!!!!!!!!!!1

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
john wrote:

im glad a and e renewed montelongo.hes entertaining as hell.btw,i think the point of business is to make the largest roi.if armando can make profit on houses by taking a million shortcuts ,more power to him.this isnt habitat for humanity.its about the money.

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 4:59 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

Nice try! :-) You wrote “they want proof, well tell us who your are and where you are. i just dont give information to anyone,search public records do your homework…..”

Christopher Sullins
Lincoln Park, MI 48146
(313) 999-5275

Know you know who I am… And you know who Mike is as he has posted his contact info on here as well… Now man up and put where your transactions were… We’ll see…

But I am betting you will still play the coward role and not do it… As there ARE NONE in your case… Your a wanna be… A sad, sad, wanna be…

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 5:39 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex wrote: were no different than our stock broker telling us where we should invest.

Well there you go. You’re too lazy to figure out where to invest on your own??

You need a BROKER to THINK for you????

Shepple…bahhh bahhh

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

alex the brain dead illiterate loser follower wrote: “well tell us who your are and where you are.”

I’m Steve in Texas but this coming Tuesday through Thursday I’ll be at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Next question.

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 5:59 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Alex wrote that he didn’t give out information to anyone, search public records do your homework. That is just a stupid statement.
You typed in Post 1278 that your were a real estate broker in California.
Well, I did some searching in California and found that is where Armando bought his tank of gas to get to Texas. My search shows that he and Veronica have been involved with some sketchy real estate transactions in Santa Ana (Orange County) 3 addresses, Upland and Chino (San Bernadino County)another 6 addresses, and Riverside Riverside County) with 7 addresses, in California. And that is searching only by name and today I am searching by all his aliases. I am still researching, not because I am an old fart, age 32, but to show proof that Flopper ran from California on his last tank of gas because he was in deep $hit for the same stuff he is doing in Texas. I also am looking for YOU! If you are truly an Alex I am having problems locating you doing what you say in California. Care to be a little more in general? I am sick of the mis-information and $hit stirring coming from shillers. What does it take to get accross that this site was meant to help people NOT TO GET CONNED? My friend got mail from Floppers site offering to sell her one of his products for 1/2 off. If you look on Ebay his crap is selling/not selling for less than $3. I also have never got a reply from the email I sent him about this web site. How can he reply to the truth?
Armando, come out and face the concrete!

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Alex,

Everything you need to know about me is on my highlighted handle, click on it! ; )

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

Alex, Good posting. I dont care if you others are stupid enough to post your personal information and additionally request “supporting documents”. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, but to myself and my family and in that arena I am kicking ass! Additionally, hired counsel keeps me in compliance with state and federal law, and the IRS is happy and not hounding down my doorstep, and those are the only things that matter most. Seems to me that “Steve in Texas” and “Mike Voss” are typical hypochondriacs that are against people who prefer to rehab a house and make money on the WHOLE deal versus a commission. Kudos to you for your hard earned commission…..I would rather sign my own checks that live off of someone else’s crumbs! Even if people DID fax credible documentation showing that a profitable deal was made, you would then doubt how I handled the flip and want more proof…. Then you would question other avenues of my management and so on and so on. The crap would never quit because you are so bored with you abundant free time in between commissions that you have nothing better to do those of us like Alex and myself that are trying to earn a better dollar in a faster more efficient way. I will give you some FREE advice now - Learn to work SMARTER, not HARDER. John hit it on the head for those of you who didnt do “Hooked on Phonics for RE guru’s”…..its all about the money. If you make yours your way, and I make mine MY way - who cares what method YOU used???

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 9:25 pm | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Blah blah blah is all alex (Armondo) says no substance what-so-ever .
Why are you ignoring Mike Voss’s post 1298 ?? Cause you know he is right about you . CHICKEN :)

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 9:59 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

john wrote:
“im glad a and e renewed montelongo.hes entertaining as hell”

Don’t count your chickens til your eggs hatch buddy. This site is getting around, and around and around………..

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 10:29 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Thank you Steve in Texas ;)

Alex\Armando\insert_shill_name_of_choice, I’m not an old fart. This is who I am —> http://www.myspace.com/karenjensenclark I live in Houston, Texas 77071, soon to be Bellaire, Texas 77401 (chasing my next deal and a better place for my next flip). If you email me through myspace I’ll give you my phone number. I’m not afraid to share details about myself. I want proof about yours. And I’m making it just fine, have a great life, few problems, and won’t be needing social security OR an Armando course to achieve my financial goals, thanks for your concern. I’m just here because this amuses me in between trips to Home Depot.

I thought I’d share the way I financed my last car as another way to keep your own money in your pocket and still get what you want. (Armando, listen up, you might want to put thes legitimate ideas in your ‘courses’, feel free to steal this material as you’ve borrowed from other sources) First of all, I’m lucky enough to have enough cash on hand to go buy a new car outright. But then, after handing all that money over to a car dealer, I would no longer have that cash, and would have purchased a depreciating asset that immediately lost value once I drove it off the lot and would continue to depreciate. Cars are not an investment. They are, however, a necessary way of life in Texas due to our lack of good public transportation and long distances to get anywhere. So, no matter what, I must have a car. I already have an 11 year old Saturn with 235K miles on it that was paid for a long time ago that I use for beating around town. I kept it because it’s reliable and cheap to maintain. But I recently wanted a second brand new car (my other second car, a Buick Regal of the same age was donated to charity at the time) to flaunt my status a little without being too ostentatious or flashy.

Here’s the math: I purchased a new Beetle convertible and “financed” $20K. I took $20K of my own money and purchased a 5 year CD at my credit union that was paying 4.5% return, with the option if the interest rates went up I could bump it upwards (’step-up’) twice with no penalty. I then pledged that $20K CD as security on a secured loan to myself for 5 years at 6% (locked in). I have the added benefit that the car was then completely paid for when I drove it off the lot and if I really was ever strapped for cash in an emergency, I could always borrow against the car. I also didn’t have to worry about getting approved for a loan, and my credit union reports my payments to the credit agencies, improving my credit. Because my payments are automatically debited, I have a perfect loan payment record.

Now, you might say, hey, if the CD is earning less interest than the interest of the loan, how is that a good idea? You can check this out at any loan calculator and/or investment calculator site (Bankrate.com has good ones), but here is the math in short: $20K CD for 60 months at 4.5% intersest compounding daily earns $25,046 after 5 years. (Remember I have two options to ’step-up’ the CD if interest rates go up so I might make more, which I did when it hit 5%, but I’m keeping the math here simple.) My payments on a $20K loan for 60 months come to $386.66\mo and the total amount of payments over the life of the loan is $23,200. Basically, it’s a forced savings plan where over 5 years I actually make $1,846 (subtract loan payments made to CD maturity value). While not the greatest ROI, the car is still paid for and worth something, my credit union actually lost money on the deal (if you hate banks like I do, it’s kind of fun to do this - sticking it to them and beating them at their own game), and I have $25K after five years to go do it again. Because, let’s face it, no matter what, yes, I have to have a car and I’m going to have to buy one somehow no matter what. Just better that I get to keep my money and profit off myself instead of letting a finance company get it. Worst case scenario, if I had a huge real life emergency and could no longer make the payments, I liquidate the CD and pay off the loan and keep the remainder, but that’s not going to happen and it’s a nice secure feeling to have.

While I know most people don’t have enough cash on hand to do this themselves, it’s a worthwhile goal to work towards getting one’s current car paid off, keep driving it, and then take what you were making in payments and sucking it up and saving that money so you can finance your next purchase yourself. Not a shortcut to success, just a long term plan towards financial security. It takes years to build wealth, not months. Just like you can’t lose 20 pounds in a week unless you cut off your arm, one has to work at it and then keep working at it once you get to goal marker and then make a new goal. There is no instant gratification.

This financing idea would work for more than just cars, like financing a boat, an education, or a way to finance your own flip, or then only borrow against a property’s value with a regular or hard money lender for a construction loan and securing it with the property if necessary. I’d rather go to an investor I might line up and say hey, I’d like to borrow $100K, but let’s hedge your security interest by buying a CD(s), borrowing against the CD(s) (show them the math), I’ll go buy the property whose ARV is $150K but selling for $70K (you make your money when you buy right, right?), put $30K of estimated improvements into it, and after realtor fees and carrying costs, we’ll net maybe $25-30K to split. And your money is secure in a bank\credit union. And then we can go do it again. Because the rates you can get with a bank doing it that way are way less than the 17%+ charged by the hard money lenders, and the math still works out in your favor after you figure in the amount paid in principal\interest earned, etc. That, my friends, is “Creative Financing 102″. And I don’t have to defraud any lender or friends to do it.

I’d also like to add that there is a new Texas state law on the books as of September 1st that says “…home builders slightly more accountable if they build a defective home, and also have broadened the definition of who qualifies as a builder… House flippers and other individuals who rehabilitate homes don’t have to register as “builders,” but need to be aware that they must guarantee their fixer-upper work.”…”…Starting Sept. 1, remodelers who do more than $10,000 of work to a home will have to register with the Texas Residential Construction Commission.”…”Pretty much anyone — other than decorators and interior designers — who makes more than $10,000 in “material improvements” to a home and doesn’t occupy it for a full year, also will have to give the same warranty on the improvements that a builder would”…”It includes, for example, people who build their own home and sell it quickly, or who quickly rehab an existing property and put it back on the market. “If the owner sold within a year, the homeowner has to warrant the home,” said Patrick Fortner, spokesman with the TRCC.” Previously, the amount was $20K. The TRCC also now can issue cease-and-desist orders to try to stop people from building homes or doing remodeling work if they repeatedly have refused to register or have let their registrations lapse. FYI - I didn’t find the Montelongos listed when I searched the TRCC website.

Posted on 04-Nov-07 at 10:57 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Warren\Armando\insert_shill_name_of_choice:

Where there is smoke, there’s fire.

I’m not stupid for posting personal info; unlike you, I have nothing to hide and can conduct my life as an open book. Unlike you, I don’t have an attorney on retainer to make sure I’m in compliance with the law because I’m not doing anything shady. Let us know when you have something constructive, informative and useful to share with the masses. Oh, and legal. Please give us some detail or wisdom dripping you learned from Armando that assisted you in making a profit since you bought his courses? Share. Or does my math confuse you?

FYI, a hypochondriac suffers from extreme depression of mind or spirits often centered on imaginary physical ailments. I don’t see what relation that has to general concern about rip-off artists? Contrary to your position, I believe Mike Voss and Steve in Texas, among other regular contributors, are PRO-flipping and making money, as long is it is done honestly.

P.S. You seem overly concerned with the IRS.

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 2:12 am | Permalink
Nate wrote:

All I can do is just shake my head at some of you. You guys are insane. Your hatred or fascination of Armando Montelongo to this level is incomprehensible and a waste of time. There are tons of people out there like this guy but do we need to create a website or lawsuit for every single person with an infomercial on late night television?

I guess what really makes me sick is another stupid lawsuit like this one.
I purchased a home that was a flip house… The sellers however did not mention anything about the mold growing underneath the freshly laid sheet rock or crawl space thought until my family started getting ill. I’m in a real lawsuit fighting that right now. Somehow my lawsuit equals out to about 10k but something as retarded as this could equate out to millions somehow.

I neither love or hate armando montelongo. I occasionally watch the show and find his episodes to be the most entertaining. I saw that he had a book out and decided to have a quick look and stumbled upon this. While I have not purchased and probably will not purchase it, this web site has had no effect on my decision and is WAY overkill. Thank you for once again reminding me how I hate our justice system.

I hope that no one makes a dime from this and it seems to me that the creator is either out of his mind or is making a get rich quick scheme of his own. On that note I’d like to leave everyone with this question. What has this guy ever done personally to ANYONE on these boards?

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 3:36 am | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Nate,

I’m a little confused by your defense of a ‘flipper’ like Armando whom, if you’ve followed what happened with the Cat House, would sell to you a defective house like the one you are now suing your sellers about. I sense greater personal frustration over the legal process and the justice system. I witness it firsthand every day; one rarely gets the kind of justice they deserve. There has been plenty posted here substantiating Armando’s shoddy workmanship performed in his projects under his supervision. Have you read every post?

I don’t either love or hate Armando Montelongo, as much as I’m appalled by his business practices, which is what draws me here, because of what I do for a living. As such, I have the ability to dig a little further than most and make certain inquiries of governing bodies here in the State of Texas because my curiousity is piqued. I’m in the process of doing so, but it’s too soon for me to respond with any findings in detail.

While Armando has not done anything to me personally, I think some posters have stated he nearly took their hard earned money (or did shake a few bucks out of them) and they are grateful they stumbled in here. If this thread has saved one person, it’s been well worth it. Heck, you yourself didn’t buy his books or his courses.

This whole website is really just meant to keep us informed about the lawsuit over how A&E stole Richard Davis’ idea. This thread within said website is specific to Armando Montelongo. There are other about the other FTH participants. I don’t think anyone is making any money except A&E.

Good luck in your lawsuit.

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 10:53 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Cadge™

your fiancing on your beelte is genius. I recently had to purchase a newer vehicle, as my older and paid for one was totaled in a accident, that was not my fault. I told my wife we would do something similar. Make the payments on the van because it builds and reinforces good credit. If our settlement from the insurance company was greater or equal to the borrowed amount on the new car, we would take that and drop it in to secured CD’s at a decent interest return rate. The premise is the same, we would come out ahead if not equal in the end.

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

If you want to learn how to cut courners watch Holmes on Homes.

Armando says in his free vid clip on his site, “over estimate your construction costs by $20,000.00 take that and put it in your pocket. You get paid at the start and at then end when the house sells. Now borrowing an extra $20 grand is not getting paid, it is a loan, and that $20 grand is money you have to pay interest on and you have to pay it back….so in a nut shell all you did was put yourself farther in debt, and takes away from your bottom line, if the market drops, or if you have hidden costs.

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 12:19 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

To everyone here against people like Armando. Instead of writting about it, do something about it. You want to help people not get scammed. Your all well financed, produce a commercial and have all the networks play it 24 hours a day. If you really care. I doubt you will, because your all so perfect. Look back at your life, youll see your not perfect. So stop tring to be Mother Teresa and the Pope. Life is Life, I do what I do for myself and my family,and i can sleep at night with no hesitation. You want to stop the con’s and scammers? If you succedd then who will run the country, all the con’s are ,the president, (convinced all you red blood amerincas about weapons of mass destruction) that’s your president)politicians, congress,councilmen, corupt police,county employees looking for a kick backs(and belive me we have been hit quite a few times by city inspectors).Predators,theres a whole website on them, pick one and go protest in front of his home..Those are your criminals,Steve and Mike you know where Armando is why dont you go and confront him.

Nate your issue is hard I can agree, but if your were represented by a Realtor then that realtor should have suggested a physical inspection of the propety at the beginning of the transaction, second that realtor should have given you a past history of the property thru “public records”. at that point you either do the inspection or sign a waiver, if your realtor did not do any of these then you have a right to confront him/her. If you werent represented by a realtor, then Good Luck on getting the seller to pay you to fix the problem. Its tuff, that is why people should always use or at least consult a REALTOR.

Good Luck Nate.

Hey Steve I will see you in Vegas, I will be there also. Look for me @ the Poker table, take Mike with you.

And Chris your an idiot…….Cadge get a job CEO of you couch is not profitable ( you can always sell your beetle)……..AND WARREN !!!SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!!

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 3:11 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Warren: (rhymes with “moron” kinda)

Your tirades don’t even make sense. I’m a builder - I get paid by selling at a profit, not any kind of commission. You sound *exactly* like Armando, including talking about nonsense and things you don’t comprehend.

Nate: That’s brilliant. You got screwed on a house you bought that was sold to you with mold - a significant defect bad enough to kill you or cause the house to possibly need to be torn down - and yet you cannot understand why people spend time here preventing Armando from doing the same thing to anyone buying a house from him and, of more concern, people buying a worthless course from him? Had you done proper research in advance you would have hired a certified, competent inspector who should have found signs of that mold and referred you to a specialist for more testing.( or offered to do it themself if they are mold certified which most inspectors are NOT, btw)

As you;re probably not an expert, you should have done research to see what you needed to get inspected and how before making the purchase - there are many sites to tell you this information.
Just like people who might buy Armando’s crap should do their research first…and find everything unearthed and exposed here. THAT is why people spend their time here for free. Then, if they make the mistake of giving away their money, we did what we could.

That you don’t see the point of why we’re here other than to think we’re expressing “hatred or fascination” leads me to believe you missed the point entirely just like you missed following the proper steps to not get stuck with a house full of mold.

Probably this site hasn’t much to offer you. Best of luck with your remediation.

Mike Voss

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 4:49 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

I have to admit that “Steve in Texas” and “Mike Voss” are the real idiots here. Have you bought Armando’s Master home study course? I am wondering on how you judge his real estate strategies and call him a scammer when you havent reviewed or studied what he has to offer. You both are hypochondriacs because you have nothing else better to do but belly-ache about something you don’t understand…..blah blah blah and more blah….like a bunch of old geese that cant make up their mind if they need to eat or crap. I challenge you to publish a book or make a informative website, or produce a video that can educate people on a better way to do flip’s….until then spare the rest of us the rose garden of crap. Its not like your crap doesn’t stink either or you’ve never made a few mistakes. We all have and while I learned from mine, I hope you were paying attention enough to do the same.

Me concerned about the IRS??? Not reall, I sleep VERY well at night, and I use every loop hole I can to avoid wasting money to a fiscally irresponsible government, and keep the profits in my pocket where they belong. Funny how every real estate transaction is similiar in one way or another, and Armando has put together a package that better helps other understand the process, additional strategies, and other concepts in a way that has never been discussed before. Sounds to me as though you are a bit jealous and insecure that you didnt capitalize on this opportunity but you know - the early bird gets the worm!

Greg is on the list of complete morons all by himself. If you watch the video again, Armando said he used a PRIVATE LENDER which allowed him to surpass the 70% ARV. Then he said he only NEEDED 40k for repairs out of an allowance for 60k, thus having the 20k to put in his pocket up front, and later use for overages if needed. Watch the video again, and maybe you will learn something. The concept isnt really that hard, so the rest of the class will help you out if you need extra help…..

If Cadge is so worried about A&E stealing Richard Davis’ idea, why are they still showing his show? I haven’t read a blog anywhere where Richard has complained about a single thing…..

Hey Alex, dont worry…..why these idiots are wasting time complaining about every single thing in life - we will be stealing the deals before they get to them!

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 6:49 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I will make this short. If you do not like what is on this site then stop reading, posting and aggrevating. If you can’t Put Up then Grow The He!! Up.
Freedom of Speech is what we are all entitled to but I believe it was written and passed for sites like this to get the Right information to the public. I would love to call a few of you Schmucks but then I would drop to your level. I am finding unbelievable amounts of information on Flopper and having a blast doing it.
adios for todays post but more to follow,
Jen

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 6:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Armando I mean Warren, if I put the $20 grand in my pocket cause I got paid at the start, and I spend that money on oh I dunno things like tools and gas, food for my family, and I run short then I screwed myself, right? Is this where you come in and save my flip, by buying me out at a discount?

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 7:50 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

oh ya I am the dumbass right. My money is in my pocket not yours I mean Armando’s. Makes me a hell uve alot smarter than you!

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

Sorry Also found this site, now Armando claims to find this Joel Therien Character and they made $1300 in ONE minute with his sytem haha they are unreal
http://gvolive.com/

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

Side note his “trick” is using his name in a URL to get you money in an affiliate program…So you become an “affiliate” of Armando and you create a web address such as http://www.imanidiot.armandomontelengo.com

You get paid a certian affiliate amount for every cd collection ebook you sell that someone buys through your URL

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 8:44 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

Nice of you to address my post to you… UNfortunately you forgot the most important part - WHERES YOUR PROOF OF YOUR CLAIMS???? I understand your slow… So I will ask a third time, WHERE IS THE PROOF OF YOUR CLAIMS? Oh yeah, there is none…

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Warren,

Boy! You really put your foot in your mouth and showed everyone what a tool you are here… You said about Mike Voss “I am wondering on how you judge his real estate strategies and call him a scammer when you havent reviewed or studied what he has to offer. ”

Uh, have you read the main page of this site? How about the rest of the messages on this thread? IF so, you will see that Mike Voss HAS read Armandos crap, and even written a whole review of it! hahahahahahahahahaha

You obviously were blind to all that, and made yourself look totally retarded and incredible here…

Just to make sure you dont miss it again, here is the link… Enjoy… I bet Armando has! lol hahaha

http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/08/28/mike-voss-reviews-armando-montelongos-e-book/

Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 11:39 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Aw, Alex/Armando, sweetie, you took the time to peruse my webpage and twisted my humorous description of my job as CEO of my sofa completely out of context, just like you twist things here. I’m so flattered, yet concerned by your lack of a sense of humor. I thought the real Armando would be funnier.

Actually, I did a little research today in my firm’s law library looking at the form language used in structuring a land trust and depending on how Armando is structuring his deals, ie., playing with the numbers, and who gets named as beneficiaries of the trusts, he could be committing loan fraud in some instances, but not in others. I haven’t had time to look at all the filings in Bexar County yet. I’ve been a little busy picking out paint colors because I’m not Veronica. I will admit, she’s better than me at that.

There are some legal ways to pay yourself if you are the contractor on a deal (known as contractor profit), but you have to be a licensed contractor for it to be legal. Either way, it’s still stupid to pay yourself with borrowed money. The math doesn’t work out in one’s favor in the long run for too many variables to go into here. In short, you’re building a financial house of cards that will fall down eventually when you can’t sustain it anymore if one does it like Armando is suggesting. Besides, contractors get paid at the end of the job, not up front. Has anyone determined and done the research if Armando has a valid GC license?

Warren, you failed to go look up ‘hypochondriac’ in the dictionary before using it in a sentence again. I give you an “F” tonight. Richard Davis didn’t post a blog to complain about A&E, he filed a lawsuit. Have you not noticed what this website is about? I’m beginning to worry about your reading comprehension skills. And you said IRS again! *snort* Also, Armando may be using a private money lender for that deal, but he’s advising his students in his other videos and in his course to start out with HARD money lenders. So he’s not practicing what he’s preaching. The only people who make any real money fast for doing nothing going that route ARE the hard money lenders. I’m also curious as to why you were posting here instead of attending Armando’s live webinar tonight? You seem to now be pushing his courses as if you were his shill *cough* student?

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 12:55 am | Permalink
John wrote:

“What Jennifer Said”
I have seen a few of these Mando FTH episodes and consider them Very Entertaining. Primarily due to the Fact these people are Supposedly “Experts” in the field and are Totally Clueless in the area of “Home Inspection” with regard to Pre-Flip qualities in these houses. Only to Rely on “The Eye” of Mando !! What a JOKE.

“In this World, Evil Will Prevail for As Long as Good People Stand By and DO NOTHING !!!”

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 2:24 am | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Warren
Look on the home page of this web site and you will find the link “Mike Voss Reviews Armondos Montelong’s E-book” so yes we have read (your) Armondo’s E-book

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 8:01 am | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Armondo calling people idiots does not motivate us to buy your product oops !

Oh, by the way there is SITLL no prove just blah blah blah

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 8:08 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Timmy wrote: “Side note his “trick” is using his name in a URL to get you money in an affiliate program”

He also had on his site that he’d be paying out UP TO $10,000, in other words it’s capped! I’m sure that’s long gone so once again the SUCKERS are left holding the Armando bag and his URL is all over the Internet

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 12:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Timmy wrote:

Side note his “trick” is using his name in a URL to get you money in an affiliate program…So you become an “affiliate” of Armando and you create a web address such as http://www.imanidiot.armandomontelengo.com

You get paid a certian affiliate amount for every cd collection ebook you sell that someone buys through your URL

sounds like a MLM scam.

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 2:23 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Armando or whatever you want to call yourself. I thought I should inform you, that I am no idiot. I drive a truck cause it pays well, and it’s not to stressful! My background is simple. When from 18 to 23 I was a Electrical Mechanical Engineer, in the Cdn Armed Forces. When I got out after doing my part, I got my first job in construction I worked general residential construction, progressing to renovation rehab market place. My last job before I went back to trucking, was a reno on a $800,000.00 home. Total invested was in the $100,000.00 range. When the home was done it was valued at over 1.5 million. I worked directly under the GC, handled subs, the owner, the designer, and dealt with building inspectors. I watch flopper and see the short cuts, and his errors. I have been offered opportunities to work on my own on smaller jobs, but really would rather work some where else, and do my own home.

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 4:48 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

First of all, Cadge, I think I love you. I assumed that Warren meant “hypocrite,” but I doubt he knows the difference between a hypocrite and someone who suffers inexplicable physical maladies.
Second, I am a lawyer. Cadge, please don’t beat me up. I wish I were licensed in TX, but I am not. I have experience in Fraudulent Transfer law (UFTA). I have tried (and won) many cases to “pierce the corporate veil,” for common law fraud and consumer protection law violations.
I am concerned enough about what I have read here to suggest that anyone who has been defrauded by Mr. Montelengo should not hesitate to contact the Texas Attorney General’s office. My advice for Alex/Warren/Armando is run and hide.
I’d like to offer free legal assistance to anyone who has been defrauded by these clowns, but as you can imagine, I’m cautious as to how that might work in this format. Perhaps someone might offer a suggestion as to how I might be able to help out and still preserve the necessary anonymity. In any case, keep fighting the good fight. Reason will prevail and justice will be done.

Posted on 06-Nov-07 at 11:55 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

RayMass, you could create either a generic myspace of Facebook account. Posting either would allow people to contact you, and for you to vette them so to speak. Or a generic website linked to this one maybe a answer as well. At anyrate thanks for your offer, I am sure there will be many (class action?) that will require some assistance.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 3:39 am | Permalink
spear wrote:

First off just because Armando took a $11,000 loan out against ONE of his properties doesn’t mean he is a bad flipper. He could have easily spent the majority of his funds buying dozens of properties. I know investors that have done the same thing. You people obviously have no idea about real estate. A deal is never done until the dotted line is signed and the buyer is handed the keys. A good flipper has moved onto the next project by then. That is how you are able to keep money coming in. Now if your last project has not sold and you need money for the new project taking a loan against the property isn’t that bad. You just hope to make it up on the next deal. For all you doubters and nay sayers know Armando could own 20-30 properties right now and not have millions in the bank. I also watch the show and seen him talk about bankruptcy and welfare. He doesn’t hide his past. He has to know something. So what if he might stretch the truth. That is what keeps you idiots watching his show and coming back to this site to nit pick. I think you are all broke. There is not one successful person on here that has any idea on how to flip. In flipping sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down. It is all part of the game.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Aw, RayMass, lawyer love (are you single?)! If your state doesn’t have reciprocity, you can always apply to our state bar for permission to try cases here. You’re right, anyone who feels they feel they have a valid consumer complaint about Armando Montelongo should visit the Texas OAG’s website at: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/consumer.shtml#file A case here would more likely fall under DTPA (Deceptive Trade Practices Act) statutes.

Yesterday, I put myself in other people’s shoes who might be starting out and have limited resources to get an education about real estate investing. I made a trip to the public library here in Houston for the first time in years and got a library card. Turns out, the Houston public library actually has FREE online ebooks that one can check out electronically and download to a computer! Just have to have the library card. I checked out four on foreclosures alone last night at home to compare. All for FREE. The library had over 300 books on the shelf about real estate investing, and that didn’t include what I could get via interlibrary loan. I would say everything available at the library compared better than all the various real estate gurus selling their courses at highly inflated prices.

I hope this info saves someone $97 or $997, or more.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 3:38 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

After some research Ive found this Armando’s other brother
http://www.powersurgesummit.com/

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 3:40 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

Spear! I see you and I are on the same team. I agree with you completely that the rest of these idiots, with the exception of yourself, myself, and Alex, dont have a clue about what we do.

To “Whatever” and “Cadge”…..I now know whose can’t read and decipher written materials. I never asked if you read Armando’s Ebook’s……I asked if you have reviewed / studied / or have his Master Home Study Course kit, which is apparent that you don’t……Obviously if you had previewed it or owned a copy, you would then know that the froms included with it are the same as ones used by RE agents and other sources. And Cadge while you are busy snorting and smelling your own pretentious filth, you failed to give yourself an “F” also. You are a hypochondriac and probably a hypocrite too…….all you people do is belly ache in your wanna be perfect cartoon world and judge others based on their desire to follow someone esle who is stepping up to the plate and giving an example of a better way to do things. I don’t see you publishing a book, or building an informative website educating others, and quite Frankly I think Armando beat you to it!

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 5:12 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Raymass, I dont need to hide, I have not done anything wrong. one thing is to be sued, you sould know that , another thing is to be guilty of what you being sued for. In my years of business of course I’ve been sued. Was I Liable NO!. anyone can sue for any reason . The problem with people is that they cheated or taken advantage of. We as a corporation cannot ignore a lawsuit we have to respond. So we spend more time putting money in your pocket and at the end always prevail. We educate our clients, not ripe them off. We work in an enviroment of referal’s, and that only comes from good service and educated clients who understand their own transaction enough that they can explain it to ther friends and family. We deal with each an every issue, we dont hide from our clients. We want our name mentioned as a reputable company at the weekend BBQ.

So in the end, I have a good repuable company. no one here has been affected by Armando perosnally and no one is benefiting from these post. Like it was said before Freedom of speach is the greatest thing in the world. so enjoy it and talked all you want. No one here pays my bills or puts food on my table and a roof overmy head….I do and how I make my money is the amerincan way. theres far worst people in this world and tring to stop one person is not going to change the world. so
WHATEVER I enjoy posting on my little breaks that I have throuhout my day.

Warren…keep doing what your doing..no one here can judge you they are not God…Slavery is a thing of the past “MASTER”..We own our own life and protect, feed our children..”See you at the top”

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

HAHAHA
http://www.armandoinfo.com/
Watch until 21.10 in…The guy says Armando flips 30 houses a month…Armando makes him sztop and corrects him and says wait wait lets clarify “I flipped up to 30 houses a month about 7 or 8 years ago” he doesnt have time now with the tv show etc now… HAHAHAHAHAA p3wnd

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 5:49 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Just to give some of you shillers the benefit of the doubt that you are not Armando, I invited him to join us. I sent him some material, public of course, that he probably will want to respond to. It’s just a matter of time before A&E gets sick of the email generating from here and many other places on the net. Also I clicked on armandomontelongo.com today and he has an updated e-mercial only I believe that it is fraudulent because it is him stating that he wants to employee, at no salary, a new intern for FTH. That is called “False Advertising”. He asks for you to fill out the form if you would like to be considered. However, that form is for interest in buying his product and says nowhere on there about the job opportunity he is talking about in the video. It might have asked for your credit score though…..ha! BTW, he looks very shaggy, unshaven, stressed and has gained more weight. He sure doesn’t dress like Trump. I wonder if he is still running around in his old jap flaps? Maybe he will come out of the closet and explain the method to his madness. I sent this invite to him Tuesday at 7 p.m. cst and I just posted this comment on Wednesday at 5 p.m. cst. Looks like we have a new guest, SPEAR, who just might be another shill/Armando still not stepping up to the plate!
As for Alex, Warren, Spear — ever hear of Jim Jones? Betcha Armando has! Dresses like him too and all he needs is to wear the sun glasses.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 6:04 pm | Permalink
Barbara wrote:

Alex wrote: Theres far worst people in this world and trying to stop one person is not going to change the world.

You’re an idiot. Aside from your inability to write properly, your whole philosophy is sick. One person can make a difference, and if able to do so, he or she is morally obligated to look out for the next guy. You live in a very sad world. If you and Warren so strongly disagree with the comments on this thread, go read something else. You’re not needed here.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

I find it so interesting that Alex’s post are always followed by Warrens, or Warrens posts are followed by Alex’s. I wonder if the mod has tracked the ip’s he should look into spear’s as well.
DUH! why would any of us supposed idiot’s waste our hard earned money on Armando’s pile of crap. It has already been proven that his methods are just short of illegal activity, and that you can learn more by going to the libary. Please post some prove of your claims.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 6:42 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

To Armando’s obvious boiler room shills Warren, Alex and Spear:

You are all obvious shills and liars. Everyone here knows you are nothing more than Armando’s boiler room telemarketers who have been directed to post here and try to spin and deflect criticism.

None of you has any bona fides in construction nor remodeling as evidenced by your inability to post proof of even a single succesful transaction.

To everyone readig this blog, these are not even real people. They don’t exist, and the proof is that they will not identify themselves nor anything to prove they have any holdings or business transactions.

The fact remains unchanged: not ONE single person has EVER posted even ONE single real transaction on which they made a profit utilizing anything from Armando.

Case closed.

Posted on 07-Nov-07 at 7:54 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

Blah blah blah… More of the same huh? No proof still huh? Whats the name of this corporation you mentioned? lol Bet you wont give us proof… You havent yet… Yoru a coward… A fraud… A geek…

Posted on 08-Nov-07 at 12:04 am | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Armondo you and your imaginary friends are getting really boring .
Same-o same-o shills . YAWN
Get a clue already !!!!

Posted on 08-Nov-07 at 1:33 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Warren\Armando\Shill(s):

Why the hell would I pay to see Armando’s “Master Home Study Course” - the one that he is hawking for $997? I don’t need it. I’ve been investing in real estate since 1988. There is not ONE THING Armando could teach me, nor form he could offer me, that is worth that kind of money. I’d rather put that money towards my renovations, where I get real return upon my investment. Besides, if I really dug hard enough, someone has probably already posted it somewhere out on the internet for FREE. It’s called piracy and someone out there is already sticking it to Armando in return. It wasn’t too hard to find the $97 ebooks in pdf form (several pdfs - each chapter) along with it’s accompanying password to unlock the pdfs all for the taking for FREE. From reading Mike Voss’s review, it wasn’t worth my time to bother.

The one thing that bothers me most about the ‘gurus’ out there who sell their ‘forms’, is that they are grossly overpriced and one could buy such forms, at say: http://www.legalhomeforms.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-0562724-7287851?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=real+estate+forms Or, one could go to their local stationery store and pick up forms specific to their state for their individual needs. Whenever I needed a new lease contract for the next tenant when I was renting investment property out, I would go get the state specific lease I needed for a couple of bucks at the stationery store. Duh. So, provide ONE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE of ONE FORM that Armando is offering that is so special it’s not offered or obtainable elsewhere?

And Warren, SWEETIE, I give you a D- today. I’m glad you probably finally looked up the meaning of hypochondriac, but your average is being pulled down by your attitude. Nor have you offered one iota of helpful advice, enlightened us with one shred of knowledge gained from Armando’s courses that has profited you, or provided us with the specifics of one deal and how it worked. I have no intent of publishing a book on real estate or putting up a website to become an ‘internet marketer’ and grossly overpricing my product. If someone wants to ask me a question or needs my advice, they can email me through my myspace page (click on hyperlink of my name) and I’d be HAPPY to help. There are thousands of people already out there shilling, and Armando is just one of the latest in the sheep herd, not a pioneer. Nor have I seen where Armando’s advice is better, or informative. It’s just overpriced and from what I have seen, it recommends illegal practices, that if followed, could land a person in a lot of trouble. I don’t suspect you’ll be working for Armando for very long once the first subpeona hits you. Don’t look now, but there ARE governmental authorities building their cases. Is there internet access behind bars?

BTW - Today I checked out from the libarary for FREE: “Find it, Fix it, Flip it!” by Michael Corbett who has flipped more than 35 houses, made millions, and had multiple tv appearances and his own real estate tv shows. The other one I picked out was called “52 Homes in 52 Weeks” by Dolf De Roos, tracing his strategies and techniques for acquiring all that property in 10 months in real life. Amazingly, TWO example of people who are sharing their experience and advice with the world for under $15. (Of course, it was FREE to check out from the library.) I bet they make more and are worth more than Armando and not in any legal trouble either.

While there’s a sucker born every minute, I suggest A&E change the title of FTH for next season to “Flip this Property that I’ve Leveraged Illegally” so it’s more authentic.

Posted on 08-Nov-07 at 4:25 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

chris and barbera can suck a big one. I dont need to prove jack to anyone but myself. You are all full of it. Help one person BS. NO one here needs your help. its always the same people for weeks, No one saved. give it up. You wont win.

Posted on 08-Nov-07 at 9:21 pm | Permalink
Bill Turner wrote:

I BOUGHT ARMANDO MONTELONGO’S LEVEL 2 PACKAGE AND I NEVER RECIVED IT OR A REFUND. I HAVE TRIED SO MANY WAYS TO GET HOLD OF THEM, BUT THEY WILL NOT RETURN EMAILS AT ALL. SINCE I DID NOT RECIVE MY PACKAGE I WANT A REFUND BUT THEY WILL NOT ANSWER AT ALL.

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 6:55 am | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Alex,
by your reaction in post 1349 people in here have already won in proving your a fraud .

It still amazes me that alex, Warren and Armondo don’t disbute the facts on the home page of this web site .

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 8:43 am | Permalink
Whatever wrote:

Cadge you rock :)

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 8:46 am | Permalink
QUESTION wrote:

Webmaster please track the IP ads of Alex, Warren, and the others. They will be in Utah, where Armando has his coaching office. They are marketers for coaching services Armando is offering to people who have purchased his program. (These services cost SEVERAL thousand dollars.) I can only assume the reason they are using their real names is because Armando checks this website (think brownie points?) I think this kind of rebuttal is misleading and could definately backfire on the credability of the company (of what may well be a useful service.) They should also refrain from mentioning Mike Voss and this website while making their aggressive marketing pitch, it *MAY* spark curiousity in would-be suckers to go check out what they find so threatening. After reading these comments for an hour, I think it is obvious that Mike Voss doesn’t work for a competetor, and is not paid to make these statements. Why would you lie if you offer a legitimate service? Or be so silly as to use your real name when posting your success story about Armando’s system?

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 9:48 am | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Alex/Armando/shill: Bwahahahahahah.

Bill Turner: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/consumer.shtml#file

Whatever: :*

Webmaster: PLEASE enlighten us about the shill posts and their origins.

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 10:28 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

If anyone out there has a copy of Armando’s $997 “master” course and would be willing to lend it to me so I can review it here, please contact me by clicking on my name above and going to my website to ue the contact email link. I have a feeling there are people out there who are very unhappy with their purchase - let’s help others to not make the same mistake. I promise to keep your name/involvement totally confidential.

MV

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 4:03 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

Hahaha, THATS your response to us asking for proof of your claims? Hahaha, pathetic… Like Wahtever wrote in 1351, we just won in proving YOU a fraud! :-)

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 5:34 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Mike the real lies start with the multi thousand $$ mentoring program. Everything else should just be bait to get you hooked for more. I wish I had it I would send it in a heart beat. The thought of spending $1000 on a book of lies just sickens me. Cadge mentioned that you can unlock the PDF’s for free. Maybe she would share that info with you.

Posted on 09-Nov-07 at 9:34 pm | Permalink
Cathy wrote:

This is so sad. You people that are buying Armondo’s course, use your heads. This is where he is making his money, selling a binder full of common sense and bull*$@%. The man and his wife are liars and thieves. They are BANKRUPT! I don’t believe anything he says on his shows, but I will admit that I do occasionally watch them for a good laugh. It just makes me sick that he is taking advantage of people who are desperate to own a home. I don’t believe that he has sold many or any at all. If he has sold a house I would love to talk with the new owners to see what they have to say now. Anyway, even if you have money to burn, please don’t purchase anything from this man and his wife. Because you will just be helping fund his shady buisness. People like this need to be taught a lesson.

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 2:49 pm | Permalink
danny wrote:

i benn rehabing houes,for more than 20 years,anyone one who paints over switch covers instead of replacing them are not investors,but hackers.

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 3:44 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

Looks to me like there are TONS if idiots in this blog listing! Everybody seems to busy griping and carrying on, and not a single sould has proved anything. I have reviewed all of Dolf DeRoos’ materials as well as Armando’s, and if I wanted to be broke I would continue to waste my time listening to Dolf DeRoos who continually plays it safe and doesn’t offer specifics for others to use or review. Sounds like a bunch of old hens in here without the ability to lay eggs…..

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 5:13 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“danny wrote:

i benn rehabing houes,for more than 20 years,anyone one who paints over switch covers instead of replacing them are not investors,but hackers.”

I absolutely hate when people do that, it shows how LAZY they are. Switchplate cost as little as $.50 each.

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 6:33 pm | Permalink
What was That wrote:

Tim,
What in the world is Dolf DeRoos’ ??

Reading these post would save you money not make you broke DUH

Oh, that was one of Armondo’s clever post

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 9:28 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Tim you look like another shill post. Armando the Flopper gerting nervous? Afraid word is getting out. NEXT?

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 10:08 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

Mike Voss/Steve in Texas/Cadge:

The overwhelming stupidity consistently posted by you never ceases to amaze me. You need to get some Immodium AD to stop the leak of BS you seem to be suffering from. Hey Mike voss, for someone who seems to constantly call Armando a fraud, you sure seem to want to get your hands on his Master Course. Either one of two things is happening, probably both: you are too stupid to get Armando’s kit on your own, or YOU are too broke to get it on your own accord. Either way, I don’t think you would know what to do with it if you had it! I certainly didn’t pay $997 for mine, and any smart person would also get theirs at the discounted rate!

I appreciate the compliments by calling me “Armando”, since I am not him and certainly do not live in Utah. Nor do I work for Armando or his affiliates, but I will offer something else to think about….. You constanly call him a “fraud”, but since you have offered no specific proof of that, how does someone so broke have at least 12 websites, spend as much per month on gasoline as a mortgage payment, and fly all over the country doing seminars and events while you sit on your duff and just gripe and point the finger all day?? Let me spell it out for you since it is apparent that you failed math in grade school - he isn’t too broke, or broke at all since he seems to spend more than your income level! Secondly, you have produced no real evidence of anything that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a fraud at all. You certainly don’t have his SSN, DOB or any other specific information that would link him to your “Montelongo” in question. To let you in on a secret, San Antonio is a city that is 85% hispanic and other races are the minority. Having said that, Montelongo is a popular name, and I am sure through a quick search of public records, that he isn’t the only “Armando” with that last name! My advice would be for you to do your proper homework before you open the trash-smelling suck hole under your nose and spew out vague details and try to pawn them off as hardcore facts!

Funny how everyone in here constantly gripes about Armando’s coaching program, and no one has said a word about Robert Kiyosaki’s mentoring program which is very similiar in cost and in structure. Robert Kiyosaki doesn’t offer any “how to” advice in any of his books, only strategies and concepts that cause one to think about other possibilities, and at least Armando is offering “how to” advice! I certainly do not need Armando’s coaching course as I can manage my own financials and govern my own real estate projects on my own, nor do I market for others to use his coaching. People with half a brain are able to make their own decisions - oh wait, I forgot you guys left yours at home in the backyard!

Ok, so you don’t need or want Armando’s course, and you don’t think the forms he has provided will work since you have your own…..good for you, however I learned some good strategies and a few new places to look for deals in areas that people who don’t have his course will overlook. Its as simple as I will find deals before you will by looking in places that you will walk right by and not even take time to notice.

The whole purpose of this blog was to respond to the inquiry if anyone had ever purchased or reviewed Armando’s Master Home Course. I have and I liked it - Did I learn everything I know from it, obviously not, that is what licensing was for, but I did learn a few new things that I didn’t think about before. Everyone rants and raves about Dolf DeRoos’ materials, but while he himself is a very successful real estate investor, he has provided very little specifics on how to do things in a similiar structured fashion. If your pissed off that Armando has put out a product, and people are buying it and using it to gain additional knowledge, whether you agree with it or not, then you can simply make one of two choices. You can deal with it that he beat you to the punch and produced a product that you didn’t think about first, or you can ignore his success and produce an additional product that will educate people to your success and failures. Either way, no one wants to hear your complaining, belly-aching, and moaning about how you think he is such a fraud and how you think his system stinks, and yet you yourself have produced nothing substantial that can prove otherwise. You don’t educate others….you haven’t showed any web links that show what books or programs you have composed which can better assist others.

“Question”, you are the biggest idiot in a league all by yourself! Obviously, the webmaster isn’t going to honor your petty request due to Freedom of Speech, and further, I don’t live in Utah. I don’t need to make a marketing pitch since I don’t work for Armando, and if you think that my typed words appear as such, you are sorely mistaken about the true concept of marketing. You paw at people using their real name in this blog, but you yourself have been too timid to step up to the plate and do so yourself, showing the true nature of one who has something to hide.

If you want to know what is in Armando’s Master Study kit, I suggest you buy it yourself and see for yourself what is in it, as I am not going to leak or provide and details about it in here to persons I am not familiar with and could very easily be my competition. I don’t care about what deals you may or may not have done, and additionally realize how unprofessional and crude it would be for me to ask for proof of such as your matters do not concern me in any fashion. I don’t report to you, I don’t or ever will ask your permission for anything, and quite frankly don’t care about what you think about anything! And while I think the majority of you are suffering from a very limited vocabulary, “shill” seems to be the word of the day, but it sure sounds stupid and shows your ignorance.

Posted on 10-Nov-07 at 11:00 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Mike… When are we doing our surprise on the spot interview with our good old friend? :-)

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 12:20 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Nice tirade, “Warren” (Armando).

No substance in it whatsoever.
For you to try to pretend that some other Montelongo is the subject of multiple NODs, defaults, lawsuits, bad credit, etc., etc. is comical and pathetic. I know for a FACT it is the one and only Armando Montelongo from the tv show and in fact I DO know his DOB, SSN, etc. as those details are easily verified by anyone with the slimmest knowledge of investigative technique. Who the fuck do you think you are dealing with here? This site is run by a LAWYER. I have had LAWYERS who detest you send me reams of verified data of exactly who is behind all those Armando Montelongo defaults, car leases, bad credit records, lawsuits, etc., etc. Be glad I don’t post them and further embarrass you, and be REALLY glad we don’t pull the IP traces and show where your posts come from. It is THE Armando Montelongo on the TV show we all know who now uses his wife and anyone else’s credit he can because his FICO score is probably about 400 by now if he’s lucky.

All the crap you are so impressed by means nothing as far as wealth goes.
12 websites can be had for $12/month. Flying around the country costs a few hundred dollars. Armando Montelongo’s liabilities are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars minimum. His meager and rapidly diminishing speaking engagement schedule and the rapidly shrinking number of people he can con now that he has no tv show are drying up fast. I think I have handily proven that he is a fraud here along with many other people and that is obvious to even the most casual observer. You’re his only defender, and that’s because you’re him.

Face it Armando, you’re a fat, misogynistic, incompetent, self-aggrandizing, bullying, uneducated asshole who lied his way onto a tv show that didn’t do it’s proper due diligence and now you’re just a step ahead of another bankruptcy from which you’ll never recover and that’s if you don’t end up in prison first for stealing from decent people who were unfortunate enough to trust you.

You’ve been exposed for what you are. Run as fast as you can and try to do damage control, you;re re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Your time is almost over…tick tock.

I hear some MAJOR investigative news shows are also hot on your story. Can’t wait until that airs. You and Sam Leccima can maybe be cell mates when they foreclose on ‘rancho montelongo’.

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 4:14 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Well, “Warren”. The fact of the matter is your BOY Armando is a complete PILE of smoke and mirrors. ‘The biggest single family residential flipper’ in the entire U S of A? What do YOU call that? I call it FRAUD! All hat and NO cattle. Over 20 foreclosures in San Antonio in a single day! LOL Hard money loans out the wazoo. So, I need to pay $997 to learn how to be a failure? Yeah, he’s a slick ‘talker’, BFD. The fact of the matter is as a FLIPPER he’s loser. And, that IS what he’s SELLING, right?

And another thing. Has he paid off that small claims court judgment in California yet for $605 from the late 90’s? Hehe

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 7:16 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Warren wrote: “Montelongo is a popular name, and I am sure through a quick search of public records, that he isn’t the only “Armando” with that last name!”

Ive got TWO WORDS for you!

LEXIS NEXIS

Put in another quarter and try again! And by the way, it’s “Armando Montelongo Jr.”

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 7:30 am | Permalink
What was That wrote:

Warren,

Instead of insulting people in here why dont you prove them wrong ??

Also, you have never disputed the claims on the home page of this site .

Usually when someone has success they dont hesitate to show it off instead your just defensive , wounder why :)

Of course you will not answere my post cause you know I am right about you .

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 11:14 am | Permalink
What was That wrote:

Warren
YOU said you dont have to prove anything to anyone so,,,, why do you keep coming back to this site ???

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 11:57 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Warren, speaking engagements are usually paid deals. So flopper is being paid to appear. At least air, room, and meals. Bill Clinton nets well into the half million range to appear and speak.

Armando spends more on gas then we make in a month? Please explain how you can be certian of this, beyond the known fact that Hummers have horrible gas milage.

Mike said dit best. Websites are a dime a dozen, very cheap to set up and run, income is earned by sponsors or other advertizing.

Steve said it best. Smoke and mirrors. Armando has a house of cards.

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 12:07 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Warren,

Your a tool… A poor, obviously uneducated on Armando Montelongo tool…
You need to open your eyes! Your supporting a position that cannot be adequately or smartly supported! But hey, some people like being on the losing end of things…

You need to go back and re-read post# 1366… Mike Voss is right on…

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 5:23 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

Mike Voss you are so full of crap it smells in here. You need to go to the Gastro resident, and get your guts pumped! You say you have his SSN, and DOB, but have never posted any of that information to support your supposed facts. I find it funny how you’re supposedly sent informtaion by lawyers to someone who doesn’t have squat to do with their case….I think that would violate the clients right just a little!

Greg, are you really that freakin stupid?? You just proved my point by admitting that Hummers get bad fuel mileage….

And I guess “What Was That” I keep coming back to this site for the same reason you do - I enjoy a good debate and have a few free moments! Seems awful funny that your post comes right after Mike Voss’, and I think you are probably him in disguise, too chickenshit to have any really fuel to support your point of view!

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Warren wrote: “I find it funny how you’re supposedly sent informtaion by lawyers to someone who doesn’t have squat to do with their case….I think that would violate the clients right just a little!”

First of all, what client? What case? What part of attorney/client privilege is “violated” if there is NONE, dipstick!

Warren the idiot also wrote: “You say you have his SSN, and DOB, but have never posted any of that information to support your supposed facts.”

SSN 449-87-XXXX
DOB 10/1970

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 9:08 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Warren you said:
“You constanly call him a “fraud”, but since you have offered no specific proof of that, how does someone so broke have at least 12 websites, spend as much per month on gasoline as a mortgage payment, and fly all over the country doing seminars and events ”

I stated a well known fact that Hummers have the worst fuel milage….and asked how you would know this out side of that fact. Maybe if he wasn’t tool’n around in his RENTED hummer, he could afford to pay one of his MORTGAGE payments, and would not have to fend off foreclosures in court. Warren you have a few minutes in your day and enjoy a good debate? I think you are directed to come here and attempt to spin some damage control. Nice job on those deck chairs, can you reset the shuffle board, hey whats that its a iceberg!

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 9:12 pm | Permalink
What was That wrote:

Well I do have a crush on Mike Voss ;)

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
What was That wrote:

“chickenshit” ?? oh please Warren grow up

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 9:21 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Warren,

I can say all I need in in a few lines…We all know you are Armando’s Bitch!

Posted on 11-Nov-07 at 9:39 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Warren you’re not even smart enough to know how stupid you are - that is the true definition of ignorance.

Posting someone’s personal data maliciously is criminal - hence Steve’s masking it in his post. Unlike Armando, we’re not criminals here. Further, the lawyers I refer to are not involved on any of his cases, they are people like state’s attorneys who are investigating him for criminal complaints, you moron.

Give up, you’ve been soundly beaten and shown publicly to be a fool and confederate of Armando. All you’re providing now is entertainment for everyone reading this.

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 12:27 am | Permalink
Jail Card wrote:

Armondo ,
Go to Jail. Move Directly to Jail .
Do Nnt Pass “Go”
Do Not Collect $200.

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Warren\Armando\Shill,

You seem to know an awful lot about where poop comes from. Today you get an “F” for your flatulence.

Using my background checking skills, it wasn’t too hard to confirm everything being posted here about Armando Montelongo… the same one from tv who is also hawking his courses and coaching. He’s a fraud and in deep financial trouble and under investigation by multiple sources… not any of the “other” Armando Montelongos living in the State of Texas, including the other Jr. who lives in El Paso. Hint: It was very recently Veronica’s birthday too. I’ve got David and Melina’s personal info as well. Trying to unravel the shell game Armando plays is like peeling layers off an onion. You didn’t do your due diligence at all about what you bought before you bought it. Not very professional and a rookie mistake.

For you to be my competition, you’d first have to be playing in my league (the majors) and be bringing your “A” game. When you graduate from the little league and quit hitting off the t-ball stand, let us know.

Anyone else notice when you google “Armando Montelongo Scam” (or Fraud) he has paid to toplist the search result to redirect to his website? Too funny.

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 1:07 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Warren,

Just in case your too dumb to have caught it, Steve in Texas wrote exactly what we claim to have… He wrote (in post 1374), “SSN 449-87-XXXX
DOB 10/1970 ”

Of course, this is also exactly what you doubted that people had! Hahahahahahahahaha The jokes on you Warren… Keep sticking that foot in that mouth…

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Turn in tomorrow to read that Warren and Alex have taken their foots out of their mouths and stuck them up each others butts!
Nobody says it better than Mike!

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
Warren wrote:

You guys are idiots, and haven’t proved anything other than you have too much free time. If you wasted half as much time finger-pointing, griping, and moaning about all of the so called BS you believe to be true as you did in other things in life, you would probably be a multi-millionaire by now! I guess we agree to disagree since you don’t believe my stance no more than I believe yours!

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 9:41 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:

Hey Cadge,

Anybody can make more money than you since, you’re supposedly a comedian, and not very funny!

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 9:44 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Warren the moron wrote: “I guess we agree to disagree since you don’t believe my stance no more than I believe yours!”

Exit, stage left. Another one bites the dust

Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 11:06 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Warren, you told us you like a debate. So support your position. Please provide one shred of proof that will give you one ounce of credibilty. Problem isn’t that you won’t, its that you can’t. You can;t because you don’t have any. There are well over 1000 posts in this thread alone that support our position, and all we ask of you is 1 post with some documented proof. So you and Tim and all the other shill posters go meet around the water cooler, and fiqure out who’s gonna call and break the bad news to flopper.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 12:01 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

“Tim wrote:

Hey Cadge,

Anybody can make more money than you since, you’re supposedly a comedian, and not very funny! ”

Tim I am sure that Mike and Steve find her just as funny as I do. This girls a down right riot.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 12:03 am | Permalink
Big Money wrote:

Warren
Excuse me, you ARE talking to multi -millionaires who KNOW what they are talking about and KNOW Armondo is a fruad.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 8:52 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

THE HARD FACTS:

Number of posts in this thread: 1390

Number of posts supporting Amando where poster provides any verifiable proof of their identity: 0

(btw - funny ow only MEN support Armando, eh?)

Number of posts supporting Armando where poster demonstrates/describes useful information from course applied to real life real estate transaction: 0

Number of posters supporting Armando who appear for more than 2 weeks: 0

Number of verifiable profitable real estate transactions attributable to Armado’s materials: 0

Number of Foreclosures, lawsuits, and other legal matters currently pending against Armando: 30+

I could go on, but there’s really no point.

Final score:

Legitimate people: 1390
Armando and shills: 0

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 11:02 am | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

Tim\Armando\Shill: Humor is subjective. As long as more are laughing with me, I win. If you’re going to continue to heckle, let it be known that you’re a load your mother should have swallowed.

Besides my part-time comedy career, I work for a top law firm - and the attorneys work for me. I’m pretty high up in the firm. My assistant just passed the bar exam. I don’t work on any case worth less than a couple hundred million. Most of the time it’s in the billions, the kind you read about in the paper. I’m quite sure I earn a lot more in my day job than most two-income families. My hourly bill rate is more than most attorneys.

I’ve also been the primary shareholder in a couple of corporations I’ve formed and had a few dbas. I’ve provided start up capital to other successful businesses and been a silent partner. I also have a healthy stock portfolio. Oh, and I am a real estate investor\flipper. The current house I’m working on I expect to clear a minimum net profit of $75K, but maybe more. I have a handful of people who would like to go into real estate with me and they would back me with all the cash I need, but I like being my own boss on projects and not having to answer to other people about how I use their money on something and have to split my profits. I also have the dubious glory of being a trust fund baby (like Paris Hilton), but I like to live off what I can make on my own and don’t touch it generally. I’m definitely a millionaire on paper. The way I stay that way is I am extremely frugal.

Worst case scenario, I can always fall back on my skills with power tools as I’m not a bad carpenter. My grandpa taught me because he was a contractor.

So, if you think you can do better, tell us a joke. Otherwise, quit trying to pick up chicks here and go spend your hooker money or find a pro bono dominatrix with a fair amount of cheap wine so you’re too fucked up to get wood when you’re about to make your next bad decision.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 2:40 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Cadge™,

LOL Bravo, take a bow!

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
jennifer wrote:

I found this site where it shows there was a divorce filing for the two unique San Antonio lovebirds in 2003 and here is the proof!
http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP02.asp?txtLitIsn=0003424461
Another place for people to turn to if they want resolution on the product that they purchased from Montelongo,etc., is:
http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/report_fraud/index.html
(this may be a bogus site but thought I would throw it up here just in case)
PS: I still have not got replies back from Flopper on all the daily emails I am sending him. I just keep getting a case # and same old statement that they are going to respond as soon as possible. The oldest one is four weeks old but Flopper still has time to send out his “after taking a dump thoughts”.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
Richard wrote:

Rob wrote:

Sure Jeremy. I could e-mail you.Give me your e-mail address and I will contact you.

Posted on 03-May-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink

Can you send me your email address to rob I wanna learn more about this ebook

Posted on 15-Nov-07 at 2:49 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Richard wrote:

Rob wrote:

Sure Jeremy. I could e-mail you.Give me your e-mail address and I will contact you.

Posted on 03-May-07 at 10:26 am | Permalink

Can you send me your email address to rob I wanna learn more about this ebook

Go read the review on the main page of this site, and save your $$$$

Posted on 15-Nov-07 at 8:16 pm | Permalink
Walee wrote:

Hello all,

I have just started watching Armando Montelongo show (flip this house). It seems that Armando is not a good mentor at all. The episode with chris his intern, who then became his project manager. Armando did not offer this guy a finders fee and just threw him out to wolves. Chris could have made a hefty profit if he knew what to do. Chris is the one who found the property.

Guys, I have found a good mentor for anyone whom is interested. True hand holding mentorship. I can Also help anyone looking to make 12%- 18% return on there investment. Please email me @ Prosperityinvestmentgroup@gmail.com

Posted on 18-Nov-07 at 1:40 pm | Permalink
ken wrote:

I have been a contractor for 24 years. I specialize in interior renovations, and have an exclusive client base whose testimonies can back the quality and professionalins of my small company.

Posted on 19-Nov-07 at 1:53 pm | Permalink
Richard wrote:

Walee wrote:

Hello all,

I have just started watching Armando Montelongo show (flip this house). It seems that Armando is not a good mentor at all. The episode with chris his intern, who then became his project manager.

Well first off Chris=Intern which=free hello call any radio station and tell them you want to intern there is no pay

Posted on 19-Nov-07 at 11:15 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Richard/Armando
I do not regret to inform you that your services (nor anything else you wish to get off your chest)are not wanted much less needed here anymore.
Go back to your site and give your worthless opinions to some one who gives a $hit at armandomontelongo.com (and the other aliasis you use)! you monkey’s ass.
Jennifer

Posted on 20-Nov-07 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Jennifer, Post 393. I am not an Armando apologist (look up my posts). I said this on another thread, I dont see any point in bringing up the divorce filing back in 2003, which obviously never went through. Other than some people who just love to see other’s in misery that filing has nothing to do with his business dealings. All of us on here already know how he is as a person. There’s nothing good about a couple getting a divorce, especially when there are children involved. Unless that’s your cup of tea.

Posted on 22-Nov-07 at 4:39 pm | Permalink
Deanna wrote:

I must admit that I have found FTH with the Montelongo’s something I look forward to seeing everytime it’s on the air. Why? To see Armando make an ass of himself. Seriously,it’s like watching a train wreck. Even though you’re watching it…you just can’t believe it. He literally makes my skin crawl.

I have worked with professionals my entire work life and granted I’m not in the real estate game but honestly, who acts like this? Mr. Montelongo pushes the envelope on caveman behavior. He is clearly uncouth and his people skills are woefully lacking polish.

When I watched the very first episode with the Montelongo’s, it was very clear from the start that Armando, had a bit of the sleaze in him. I’ve known people like him and when you look closely enough…they are very transparent. You can see all the flaws.

The fact that he seems to have a sweet wife in Veronica is what bothers me a great deal. I live in San Antonio and have seen her at several stores in town and she does appear to be very kind and almost shy at times. It puzzles me as to why she has allowed herself to follow Armando, down a road paved with lies. I’m sure it wasn’t her idea. I’m not defending her. I’m just saying that at some point, if my husband was doing what Armando is doing….I would have left him. Being honest and forthright is mightly important in life. So the puzzle remains unsolved for me. When you lie down with dogs….

To all the folks that are so desperate to make money and buy Armando’s CD’s and books with their hard earned money; If you can replace that money immediately then spend away. If you can’t put that money back forget it. You are not ready to purchase anything that would make you suffer monetarily in the long run.

You want to make money? Or rather save it. Don’t listen to Armando. Listen to Dave Ramsey. You can read his books for free at Barnes & Noble. Even better, he can be found online.

(Not a plug for Dave. Just a very serious person who very disgusted with Mr. Montelongo.)

Posted on 22-Nov-07 at 6:49 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Deanna,

BRAVO! I agree with the Dave Ramsey plug completely! I have not missed one of his programs on TV since he started on FOX Business…

His advice is sound, and I would recommend his methods to anyone here…

Posted on 25-Nov-07 at 9:56 pm | Permalink
alex wrote:

Hello everyone, I’m back, had a great vacation…was in Vegas a couple weeks. Stayed at Hard Rock,(Great Hotel) Hey steve I had you paged 1,000 times and you never showed up. Anyway maybe next time well have a sit down and talk. I see nothing has changed. Love and Hate, gotta love it. It makes for good television..I see we have new people. Great! Look forward to all the new crap to read in the next few days, Hey Chris, so what day were you born?

Posted on 26-Nov-07 at 6:58 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Alex,

What day was I born? April 19th… You?

Posted on 27-Nov-07 at 7:09 pm | Permalink
JOsef wrote:

I’ve spent a great deal of time reading these posts and reflecting on the general concencus. While it’s good to know that there are people in this field that can be objective in determining the legitimacy of integrity related to general business and information products; the overlooked underlying factor is evident. Whether you like him or not, Armondo is making his moves in life. There is boundless potential to make money in real estate. However, not everyone does business like the local small town Hardware owner. Would it be nice if Armondo could be a perfect real estate role model for tons of future investors to learn from? Of course, but all we can do as real estate researchers and potential investors, is take away the positive from other peoples experiences. Study your own basic princibles of “flipping”, learn from other peoples mistakes, and realize that your “subs” are not pieces of trash. There was something said in an old post about “networking”, and if a person had the time and resources to “network” there is some money to be made. I want to comment on this subject. Yeah, you can’t just say click your heels together three times and wish to be a “flipper”. If your going to get into this business, and be profitable, it’s going to be HARD WORK. It’s going to take a ton of leg work, communicating/networking, research, and general management. This is the great thing about living in a capitalistic society people, you are your own biggest hurdle. Taking advantage of this can lead to a finacially secure future. Not everyone will be successful, not everyone will make money, but the ones who push through failures and strive for success, will eventually figure out their niche and have the opportunity to have a profitable business. Stop wasting your time worrying about how others do business, and do business for yourself.

Posted on 28-Nov-07 at 12:08 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post 1404 ChrisInDetroit writes:

“Alex,

What day was I born? April 19th… You? ”

I’m guessing April 1. ;-}

wyldwmn

Posted on 28-Nov-07 at 3:04 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1406, JOsef writes:

“Stop wasting your time worrying about how others do business, and do business for yourself.”

Armando isn’t “doing business.” Armando is scamming people who don’t know any better. “Businessman” does not eequal “scam artist.”

wyldwmn

Posted on 28-Nov-07 at 11:16 am | Permalink
Alex wrote:

Well put! Josef.

I agree with you,that is how I learn by trial and error.

Posted on 28-Nov-07 at 6:39 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

now Josef is an Armanso Shill…you can’t take te bad speller out of them, I think its a charachter trait they all posess

Posted on 28-Nov-07 at 10:35 pm | Permalink
JOsef wrote:

Replys:
1409. Thank you Mr. Spellcheck.
Advice^^^ If your going to make a post, focus on the content of the article rather than the spelling and grammar. As I quickly make my posts, in this BLOG, I do not care if it is term paper quality. Also, you know nothing of me or my character. To say that you do is to depreciate your own character. Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to proofread my article. Maybe you can be my “ALLTIME” spellchecker. Appreciate it. Oh, one more thing, if you actually take time to read and comprehend, instead of looking for errors,(Attention Deficit Disorder) you’ll realize that I am nothing close to a “Shill”. In fact, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO NOT PURCHASE Armando’s information products. GO TO THE LIBRARY and read yourself silly. A

1408. I’d like to see the movie 1408. (I think thats the number, I’m sure I’ll be corrected if it is not).
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succed”. Michael Jordan.

1407. I wrote, “Stop wasting your time worrying about how others do business, and do business for yourself”. Armando is doing business. Is it fishy and mostly a scam? Yup. Let’s be real, what this man has to say is not worth a grand. It’s not worth much at all. Also, actually the word “businessman” which I did not use, is a general term which can be coined as “good” or “bad”. “Apples” do not equal “oranges”. Anyways, I like where your head is at, but your premises that Armando is not doing business, faulters your entire argument.

Posted on 29-Nov-07 at 12:53 am | Permalink
Keith Curtiss wrote:

I am a realtor for REMAX 100 and have been one for 10 years in the Baltimore/Washington area. I can’t beleive people are watching “Flip your house” let alone entertaining the idea of buying Armandos program. It’s hype and mostly crap. I have “fliped” numerous properties in my life and have helped 20 or 30 investors do the same & trust me it isn’t easy. What Armando doesn’t show is the behind the scenes. Buying a foreclosure, HUD home, bank sale & the difficult waters you have to navigate through. i.e., financing, appraisals, if it has clear title, what kind of incumbrances does the thing have on it. Not to mention going to closing and title transfers to you. Look, he’s basically a Slum salesmen, he finds distressed properties/ owners that need to sell and rapes them. His contractors want his work, so they drop there pants and do it for next to nothing, so not to get cut off from being busy. He puts the bare minimum into his properties and basically screws the buyer after there discovery. The couldn’t be more of a snke oil salesmen then Armando. I’ve watched 4 or 5 of his flips and trust me you don’t want to be around when the law suits start falling. As a licensed broker we have to adhere to a strict code of ethics and I’m amazed the Real Estate Commission hasn’t hung him yet.
If you want to be a real estate investor
first off make sure you have #1 enough money in the bank to do a flip. Most flips can be done for between50k-100k to do them right. Whatever property you select, I can’t stress this enough GET A HOME INSPECTOR IN THERE BEFORE YOU BUY THE PROPERTY!!!! Know what your dealing with and don’t trust anyone, even family, people won’t see what a good home inspector can!!!Get a good lawyer & accountant and pay them to help you do it right. Have a good “LICENSED” contractor that is trust worthy and has good references & do a bankground check. However, I would suggest first getting “three” estimates first before hiring anyone and then do you “due dilligence” Also very important if you’ve decided on the budget and everything is moving forward “allocate a Slush fund” because every flip ALWAYS goes over. The last thing you want to do is run out of money at the end of doing a kick ass job and not be able to paint the exterior of the house, plant sod in the front yard, clean up the debris in the backyard etc… You get the picture. Invariably, things will come up like the wiring of the house, the plumbing, the foundation the roof. You can almost guarantee yourself that it will go over so prepare. As a realtor, what buyers deem important are as folows:

Updated kitchen, stainless, corian counter maple or cherry cabinets title or wood floors.
Super bath in Master bedroom, big walkin closet in MB
NEUTRAL PAINT- Don’t scare off potential buyers with a poor choice of color.
Cheap carpet if your running low on money, but beef up the padding (neutral) otherwise wood is always the way to go.
Curb appeal, make sure the front pops, new storm door or front door, new landscaping, prune trees, get sod if lawn looks bad.
Budget for all of this, you want when people drive up to impressed, so put yourself in the position of the buyer and above all don’t do what Armando does and play Mcgyver and jerry rig everything and hopet he buyer doens’t know. Look with this real estate market cooling off buyers can afford to be picky as hell so execute caution. Im giving these hints why, because I’d rather see you do-it-your self with the help of a schister like Armando the crack house flipper. Thanks I feel better now!

Posted on 29-Nov-07 at 3:40 pm | Permalink
Keith Curtiss wrote:

In addition, make sure you’ve allocated enough money to paying the mortgage on the property for ~ between 4-8 months and that is if you’ve priced the end result properly and aren’t crazy about what you can truley get. Price it right if the last house sold that is comparable for 400k, sell yours for $395k -the reason, you’ll move it quicker and the odds are your house looks better then the previously sold home and you lessening your carrying costs. It’s all about profitabilty and moving on to the next one. My first flip was a nightmare, that resulted in permit disasters, firing 3 contractors and losing valuable time and ultimately losing tons of money to stupid misteps from being a rookie. Be realistic. Any questions about flipping you can email me at keithcurtissrealtor@yahoo.com

Posted on 29-Nov-07 at 4:01 pm | Permalink
Been Gone wrote:

I am back to see if there is anything new here ,,,, HEY Keith is offering FREE ADVICE for flipping !!
Armondo can you beat that ???? ;)

Posted on 29-Nov-07 at 10:32 pm | Permalink
Tara wrote:

I read all these posts not becsuse I was planning on wasting my hard-earned cash on one of Armando’s books, etc., but because I accidently found this site while searching for something else.

I have to say that there were so many interesting posts — Mike Voss, Steve in TX, Wyldwmn, Cadge, just to name a few. I have watched FTH, but only recently becsme a viewer. I got “hooked” watching Richard Davis’ crew and thought they put out a quality product (or at least it appeared that way). The first time I watched an Armando flip, I couldn’t believe all the ways he tried to “skimp”. Painting a bathtub? UNBELIEVABLE! Another thing I noticed immediately was that there always seemed to be an issue with timelines in Armando’s episodes. Someone who posted previously pointed out the difference in Mondoman’s hair. What I would notice was they would be painting an exterior of a home and then the next time they show the property - supposedly the next day or later that day and the exterior would not be painted.

Thanks again everyone who has posted for s lot of interesting reading, and especially to those who are truly trying to help others to not waste their hard-earned money.

I’ve learned more here by accident than elsewhere by design….and that would include anything that Armando is trying to pedal.

Posted on 30-Nov-07 at 12:54 am | Permalink
Alex wrote:

Keith is networking, Good job, he wants you to contact him so he can sell you a home.

Keith word of advise… everyone here likes to sue, be careful.

Posted on 30-Nov-07 at 4:14 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Where glad to here it, thats why its all posted here.

Posted on 30-Nov-07 at 8:33 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I just thought you’d all like to know that one of Armando’s many unsatisfied customers has been kind enough to send me his “master course” because he/she was upset about being ripped off. I will be sure to do a full evaluation and post a review here in a few weeks for all to see.

Mike

Posted on 01-Dec-07 at 2:58 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1415, Alex wrote:

“Keith is networking, Good job, he wants you to contact him so he can sell you a home.

Keith word of advise… everyone here likes to sue, be careful.”

Alex, have you ever heard of a little thing called “cognitive distortion?”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion

Chihuahua contigo. ‘tas loco.

wyldwmn

Posted on 01-Dec-07 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

RE: Post 1417 — Thanks to whoever sent Mike the copy for Mike to evaluate.
And…Thanks Mike for giving us a Christmas present to look forward to this year! I am sure it will be interesting.

RE: wyldwmn — I admire you!

RE: Keith Curtiss — I found your posts very informative and that it what this site is supposed to be about!

RE: ME and the following Post — What I have to say is not acting my age or my IQ nor am I proud of what I feel needs to be said by someone so it will be me since there are newcomers reading all the time. After this next post I will no longer be taking insults nor reading your response. I will be quiet and wait for Mike’s report. My apologies to everyone that has been wonderful on this site but I have had my fill of Alex (and friends) and his comments like the one about paging you guys at the Hard Rock of which I doubt he was there at all.
RE: Post 1408 and 1415 and all other Alex posts — I have learned to overlook all the irksome, monotonous, impracticable, unreasonable, over confident, diffuse, driveling drool of crap that shows his puerility and jobbernowlism. For newcomers to this site you can make up your own minds. There are a few other Posters that are infatuated with Armando’s self-seeking, egotistical, conceited, pretentious, arrogant, flatulent personality and the way he conducts his scam/con games. I will admit that I was once very upset with these couple of Posters but now see them for the right to their pinions and how to spend their monies. Yes, you can call me crotchety if you want.

Jen ; (call my a big mouth too, makes no difference to me)!

Posted on 01-Dec-07 at 10:50 pm | Permalink
Potash wrote:

I just watched my second Montelogo episode. My first was the Cat house. The one I just finished watching was this brick one story with a foundation problem.

This show is so obviously staged, I really do not feel sorry for any slack jawed dimwits that would buy their $1,000 course. Did anyone really think the supervisor that Armando fired was going to stay fired? If you did, buy the course.

They painted perfectly good brick. SO sad.

I have fixed up four properties with significant foundation problems. I still own two of them. The only way to get market value for a property like that is to rent it for a few years so that prospective buyers feel comfortable that the foundation problem has been fixed. Fixing it up (especially with a contractor that barely speaks English) and immediatelly selling it at anything close to market value is just is not realistic.

Posted on 02-Dec-07 at 12:18 am | Permalink
John wrote:

I have an idea. If Armando is on the up and up lets put out a challenge to him. Let a Licensed and professional contractor go into one of his flips with a t.v. crew and see if it even meets codes. I had a friend bid a job for him last year and he asked him if he could hide the violations so it would not catch the inspectors eyes. He also asked him to do the job were he would actually loose money with a promise of future work. My friend who is a professional respectfully declined the job. So that’s my challenge to Armando

Posted on 02-Dec-07 at 12:47 am | Permalink
Wow wrote:

I was supposed to be in bed five hours ago, darn you all and your 1420 posts!

Was considering buying the ebook set until seeing the website. The website address is advertised on their “For Sale” signs on the show.. but doesn’t show any houses for sale.. makes me sad.

Posted on 02-Dec-07 at 5:21 am | Permalink
Greg wrote:

John wrote:

I have an idea. If Armando is on the up and up lets put out a challenge to him. Let a Licensed and professional contractor go into one of his flips with a t.v. crew and see if it even meets codes. I had a friend bid a job for him last year and he asked him if he could hide the violations so it would not catch the inspectors eyes. He also asked him to do the job were he would actually loose money with a promise of future work. My friend who is a professional respectfully declined the job. So that’s my challenge to Armando

John I believe we all agree that Mike Holmes of Holmes on Homes is the man for that job, then after he’s done ripping all down and doing it right, cause thats what Mike does, maybe he’ll beat flopper with a 8X8

Posted on 02-Dec-07 at 1:00 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I would LOVE to see Mike Holmes turned loose on one of Armando’s disasters. If one of them ever sells, it should be easy enough to get the victim, er, I mean homeowner, to offer up the house.

I can hear Mike Holmes now, “Take it all down.” Ever see on his show when he finds stuff like a tiny bit of insulation hanging out just to fool an inspector? That’s Armando’s stock and trade from what I’ve seen. I’d bet Mike Holmes just hates the guy if he’s seen the show.

Posted on 02-Dec-07 at 1:52 pm | Permalink
Keith Curtiss wrote:

Hey wyldwmn (Alex) just so you know I can only sell people property in Md and I only work in my target zones. So if you think I’m networking to sel soemone a house your wrong, I’m just really sick and tired of shisters like Armando getting a reality show and exploiting what I know is not easy and making it seem effortless in no time. I just thought I would shed some clear light on a subject that has been glorified by a guy I wouldn’t buy a snow cone from let a loan his advice. The fact that I am a realtor I know the reality of this stuff and quite frankly have been doing it much, much longer then Armando the great, and it angers me, but if you think my intent is less then admirable that’s on you, but for the people that have questions my advice is free if you want to email me, that’s all.

Posted on 03-Dec-07 at 3:37 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

…Will be interesting to see what happens in the next year…. If Armando will be there or not… Maybe they will take him off… Maybe he will be in prison… lol hahaha

Posted on 03-Dec-07 at 4:48 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1425 Keith Curtiss comments:

“Hey wyldwmn (Alex) just so you know I can only sell people property in Md and I only work in my target zones.”

I’m confused. I directed myself to Alex’ lack of adequate brain function. ??

wyldwmn

Posted on 04-Dec-07 at 12:55 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Chris:

“Flip This Cell Block” staring Armando, Sam Leccima, and Angie and her husband. Now THERE’s a reality show the world would watch…

Posted on 04-Dec-07 at 1:05 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

RE post 1428
Bet that bunch would Flip The Shower’s first!
ha

Posted on 04-Dec-07 at 8:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Re: “Flip This Cell Block” co staring Armando, Sam Leccima, and Angie and her husband.”

Produced and Directed by Richard Davis.

And STARRING Ginger Alexander as the ‘mean, evil jailer’

LOL

Posted on 04-Dec-07 at 10:39 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Mike,

Haha! I agree… I’m thinking Sam would own Armando haha

This blog hasnt been as active lately… Too bad we cant get someone from that company in Utah that is peddling Armandos crap to come on here… Like someone who worked there and wants to tell the real side of things…

Or people who have dealt with Armando and their stories…

Or Armando himself hahahahaha but we know that wont happen… He is scared you, Steve In Texas and I would be asking for proof… And of course, that would be way too much for us to ask for right? lol hahaha

Got any ideas? P.S. When we doing our surprise Q&A time with the clown? :-)

Posted on 04-Dec-07 at 11:05 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Just thought you’d all like to know I am well into Armando’s “Master Course”. I can tell you now that it isn’t going to take long to review and, thus far, all our suspicions about how worthless it is are proving very true. If anyone reading this is even remotely contemplating purchasing this course, don’t do it. The probability that it is entirely worthless is very high - I will let you all know soon enough.

Tick tock…

Posted on 06-Dec-07 at 1:27 am | Permalink
Wolfcandy3x wrote:

To bad we are all honest! I’d post that course on every peer-to-peer site and torrent.. at least people could get if for free and cut the grass under Armando’s feet…

Posted on 07-Dec-07 at 11:40 am | Permalink
chuck griffin wrote:

It did not take long to figure Amando for a fraud. His wife is one also. The one who gets left with the problems is the son. Having one bad parent sucks but having two means social services will be involved. I feel sorry for him.

Posted on 08-Dec-07 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
bdkew wrote:

i cant believe you pathetic losers are still yip yapping about armando montelongo.my god,get a life

Posted on 08-Dec-07 at 9:16 pm | Permalink
jake wrote:

what post # is it where the person talks about using the cd for their car loan? i cant seem to find it

Posted on 09-Dec-07 at 6:05 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

“Bdkew” (opvious shill, loser) post 1435
= ASN 8/7, 1.

Here’s a clue, shill: we’ll keep exposing Armando until the fraud is out of business, so get used to it. We aren’t going anywhere. Loser.

Posted on 09-Dec-07 at 12:01 pm | Permalink
Johnny wrote:

That is post # 1311 by Cadge.

Posted on 09-Dec-07 at 3:09 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1435, bdkew wrote:

“i cant believe you pathetic losers are still yip yapping about armando montelongo.my god,get a life”

Hmmmm…let me see if I understand what you are saying. As I understand you, what you are saying is that it is a BAD thing to “yip yap” about Armando and the way he is exploiting people, and that it is a GOOD thing to “yip yap” about the people who are posting facts and good advice that help people avoid being taken advantage of by far more con artists than Armando. Is that correct? Is that what you are saying?

Well, if that’s what you are saying, then I’m really glad you posted because I am terrified that people will think I’m a pathetic loser. So I think what you wrote makes perfect sense.

Yip yapping about Armando = bad; makes you a pathetic loser who doesn’t have a life.

Yip yapping about the posters on this blog = good, makes you a real smart and and successful person, who doesn’t have to get a life.

Yep. Makes perfect sense.

wyldwmn

Posted on 09-Dec-07 at 6:39 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1436, jake wrote:

“what post # is it where the person talks about using the cd for their car loan? i cant seem to find it”

1311

wyldwmn

Posted on 09-Dec-07 at 6:44 pm | Permalink
Greg wrote:

Jake not so much using a CD to buy the car, but rather taking the cash she has at hand, which would be enough to buy the car outright and buying a CD instead, and then getting a loan to buy the car. At the end of the loan period the CD will earn you more interest, then what you paid in the term of the car loan.

Posted on 10-Dec-07 at 11:48 am | Permalink
Rick wrote:

So, since I saw there is a lot of “experts” here, please help me out. How do I find the deals without signing up for any “paid” website, and how do I start doing it when my credit is not good? If you guys are really good as you claim to be, please email me at rbarboza1@comcast.net

Posted on 10-Dec-07 at 4:41 pm | Permalink
EPRICE wrote:

Mike Voss:

From what I have gathered from my short time reading on this message board, Armando’s program is a scam? A gentleman at his company has been in contact with me about purchasing their 12 month coaching package for 21,750. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Posted on 11-Dec-07 at 12:26 am | Permalink
Tyler wrote:

My wife mentioned the other day that
she was planning to purchase Armandos package as an Xman gift. I watch the show when I have the time.

I told her thanks for the kind gift idea but hold until further notice.

That night I typed in Armandos name and came across this site in the mix of listings. After reading many a negative posting I went to Armandos website for solice and a true understanding of what’s going on. However, it never came.

Ladies and gentlemen, be afraid, be very afraid. I won’t waste time here but does none remember the likes of Brad Richdale? Buy his 10 secrets to real estate success and you’re at the bank!

This play has been given many a time by these frauds and to this day, people still fall for the exact same pitch, over and over and over. Go to Armandos website and do look through a few of the pages. If you are hooked by the pitch then you can’t be saved. I only ask this of you before you pull out your plastic late at night on a Friday evening when the kids are hungry.

His website opens up with a clever drive into an industrial complex via one Mercedes Benz. The vid is only a half minute long but if you think rational then it goes a long way to tell the true tale of what’s going on and you need not look or ask any further questions.

The parking lot is empty. The buildings are all unmarked. Armando exits the car and gives his brief speech about needing an apprentice up to the challenge. Thankfully it was probably 8:25 a.m. and he had to get back in his car and get the hell out of there before the actual owners of the business called the police.

He’s made millions and now want’s to share this with the world. Perhaps a building or unit with his name on it might not be a bad idea next time around? Again, man makes millions and has his brother running a handycam.

If this is in any way unclear then here is what I suggest. Send me $99.95 and I promise to send back to you my latest e-book on how to make millions in flipping houses. It has all the secrets you can handle. For an extra, 20,000.00, I’ll give you so many secrets you won’t know what to do with them.

Best regards,

P.S. Salvation from wasting your hard earned dollars is within these postings. Read and understand them and you will be ahead of the game. Ignore the warnings and Armando will send you his next line of secrets for only $299.95. Get the picture?

Posted on 11-Dec-07 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

EPRICE:

Armando’s program is without question a scam. Do not send him your money.

His materials are little more than a few tired old strategies that anyone could find for free in a library or elsewhere combined with numerous worthless ideas he has put together, many of them illegal. You can see my review of his $97 e-book in another subject thread on this website. His $1000 “Master Course” is little more than him reciting the garbage in his e-book while plugging his mentoring and coaching services at regular intervals. A number of people posted early on in this thread that all his materials were is an endless pitch for something better and more expensive, and after reviewing them I can attest that that is a fact.

Under NO circumstance should you consider sending him a dime, much less $20,000 +. Your money will be 100% wasted and gone forever. That is a certainty.

I will soon be posting a review of the $1000 “Master Course” to help people avoid wasting their money on that just as with the e-book. Having seen both of these materials and the numerous misrepresentations presented as factual in them and how they are used with the intent to take more money from the buyers, I have come to the conclusion that Armando’s business is an ongoing fraud. I am planning to contact Barry Minkow at Fraud Detection Institute and ask him to issue an opinion on the matter.

Please, Eprice, change your phone number and put that money in the bank.

Best regards,

Mike Voss

Posted on 12-Dec-07 at 1:42 am | Permalink
Patrick wrote:

I have confirmed that Armondo Montelongo was arrested in San Antonio for theft of service. This is a State Jail felony warrant that was issued for his arrest out of Austin Texas(Travis County). I have confirmed this. This is not a joke or a lie, I am trying to get a copy of the affidavit from the DA’s Office in Travis County. The DA Mrs. Hanson @ 1-512-854-9527 X3713 has confirmed this. He is now a felon!!! His BS is catching up to him now. OH and Merry Christmas…. PN

Posted on 13-Dec-07 at 1:28 am | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

I thought house flipping was dead with the housing crisis and the problems with the economy. Why would anyone need advice on flipping,free or paid for? I buried my cat when it died, apparently I should have sold it.

Posted on 13-Dec-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Here’s a little tidbit from an animal rights person re: Armando’s cruelty to animals:

http://network.bestfriends.org/MessageBoards/TopicPopup.aspx?g=bac60ab15d91416183f9c88c5cc0d459&t=13972

wyldwmn

Posted on 15-Dec-07 at 11:00 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1446, N.D. Boy. wrote:

“I thought house flipping was dead with the housing crisis and the problems with the economy. Why would anyone need advice on flipping,free or paid for? I buried my cat when it died, apparently I should have sold it.”

Boy’s comments again point to the issue that Armando Montelongo is NOT about house flipping. Armando Montelongo IS about finding a way to make money fast from people who are not knowledgable about the ways of scam artists.

House flipping is only the carrot that Armando is holding out in front of those that he perceives to be “donkeys” that are easily dominated and exploited. Abuse always follows the path of least resistance, and Armando’s television program is not based on developing professional skills–it is based on perpetrating the myth that you can get what you want through the use of power, control, force, humiliation, and deceit, and that you can become very wealthy doing so.

The television program is nothing more than a set-up for Armando to begin selling his snake-oil products about how to get rich through house flipping, which, again, has nothing whatsoever to do with being an investor in real estate. Armando’s TV shows are all about Armando showing up in flashy clothes and dealing with problems that HE SAYS other people cause him. He portrays himself as the saviour on each one of his deals. He does not portray himself as being a coach–he portrays himself as being an abusive manipulator who humiliates and decevies people to get what he wants. Armando does not teach people how to do their job–he turns them loose with no guidance or advice, and then tries to make it seem like he’s the good guy in the white hat that rides in on his big horse to save everybody from their stupid selves.

Armando is counting on unsuspecting victims who are not knowledgable about certain thinking errors. For example, confirmation bias refers to our tendency to look for whatever makes our dreams come true. Heuristic thinking refers to our tendency to look for the quickest answer. Armando targets poor people, which is why he keeps repeating over and over the story of being on his last tank of gas. He wants to convince poor people that “Hey…I am just like you.” He is using the technique that all cult and mass movement leaders use, which is creating “hope” by leading victims to believe the worst about their circumstances, and then telling them that if they become obedient and do xyz, they will get some prize or happiness (or, in Armando’s case, bags-o-bucks) at some point in the future. What is left out of this scenario as painted by the cult leaders, is the specific information about how to bridge the gap between being a have-nothing and a have-everything. None of Armando’s information is actually specific and the reason is that Armando is not selling house-flipping information–he is selling FALSE HOPE. His objective, no matter what he says, is NOT that of being a teacher. His objective is to get people to give him their money, and he does this by leading them to believe that he is the only source for what they need, that he is the only person who cares, that he is doing them a huge favor, etc., etc., etc. He does provide information that *some* people have not had before, which then leaves them with the *feeling* and *belief* that what they have spent on his crap has been helpful and that it has been a good investment. However, Armando is not marketing his crap to people who are able to see through his manipulations–he is marketing his crap to people that he perceives as being people who are afraid that the ONLY path for them to become more wealthy financially, is to invest money in some scam that they believe will give them “secrets” that nobody else has. In other words, the “dream” that Armando waves in front of his donkeys like a carrot is just a myth. It’s NOT the same story as someone who has taken the time to study and develop skills and who has taken the time to learn how to invest money strategically and honestly. Do you have to have a university education to make money in real estate? Heck no. But you DO have to know how to acquire and organize information. Do you have to go to a university to learn that skill? Heck no. But Armando is not teaching that skill–Armando is selling a myth. Are there people who will buy Armando’s crap and make some money? Heck yes. But that does NOT indicate that it was ARMANDO’S CRAP that was the key factor in that financial success. It means that it was the PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC of the person buying Armando’s crap–the overall characteristic of doing research–that led to that success. I have YET to see any posts or information anywhere from anybody who has ever been able to show ON PAPER that they have made any profit on anything using only Armando’s methods. I have seen information from people who said that they used Armando’s methods *in addition* to other methods. And this makes my point–Armando is NOT teaching people how to do research and then effect a plan. People who do research and effect a plan will look at Armando’s crap, compare it to other information that they have or find, and then do what is best for them in their unique circumstances. Armando is not interested in those people–he is interested in those who are EASILY CONVINCED TO GIVE HIM THEIR MONEY.

So, what it is that helps people bridge the gap between being a have-nothing and having enough to live comfortably is all about understanding how our social and business systems work, and about understanding how to acquire and organize information. You don’t need a university degree to learn that stuff, and you don’t need to give up tons of money, either. There are plenty of people who write books on this stuff KNOWING that their books will be made avaiable in public libraries FOR FREE. The people that have posted practical information on this website have addressed themselves to the *accessibility of information.* Armando is trying to convince a certain segment of the population that information is SCARCE, that *he is the only resource* for them obtaining the information and then once he has manipulated their brains to believe that he is the only resource for what he has manipulated them to think that they want, he then pressures them for money that they don’t have–the very money that they need to invest with. This is how *all* cult leaders operate–they paint a bleak picture, hold out a carrot, and then ask for money, goods, obedience, etc. The cult members then will defend the leader when the leader is criticized and questioned because they have been so manipulated mentally that any criticism or questioning of the leader puts their belief of future access to resources at risk.

Is there money to be made in a bad housing market? Of course there is. But that depends on each person’s circumstances–not on how skillfully you can lie and manipulate and get away with it. It depends as well on how each person defines “making money.”

I am not a contractor or a real estate professional, but I have a *lot* of knowledge about human psychology and what our mental vulnerabilities are when it comes to creating strategies for living well. Strategies are not independent of existing social systems. Strategies work when the people who design them based on their individual circumstances have quality information. Armando is not interested in teaching people how to improve their life skills–he is only interested in taking advantage of the people that he can successfully convince that as long as they have a “secret” or a “gimmick” or a really powerful maniuplative technique, they can make lots of money.

ARMANDO IS NOT MAKING MONEY HOUSE FLIPPING.

ARMANDO IS MAKING MONEY SELLING FALSE HOPE TO PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW THEIR BRAINS WORK AND WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW PEOPLE LIKE ARMANDO USE KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN THINKING ERRORS TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GIVE HIM THEIR MONEY.

wyldwmn

Posted on 15-Dec-07 at 1:29 pm | Permalink
Johnny C wrote:

I bought a Hummer H2 at barrett hummer in san antonio and i asked about Armando montelongo and i was told by the salesman and finance manager that his credit is SHOT and he didnt get the leases in his name. They told me they had to really work to get the deal done. If hes so successful, why is his credit so shot? Also i met a builder who went to like a continuing eduication course for builders and armandos older brother i believe rick was his name told everyone in the class that the family is highly disappointed at armando. Remember the “we drove into town on our last tank of gas” Well he comes from a well to do rich family in san antonio….all BS!

Posted on 16-Dec-07 at 2:36 am | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

Wyldwmn-Mike Voss. You can’t save the people that want to go down with the ship. You tried to do you’re best! Thank you. This summer I will be building my brother a home that will be worth twice what he pays for it, and he will probably live in it for another twenty years. THAT IS A HOME OWNER! I must be simple minded because I just don’t understand anymore what most americans think having a home is. I’ve been living in England for the last three years. Home ownership for honest hard working people over here is only a dream. God bless HONEST AMERICANS! You will get deserve. Hang in there.

Posted on 16-Dec-07 at 1:55 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1450, N.D. Boy wrote:

N.D. Boy. wrote:

“You can’t save the people that want to go down with the ship.”

Actually, Boy, while I understand what you are getting at, this statement is a myth and it is also an example of internalized oppression.

In the first place, most people that are victims of people like Armando Montelongo are not aware that they are on a sinking ship because nobody has ever taken the time to teach them how to access resources and support systesms in a way that meets their needs. And of course, this means that nobody has ever taken the time to teach them what their basic human needs are.

Second, as I’ve been stating, people like Armando Montelongo use mind control techniques, and to say that the people on the sinking ship actually *want* to sink is a type of victim blaming that is used by abusers and it is a type of victim blaming that is used by other people who, when they don’t know what to do help the victims, choose to do the easiest and fastest thing, which is to say that “they must want” what is happening to them or else they would do something about it.

Abuse and exploitation are all about one person or institution having way more power over a more vulnerable less-empowered individual or group. Abuse, racism, exploitation, etc., are all embedded in our social systems–and that is precisely why people like Armando Montelongo can get away with what he does. There are people who will make personal attacks on him and there are people who will dig up the facts. But there are not enough people like *me* who are willing to expose the other, less-discussed side of this type of exploitation. And that side is about the specific mechanisms that Armando uses to get away with his scams, *as well as* the specific mechanisms that are embedded in our social systems and therefore in all of our thinkinging processes, that let Armando get away with it.

So…it’s not just about telling the people on the sinking ship that Armando is a slime who only wants to take advantage of them. And it’s not just about telling them that there is a bunch-o-proof that Armando is not as “wealthy” as he claims. It is also about dismantling that fantasy that Armando has encouraged people to hold in that space between living in poverty and the “dream” that he is dangling in front of them, by providing information and explanations about what is happening to them in the moment.

There is a *lot* of research that shows that when victims of any type of abuse receive what is called “psychoeducation,” i.e., education about the specific mechanisms that put them in the situation of being a victim, that they then start to reject the bullying and the exploitation.

So, when you say “you can’t save the peopel that want to go down with the ship” then basically you are agreeing that the ones who go down with the ship are expendable, and that we should not make any efforts to keep them safe.

The thing is, most people will make that type of comment after they’ve exhausted all of the things that they believe can be done to help the victims. However, they are not taking that extra step to learn about how to help people who are being exploited by a cult-leader type individual, and so that behavior of not taking that extra step to learn how to help protect the most vulnerable in our society, sends a clear message to those individuals, which is “you are not worth being saved.”

Armando Montelong exploits this reality. A good book on social psychology explains this type of phenomenon in more detail, i.e., why it is that a bunch of people will stand around watching a person get hurt without doing anything, and also by engaging in the type of victim-blaming that sounds similar to what you said about people on a sinking ship. In other words, saying stuff like “If he didn’t want to get mugged, he shouldn’t have been walking down this street.” Or, “If she didn’t want to get assaulted, she shouldn’t try to look so pretty.”

Um….Boy, are you suggesting that Mikie and I are one in the same person???

wyldwmn

Posted on 17-Dec-07 at 12:39 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Wyldwmn wrote:

i.e., why it is that a bunch of people will stand around watching a person get hurt without doing anything, and also by engaging in the type of victim-blaming that sounds similar to what you said about people on a sinking ship.

I believe what you are referring to is “bystander effect”, yes? That is indeed a very well established phenomenon that many people have never heard of or observed.

The most classic example I ever saw was when survivors of Air Florida flight 90 were being pulled to shore of the Potomac River by a helicopter and one flight attendant couldn’t make it past about 15 feet from shore. At least 25 people just stood there while one man, Lenny Skutnik, dove in, swam out to her, and got her. (in ICE cold water during a snowstorm) I’m sure that anyone else who also saw that happen never forgot it.

As someone (Thoreau?) once said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to do nothing.”

Armando is a classic example of that in action.

Posted on 17-Dec-07 at 5:18 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

http://boards.aetv.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700005231

Posted on 18-Dec-07 at 9:38 am | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

No I’m not suggesting you and mike are one and the same. The ship I’m talking about is the S.S. Armando and his passengers greed. When the thought of quick cash blinds people to what a con artist Armando really is (and not even a very good one)I don’t feel they are victims. The victims are the people that work hard, to save up a down payment and buy their crappy flipped houses. I don’t disagree with most of what you write wyldwmn, but my posts are not that deep. WOW!! I’m on you’re side. I’m just not as angry as you seem to be. People that want to be just like Armando are victims? You haven’t sold me on that one yet. I’ll get ready for my bashing!

Posted on 18-Dec-07 at 10:39 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

Ok I have been quiet long enough…this is to all the losers (and that’s putting it nicely) You all cry about how can we say these things about your precious Armando since no one talks to him…I am here today to tell you shut the f–k up!! I talk to Armando on the phone all the time, he talks the same way he acts, uneducated. If Armando is so great at what he does why does he need to call me for my advice?? He knows I don’t even flip houses, but he always calls for my advice pretty funny for a man (and I use that term lightly) who claims to be the #1 flipper can’t even make a decision on his own! There is a reason I continue to speak to him and in due time all you idiots who love him will be sticking your foot in your mouth!! I WILL NOT SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING WHILE INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!! Any one notice his discussion board has been shut down? I know why the board was closed because as soon as one person posted something negative about Armando he shut it down. A real man would of addressed the issue head on, but when your a liar it’s hard to defend yourself, so Mr. scared shut it down. Can’t defend yourself on a subject you have very little or no experience. So please all you Armando lovers buy his master course and do everything he tells you to do, go flip that house and you will go directly to jail! Until you buy his great (lol) master course shut the f__k up because unless you have it your mking asses of yourselves!

Posted on 20-Dec-07 at 2:10 pm | Permalink
bdkew wrote:

oh,and by the way wildwoman,ya,you are kind of a loser…..and boring.my god but your posts are dull,and mike voss,you are like a broken record.an irritating voice of reason that just wont stop,until all i want to do is take a a dull knife and slide it accross my own jugular vein….desperatly hoping,praying that my life will end and hearing you will stop.id sell my soul to the devil and spend eternity in fire if it meant an end to your perfect pompouse little tirades.and by the way,im from canada,and no friend of armandos,although id love to be his wifes friend…….so try again with the shill thing.

Posted on 22-Dec-07 at 8:04 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

lovemyboxerdog, lets see some proof that you speak to Armando all the time. Give us certain details about Armando. Considering that Armando probably reads this site more than once a day, I would think he would be able to figure out who you are.

Posted on 22-Dec-07 at 10:50 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

bdkew wrote:

oh,and by the way wildwoman,ya,you are kind of a loser…..and boring.my god but your posts are dull,and mike voss,you are like a broken record.an irritating voice of reason that just wont stop,until all i want to do is take a a dull knife and slide it accross my own jugular vein….

*** so what’s stopping you? By all means, go ahead.

….desperatly hoping,praying that my life will end and hearing you will stop.id sell my soul to the devil and spend eternity in fire if it meant an end

*** And yet you come back again and again…ever heard the definition of insanity???

Posted on 23-Dec-07 at 1:30 pm | Permalink
Luis wrote:

Hello people !! I run into this site by chance, and by reading some of the comments I can tell some of you are right and some wrong. Let me tell you my take on investing in real estate. I live in NC, real estate prices here are still really nice. I moved here from Cali, and you can tell why I say prices here are as good as gold.
I’m a real estate broker who also happens to be a real estate investor. I have been an investor much longer than I have been a broker. the types of properties I buy are pretty much run down, but that i know that once I remodel them , will yield a few bucks. Now at first I used to do it by myself with the help of an in-law. I started by not knowin a thing about remodeling. My thoughts were it was my house , so if I messed something up , nobody would yell at me, and I could always fix the mistake. After I fixed each house I learned something new , a mistake i made in the previous and that i would not make in the next one. so far so good. I have been doing this for 5 years. I’m way far from being wealthy. I have made mistakes along the way, one of them has been using credit crads to finance my deals, buy them and rehabing them, but that is a different subject and I don’t need lectures from anyone on that. trust me I have learned.
The part about completely renovating a house is a serious business. I live things the way I would live in them. I have a reputation to maintain and need to stay lawsuits free from people who buy my houses. Often I show houses to clients from investors that I feel like screaming at them( the investors) some of them patch up things, and paint over them. sometimes they won’t eve bother replacing an old front door with a rusted door knob. My philosophy on renovating houses is to do the very best job you can. If you do this for a living or most of your time , you want people to be impressed when they see your house and they start comparing it to other houses they have seen. Now for something to look good you have to spend money.
When you are ready to buy a distressed house that is when you need to make a realistic budget and know you will make money after is said and done. When you are new to this , you would have no idea how to do it. I usually know how much I will spend in the house, how much will it appraise for and how much money I will end up making. I have been blessed with that gift, which is something I have been lucky with since I started on this. Today I have a crew that works with me, I thaught them what I know about sheet rocking, carpentry, plumbing framing etc. and I have been lucky that they enjoy doing this as well. I do spend some money in them but I can turn any project quickly. Now if you have to hire outside help, your profit margin will shrink, of course, but you can still make money, provided you have a clue of what you are buying and leave some space there for unexpected surprises. There are people who preach they can teach you through a book ow to do these things. I can tell you it is not true. Even watching those flip this house shows makes me laugh so much, i find them entertaining, but not realistic, again because I’m involved in this on a daily basis. I work with my crew, I’m not just a site manager watching what they do or just hiring the contractors, like those guys with trademark, and montelongo. I have told people that if you want to learn, I can give you ideas and advise, granted , markets are different in every city and state. I have had people come to Nc to see what I do and how I do and learn what to look for in a ideal rehab property. I would tell you it would be cheaper to fly to NC for a weekend and watch what and how I do things and show you the kind of property ideal to buy, than buying thoase expensive books. I will not be charging you anything for showing you what i do. I firmly believe in helping each other and the rewards come later. I have helped other people, and I get help from other people, so in a way i come out even. I can tell you there’s a lot of money to be made but one needs to be careful and avoid as many mistakes as possible. I don’t have any problem telling people what mistakes I have made. Again I believe in KARMA. always strive to help others by doing so you build bridges and friendships that sometimes can be very helpful. A last note I see a lot of negative comments about investing or related to the subject person montelongo. Real estate investing is real and doable, in some places more than others. Here in NC in the area where I live , which is 1 hr from charlotte prices are still great for investing. I have some investor friends i’m helping buy houses and showing them how to do it. I have even beel able to help them renovate some of theirs properties. and have money in the process. A brother in law of mine lives in cali, and he has bought 3 houses here which he has rented and making money on them without moving a finger, of course I manage them for him and get a bit of money in the process for property management, again this is real and doable if you are willing to work hard. I repeat, work hard, nothing is as easy as those guys in books or shows are trying to make you believe. If anyone has any questions write to my at propacqpartners@aol.com
I’ll be glad to answer any questions or help with any advise you may need

Posted on 23-Dec-07 at 1:37 pm | Permalink
Luis wrote:

PS. I just re-read my posting and found some typing errors, sorry , was typing too fast.

Posted on 23-Dec-07 at 1:44 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

i am back again people….i have come back from the otherworld to comment once again.even tho i am no longer among the living,i must stay to maintain one of the only voices of reason in this room.now,as i have stated before,i have to say that i always take the side of the underdog.and armando is certainly that.he of course is rude,obnoxious,not very bright,hes obviously not a carpenter,he is overly loquatious,he is shady,not a very good role model,he treats women like crap,hes obviously not a member of PETA,hes boorish,corny,a used car salesman,his brother obviously got the class in their family,hes a megalomaniac,and last but not least hes fat.and thats a crime against his poor,incredibly gorgeous wife.its an outrage that she has to perform her wifely duties with him.may god have mercy.and regardless of all of the above,i still say hes done nothing wrong.at the end of the day,hes providing a living for his family,and it seems a better one than most of you have.his show is entertaining as hell,real or fake,and thats why we watch right??your invasion of his life has really made me sick,and yes i come back here every once in a while to see if any of you yokels have given it up.glad to see your all here by the way.i still say….if and when hes guilty of anything,dont you think that with him being a minor celeb that the feds are watching???so other than all of your whining,why oh why isnt he in jail?because nobody has anything on him,thats why.hes selling an info course.so what?hes hardly the first.you dont want it?dont buy it.if his course is a scam…..hell get busted for mail fraud.which by the way he hasnt yet.i see wildwomans posts are actually getting longer…if its even possible.as usuall everything about psyc,and nothing about reno.then we have mike voss who with his apparrent reno knowledge should be general manager of HGTV.its easy to critisize others who for better or worse are doing something when youve done nothing.those who can,DO,and those who cant TEACH.so please keep teaching us.whether armando rolled into town on a tank of gas or not,he still managed to put something together god or bad.i would bet the montelongos have had a very interesting few years.compared to the rest of you with such full lives….id say hes doing ok.

Posted on 23-Dec-07 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

First off AF you need to be smart to figure things out! I know Armando reads this site, but he won’t figure out who I am that takes brains point made!! More than likely your Armando fishing for info, sorry not gonna get it here. All I will say is what goes around comes around, KARMA!

Posted on 23-Dec-07 at 10:21 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Well ghost of BDKEW, you were ok up to a point and then you got into areas where you clearly don’t know any facrs because I for one am FAR beter off than Armando and that’s a demonstrable fact. And, furthermore, Armando is, in fact, in very significant trouble with the law at this very monent and while I have agreed not to say too much I will say that he may not be available for seasons 3-7 of FTH if you catch my drift. SO, dig a bit deeper into the fats and if you doubt me feel free to contact me directly for hard proof.

We aren;t just talking the talk here, and that id a fact. Armando is a criminal and a fraud and I say that in public with total impunity from any repurcussions because I can prove it. If you know one damnd thing about Armando,you know he’d never take that lying down unless he had no choice - and that is exactly what he has - no choice because I speak the truth.

And just for the record, making tv about RENO and doing reno are 2 vey different things. My specialt is the latter, While I’d give the former a try under the right circumstances, I doubt anone would want to do it my way. (ecept maybe Mike Holmes and he’s got plenty to keep busy.)

Peace,

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 1:39 am | Permalink
marie wrote:

I think armando is a scam artist charging that much money to help you flip houses, its bull crap. i havent purchased this but inquired for more info and i am getting 2 to 3 bs emails a day form his people asking me to sign up for things and buy their discs. I think he has a crap attitude and he treats his friends and family especially his wife like they are far beneath him, he may be rolling in the money but its not 100% honest effort on his part

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 11:41 am | Permalink
Dennis wrote:

I called and ordered the free dvd, but gave them my credit card# for shipping. I returned the package after 1 week. Now after 3 months, I see a charge for $86.55. This is just another rip off scam artist working wire, mail, credit card fraud. They never seem available on the phone. The has never flipped 30 properties a month. He has swindled 30 people a month . maybe more.

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 2:04 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

dear mr.voss,usually you annoy me,but i must say that your response was well said.if as you say,that he is on the verge of going on a vacation is true,then obviously he is getting what he deserves and you then will have been right all along.i will reserve that judgement for if and when he goes away.i sincerely hope that veronica doesnt wait for him,and gives love with someone else a try.although having armando as my new wifes ex husband would be annoying.anyway,i digress.my main problem on this website hasnt ever been anyone researching anything and coming up with an informed decision…its always been with the legion of fools posting on here about crap they no nothing about.think back on the older posts,we have everything from veronica and melina being whores,comments about his son,actually,a really large amount of hateful personal stuff.even comments on their almost divorce.ive read a novels worth of material from wildwoman in regards to the mindset of armando and how his wife is an abused victim.ridiculous and whats any of that got to do with flip this house.wilwoman would do better on a freud website i think.where she could share her wisdom with the great unwashed.ive seen so many posters come on here,and spurt out some instant personal attack on the montelongos,and the extent of their knowledge is that they watched 2 episodes.seems like a lynchmob to me.my god that veronica dresses like a slut!!lets burn the witch!!!!thats the mentallity.ive never been part of the mob,ive always lead or else make my own decisions,but watching most of you jackals in here fighting over theyre bones is really disgusting.it really is like a group of kids beating the crap out of the fat kid.i defended the fat kid then,and i guess i will now.

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 5:11 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Mike Voss speaks the truth. In law, the truth is what is known as a “complete defense” to the claim of defamation. Armando is a liar. Armando is a fraud. If you can prove otherwise, file suit. I think it is important to point out that Mike Voss is one of a few posters here with the balls to post with his real name. I commend him.
And, if anyone is foolish enough to sue, I can gaurantee he will have competent, capable and “free” legal counsel to defend him.
GHOSTOFBDKEW, if you’ve got a response to that, let it fly. Merry, merry.

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 5:32 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

i believe that walmarts new schtik is that if you purchase in their store,with the money you save,you will be able to have more money for your rent,electric etc.needless to say,i think all of us have seen the stereotypical welfare mother,with the shopping cart loaded to overflowing with useless unnesessary crap dragging around 3 kids in walmarts hallowed halls.by the way,she probabbly went to walmart to buy only milk and eggs.my point is this.sholdnt we be up in arms over a company who has obviously decided to market directly to the lowest income levels in our society?is walmart making a living on the backs of the poor?probably.but they arnt doing anything illegal.the montelongos are doing the same.capitalism isnt always pretty but thats the way it is.you all go on about mike holmes flipping houses.he doesnt do it because he cant.if you were to put the effort and money into a flip likr mike does,you would lose your ass.would you agree mike voss???weve already established that you wouldnt spend 100,000 on a 30000 house.would i buy a montelongo home?no.because i can afford better.but what about the guy who cant afford it.concidering the price level in san antonio,and the obvious income level of a person buying a montelongo home,i didnt think any of them were that bad.you cant buy a porche on a chevy budget.even tho it seems thats what most of you expect.isnt it rather obvious that if montelongo could get 500000 for a house that he might put in more than 30000 fixing it up.lets try some actual business savvy here peeps.

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 6:20 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

Mike Voss is completely right and I also know the legal trouble Armando is in. I don’t want to say anymore other than the day it happens will be a victorious day for all the people who were scammed by him. I also know Armando and know if we were speaking the truth his arrogance would make him respond! He doesn’t respond because he knows it’s true.
Dennis I feel for ya good luck getting your money back and even if you remove your credit card Armando still keeps it, I do know this for a fact. Send me your email and when everything is in place I will email you so you can be part of it. It won’t be to much longer.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 6:31 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

DENNIS MY EMAIL IS crazy4boxers2@yahoo.com

Posted on 24-Dec-07 at 6:33 pm | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

WYLDWMN where are you? I know you don’t want me defending you! GO GIRL!!! Love N.D. Boy.

Posted on 25-Dec-07 at 11:21 am | Permalink
Geoff K wrote:

Ghostofbdkew, having read this post mostly for the entertainment value, I simply can’t let your last post go without comment. You are now trying to analogize AM and Wal mart? You have got to be kidding me. What is your problem with Walmart? Low prices piss you off? Do you like paying too much for things? Are you just not happy until you’ve overpaid for your purchases? Pardon the bluntness, but, are you an idiot? Would you pay $50,000 for a car that you could get down the street for $30,000? Walmart is making their living “Off of the backs of the poor?” Do you really think that the 127 million people that shop at Walmart weekly are “poor”? If your answer is yes, then you are saying that you believe that over 33% of the population is “poor”. If you enjoy paying more to shop somewhere else, more power to you, but don’t denegrate someone for where they CHOOSE to shop. It is still America. People are free to spend their money wherever they want. At the end of your post you ask “Lets try some business savvy here peeps” after posting the exact opposite. You tell others to show business savvy after dissing the most successful retailer in human history. Why don’t you show some of your “savvy” and come up with a plan to put big ole bad Walmart out of business? Let me guess: you would, but you’re saving all your money to buy carbon credits to help off-set the “Global Warming” plague.

Posted on 25-Dec-07 at 5:26 pm | Permalink
PapuManiac wrote:

Question for a Contractor/Roofer:

I live in a house that is two years old, and a just found a small water leak (approx. 2″ x 4″) in my attic. What should be done to coorect this? Will I need to have a portion of my roof replaced (along with the decking), or is there a way to “patch” it? I only had a one-year warranty on the house, so I don’t know what direction to take. Any advice is appreciated!

Posted on 26-Dec-07 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Ghost -a couple things:

First, a “welfare mother” could not buy anything other than food at a Wal Mart on the overnment dime because most every state now restricts what you can use their funds for to a large degree. For example, CA food stamps cannot be used for items not considered food from a store (ie; cigarettes, etc.)

Secondly, Mike Holmes is not a house flipper. He’s a general contractor and that’s how he makes his living, not by turning real estate. On his show, he goes to the homes of unfortunate people (also NOT flippers) who were flat out ripped off by bad contractors and fixes the work for them at reduced cost. Usually they still have to pay something, but in extreme cases he has gotten a LOT of stuff donated by sponsors and then featured their products on the show. That’s a good desl for all involved. Mike’s about as far from a ‘flipper’ as you can get. In our business, that word is, eessentially, a profanity used with disdain.

Mike Voss

Posted on 27-Dec-07 at 2:31 pm | Permalink
abby peurifoy wrote:

At my first glance I to thought Armando was a little off. However I began to try some of the thing he talked about and they worked. I then purchased his Master package and was more than please. I had only previously purchased one other course that didn’t compare to Armando’s. I have a small Real Estate biz in San Antonio.

Posted on 27-Dec-07 at 7:21 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

abby peurifoy: Please be specific as to what exactly was helpful to you in Armando’s course and post proof of your profitable transaction(s). I posit that you are lying and.or do not exist, and your attempted humorous name doesn’t help our lack of credibility.

PapuManiac: what needs to be done depends entirely on what is the source of the water. If the water leaks constantly, it is likely a leak in a supply line that needs to be corrected. If it is intermittent and coincides with rain or snow melt, it is more likely a roof leak. It could also be a DWV (drain) leak, but in the attic area, this is les likely. Less likely still is a condensate drain leak from an air conditioner, but I doubt you;re using AC this time of year depending on where you live…

Question: did you hire a home inspector to evaluate the house before buying it? Frequently, people buying new houses do not know that this is necessary. If you didn’t, I woiuld advise you to spend a few hundred dollars and hire a certified inspector to check out the entire house. A plumbing supply or roofing leak in a newly constructed house is something to be worried about - best to have an inspector look at that and everything else while he’s at it.

My bet is a bad supply connetion or improper/missing flashing somewhere, both of which are easily fixed and will NOT require all new roofing or sheathing. Let us know what you find. If you;re in the Los Angeles area, drop me a line and I’ll inspect it for you.

Mike Voss

Posted on 27-Dec-07 at 11:57 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

lovemyboxerdog, quit already with the “armando in drag” posts of anyone who happens to either disagree/not walk to party line on here. Are you here in San Antonio also? If you are post your phone number so I can give you a call and we can meet up for lunch and since YOU are the one who claims to be Armando, you can bring him with you.

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 9:42 am | Permalink
AF wrote:

Whoops, lovemyboxers, I didnt mean to say YOU were Armando, I meant since you are the one who claims to know Armando you can bring him with you to Palapas.

I wish you could edit your posts.

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 9:46 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

and the rockets red glare……firstly,mike voss,sorry if you misunderstood my last post.read it again please.i never said holmes was a flipper.i said he could afford to flip the way he does renovations.it would cost too much and he wouldnt make a profit.secondly,to GEOFF K,i dont expect you to understand my take on WALMART,i mean,as an obvious WALMART employee,you should be moaning about how much they pay you instead of blowing sunshine.unless you are a middle manager there…….or in charge of marketing….?your stat of 33 per cent of americans being poor might not actually be far off,and as usual you have missed the point.walmart is advertising that if you shop there,you will have more money to live.get it??they on their own accord are advertising directly to low income people.they arnt advertizing to the rich.by getting the low income people in their stores, they are getting them to spend more of their disposable income on items that they dont necessarily need.dont take my word for it,its what they are doing.as for them being the most sucessful retailer in human history…..so,might makes right huh?and yes i voted against the WALMART coming to my town.we lost and the area has become congested and disgusting now.we tend to stay away from that part of town now.keep in mind dude,not everyone on earth wants a walmart in town.i personally dont give a rats ass if bread is 1.00 at walmart and 1.10 at safeway.ill shop at safeway.so you coming on here and spouting off corporate walmart crap does not impress me.also dumbass,why is walmart so large?selling to the rich?no,selling to that poor minority you keep talking about.it will be an interesting day when there arnt any competing retailers around,only walmart and then they can raise prices to whatever they want.also,dont get me started on global warming….theres no such thing.

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 2:40 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

mike voss…i meant he couldnt afford to flip….my typo

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 2:42 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

Hey AF I’m definately not Armando. Your not to bright! If you were you would see I don’t like Armando. Maybe you should reread my posts, I said I speak to him on the phone. I don’t live in Texas! My email is crazy4boxers2@yahoo.com send me your phone number and I will call you and prove to you I am not him. Maybe after talking to me you will see I am on Mike Voss side not the idiot. So lets see if you actually send me your number or are you Armando? Put up or shut up.

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 8:19 pm | Permalink
Geoff K wrote:

Ghost,
First: If I were a Walmart “middle manager” then I obviously would be too poor to afford a computer. Second: 33% of Americans being poor “isn’t too far off the mark”? I guess that depends on your definition of poor. Here is a link for you so that you won’t pull a brain muscle finding it on your own. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States It even has a pretty little graph you can look at that clearly shows a figure of 12% poverty in the US, and that is even debatable. Poor to me means not having enough money to feed your family. Poor to some people means choosing a carton of cigarettes over a new pair of shoes for their child. 97% of homes in the US have a television set. Would you be worried about buying a TV if your kids were going hungry at night? Some people do. That is a personal choice. Would you consider someone who can afford a TV set “poor”? Today’s definition of poor certainly doesn’t come close to those that were “poor” during the 20’s and 30’s. Third: Walmart is advertising directly to the “poor” not the “rich”? What incredible technology Walmart has to ensure that their ads only go through the cable lines and satelitte dishes of the “poor”. I’m sure the “rich” enjoy only seeing ads on their televisions from Neiman Marcus and Rolex. Fourth: If you have 20 dollars and you spend 12 on food at Walmart you have 8 dollars left. If you have 20 dollars and you spend 18 on the EXACT SAME FOOD

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 11:29 pm | Permalink
Geoff K wrote:

Con’t:
at Safeway (that was the store you picked, right?) then you have 2 dollars left. Thus, you would have more money to “live” as Walmart states. Heck, they might even be able to afford one of those fancy new plasma screen TV’s! Considering that they sell more than any other retailer in America because they are THE LEAST EXPENSIVE. See your third grade teacher if you need clarification. Fifth: “Might does NOT make right” as you incorrectly assume. Knowing how the free market works and using stategies to maximize your profitability do. Do you know of any companies that are in business to lose money? Sixth: I’m glad you voted against Walmart coming to your town. At least you demonstrated (allegedly) that you understand a little bit about Freedom of choice. Seventh: “Walmart got so big selling to the poor, not the rich”? OK, I’ve stopped laughing, I can continue: To borrow your phrase, I’ll just refer to you as “dumbass” from here on out, OK? Dumbass, I believe that Walmart sells to anyone who enters their store. It doesn’t matter if they are rich, poor, middle class, upper middle class, lower middle class, (you did realize that there are more than 2 classes of people (rich & poor) didn’t you dumbass?) really rich, really poor, extremely rich, extremely poor…..Hopefully you grasp the concept. They got so big because they run a successful business. You don’t have to shop there, in fact, you said you like to hang out at Safeway with all the rich People. Just do everyone a favor and go to the library and check out an economics 101 book before you post again.

Posted on 28-Dec-07 at 11:49 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdog wrote:

Hey AF I do talk to him and for good reason. You can really get some good info if you let someone keep talking, if you give him enough rope he will hang himself!
Then people like you who doubt me will look foolish. Stay tuned it’s about to get good. BTW where’s your phone number?
Didn’t figure you’d give it. I know for a fact if you talked to me you would stop saying shit about me. Unfortunately I can not post it on here for good reason. Though I sure wish I could to shut you up. I’m not the bad person here AF or Armando whoever you are.

Posted on 29-Dec-07 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

GEOFF…..is somebody getting angry??lol,i promise i wont insult your precious employer again ok?you spend an awful lot of time talking about tvs.this either means that you spend alot of time watching one.or else that by working for walmart you cant afford one.i am sorry for your predicament.you might concider getting a real job.as for walmart,maybe if your employer would raise you guys pissant salaries,then i wouldnt have to stand in line for 3 hours to get thru the till.then i might brave the dirty,congested store you call home.well….probably not but oh well.you really truly are the biggest dipshit on this site if you think that 20 dollars spent at both walmart and safeway on food gives you savings of 10.00.get a life retard.the savings are pennies.so i will continue to shop at safeway,where only the ultra rich are allowed.no,really its a secret club.they even have a handshake.you on the other hand should get your bosses to pay you a stipend for advertising.your really very good.although i must say i had to read your ramble twice and still dont get it……i still think your saying you want a tv??or was it a computer?it must suck having to post at the internet cafe?im guessing youll be voting democrat?lucky guess huh?so,most poor people choose cigarettes over kids shoes because 97 per cent of americans have tvs???/im not sure i believe that statement.i think your not right in th e head.and also,if you were worried about not feeding your kids because you couldnt afford a tv….why not eat your kids and buy the tv??im sorry but some of your stuff is really weird.and im so thankfull that you explained to me all the different social classes in the states.wow.your so full of crap ,it really boils down to haves, almost haves, and have nots.sugar coat it any way you like.in regards to me checking out economics 101…i will,if you check out english 101.cause that was the most unorganized piece of crap letter ive read.focus son…….youll do better.and seriously,try another job…you might amaze yourself and get it.i know walmart calls you their associate,but really your not…your an employee.peace out brother

Posted on 29-Dec-07 at 3:28 pm | Permalink
Mike wrote:

WOW!! This is my first venture into a site such as this…damn….very sad. I think you all made your point, so, go get a life and stop judgeing. What am I talking about, judgeing people is your life, and obvious what makes you happy. Take what you can from the flipper Armando and what you dont need you dont use.

Posted on 29-Dec-07 at 9:41 pm | Permalink
PapuManiac wrote:

Mike Voss:

Thanks for offering to take a look at my roof - unfortunately, I live in Charlotte, NC - so I’m not anywhere near L.A.

I did have my home inspected by a home inspector before I moved-in, but there were no noticeable issues at the time. I called my general contractor, who referred me to the guy who installed my roof. He came over and said that the issue was a nail pop. A couple of guys came over and apparently nailed the popped nail back down. We had a good rainstorm yesterday and it seems that the leak has stopped. I only hope that the fix will last and that this does not become a recurring problem!

Posted on 29-Dec-07 at 10:15 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

PapuManiac - sounds like you did everything right and your builder is a standup guy who took care of the problem immediately. Indeed, a popped nail would not likely be found during inspection. I doubt you’ll have any more water coming in. Good to hear there are still builders and tradespeople out there who take pride in their work.

Mike Voss

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 12:21 am | Permalink
Aross wrote:

Hi folks,

i watched flip this house for the first time tonite on A&E, the one about Armando Montelago (sp?) and the Cat house.

Right away something about Armando didn’t smell right (pun intended).

Now, I have absolutely ZERO construction/housing/renovations knowledge and experience (I do have a hammer and some old screwdrivers in a toolbox though), but it seemed only logical to me that any professional should know what he was buying.

All of those problems that kept cropping up in the cat house? Armando should have known about it ahead of time. I was practically yelling at the screen, every time Armando was complaining about yet another problem, “it’s your own dumbass fault jackass!!! you bought the house sight unseen!!!”

And surprise, surprise, you can get certified building/housing inspections before you buy. I didn’t learn that on the show, but on this board.

Anyways, why am I posting? I don’t really have anything to add. But I would like to say, Armando, you really are a transparent crook.

Actually, I do know why I’m posting this. My g/f watched the show with me and we both want to know…

Armando.. that’s your wife on the show? Is she really your sister and you’re living an incestual relationship?

SERIOUSLY, i know you are taking a lot of flak on this board for your apparent ‘ethics’ and business practices.. but we (g/f and i) seriously think that’s your sister

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 12:59 am | Permalink
Geoff K wrote:

Ghost,
I typed as slowly as I could, hoping you would understand. Obviously I failed. Two words of advice: spacebar and shift. Give ‘em a try. This will be the last post. Can’t waste any more time on an obvious oxygen thief.

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 1:33 am | Permalink
Robert wrote:

WOW! I just saw the episode with the Cat House. I’m in SHOCK! I have seen some shiesty people but Armando Montelongo is a real skidder!!! I HOLD THE SAME AMOUNT OF RESPECT TO A CHILD MOLESTER AS I DO TO ARMANDO MONTELANGO!!! Even the idea, that he’d let such shoddy work be done on that house then let some poor family move in and still be able to sleep at night knowing that disturbs me. These people are the scum of the scum. It doesn’t get much worse than this! I’m glad to see he has all these legal issues. I’m also suprised his smell of failure didn’t overcome the fecal smell in that house that should have been demolished! I saw through that cheap spray on tan, greasy hair, and leased Hummer within the first 5 minutes of the show! Up North, we don’t put up with wicked goons like this!!! OH, and how he pulls up in the CLS for those tapes he’s hawkin’ is a real pisser!!!! well done

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 2:14 am | Permalink
Cadge™ wrote:

While waiting for the latest info in anticipation of Armando’s looming indictments for fraud:

http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/2007/12/26/is-armando-montelongo-a-real-estate-guru/

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 3:39 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

hi GEOFF.im sorry to hear you couldnt stay and play.walmart must have put you on the nightshift.that sucks.as you well know,they can be demanding.anyway,i hope ive taught you a few things….personally i think ive made you a better person.you can now move forward with your head held high.if i can help you with any other life issues that you may have….feel free to ask for my private email.i can tutor you privately.take care.

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 12:55 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Cadge™,

Nice find! LOL ; )

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I posted this on the site back back Nov. 13, 2007 POST 1393 and have been in contact with them several times. I does not take a billboard to continue to send Flopper’s scam crap out to everyone that might just pick up the story and go with it. I am glad that some other people on here took advantage of that site also. I feel like I just gave birth again!

jennifer wrote:

I found this site where it shows there was a divorce filing for the two unique San Antonio lovebirds in 2003 and here is the proof!
http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/webapps/html/DKLITDSP02.asp?txtLitIsn=0003424461
Another place for people to turn to if they want resolution on the product that they purchased from Montelongo,etc., is:
http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/report_fraud/index.html
(this may be a bogus site but thought I would throw it up here just in case)
PS: I still have not got replies back from Flopper on all the daily emails I am sending him. I just keep getting a case # and same old statement that they are going to respond as soon as possible. The oldest one is four weeks old but Flopper still has time to send out his “after taking a dump thoughts”.

Posted on 13-Nov-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink

best regards and a happy, joyous and free 2008
Jen

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 8:19 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

PS: I have turned my info over to flipping frenzy since I never got any replys back from Armando except for the ones that gave me a case # and promise to respond. I am still getting email from the ass and of course when sending it back it is returned in seconds with the same “I will not get this email….” trying to lure me onto his crappy sites again.
Now I have real hope that other places I have repeatedly email about this site will be also looking into shutting the fatass down.
Finally, it feels like Christmas

Jen (ha)

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 8:24 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

PSS:

Sorry for the poor grammer and spelling errors as I was about to pee myself when I read the “flipping frenzy article”.
Jen

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 8:27 pm | Permalink
Logan wrote:

Hello everyone:

Someone posted back in October asking about any worthwhile real estate courses. A friend of mine had a 1990s version of the old Carlton Sheets course–which he got for free because someone gave it to him–and he swore by it. I looked at it and didn’t think it was all that, but my friend loved it. (You can find cheap copies on eBay.) I personally picked up a lot of good real estate investment tips from my friend, and I assume he learned these from the Sheets course. Someone else on this site asked about finding good deals without using a paid website. I would say the way to find good real estate deals is to look, and look, and look, and be patient. See yourself as a problem solver who will go into win-win situations with sellers. This is my approach and it never fails. The same person asked about getting good loans with bad credit. I would say do whatever it takes to improve your credit. I am a real estate investor with very good (800+ FICO) credit, and I think having good credit is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I don’t really believe in “flipping” per se–not for me, anyway, although I know some people do manage to do it. I do believe in rehabbing, but only when the place is a distressed property in a good neighborhood–not a crack house in a neighborhood of crack houses. I believe that patience is the name of the game–I don’t believe in getting rich quick, but I think people can make big money in real estate over periods of time. I like buying cheaper “starter” homes in a very nice suburb with excellent schools. I find there is almost always a market for these, as upwardly mobile young parents with children see them as a point-of-entry into a fine neighborhood. (Again, I’m thinking win-win, in terms of my relationships with tenants or buyers.) You can usually find tenants or buyers easily and quickly in summer, before school starts, as long as your price is reasonable. I think it’s a good idea to have excellent relationships with a work crew (painter, plumber, handyman, etc.), an inspector/appraiser, a lender, a property manager, etc. (Win-win again, NOT “I’m going to get the best price from this SOB.”) If you don’t already have these relationships, I would say try to create them long before you start shopping for properties. I’m not claiming to be an expert, just telling you what has worked for me, in the hopes that someone will find it to be of value.

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 9:14 pm | Permalink
Logan wrote:

Hi again:

I wanted to add, regarding the cat house episode of _Flip this House_, no one on the show (or at this website) mentioned the house’s potential for hantavirus, a potentially lethal virus, spread through rodent droppings, that is contracted by inhaling the air in rodent-infested dwellings and that is found throughout the Southwest, including in Texas. The hantavirus threat should have made immediate hazmat cleanup MANDATORY. Nothing less should have been considered for that property.

Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
"mando man" wrote:

I believe Armando is a scam artist. Anyone that has been a victim of his scams should reprt him to the aithoritites. I am sure that there are fraud violations that he could be encacerated for. Anyone that belives in him or his theory is an idiot. Why does he try to speak like a sufer? There are no waves in San Antonio. Armando preys on inocent people. He should be ashamed.

Posted on 31-Dec-07 at 12:20 am | Permalink
Eve wrote:

I don’t see what everyone is so upset about? I am a faithful watcher of FTH and have only seen two episodes where Armando makes any reference to his seminars and books. So what..You watch the show to learn about what activities occur while rehabbing a home.
Anything you do in life is a gamble. How many times have all of us purchased something believing strongly in the product only to get it home and discover it’s a lemon(ex..buying cars). It’s hit or miss. Some people will love it, and obviously some will hate it. It doesn’t matter if some of the situations are staged, the work and labor is real. I’ve learned a lot of useful information from these shows. 1) What buyers are looking for in purchasing a home,2) modern amenities,3) always have a contract with contractors 4) signs of a problem to look for when purchasing a house. The list could go on and on. You can read all the books in the world about rehabbing homes, but until “you” get out there for yourselves and experience it, then only you can decide if this is the business for you. For those viewers disgusted with A&E for being “fake”, try “Property Ladder” on TLC. That’s as informative on house flipping as you can get. “Holmes on Homes” is a pretty decent show as well.

Posted on 31-Dec-07 at 6:25 pm | Permalink
Beverly wrote:

I have seen all these shows and thought how cheap the flippers want everything done and on a short time limit.
My mistake was buying a flipped piece of crap from one of the greedy scumbag realtors in my town of Dalton,GA. The place is pretty much worthless. We paid $102.900.00 for what we now see is worth maybe $10,000.00. We had an independant inspection and thought we did everything right,…but when everyone belongs to the same Real Estate Association in this backwater town,…everybody is taking kick-backs from everybody. Buyers beware!!! You’ll end up stuck w/plumbing from hell, rotten sub-flooring, leaky ceilings that were sprayed over sfter a quick clear coat was sprayed on first. The new sheet rock is nothing but patched and painted garbage that is so dirty and dusty that it actually bleeds dust through the old paint. Electrical problems so very bad you won’t be able to sleep @ night for fear of your family being burned alive and so on. Good people,..take your American dreams elsewhwere. These greedy scumbags will take your money and tell you real quick -like that they have nothing to say if you call them about the dump they screwed you over on. They likely make a year’s income off one good flip. Don’t let them take away your livelihood like we did.

Posted on 31-Dec-07 at 6:59 pm | Permalink
Fred wrote:

Wow. Thanks for the interesting read everyone. Special thanks to Steve in TX, Mike Voss, boyson, wyldwmn, plus all the others I don’t have space to list. Your research, facts, and opinions were all wee-thought out.

For those who say, “get a life”, hush, I will do as I please with my free time in my life.

For those who refused to back up their claims, your thoughts, to me and I am sure others, were dismissed.

Well, Thanks for the fun read. All 1500 posts :-) I learned a bit, and had an entertaining time.

Great job to those listed above. Thank goodness for the internet, where people can educate themselves (from shams) very easily these days with a few clicks of their mouse.

I will check back every once in a while to see how everything is going.

Have a great new year everyone (even you Armando -without you my day would have been less entertaining. Almost as entertaining than watching him on A & E.

Fred, going to to have a good day off tomorrow and see my friends :-), Night.

Posted on 01-Jan-08 at 1:49 am | Permalink
PapuManiac wrote:

Mike Voss: Have you had a chance to review Armando’s full program yet? I cannot think of a better way to ring-in the New Year than to hear some of the drivel he is spewing!

Posted on 02-Jan-08 at 9:20 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1501 Eve wrote:

“I don’t see what everyone is so upset about? I am a faithful watcher of FTH and have only seen two episodes where Armando makes any reference to his seminars and books. So what..You watch the show to learn about what activities occur while rehabbing a home.”

Wrong. You watch the show to hear about what Armando Montelongo *wants you to think and believe* occurs while rehabbing a home.

What Armando Montelongo portrays on his show is not only highly inaccurate, it is specifically engineered to get a certain segment of the population “fired up” about making a lot of money real fast. Armando Montelongo doesn’t need to spew a lot of hype for himself in a direcrt manner–he does it indirectly by portraying himself as “everyperson” in a subtle and insidious manner, so that viewers will start thinking that if Armando Montelongo can get rich quick, so can they.

The show is *not* about rehabbing, not about house flipping, not about consstruction, not about real estate, not about investing…the show is about Armando Montelongo recruiting cult members who are willing to part with what little money they have in exchange for some hope.

“Anything you do in life is a gamble.”

This is not not not not not correct, and it is an example of one of many thinking errors that guide people to accept that which is detrimental to them.

http://profmulder.home.att.net/introbenefits.htm

“How many times have all of us purchased something believing strongly in the product only to get it home and discover it’s a lemon(ex..buying cars).”

And this is exactly the point of many of the posters who are sharing information here for free–they are trying to help people who will fall prey to Armando Montelongo’s manipulations, so that they don’t bring home something that cost them lots of money that they don’t really have, and then save up some more money and go invest it in yet another scheme.

“It’s hit or miss. Some people will love it, and obviously some will hate it.”

Liking it or not liking it have absolutely nothing to do with the mechanisms that Armando Montelongo is using to dupe innocent people out of their hard-earned money.

“It doesn’t matter if some of the situations are staged, the work and labor is real.”

How could this statement possibly make sense to you? You stated earlier that Armando Montelongo’s show depicts what occurs during a rehab. How could that be true if he is “staging” the show???? How can you not see how you have contradicted yourself in *exactly* the manner in which Armando Montelongo wants people to contradict themselves. What you have stated here is representative of one of the stages that cult members experience as they start defending the cult leader. You have not made any statements to back up your comments about what occurs during a rehab by citing examples. You have only stated that Armando Montelongo is showing us all what occurs during a rehab, and that demonstrates that you are not using critical thinking skills to analyze what he is saying and doing–it shows that you want something to be true, and you have chosen to believe what Armando is saying because if you do that, then you can feel like you have “proof” that what you want to be true is so.

“I’ve learned a lot of useful information from these shows.”

I would venture to say that you want to *feel like* you have learned a lot from these shows, and so you are abandoning the wise step of investigating rehabbing any further, and instead are using Armando’s statements as proof to yourself that you have “answers” or resources for whatever your questions are.

“1) What buyers are looking for in purchasing a home,2) modern amenities,3) always have a contract with contractors 4) signs of a problem to look for when purchasing a house. ”

First, “buyers,” in case you haven’t noticed, are NOT a homogenous group. Armando Montelongo, however, would have you believe that they are. Furthermore, Armando Montelongo does not make *quality* products for sale–he CLAIMS to be buying houses and fixing them up in record time and then selling them in record time. Unfortunately Armando Montelongo has never backed up any of those claims with documentation–but several people here have backed up exactly the opposite with easily-found public documents.

Second, if you are using Armando Montelongo as your only source for learning about “modern amenities,” you are in for a BIG surprise.

Third, Armando Montelongo does not get an honest contract with his contractors–he pressures them into accepting way less money than is fair right from the start, and then he belittles and threatens them into accomplishing tasks that are unreasonable, unsafe, and immoral. Furthermore, he is a friggin’ cultural hypocrite, gathering mariaci bands to celebrate whatever he’s in the mood to brag about, and then threatening to fire his Mexican laborers when they want to honor the walk-out day. This is a person to whom you want to look for wisdom and advice?

Fourth, Armando Montelongo has very LITTLE idea of what the signs of problems are when he buys a house. I’m not even a contractor but even *I* knew that when you buy a building that has been in a fire you need to go do some research on whether or not it’s been condemned, and find out from a variety of sources what the rehab requirements are as far as getting rid of burned wood, smell, etc. It was no surprise to me at all that well into the project he and his bro’ learned that the place ahd been condemned. And if that little situation was staged, then that proves my point that Armando Montelongo is a dishonest individual who is trying to persuade people to join his little pyramid-scheme cult. And before you complain that it’s not a pyramid scheme, I’ve got email in my inbox from Armando begging me to be his partner and sell his crap to other people on commission.

“The list could go on and on.”

You are correct. The list of ways that you can abandon critical and analytical thinking, not to mention thorough research, and just believe everything Armando says can definitely go on and on, just as you state.

“You can read all the books in the world about rehabbing homes, but until “you” get out there for yourselves and experience it, then only you can decide if this is the business for you.”

Well, this is an interesting statement. Which books have you read? What you have poste here is all about the reasons why you think Armando’s advice is so great. If you have actually read the books for yourself, then how about telling us what they were and whether or not they corrobate what Armando Montelongo is spewing?

“For those viewers disgusted with A&E for being “fake”, try “Property Ladder” on TLC. That’s as informative on house flipping as you can get. “Holmes on Homes” is a pretty decent show as well.”

Hmmmmmm…..so what you are saying is that if people know that something is fake, instead of warning other people *and* backing up that warning with actual facts and information, they should just walk away and go busy themselves with something else, and just let the rest of the flock of sheep go off the cliff as well? Dear, that just isn’t nice.

wyldwmn

Posted on 02-Jan-08 at 6:43 pm | Permalink
Just Woundering wrote:

One of the great benefits of the internet is ,, INFORMATION !!!
Just think how many more ppl would be scammed by Armondo if there was no internet .

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 12:46 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

WILDWOMAN…….OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!are you trying to drive me from this website??i have already slit my own throat once.are you trying to get me to do it again??WOMAN, have you ever heard the expression”less is more”?try it,i swear its true.your unprovoked attack on eve was redonculous.btw,great post eve.i wish this site had more posters like you,not the myriad of obvious brainwashed cult members that lurk here.mike voss this,wyldwmn that…….jennifer making once again a reference to the montelongos almost divorce.what is this??access hollywood??i am unfortunately or fortunatly a business man.and yes to all you working stiffs out there….buyers are a homogenous group.you just dont know it.ever wonder how a mattress store has a blow out sale boxing day,where they sell you a regularily priced 1600.00 mattress for 900.00?well they arnt losing money people.yes,they were making that much profit off you prior to boxing day.so….is the mattress store honest?is any profit over 100 percent honest??to all you whiners here,profit is why we get in business in the first place.none of us got in business so we could work really hard,put up with all the crap of running a business,the risk etc….just to save you all a lot of money.keep dreaming.its not up to montelongo to buy a house,rehab it and sell it to you for 2 per cent over his cost because thats what you all thinks is fair.if you dont like the prices or work man ship……find your own flip,rehab it your self and then live in it.makes sense to me.and again,how many times do i have to say it,a guy making 15 to 20 thousand a year living in san antonio isnt going to afford a 500,000 house.hes lucky to get a montelongo special.at least hes on title instead of paying rent,and if hes industrious can work his way out of a montelongo special and into a real home.would you prefer he pays rent for eternity?also,i agree with eve,armando doesnt push his web crap on a and e.so whats the problem??reality tv is at an alltime popularity high……ever watch the sureal life??now thats weird.so lump montelongo into it and have some fun.cause he is one funny mofo.WYLDWOMN may i suggest something fun for you because you seem very droll.go out,get drunk,let off some steam.let your hair down,get a tattoo.do a belly shot,get your tongue pierced,jump naked into a hotel pool.live a little.peace out sister

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 1:28 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

wyldwmn wrote: Armando Montelongo doesn’t need to spew a lot of hype for himself in a direcrt manner–he does it indirectly by portraying himself as “everyperson”

Yep, he sure does. At one time he had a video on his site that was about 30 seconds long if I remember correctly. Just himself and Veronica. At one point he’s says, “Oh sh*t, I don’t know how to make a video, ha ha!” and he and Veronica look at each other and giggle. 30 seconds long and he couldn’t re shoot that??” Totally staged.

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 11:43 am | Permalink
Jay Baur wrote:

The guy is a genius. He gets the job done and doesn’t take shit from anybody. If you want to run a business like Armando, you need to know how to reward people when necessary, but also how to get a great deal without getting screwed by putting his foot down. He came from nothing and now lives in a near million dollar home. He knows how to work and knows how to deal with people that are out to make a quick buck and screw him. He turns the tables and ends up getting exactly what he sets out for.

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 4:15 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

…….jennifer making once again a reference to the montelongos almost divorce.what is this??access hollywood??

Everyone is allowed a mistake and so I will apologize for reposting my whole post without editing it. Damn, I already apologized for the poor grammer and type o’s but didn’t realize that out of my three posts YOU could only drag me down for something that is as stupid as what you did. Get off my back and while you are at it keep spawning out the $hit you do while licking Flopper’s “getting bigger by the day” butt. He is going down and I wish you well along with him.

jennifer

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Jay Baur wrote: “He came from nothing and now lives in a near million dollar home.”

LOL Care for another glass of Kool Ade?

(rolls eyes)

Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 8:29 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1509, Jay Baur wrote:

“The guy is a genius.”

No. He is not a “genius.” Geniuses don’t have to resort to internet scams to make money. He is so unsuccessful at “flipping” that he has begun to put his time and effort into selling a bunch-o-nothin’ to people like you who don’t know any better.

“He gets the job doneand doesn’t take shit from anybody.”

Armando Montelongo doesn’t “get the job done.” What he does is set up an impossible situation and demand that his family and workers accomplish the impossible (or near-impossible), and instead of showing his *alleged* successess in numbers and in actual documents, he talks big and acts big. He has learned how to get people to believe that he runs with the big dogs, when the truth is that he still pisses like a puppy. If Armando Montelongo was a genius, then other successful people would be endorsing him. The person who is currently enorsing Armando Montelongo is Armando Montelongo.

“If you want to run a business like Armando, you need to know how to reward people when necessary, but also how to get a great deal without getting screwed by putting his foot down.”

Armando is not running a business. He is running a scam. There are plenty of successful business people who have written books about the quality of the relationship between the business owner and the employees, and that advice starts with the business owner being a coach and a leader, not a person who uses verbal abuse to make people work for little wages under unfair and unsafe conditions.

“He came from nothing and now lives in a near million dollar home.”

And exactly how long has Armando lived in that house? Do you have the facts and documentation that show how long he has *allegedly* owned it? There are a *lot* of ways that a person can manipulate living in a “million dollar home.” Plus, exactly who says that he home is worth a million? Armando? I haven’t seen an appraisal of that property, have you?

“He knows how to work and knows how to deal with people that are out to make a quick buck and screw him. He turns the tables and ends up getting exactly what he sets out for.”

No, Armando does *not* know how to deal with people who are out to make a quick buck. Successful business people stay away from people who are out to make a quick buck. Furthermore, Armando’s internet scam is proof that it is *Armando* who is out to make a quick buck, not others who are out to scam *him.*

As for turning the tables and getting exactly what he sets out for, the point is that Armando is “out for” getting people like you to defend him and his manipulative tactics while he goes to the bank with money that he has earned by scamming people. *THAT* is exactly what Armando wants.

wyldwmn

Posted on 04-Jan-08 at 4:57 pm | Permalink
Eve wrote:

To wyldwmn (In response to post 1505):

I’ve noticed that when you respond to someone’s post and you disagree with their opinion, you make a half a** attempt of dissecting their speech(mine in particular), and twist it to fit your needs. Here’s a useful tip in life, not everyone is going to agree with you. I was neither rude, nor did I crtique anyone’s posts.
I actually found this website interesting and was curious as to what different people have to say. But your amateur attempt of “calling me out”, was uncalled for, and very “un-ladylike”(hence the name wildwoman I suppose). I can tell you have or have had aspirations of being a lawyer with failed attempts. My turn to give you some useful advice. If you want to be heard, dispite whatever you complaint or argument is, when you come to the table for any dispute, be courteous and try to use the manners your family raised you with.

Posted on 06-Jan-08 at 8:16 pm | Permalink
Grace wrote:

I am never fooled by sales ads or gimmicks or conyving people… until now. Someone help and tell me what to do. I ordered the package of books and dvds, and a few days later I received a call where I was swept away and gave Armando Montelongo $5,000 on a credit card.

Posted on 06-Jan-08 at 9:58 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Eve wrote: “your amateur attempt of “calling me out”, was uncalled for, and very “un-ladylike”

wyldwmn tells it like it is and your characterization of her as being “un-ladylike” smacks of sexism to me.

Who you are in this life is up to you.

If you don’t mind, would you go to the kitchen and bake me a pie? ; )

Posted on 06-Jan-08 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

get back to the trailer Jennifer….and great post Eve.You sure got wildwoman pegged.although i always saw her as a washed up pshyciatrist wannabe.

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 9:47 am | Permalink
rippedrodgers wrote:

Hi Everybody, Just wanted to say that I love Armandos team on FLIP THIS HOUSE.All the people here who seem to hate him,dont you think you are being a little nuts?Anyway,love the posts and I will check back later.See ya

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 3:58 pm | Permalink
Timmy wrote:

MAN THIS GUY DOESNT REST
***point of note…he doesnt flip 30 houses a month He once FLIPPED 30 “deals”…

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teaches you to:

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BONUS: For the first 50 buyers get Armando’s personal document that makes him $40,000 per year in additional income!

***BONUS! BONUS!*** Armando and Veronica will randomly pick one student and fly to THEIR city on their dime and personally teach them for 1 day!!! That’s right, the lucky winner will get 8 hours of personal one-on-one instruction, looking at deals, making offers and talking to lenders!

This offer will NEVER be shown again! Why? Because he will be busy filming his 3rd season of “Flip This House”

Get Armando’s strategies as never seen before.

The Master will personally show you:

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Value of $1497.00
for only $597.00!

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
Lori wrote:

I have been reading these posts for awhile now. I don’t know anything about flipping but I find it interesting. And I think everyone is right on the money about Armondo.

However, I am compelled to respond to GHOSTOFBDKEW. If you hate everyone’s post so much, why do you read them? Who’s forcing you to come to this website? Does Mike Voss or wldwmn go to your house every evening with a gun to your head? I don’t think so. All you have to do is leave and not come back.

That is the great thing about the internet, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it. Go to another page. That certainly beats slitting your throat. However, since you are still posting, it occurs to me that you cannot even do that right. To correctly fix up a house takes a lot more knowledge than running a knife across your throat. Maybe when you do it again you will be successful, and if so, from the looks of your post, it is the only thing you have done correctly in your life.

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 6:08 pm | Permalink
Lori wrote:

Mike Voss, I have a question for you if you would be kind enough to answer. Would you trust Lowe’s installers to install a new door?

My back door was kicked in a couple of years ago. During some rains (but not all), it leaks. I had the wood replaced on the side of the door knob (where the damage occured). I have caulked everything I can see, and it still leaks. The door is slightly buckled but the water is not coming through at the bottom of the door between the door and threshold. It has to be coming from underneath the threshold. I know I can replace the threshold, but my thinking is the door is no longer square.

I bought my house 4.5 years ago. It is only a starter home so I don’t want to over-improve. And I certainly don’t want to pay $2200 for a big name like Muhler to replace my door. It is a $169 door, so I want to replace it with the same. It will cost me a total of around $500 for the door to be replaced by Lowe’s including delivery, the door, and installation.

Is this a wise decision? I will be here when they install it. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? After it was kicked in, I found out there was no support in the entire section from the top of the door to the bottom of the door, which is why it only took one kick. (e.g. no shims and connection to the frame). I want to prevent that situation from recurring.

I had the wood piece replaced by a builder. It is solid now. They would have to kick in the house frame in order to kick in the door. It was done by a friend of my cousin’s who is a SeeBee (building unit in the Navy). My cousin is a SeeBee as well. I cannot contact that person to do the job as my cousin was just deployed to Kuwait a month ago and the person will be deployed to Iraq probably in Feb.

I know it seems that he did not do his job well, but he did as far as structural support. And it only happens in certain heavy rains. No matter how much I try, I cannot duplicate the leaking issue with a hose even though I have it on its most powerful spray. So we would not have been able to duplicate it when he did it. He also did it as a favor to my cousin and he is extremely busy, so I cannot ask for that again.

My thinking is that by replacing the door, it would again be square, would no longer be buckled, and should not leak. Lowe’s has a one year guarantee against the leaks, and I should know in the spring if it is fixed.

BTW, I don’t know about flipping but I am actually pretty handy. I replaced a couple of sinks, plumbing for the sink, garbage disposal, and a light by myself. I just don’t do it on a routine basis, and I don’t want to pay $500 if I will have other issues - especially with structural support of the door. I have helped my parents replace doors (they rehabbed their house) so I can do it, but I don’t want to. Plus, I would have wanted my cousin to help, and he is in Kuwait.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 6:31 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Lori:

Good question. The answer is: maybe.
Here’s the reason: big chain stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sears, etc. sometimes use outside contractors to perform these services. Additionally, the regional nature of each store can mean different contractors are working at different locations, so the install at one store might be great and at another 10 miles away not so great. As such, you want to check into their references just as you would any other subcontractor you’d be hiring. At the very least, find out who holds the license, insurance, and bond they’ll be working under and verify all 3 are valid and without complaints on the license. Then, the day they start work, photograph or (preferably) videotape the work areas before, during, and after the work is done. Make this very obvious - someone who knows they are being observed on film or video will be a lot more careful and is less likely to cut a corner or try to do something half-assed. If they ask why you’re taking pictures, tell them it’s so you have a record of how it was done in case anything is an issue later. It’s your house, and you’re paying them - you get to make the rules, period.

There are a lot of things to look for as far as a good door installation, and a great resource you can get to bring you up to speed fast is a book from the Black and Decker series called The Complete Guide to Windows and Doors. It covers all aspects of entry doors from framing to finishing and can be had for under $10 usually on Amazon.

A good exterior door can be had for $200-$300 these days (shop around if necessary) and should come with it’s own threshold included. This is a door you want to buy pre-hung, which means it is shipped in a frame and is already attached to that frame. The hinges will have 5 holes, of which 2 or 3 will have no screws - this is so that you can drive long (3″+) screws all the way into the door jamb framing making the door extremely strong and secure. These long screws should also be used for the strike and deadbold places on the handle side. This ties the door into the framing where the strength is and will not only keep the dore square and plumb over time, but will make it many times more resistant to being forced or kicked in.

Another *important* thing to watch for is how the door is shimmed. The door in it’s frame will be about 1″ total smaller than the framing so that shims (wooden wedges) can be inserted around it between it and the framing to get it square and plumb and allow for some adjustment. Important things: 1) every shim point should have a shim coming from both sided so as to not skew the position of the frame, as using a shim from just 1 side would. 2) the door must be shimmed behind each hinge (shims should be as wide as the hinge or wider 3) shims should be placed spaced apart, not at the center of any span so as to allow expansion and contraction 4) after the door is in place, an expansive foam made for doors and windows (lower expansion so as not to bend the frame/jambs) should be used to seal all the gaps around the door. 5) after the door is installed, measuring from corner to corner diagonally will tell you if it is square - the distance of one diagonal will equal the other if it is square.

There are several other things to watch for, and the book will tell you them all. Educate yourself and then do your homework and keep a close eye on your installers and it should go just fine.

-Mike Voss

Posted on 07-Jan-08 at 8:05 pm | Permalink
Mike wrote:

Well you are all entitled to your opinions. However, I know Armando personally on a professional level. It’s a show, and he does on the show what it takes to make ratings. Whether you believe it or not ALL big time real estate professionals are the same. They all act the same and they get themselves to the point where they don’t need to do houses anymore. Now they write books and cd’s. From the looks of it ALL of you have read or listened to at least one. So YOU are the fuel feeding this fire. It’s called progress.

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 12:37 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

heres a thought Lori…….why not just keep your door and rebuild your entire house?wouldnt it be easier?glad i could help.

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 1:44 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

also Lori,why would a friend of your cousins,who is a seabee, kick in your door?thats just plain mean.

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 1:46 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1513, Eve wrote:

“To wyldwmn (In response to post 1505):
I’ve noticed that when you respond to someone’s post and you disagree with their opinion, you make a half a** attempt of dissecting their speech(mine in particular), and twist it to fit your needs. Here’s a useful tip in life, not everyone is going to agree with you. I was neither rude, nor did I crtique anyone’s posts.”

Actually, Eve, if you re-read my post you might begin to see that I addressed myself to *issues,* whereas in your post #1513, you make a personal attack. And that, according to you, is an indication that you have not been well-brought up.

As for your “tip” that not everyone will agree with me, isn’t that sort of the kind of tip that you should be taking *yourself*? ;-} ;-}

As for making “half-assed” and “amateur” attempts…I’ve been backing up what I have to say with links to informational sites, and I base what I say on researching critical thinking skills and how our unawareness of how our brain works makes us vulnerable to those who would study those vulnerabilities in order to exploit us. Can you do the same?

You, on the other hand, have apparently been going off “half-cocked,” as it were (pun intended), reacting emotionally to being challenged about issues that you addressed, and as a result you did a really good job doing exactly what you accused me of doing—another example of thinking errors that occur in the brain, and of course, a really good example of hypocrisy.

“I actually found this website interesting and was curious as to what different people have to say. But your amateur attempt of “calling me out”, was uncalled for, and very “un-ladylike”(hence the name wildwoman I suppose). I can tell you have or have had aspirations of being a lawyer with failed attempts. My turn to give you some useful advice. If you want to be heard, dispite whatever you complaint or argument is, when you come to the table for any dispute, be courteous and try to use the manners your family raised you with. “

Well, dear, I am very grateful to have been “brought up” by both men and women who taught me that the LAST thing I should ever make it a goal to be in life, is a “lady” and that being “ladylike” is a type of social prison. As for the courtesy that you seem to be “demanding” for yourself, I find it interesting that you object so vehemently to what you perceive to be a personal attack, and then make an all-out personal attack yourself. So, maybe I’m just too dense to understand this, but it sure does sound like what you are saying is that *you* are justified in making a personal attack and that it is up to you to decide whether anybody else has justification for making a personal attack??? Is THAT what you are saying??? And remember…I addressed myself to issues–just because you don’t like my opinions doesn’t mean that I was making a personal attack on you. And again, it does sound just a teeny-tiny-tad hypocritical that in complaining of being personally attacked you make a personal attack yourself.

As for “wanting to be heard,” my *work* is about making information available to the people who need it and don’t know where to find it. If *you,* on the other hand, “want to be heard,” I’m sure there are crisis lines in your area that can assist you in establishing resources for getting your emotional needs met.

On a final note, one of the other things I’m grateful for having learned from both male and female teachers in my life, is that looking in the mirror isn’t about being afraid you might have lipstick on your teeth.

wyldwmn
running with the wolves
and apparently, sometimes a skunk or two

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 1:03 pm | Permalink
Lori wrote:

Thanks so much, Mike. That is great information. I really appreciate it. I will check into that book.

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 5:21 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

“GHOSTOFBDKEW,
Lori wrote: If you hate everyone’s post so much, why do you read them? Who is forcing you to come to this website? Does Mike Voss or wldwmn go to your house every evening with a gun to your head? I don’t think so. All you have to do is leave and not come back.”

I believe she and I are not the only posters that have mentioned this to you. When you start throwing out crap it’s usually something you have been involved in like growing up marked as trailer park trash. You come across in your posts as a bully but you are typing, and read this again, poorly at anything you have to say to me. You are probably a zit faced 35 yr. old virgin that still lives at home with your mommy, drinking beer, weigh about a dollar and a quarter and hiding behind your computer. Usually it is people like you that idolize idiots like flopper so please don’t worry, I will not write anymore about you. I am not a wannabe anything. I am a widow, with three small children, living in a house that needs some remodeling before I trade it off with the $4.8 million settlement from my husbands fall to his death and I am a fourth grade teacher. I believe that I have seen enough children, parents and retards like you to call it a spade when I run across one.
Do yourself a favor and get on some antidepressants.
Jennifer

Posted on 08-Jan-08 at 8:14 pm | Permalink
Patrick wrote:

I’ve been watching this site for some time and finally want to add something. For those looking to get into real estate investing and rehab, don’t go to some guru with a one size fits all philosophy such as Montelongo. It doesn’t work. Real Estate is very market specific. What you should do is find a local realtor that has their own investment homes and rehab experience. They’ve already experienced the ins and outs of rehab and investment and can keep you from making the same mistakes they already made. Some realtors also specialize in bank foreclosure and short sales and can find you more homes than you can look at. The realtor I use has over $5 million in foreclosures at any given time. Don’t get just any realtor, only one with the experience you are needing. Second, get an appraiser to counsel you on what your home in your market needs to maximize profit. As a person in this business, I have seen more people over-improve and loose their butts and others under-improve and have tantrums when the banks won’t finance their buyers for the agreed sale price because the lenders appraiser thinks it isn’t up to parr for the market. Bottom line is there is no reason AT ALL to pay someone hundreds or even thousands of dollars for what I know to be extremely bad advice.

Posted on 09-Jan-08 at 12:11 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/category/armando-montelongo/

Posted on 10-Jan-08 at 12:17 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Now here’s a fun read:

http://www.state.il.us/court/opinions/appellatecourt/2007/1stdistrict/june/1050357.pdf

wyldwmn

Posted on 10-Jan-08 at 12:35 am | Permalink
Patrick wrote:

Just another black mark on his record…but Montelongo House Buyers has a Notice of State Tax Lien for not paying Texas Unemployment Taxes filed by the State in October 2007. I don’t know about other business people, but as a business owner myself, even if I hit “hard times”, I would still pay my payroll taxes. Let’s see…he doesn’t pay his mortgages (some of those homes are now listed on the MLS “in need of repair” so I guess he didn’t do a very good job); he doesn’t pay his property taxes; and he doesn’t pay payroll taxes.
Sounds like a winner I want to coach me on successful business practices!!! Also, to those who say to ease up on him for the foreclosures because everyone has a “down time”. Have you noticed that his whole sale pitch is that he can show you how to make money EVEN in bad market times?

Posted on 10-Jan-08 at 10:48 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

Jennifer……..what?are we dating now???that was just a little too much information about your life.and i wasnt putting down your trailer.lots of people live in them.im sure yours is very nice.also,if you teach learning impaired children,i dont think the parents would like to hear you call them retards.not very politically correct.but,alas,thats the problem with the U.S. school system,they have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find 4th grade teachers.and i resent you calling me a zit faced virgin who lives in a basement.I DONT HAVE ZITS!by the way……..(and this has nothing to do with the 4.8 mill)but you are kinda growin on me….you got a boyfriend??if not,what do ya say we…….??you know.also,i dont know why everyone thinks i dont like WILDWOMAN,her being unshaved and obviously wearing no bra doesnt turn my crank,but when shes not boring me,she amuses me somewhat.i dont need prozac because of her,ive learned to change my thinking patterns.love,GHOST

Posted on 10-Jan-08 at 2:08 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

“Mike” wrote:
________________
Mike wrote:

Well you are all entitled to your opinions. However, I know Armando personally on a professional level. It’s a show, and he does on the show what it takes to make ratings. Whether you believe it or not ALL big time real estate professionals are the same. They all act the same and they get themselves to the point where they don’t need to do houses anymore. Now they write books and cd’s. From the looks of it ALL of you have read or listened to at least one. So YOU are the fuel feeding this fire. It’s called progress.
_______

No, I don’t believe it, nor do I believe you exist nor know Armando. Prove it. I say you’re a liar and you don’t exist.

Posted on 10-Jan-08 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
Eve wrote:

This blog has gone completely off track. I do have a question though for people that are experienced in flipping or renovating houses. Metal roofs. They’ve been proven to be more durable than shingles, but after some years they began to fade. What is the best way to clean it’s surface and what regular maitenance is required?

Posted on 11-Jan-08 at 4:23 pm | Permalink
Eve wrote:

To GHOSTOFBDKEW: (In response to post 1532)
You crack me up! Such a smart ass….LOL…..

Posted on 12-Jan-08 at 2:34 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In post #1534, Eve wrote:

“This blog has gone completely off track.’

I, too, have noticed that from time to time, this blog seems to have a mind of its own, and completely goes off track even though each and every poster is clearly contributing well-considered, well-reearched, helpful information about Armando Montelongo and his methods.

Seems like the blog owner would be more careful, you know, since every single person who posts here takes the time to think before they type, and nobody ever posts any emotional reactions, sexist attacks on women, personal rants or suicide threats….

Yep. It’s the blog’s fault, all right.

I wonder how it does that?

wyldwmn
taking a break from the wolves
to make home made pizza for friends
and a pie for dessert
Where’s my apron?

Posted on 12-Jan-08 at 5:33 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

“Jennifer……..what?are we dating now???that was just a little too much information about your life.and i wasnt putting down your trailer.”
First of all I do not live in a trailer.
Second of all YOU DID JUST WHAT I figured you would and responded back with a bunch of innuendo’s or should that be “inyourendo’s.”
You have made me laugh instead of get angry. You have also showed off just how little you do know, that you don’t retain what you read, and the bait I put out caught an old ugly log and not a fish. Every time you spew is a little more information than any of us want to read. Also the things you say to us girls also proves my theory on your looks, age and sexuality, etc.

GOTCHA and please don’t respond back. Have you no dignity?
Jennifer

Posted on 12-Jan-08 at 5:56 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Actually, Eve, the subject of this thread is “Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s real estate Package?” which would mean that the majority of posts are on subject but yours is actually off.

The focus is, and should stay, Armando’s courses and whether or not they are of any value, which includes discussions which determine his bona fides or, more appropriately, his lack thereof.

Posted on 12-Jan-08 at 8:26 pm | Permalink
david wrote:

second result when you do a google search for Armando…

what is armando going to do when his show is over and his program money runs out? or is he building up such an empire that the money will never run out?

Posted on 12-Jan-08 at 9:05 pm | Permalink
Carlos wrote:

Mike,
I purchased the book a few weeks ago an dhave not received a thing. I am fairly new in the rehab business but i love doing it. I have bought 2 houses in the last year and have made good profits on both. My question to you is is there anybody in this industry that you can trust. I have been to a number of seminars and they all seem to be the same. They feed you a little bit and at the end they go in for the kill! They will try and sell you a course or coaching for thousands of dollars.I also wanted mention to you that when i signed up for the Armando’s book I started getting numerous emails from
Greg ? trying to sell me something else. do you know this guy is he associated with armando?

Posted on 13-Jan-08 at 5:35 am | Permalink
GHOSTOFBDKEW wrote:

hi roomies,so what your suggesting WILDWOMAN is CENSORSHIP???so the blog owner and you should be able to read all posts and eliminate any YOU deem unfit?sounds wonderful.i guess any of us assbackward thinkers better conform.i guess eve and i are gone huh?sexist attacks on women?where and when?and if liking women acting like women is a crime in your world,then im guilty.gloria steinhem never turned my crank and i doubt i woulda turned hers.(me being the wrong sex and all)dont anyone here ever say you know armando or (shudder)like armando.mike voss will immediatly call you a liar and order a polygraph test.and i laughed my ass offwhen WILDWOMAN said that the blog has a mind of its own……no WILDWOMAN,you never go off topic at all.no,never.as ive said before this is about flipping and real estate courses not freud.i watched some old repeats of armando,and boy ,do i miss him.still excellent entertainment value in my book.TAKING A BREAK FROM THE WOLVES,WAITING ON MY WIFE TO FINISH SUPPER,HOPING THAT SHE HAD TIME TO DO THE LAUNDRY,SO I WILL HAVE A CLEAN SHIRT.

Posted on 13-Jan-08 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
PETEFORAN wrote:

a couple things i am curious about - is he still flipping houses, how did he get so fat, did he ever get up to to 3 bills. some of the episodes i have seen of him are pretty scary because he is so obese

Posted on 13-Jan-08 at 11:35 pm | Permalink
Ann wrote:

I think that Armondo is a great man. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make some money, and providing a better life for your family. My Life long dream is to become a house flipper and he is giving me the ideas and courage to go out and do it. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with that. He is no different then any other buisness man out there. My great aunt bought a house from him and she says that it is the greatest house she has ever lived in. So I think that you guys need to get a hobby and quit spending all of your time trashing on Armondo!!!!!!!!!

Posted on 16-Jan-08 at 12:45 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

o.k. guys, it’s another softball comment from the Armando camp. I’ll take this one….
Ann, (or whoever you are) please, please, please, give us all a freakin’ break. “Armando is a great man?” What heck has caused you to believe that? By what criteria do you judge greatness? I would suggest that only if your idea of greatness is measured by the length of Armando’s future prison sentence, then someday soon, he will indeed be regarded as a great man. Until that special and very great day, could you please tell us more about how your “life long dream is to become a house flipper?” Please provide specifics as to the ideas that Armando provided to you? While you’re at it, kindly provide us the address of your great aunt’s wonderful home. Contrary to your assertion, our hobby is not trashing Armando. Rather, we would like to reflect and marvel upon the wonderful housing opportunities that Armando provides to deserving families, like your great Aunt! Please give us the details of her transaction, consider starting with the street address. Thanks. You’re the best. And by the way, good luck on your flipping career.

Posted on 17-Jan-08 at 10:04 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

OK Ann - I say you’re another bulls_it shill post.

Please post the exact address of the house and your great aunt’s name so that we can verify the transaction and contact your great aunt to get her direct personal opinion on her house.

I say you’re a liar and will never post here again. Your post fits the profile of numerous shill posts here nearly 100% and I will personally put up $100 that you are lying. If you can prove me wrong, I’ll send the money to the webmaster and you can prove your identity to him to claim it.

If anyone new to this site is reading this, this is simply either Armando or one of his boiler room flunkees desperately trying to do damage control.
There hasn’t been a single example to date of EVEN ONE SINGLE PERSON posting here claiming to have had a good experience with Armando and proving it. NOT ONE. ZERO. NEVER.

You can bet that record won’t be broken now as this poster is just as fake as all the others. Either we’ll never hear from “Ann” again or we’ll get one more post telling us how she doesn’t have to prove anything to us and then we’ll never hear from “her” again. Pathetic, ineffective, and laughable - just like Armando.

Mike Voss

Posted on 18-Jan-08 at 1:29 pm | Permalink
2dogs wrote:

What authors do you suggest reading to get started in investment properties? This has soured my will at the moment but I want to get started and have found what I deem to be some great investment potentials but I want to constantly educate myself.

Posted on 18-Jan-08 at 6:29 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdogs wrote:

First Ann or Armando whoever you are, You claim Armando is great man what a joke a man who calls a woman a mother fu__in bit__is nothing but an uneducated loser! Hey Ann go to a hard money lender and borrow money but make sure you do what Armando tells you to do. Walk away with 20,000 profit in your pocket, then let the house go into foreclosure and keep the money. Yep Ann that’s a great guy keep following what he tells you and we’ll see ya in JAIL!!
FOR EVERYONE ELSE I JUST FOUND OUT VERONICA’S CELL PHONE HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED, YOU WOULD THINK A MILLIONAIRE COULD PAY HIS CELL PHONE BILL. THIS GUY IS A REAL JERK!

Posted on 19-Jan-08 at 9:41 pm | Permalink
Courtney wrote:

I’m loving this site. I almost fell for some other shills out there trying to improve my game. Just like this website, try http://www.johntreed.com/realestate.html for some excellent insight into the biz and the scammers. I appoligize if that has already been mentioned. Also, I have purchased two of Reeds books and found them realistic, affordable and truthfull. Do so at your own peril - I’m not pushing him, but you should check out any package there before you buy. You can find all that you need on the internet for free or use your $97 to buy reputable publications. My Dad rehabed (sp) when I was a kid and we have just done the same with our own houses and been able to upgrade at a steady pace. No magic, no easy answers, just hard work and persistance.
Keep up the good work, Mike!

Posted on 20-Jan-08 at 12:51 am | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

2dogs, Kirsten Kemps book is pretty good… You could start there…

Posted on 20-Jan-08 at 7:19 pm | Permalink
Tiff wrote:

Mike,

I’ve been reading these comments off and on for many months and for the first time I don’t completely agree with you. I don’t whole-heartedly believe Ann’s post was a shill (although, I do not reject the hypothesis). Here are my reasons:

1. I don’t believe Armando is clever enough to consistantly misspell his own name.
2. The post lacks the usual verbal abuse and indecent language that charaterize other shills.
3. Armando’s houses look “new” on TV so who’s to say they don’t look “new” in person. I was a first time buyer last year: We see the fresh paint, carpet, fixtures, and closet space. We don’t see the horrors behind the drywall and we don’t smell the sewage gases over the pretty vanilla scented candles in the bath. Some of the frightening things we see on his show might take 5 or 10 years to rear they ugly heads. Somehow I don’t think Armando’s been in the business long enough for the true cost of his actions to be known.

Ann may just be a nice (and a suppose angry) lady whose aunt will be shouldered with a massively expensive problem three years down the road.

But let’s all hope she’s a shiller, for her aunt’s sake.

Tiff

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 2:56 am | Permalink
houseflipper wrote:

I disagree with Mike Voss and Ray.I have learned a lot from Armando,and incorporate a lot of his ideas into my reno business.And I may as well say it now,I am absolutely not going to give you my phone number,or my house purchase addresses.I guess you will simply have to take my word on it.This world needs more people like Armando with the drive and determination to inspire others around him.Thanks Armando……no matter what these other haters say.

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 2:49 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

“Tiff”, et al;

If you read more closely, you will find that a number of people who post here have visited Armando houses in person and/or encountered people involved in the projects. The projects do not, by any means, look “new” to anyone other than an amateur. They look like disguised and camouflaged at best to the trained eye. Every one of those situations has been an incompetent build that was uninhabitable most of the time. Several were outright frauds never completed and lied about on tv. You should do your research before forming an opinion on the matter. We have - in depth. I have personally spoken with people who worked for Armando (until he stopped paying them - and he still hasn’t and is in trouble with the law because of it) who inspected and/or appraised his properties. They have told me that his work is absolutely criminal it is so bad. What you see on TV is only the tip of the iceburg -it is FAR worse. I’m a home inspector - I KNOW this. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that I, Steve, Boyson, etc. are just some yahoos who watched a TV show and started spouting off an opinion - we’re not. We have done in depth research, much of which has been passed on to investigators who are looking into this matter. Our opinions are well-founded and based on solid facts. For Christ’s sake, do you not see the thread on this website showing 20+ properties in FORECLOSURE that Armando was involved with?? Does that not raise a red flag with you that he represents himself as a successful developer yet could not even make the payments on these properties, much less develop them? Wake up!

The facts stand. Number of people who have claimed to have used Armando’s courses for any benefit and proven it here:zero. Number of people who have bought an Armando house and had something good to say about it here: Zero. Number of verifiable properties turned for a profit by Armando: Zero.
This is the reality. Armando is a fraud from every imaginable angle.

Here’s a little surprise for all of you. This week, the national news media will be uncovering Armando with both barrels blazing. The clock has finally run out for him and the end is very near. You’ll all soon know that everything you’ve been reading here in the negative about him is the true case.
How do I know? Because they contacted me and I turned information I have uncovered over to them. Armando is in serious, serious trouble and the end of the line is mere days away. The smart money is betting that season 3 of Armando on FTH will never make air.

Mike Voss

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 5:12 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Tiff wrote: “3. Armando’s houses look “new” on TV so who’s to say they don’t look “new” in person.”

Actually they don’t. I have a 42″ HD Plasma TV with a DVR. Many of the houses on the ’show’ are incomplete, i.e missing tile grout in the bathrooms, wires hanging out of the walls, only showing one bedroom because the others are incomplete and on and on

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
flipper wrote:

You people need to go flip a house Has anyone here ever fliped a house or are you all a bunch of i wish I could do it to but I dont know how.losers

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
Eve wrote:

In response to post 1538 by Mike Voss….
Wow….You totally answered “an off track question” for Lori, so I figured you wouldn’t mind if I, or anyone asked questions since your so damn experienced. And as for the femi-nazi Wildwoman, stop watching “flip this house” and it’s reruns since you hate the show so damn much. Kick your feet up and have a beer! And since I’ve been pegged as being gender biased, I guess I should also tell you to drink your beer out of a glass “like a lady”?!!!! Give me a break….

Posted on 21-Jan-08 at 9:43 pm | Permalink
GHOSTOFBKEW wrote:

OMG!!!!!!!!more than one person who doesnt hate armondo??whats the world coming too?you filthy liars.i know your all liars cause mike voss says so.LOVEMYBOXERS….i think your lovin your boxers a lil too much,if you catch my meaning….if you actually know the whereabouts of ronnies cell phone number…..i think maybe your stalking?any one here agree?now i know a few of you ladies out there would find having a very strange person knowing your cell phone creepy.but i digress,isnt this blog still about flipping?i still personally think that a few of montys house flips were good.and as far as armondo goes,he does say hell teach you how to make money,not save your customer money.as i have stated many times,if any of you want to rehab for free i think they call it habitat for humanity.if you want to make a profit,buy low sell high.period.if you cant stomach that,go work at mcdonalds.as far as reading anything by john t. reed goes,hes a very intelligent man but almost as boring as mike voss.not to mention he is one miserable bas_ard.for anyone wanting inspiration to get into real estate,dont give him a read.youll end up in waste management.WILDWOMAN,I MISS YOU!!PLEASE COME BACK.anyway people,glad to see your all here and i look forward to reading some more of your chatter.warmest regards,GHOST

Posted on 22-Jan-08 at 3:12 am | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Houseflipper reveals a few other tell-tale signs of shill posts that I’ve noticed:
1. the liberal use of the multiple “……..”;
2. the consistent failure to use a space after a comma or period; and
3. the use of the term “haters” (which I pretty sure has failed to enter the common dialect).

Congradulations on your spelling though! It’s getting much better.

Posted on 22-Jan-08 at 7:56 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I have a theory on Post 1543 Ann:

So she doesn’t spell Floppers name right, her great aunt bought the house so Ann didn’t have to look at any paper work with his name on them.
If Ann is, I am guessing, around the age of 20, add 20 years for her mothers age and another 20 for her great aunt then her great aunt might just be in her 60’s or older. Maybe those five small houses that were flipped for those tenants to try and purchase back was one of these homes and maybe Armando helped get those tenants high interest rate financing to get back into their house they were used to living in. Maybe she got an offer she couldn’t refuse. Maybe her great aunt couldn’t afford any house but an Armando/Flopper house.
Maybe her great aunt never owned a house or lived in a trailer all her life.
And, along with many other people that are unwilling to do research or as in the song from the movie hit “South Pacific” - Children Will Listen, they are very impressioned by their families beliefs and never make their own moral and values, just continue with those of their parents. This also may give you an idea how old Ann is also.
Finally, how long ago was this house bought? Has it had time to start falling apart from all the patches and quick fixes that is Floppers trademark? What is great auntie gonna say when the flipped house starts to flop and can’t find Armando around to flip it because his deal is done after the house is bought? Just like I have learned from watching him also, you have so many days to stop the deal or something like that. Mike or Steve could give the exact answer here that I remember Armando bragging about on one of his shows - and maybe what he said was not the actual truth.
Shrill or no shrill Ann does have freedom of speech, as do we all, and she has flaws, as do we all. There are a lot of scenarios for Ann’s post.
My question to Ann - is it a house from one of the TV shows or maybe one listed in the archives? I agree with Mike when he asks for some type of proof. I am so tired of the shills on this site and the other that I am hoping that you might be that one in 100 who will have the courage to put up the information. You may want to know this information yourself in case your great aunt has problems in the near future. If you do put it up and Mike or Steve or someone can find out any information on it that might help stop an unwanted problem before it happens, well then you would be so helpful to her. I hope your great aunt has many good years in that house. Out of all the people that keep getting scammed I would love to read about a happy ending and not another person losing money. Ann, this is not a post against you in any way, just a way you could show you are not a shill.
Only love for everyone,
Jennifer

Posted on 22-Jan-08 at 11:37 pm | Permalink
lovemyboxerdogs wrote:

FIRST OFF GHOSTOFBKEW, I DO LOVE MY BOXER DOGS AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. YOUR SECOND CHILDISH REMARK RE:MY DOGS, I WOULD LIKE TO CHALLENGE YOU TO COME OVER AND MEET MY DOGS, IF YOU CAN LAST 10 MINS I WILL SAY ARMANDO IS THE BEST. I KNOW FOR A FACT I WILL NEVER HAVE TO SAY THAT BECASE I WOULD GUESS IN 5 MINS WITH MY BOXERS YOU WILL PEE YOUR PANTS AND CRY AND BEG ME TO MAKE THEM STOP GUARANTEED!! SECONDLY CALLING ME A STALKER ARE YOU A CHILD? SORRY BUT I DON’T NEED TO OR HAVE TIME TO STALK ANYONE I AM TO BUSY RAISING MY DISABLED BABY. SINCE YOU LOVE ARMANDO SO MUCH YOU BETTER HURRY UP AND COMMIT A CRIME SO MAYBE YOU CAN SHARE THE SAME CELL WITH YOUR MAN. GOOD LUCK AND WE’LL BE WAITING TO SEE ARMANDO AND YOUR NEW SHOW FLIPPING OUR JAIL CELL. HAVE A NICE LIFE GHOSTOFBKEW!

Posted on 23-Jan-08 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I’d suggest anyone still deluded into thinking that Armando has any legitimacy whatsoever have a look at page 28 of today’s National Enquirer.

The full page article is entitled, “Flip This House Star FACING PRISON over real estate deals.”

Included are images of documents including an ARREST WARRANT - yes, your hero Armando was arrested in October for theft of services - a felony in TX - and is looking at 2 years on that alone. Funny how a “multi-millionaire” who “flips 30 houses a month” and “never makes less than $20K per flip” couldn’t pay a mere $4000 to stay out of jail, now isn’t it??

Funnier still is that Armando had NO COMMENT when contacted. You’d think he’d want to set the record straight, now wouldn’t you?

End of story, my friends. He was a fraud from day one, never made a dime, and the music has finally stopped and he has no chair.

I said it before and I’ll say it one more time: There are NO shortcuts!!!

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Jan-08 at 1:31 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Oh, Armando???

Be sure and pick up a copy of the National Enquirer Friday!

Posted on 24-Jan-08 at 2:32 pm | Permalink
houseflipper wrote:

Yes , I am obviously a shill. Of course I am on Armando’s payroll. I am sitting in his living room as we speak. Give me a break , why don’t you guys get real?? Just as I suspected, if I have a different opinion ,then I am obviously a shill. And I am glad you like my English , RAY, read your own last sentence IDIOT.(Which i pretty sure………Good work buddy.

Posted on 24-Jan-08 at 6:32 pm | Permalink
Brent wrote:

Well, I paid for the $10 shipping and handling a couple weeks ago and finally got my “free” package… I get 30 days to review it and must send it back or else pay “6 easy payments of $79.95″ for a few dvds and a couple work books. I’m pretty pissed off at the fact that Fagmondo pulled a fast one. I even asked the lady on the phone why he’s giving away free shit if he’s a businessman. Her reply “it’s for tax purposes”. HAHAHA… I’m going to send it back and not even look at the shit out of spite. If he wants to be successful and coaching, then he should be ethical and not try to scam people into spending $500 on something he advertises on XM radio as free. Now I guess I just have to blog about this experience and hopefully deter others from making the same mistake. I also have to waste my time going to the post office and paying for shipping to send it back. Maybe I’ll just cancel my CC and keep it so I don’t have to pay for it…. what do you think about them apples?

Scam the scammer…

Posted on 25-Jan-08 at 2:12 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

If anyone has a website on which they’d like to host the Enquirer article, let me know and I’ll send you a scanned copy so everyone can see it. I’ll get permission from the Enquirer for copyright.

I think everyone needs to see this. but I don’t have the bandwidth.

Posted on 26-Jan-08 at 11:19 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1561, Mike Voss wrote:

“I’d suggest anyone still deluded into thinking that Armando has any legitimacy whatsoever have a look at page 28 of today’s National Enquirer.

The full page article is entitled, “Flip This House Star FACING PRISON over real estate deals.””

I wonder how soon it will be before Dr. Phil pays Armando a visit? ;-}

wyldwmn
enjoying the snowy, snowy Willamette Valley this Sunday morning

Posted on 27-Jan-08 at 12:47 pm | Permalink
2blessed2bstressed wrote:

i see so many negative remarks about the montelongos…thats sad.nobody on this earth is perfect sure he may have made not so smart choices in business and/or his life who hasnt?and who cares?money is the root of all evil. its funny cause we all still choose to chase after that dream of having all those 0’s in your bank.there have been pastors of churches who have scammed their own fellow members out of money so nothing shocks me anymore when it comes to how ugly a person can get over it(money).my husband has started flipping homes in san antonio and does not do half a** work.he pays attension to detail and wants to help families get into homes they love.not just for the money , to be able to say “i bought,remodled,and sold this home to a family that loves my work!”thats where some people go wrong in any business is sense of compassion& humanity.the more he wants to be helping others the more money we make.

Posted on 27-Jan-08 at 5:13 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Has anyone found any better sources for this morons warrant or arrest than the Enquirer??? I would love to see it, but for obvious reasons, am suspicious of that magazine… Seeing this tool arrested will be sweet justice though! Cant wait! :-)

Posted on 27-Jan-08 at 10:35 pm | Permalink
rae wrote:

2blessed should pay attention to spelling and subject verb agreement.

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 12:28 am | Permalink
Jason wrote:

*** Challenge to Armando ***

We flip houses in Dallas for a living. We do 3-5 a month and we make money doing it.

To do that many houses a month we employ a total of 18 people 12 full- time and 6 for trade work like drywall, etc. (Imagine the size of the company to do 30 a month)

It takes us about 18-30 days per a house

We buy the houses on average at 40% below comps.

We make about 10-15% after ALL costs, including escrow, title insurance, etc.

We finance our own deals saving about 5-7% in costs that are never included in the profit figures on TV

Here is the Wager. I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

I will pay Armando 10-thousand dollars cash if he can prove that he has flipped even 500 houses. Further more I will pay an additional ONE THOUSAND dollars for each house he can PROVE the real profit and timelines match the shows advertised figures. However, if he loses I get Veronica for a week :)

Flipping houses is a blast, but there is a price to entry. We LOST money on our first 2 houses… Took us time to figure it out. If you try it - do the first one as a partnership to learn the ropes - it’s not like TV.

Currently there are only 3 markets that you can make money flipping in. Seattle, Salt Lake City and Dallas - anywhere else is going to cost you money.

Armando, here is my direct e-mail address BLACKROCK367@AOL.COM I challenge you, in fact I dare you….

Jason

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 12:48 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

ChrisInDetroit,

The source or sources for the Enquirer are posters here ; ) The article is correct, check it out! Mike Voss and this web site were mentioned in it, among otheres

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:46 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

In reference to post #1567 to Chris:

Post 1 of 3 (I think)

I did a search and found a few other links to what was posted here and one takes you to the A&E forum/blog on FTH and Armando. I am posting them here but due to amount of info, where I got it and where to go to so you can read it I have to post it in three different posts.
This forum blog is stating that Flopper was arrested October 2007 for real estate scam charges in many types and whoever posted also wrote it came from the National Enquirer.
National Enquirer in Flip This House in AETV Community Cente… National Enquirer: There’s an interesting article about Armando on page 28 of … Flip This House Star FACING PRISON over real estate deals’Included are …
boards.aetv.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700012802 - 42k - Similar pages
http://boards.aetv.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700012802

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:05 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Post 2 of 3: This came from also searching for links and seems to come from A&E Forum about FTH but is not the Forum listed above as you will see when you read it. It also posts this site we use for others to read and gives credit to Mike Voss….

ChicagoCita
View Member Profile
Find Member’s Posts Couch Potato
Jan 26, 2008 @ 2:19 am Post#1269
So tonight I’m sick and curled up on the couch with kleenexes, down comforter and the National Enquirer (shut up, you know you read it sometimes, too!) and what do I see but Armando Montelongo’s toothy grin and this:

Flip This House Star Faciing Prison Time Over Real Estate Deals
Wheeler-Dealer’s home ’sales’ are really 25 FORECLOSURES
The first paragraph says the Enquirer’s investigation “uncovered at least 25 foreclosures on homes that Armando has claimed to have flipped” and that “he’s facing two years in prison on a felony charge stemming from nonpayment in real estate transactions!”
Say what you will about the Enquirer, but they quote Mike Voss and FlipThisLawsuit.com, so I’m kind of believing them.
All I can say is, after this Montelongo thing, and Sam Leccima, if the Connecticut Frat Boys end up being con artists, I’m going to cry. They are far too pretty for prison.

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

PS: regarding post 2 of three:

the thread links it to:

forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showt… - 92k - Similar pages

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:13 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

I have a copy of the arrest warrant and am happy to send it to anyone who wants a copy - just email me or post your email here. I personally received it from an attorney friend in Texas through legal channels of public information available to anyone. Still working on a copy of the booking photo - $20 reward to anyone who gets it first!

Jason - I’ll kick in $10,000 as well. That’s the safest bet around. :)

Please - all you Armando shills - explain to us how your millionaire boss went to jail for not paying a paltry $4000 bill - I’m just dying to know.

Mike Voss

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:28 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Steve and Jennifer,

Thanks guys! I appreciate it!! Cant wait to see the tool put under the jail! hahahaha

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:36 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Chris:
This is page 3 or 3

I and sorry it took me more than 30 minutes to get all these links together but I wanted to double check one more time to see if I could find the early January article page 28 listed anywhere. I could not. I hope this helps you.
Jennifer

http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/2008/01/09/real-estate-fraud-charges-brought-against-founder-of-denver-based-eq-invest/
or
http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/category/flipping/

AND WHAT I TYPED INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE TO FIND THESE SITES IS:

“flip this house star facing prison over real estate deals article from National Enquirer”

Low and behold I found many places to search but some misleading. The flipping frenzy has it’s article but to connect it with Flopper, possibly to make him paranoid, which he should be, their article posted weeks ago runs right on the the page as this Colorado fellow right below his article. I have also listed below info I found at the last minute from trying to search NE. It is a linke to more of Germain’s story and how strung out and self loathing he became, which kind of reminds me of how downhill Flopper has been showing himself in commercials, etc. The there is a linke to the Entire Indictment agaist Germain which I found interesting to read.
As much as Flopper needs to be dealt with I am finding it that more people are comparing him with other scam artists and counting the days that he also joins the legal list of proven risks.
This is the original story from Channel 9 News:
http://www.9news.com/pdfs/Germain_Indictment.pdf
This is the Indictment against Germain which has about 10 pages naming names and charges comparable to what we have read here at this site. All found within the channel 9 news story:
http://www.9news.com/pdfs/Germain_Indictment.pdf

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 10:54 pm | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

Yes it’s true about the arrest. I am the appraiser that had him arrested and I would like to thank the posters here for giving me the courage to stand up for myself even though you had no idea of your influence. I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously or would believe my story, but once I saw how some of you saw through him, then I figured I must have a chance and decided to call the police. This court stuff is confusing for me, so I don’t know how much I can discuss, so I’ll just stop talking now. Thanks again.

Posted on 28-Jan-08 at 11:38 pm | Permalink
vicki wrote:

-i purhesed the package and for days was hounded by someone saying armando wanted to work with us personaly but of course we needed to send in 24 to 40 thousand dollars he kept giving me this it like college tuition crap how mwny people with very little money that wwanted to use what they had to try this fell for that scam and sent the money when they call i just dont answer you ripped me of on this package the hell if your getting my life savings

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 8:48 am | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

Question, How hard do you think the hammer will drop on Armando? My impression of him from the first time I watched him on HIS show was he didn’t seem smart enough to be a big time crook. Are we giving this idiot to much credit ?

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
SHAWN wrote:

I BOUGHT THE MASTER KIT ON A 30 DAY TRAIL AND IM ABOUT TO RETURN IT, HAS ANY ONE DONE THE SAME?

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 1:04 pm | Permalink
Jason wrote:

ARMANDO does make money on every house he flips -

Let me give you a little insight into how this all works.

His wife, Veronica is a Real Estate agent - So, every time they buy a house she gets paid the buyer commission out of closing escrow. Before they even touch the house they have made 3-5% on the purchase(FHA owned after 90 days pays 5% buyer comish). So let’s assume that they did in fact buy 27 homes last year - average price 80k that would lead us to believe that at the lowest commission they made $2400 per a house or $64,800 lat year.

The other part of the equation is a term called ‘HARD MONEY’

Hard money is a term out of old school Texas - whereby, an investor would lend money backed by land to oil companies to drill prospective wells looking for oil - in return they would be secured by the land and machinery and could stand to profit up to 50% of any oil out of that well - - - Skip ahead to modern day and its basically the same. An Investor loans money to an individual to purchase a house and fix it up for about 18-25% If you don’t repay they keep the house and maybe sue you - since they are individual investors they do not report it to the credit bureaus - (See http://www.prosper.com for an example of soft and hard money lending) SO, theoretically, Armando could have had 10-15 different lenders not knowing what one was doing from the other - No credit reporting = no tracking ability.

Armando is not interested in selling property he’s interested in buying it. Hence the foreclosures.

That’s not a FLIPPER that’s a con artist - plain and simple.

PS I have not heard any response to my challenge above - The 10-grand awaits Armando - I’ve also e-mailed Veronica, No response as of yet - keep you posted.

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 3:32 pm | Permalink
Tammy wrote:

Now that the story broke I can say that I have spoke to Armando directly on several occasions. I am also the person who gave Mike Voss my master course. The story in the Enquirer is the absolute truth, I know because I am the person who called them. I have been trying to figure out what to do ever since I bought the course and realized I just purchased the worlds most expensive frisbees. I called Armando and left a message that I wanted my money back, because if I flipped a house like the course stated I would go to jail. When he called me back he started to scream that I better never question his integrity and he called me a mother f_ _king bi_ _h, I told him I am not intimadated by him and I was going to see my attorney. I barely had time to take a breath and he called me back and tried to apoligize in true Armando style. It was at that moment I knew what I needed to do and that was stop him from ripping off others. Armando called me twice on New Years Eve and told me he would refund my money, I have those tapes and I am going to air them. This guy makes his money off being a con artist not a house flipper. He may haved scammed me but if that article stops him from ripping off other people then my money was well spent. The best part is Armando has no idea how to handle a woman who don’t back down from him, he gets very angry and frustrated, I could picture him pacing the floors, raking his fingers through his hair while talking to me, because every time he tried to tell me his terms to get my money back I would tell him no and I would tell him my terms. For the people on here who still want to defend Armando Montelongo by all means give him your money so he can coach you personally, but it will cost you big because I have heard collect calls from jail are very costly. Lastly a big thank you to Mike Voss for all your help.

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 10:24 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Tammy and Linda - Thanks for telling everyone what you experienced and for standing up to Armando not only for yourselves, but on behalf of all the other victims of his fraud. I was happy to help in whatever small ways I could.I certainly hope more of the media continue to dig in to the story, as there is a LOT more.

One thing I am very certain of is that there must be many more people out there who have been ripped off by Armando. I hope that they will all now not be afraid to step up and demand that he pay them whatever he owes them and utilize the available legal means to make him do so.

I especially hope that the people at VCH funding will tell their story at some point as they must be one of his biggest creditors.

I really hope that A&E is paying attention and puts an end to their unwitting complicity in Armando’s scam. Maybe if he goes to prison on Feb 4th they’ll wake up. Hopefully Armando will get the vertical stripes as they’re more slimming.

I also think this thread has gotten too huge and memory-sucking - maybe it should be locked and a new one started?

Mike Voss

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 11:04 pm | Permalink
Lori wrote:

I think it is an outrage that after the whole Sam Leccima scam, A&E didn’t go back and do background checks on the other “flippers”. In my opinion, that is corporate negligence and they should be held partially responsible. On their website, they still state he is flipping 200 houses a year. They made him “respectable” through their show, and he used the show to swindle people. I hope everyone who lost money from Armando files a class action lawsuit against A&E for their part in the charade. I guess they have to wait until Armando is found guilty, but based on this site, that seems pretty likely.

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 11:40 pm | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

Jason,
Jut FYI:
Veronica is not a registered agent in Texas, so they don’t get a commission at closing. I couldn’t find any of the Montelongos registered as agents in Texas.

Posted on 29-Jan-08 at 11:58 pm | Permalink
Jason wrote:

L.Gass - Check under her madien name - she was an agent b4 meeting Armando.

Posted on 30-Jan-08 at 12:36 am | Permalink
REI wrote:

I bought the 30 day trial… made copies of it all and sent it back and told them it didn’t work. I have the whole program for only shipping and handling charges! good luck and happy flipping

Posted on 30-Jan-08 at 6:18 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Hey Mike, send me that warrant.

afoprtr@lycos.com

Posted on 30-Jan-08 at 8:50 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

To Mike:
You posted….I also think this thread has gotten too huge and memory-sucking - maybe it should be locked and a new one started?
Will you let us know the new link so we may continue to follow the story please? I enjoy logging on each evening to see what’s going on. Mike, thank you and a few others for keeping this site “grounded.” Admiration all around!!!
To Lori and Tammy and the others who have contributed towards putting Flopper where he belongs:
Many thanks and to let you know that a lot of people now and in the future will be very grateful for your actions. God be with you and be strong.
To those people who keep sending Armando emails only to get them returned I sent a very demanding email with a lot of threats on the 28th and told them I would not settle for a case number never to be heard from again. The threat was very urgent and here is the email address that I received back with more personal information stating that my “threats” were going to be handled directly by Flopper. Maybe someone might have use for this. The senders name was Merlin (ha) armando_montelongo@faqsupportsite.com
Peace,
Jennifer

Posted on 30-Jan-08 at 9:33 pm | Permalink
Mel. wrote:

This is too much just read in the National Enquirer about this con man and the website here….glad to have read this article. We cannot believe this mess. And the show is going to be aired with a new season starting on 2-2-08 on A & E. I wonder what they are going to do now that the story is out in the open for all eyes to see and learn from. This site is going to get a lot more responses from people who has been dupted into his con…

Posted on 31-Jan-08 at 1:52 am | Permalink
Melissa wrote:

Cannot believe these people are so stupid. Like no one could see thru this mess. The National Enquirer has a article about them with this website. This is how I found out about what happened to Trademark Properties and them A&E.

Losers never win…

Posted on 31-Jan-08 at 1:57 am | Permalink
Craig wrote:

FYI
Armando Montelongo will be headlining 4 Get Rich Quick Shows in the Seattle area, February 6-9. The events are being presented by George Wright III, Chairman, American Entrepreneur. They are being promoted by mass direct mail of invitations and free VIP tickets (a $249 value).

The return address on the invitation is 8620 E. Palo Verde Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85250. According to the MSN White Pages, The names associated with that address are Delworth and Alice Stout.

On December 18, 2007, Delworth Stout passed away. A tribute/obituary has been posted online. Two of the many survivors are his daughter, Sharon and her husband GEORGE WRIGHT. Not sure where George Wright III fits on the family tree, but I would guess he’s the son or grandson of Sharon and George Wright.

Anyway, it appears that the Corporate Headquarters of Chairman George Wright III and The American Entrepreneur are in Granny’s house in Scottsdale. I wonder if any angry refund seekers will stop by. What kind of person would do that to their grandmother?

Posted on 31-Jan-08 at 12:50 pm | Permalink
Been Gone wrote:

There is success in blogging ,, help bring down a scammer !!! Just think how long Armondo would be scamming if there was no means for people across the country to band together .

To all the people who used their free time to investigate Armondo ,,, a huge thank you ,,, Mike Voss there needs to be more men in the world like you .

I am still waiting for A&E’s reaction to Armondo’s arrest.

wyldwmn ,,,, my sister and husband grow their grapes in Willamette Vally :)

Posted on 31-Jan-08 at 4:08 pm | Permalink
David wrote:

Everyone is just jealous of Armando’s success. The minute someone does well, everyone comes out of the woodwork to bash them.

Go create your piece of the American Dream and stop posting on this site.

Posted on 31-Jan-08 at 10:29 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1569, Jason wrote:

“I will pay Armando 10-thousand dollars cash if he can prove that he has flipped even 500 houses. Further more I will pay an additional ONE THOUSAND dollars for each house he can PROVE the real profit and timelines match the shows advertised figures. However, if he loses I get Veronica for a week :)”

So, maybe it has slipped your mind that the person who decides who Victoria spends time with is Victoria, and not Armando and not you?

In light of Victoria’s recent statements on the show to Armando that she won’t put up with his disrespect, my guess is that Victoria, like a lot of other women, find men who make statements like yours about as attractive (or “funny” since you will most likely claim you were “just joking”) about as attractive as a wet toilet seat.

wyldwmn

Posted on 01-Feb-08 at 1:19 pm | Permalink
Jim Balter wrote:

I have been involved with real estate investing for 12 years and have made alot of money. The likelyhood of someone buying 30 homes a month is not realistic.

Ask yourself this, when you bought your home, how long did it take to close on it? the time averages from start to finish, 30 days and can go to 45. How would he have time to close on thirty homes a month, sell them and still do his show and sell his books? NOT REALITY.

Can you make alot of money in real estate? yes, can you do it as fast as Armondo? no, not really and by the way where has his brother been? obviously far away from Armondo.

Posted on 02-Feb-08 at 12:05 am | Permalink
Jim Balter wrote:

I have been involved with real estate investing for 12 years and have made alot of money. The likelyhood of someone buying 30 homes a month is not realistic.

Ask yourself this, when you bought your home, how long did it take to close on it? the time averages from start to finish, 30 days and can go to 45. How would he have time to close on thirty homes a month, sell them and still do his show and sell his books? NOT REALITY.

Can you make alot of money in real estate? yes, can you do it as fast as Armondo? no, not really and by the way where has his brother been? obviously far away from Armondo.

Posted on 02-Feb-08 at 12:05 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Oops…I just posted:

“In light of Victoria’s recent statements on the show to Armando that she won’t put up with his disrespect, my guess is that Victoria, like a lot of other women, find men who make statements like yours about as attractive (or “funny” since you will most likely claim you were “just joking”) about as attractive as a wet toilet seat.”

I meant Veronica, not Victoria. My sincerest apologies to Veronica.

wyldwmn
in need of chocolate

Posted on 02-Feb-08 at 10:30 am | Permalink
Been Gone wrote:

Has anyone tried calling Armondo’s 1-800 number ?? I threw the number away lol
Just woundering if it’s disconnected !!

Posted on 02-Feb-08 at 11:28 am | Permalink
AF wrote:

I received the copy, thanks Mike. Question though, is there anything against posting that warrant on a forum?

Posted on 02-Feb-08 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
Mary wrote:

You guys are all way too critical. If you have watched the Montelongo’s episodes enough then you would know that Armando started with nothing. He does NOT treat his wife bad, so they bicker sometimes during the stress of the flip, they are constantly smooching and referring to each other as a team. And yes, Armando is strict with his workers, but they are his workers, working for him, and he is paying them to do a job. If you cannot keep labor in line then you will not get the results you expect, and the reward that Armando and his company rely on to thrive. All of you who criticize him are ignorant. He is running a business, and it is MORE than obvious that he runs it so professionally that his success is evident. God knows that if I came from nothing and accomplished what he has that I would be proud too. Cut the man some slack. I LOVE watching the Montelongo’s more than any other flippers on A&E, and I will continue to watch. They are a great family, and great, family run company. Congrats to the Montelongos and all others trying to make it big with their dreams!

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 12:07 am | Permalink
Ellis' Mom wrote:

I saw an episode of flip this house tonight. This guy is a real slimy character. I like his wife’s clothes. Veronica sort of reminds me of a stripper. As far as flipping goes, you don’t get something for nothing. This fu*k reminds me of Carlton Sheets. I went to one of those free seminars of his where they try to shove their 1000K course down your throat. He even had midgets there. All of them singing the same tune, ” I was poor and now I am rich and I just want to share it with you.” What a crock of shit. Since that seminar in 2003, I have refused to make any purchase where someone says “such and such percent off today only” “The price will increase if you don’t buy today” or any other similar crap. There was a guy in Florida who ended up in federal prison over just this type of garbage. He had rented a yacht and placed some kind of sticker with his name on it on the boat and rented cheesy looking women in bikini’s for his infommercial. His friends did his testimonials, most of them cracking up during out-takes. Nothing in life is free. This cat no more wants to share his secrets to wealth than the man on the moon. Make a better investment and buy the DVD THE SECRET instead. It’s like 20 bucks and it will remind you that what you want in life you can and will attract to yourself. Doesn’t mean you can sit around on your tail and be given anything, but it does provide encouragement. It also gets you to start planning and putting into practice what you do want. Also reminds you it’s not a real grand idea to rip people off to make a buck. People generally don’t like getting ripped off. I say for shame on A & E for airing this turd. I might have fallen for his crap but for the fact I have flipped a house already, and I am less gullible than years prior. Anyhoo- Don’t waste your time reading the tips to flipping as touted by Monteguido.

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 12:43 am | Permalink
Paul wrote:

Jim, I am not going to defend Armando at all I think he is trash but I will say that if he is using hard money then he can close in 7-10 days. I am an investor and I also am a LO and do a lot of hard money loans for investors in my area.
I think that Armando is just trying to cash in before he has to get out. I like many others that I have read on here was looking for his book, I am an investor but I live in an area where it is not that easy to find good deals and wanted to learn different techniques but that guy just teaches crimes.
For anyone out there that is looking to get into investing, I will tell you that it aint easy and it can be very stressful but there can be rewards to it as long as you don’t think that you are going to make millions in a matter of months.
Also on here some one had asked if “Rich Dad Poor Dad” was a good book to read, it is a very good book, not just for beginner investors but for anyone.

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 5:09 am | Permalink
Chris Hole wrote:

That’s SHOW BIZNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
Max wrote:

You can sure learn a lot from these FTH show…what NOT to do!!! I believe in karma and when you treat people poorly or cheat them, it will come back to haunt you. I am real estate investor but I’m not a flipper. I buy houses, rehab them, and rent them out for cashflow. There are numerous ways to invest in real estate but I feel that this is one of the safest ways to build wealth. If you guys are serious about investing in real estate, not just flipping (aka speculation), you can find a wealth of information online, libraries, book stores, etc. I read a plethora of books related to real estate for over a year before finally taking the plunge. Rich Dad, Poor Dad was among the list. You can read and read but eventually you will have to put your knowledge to the test. (I don’t always utilize everything I learn from books. You have to exercise your own judgments to assess what you think is good advice and apply them to your business.) I’ve have only been in real estate for about 6 months but I absolutely love everything about it. It makes it that much more rewarding when you are passionate about your job. I have to agree with most everyone on here that although you can make money in RE, there is no quick and easy way. You have to be willing to put in the time, effort, and due diligence to learn this trade.

As for those free aforementioned property appraissal sites, they are very inaccurate since they’re based on old comps. If you want to be a serious REI, you’re going to have to invest in a good program. I use Real Quest. It might seem a bit pricey but to me, it’s priceless because it’s an invaluable tool that is essential to my business. You can pull up not only comps in the area, but you can actually look at the comps in detail, just like an professional appraiser.

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

To Mary,
Perhaps you missed it… he stole services from me, which is why I’m now going to face him in criminal court. He’s not just a good guy looking to be successful, he walks over the backs of others to try to get there.

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 11:33 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Mary wrote: “If you have watched the Montelongo’s episodes enough then you would know that Armando started with nothing.”

He also “rode into town on his last tank of gas”, right? LOL

Get a grip, Mary. He comes from a well to do family in San Antonio

Posted on 03-Feb-08 at 11:35 pm | Permalink
Daniel wrote:

Armando makes his living taking advantage of cheap illegal labor and pockets large amounts of money at the expense of individuals trying to make a living, just so he can boast about how great a businessman “he” is and trys to justify it by pushing a false “How to book”. If he were to pay for legal licensed contractors and labor he could not make the money he does. His cheating and back stabbing habits have caught up to him. Good luck in court Armando.

Posted on 04-Feb-08 at 12:48 am | Permalink
ben wrote:

Everytime somebody gets a chance to express their opinion… they hate.

A bunch of haters lol… that’s all most of these posts are about.

Posted on 04-Feb-08 at 1:02 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

AF - it is publicly available information, so anyone could post it on a server. I would, but don’t have the bandwidth available for it at present.

Posted on 04-Feb-08 at 10:17 am | Permalink
Michael Pena wrote:

I am a carpenter/contractor with more than 25 years experience. I do good quality work and I am a man of my word. I worked on one of your homes on Stagecoach. A sub-contractor hired me and has not ben able to pay me for my work. His name is John, he’s 25 years old and he is NOT A CONTRACTOR. You could get in big trouble hiring idiots like this. Nobody will give me your number and I don’t know what to do about this. He still owes me $150. He owes another carpenter $350 and a another guy over $200. Fire him and hire me - I will NOT sub the work out as he has. Michael Pena, 210-849-7779

Posted on 04-Feb-08 at 4:17 pm | Permalink
Tammy wrote:

Mary we are not critical! Just exposing Armando for the con he is. As for you Mary or whoever you are did you ever wonder why Veronica is now going to take over hmmmmm maybe because your idol will be in jail, right where he belongs! I hope you give him your money and accept those collect calls from jail beware though I hear they are very costly. I am just glad that almost all the people now finally see Armando for who he is. Mary what a foolish mistake on your part to be Armandos groupie. On the flip side of that if you live in Texas then maybe you can go visit your idol, but I’m not real sure he will want to talk about real estate since he knows nothing about it. However dish out your money to Armando and flip a house, we’ll hear about you going to jail to. Enjoy your freedom Mary! PS Mary if you want to throw your money away by all means throw it to us! Enjoy your life.

Posted on 05-Feb-08 at 7:50 am | Permalink
Tammy wrote:

I have read some of the posts wondering about The National Enquirer validity, now I can’t comment on any other stories but my own. They do not listen to your story and run it. This story has been in progress for some time and that is because the man and woman whom I worked with did research to verify everything they were told. They both worked very hard on this and called all sources involved. With that said Thank you so much John and Tracy for all your work…GOD BLESS

Posted on 05-Feb-08 at 8:23 am | Permalink
Patrick N wrote:

Mike Pena, you should find as many contractors as you can that he didn’t pay and report back to us, as well as go to the media. If he owed only 1 contractor a couple hundred bucks, he could say he didn’t know or that the work was inferior. To show a pattern of not paying several contractors/carpenters/workers would get a lot of both media and legal attention because he’s receiving the funds from his lender after the repairs are made, but not passing the money on to you. I hope more people speak up now that the ball has started rolling with the current civil and criminal cases.

Posted on 05-Feb-08 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Mary wrote: “If you have watched the Montelongo’s episodes enough then you would know that Armando started with nothing.” Steve added the ditty about how Armando rode into town on his last tank of gas…
Truth be known he did start with nothing. I have visited so many sites stating that they ran out of California before getting caught in real estate scams, taxes, etc. I believe that he and Veronica had to get back to his relatives in Texas to get a leg up and someone else posted, “climb over the backs of others” to get where they are now — which is in a worse spot that California. If you would use your computer and look up all the links to Armando Montelongo on different search engines you will find so many other sites and blogs that reveal similar information as here and there are a lot of people, not from this site, who are posting even more intriguing information with backup, who are not doing it because they are jealous. They have been swindled and are putting the proof up for the world to see. One site is on the A&E website. Do you see him advertise in his commercials or his dribble that he writes and sells why he left California or why he left Texas to go to California before he ran back to Texas? You can continue “stay in the dark” and take up for them, send them all your money and your first born child but remember this, how is little Mondoman going to deal in life with his parents actions?
Peace,
Jennifer

Posted on 05-Feb-08 at 10:27 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1601, Mary wrote:

“You guys are all way too critical. If you have watched the Montelongo’s episodes enough then you would know that Armando started with nothing. He does NOT treat his wife bad, so they bicker sometimes during the stress of the flip, they are constantly smooching and referring to each other as a team. And yes, Armando is strict with his workers, but they are his workers, working for him, and he is paying them to do a job. If you cannot keep labor in line then you will not get the results you expect, and the reward that Armando and his company rely on to thrive. All of you who criticize him are ignorant. He is running a business, and it is MORE than obvious that he runs it so professionally that his success is evident. God knows that if I came from nothing and accomplished what he has that I would be proud too. Cut the man some slack. I LOVE watching the Montelongo’s more than any other flippers on A&E, and I will continue to watch. They are a great family, and great, family run company. Congrats to the Montelongos and all others trying to make it big with their dreams!”

Mary, have you ever heard of a little thing called “idealization”???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealization_and_devaluation

wyldwmn

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 1:45 am | Permalink
Trish wrote:

So what happened in court Monday? Does anyone know as that was supposed to be the date. L.Gass… please tell!

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 11:49 am | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

Unfortunately court was pushed back and I haven’t heard if the new date has been decided on. It could be a lot of factors, but probably mostly because the Travis County court system is already backed up, so they keep post-poning.

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 6:59 pm | Permalink
Chuck wrote:

His site looks like a clickbank site, people are getting rich recycling real estate and how to make money information. He just has the tv show behind him so he will indeed make big bucks from it. $100 per sale isn’t bad, here is a trick, sign up and pay, then request a refund and they have to give it to ya!.

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 7:14 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

MOntelongo got it delayed again.
Postponing the inevitable…

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 10:30 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

1. I am too wondering what happened in court?!?!?!
2. Did anyone post the warrant anywhere so we can see it?
3. Did anyone else get sick when this tool sento ut an e-mail today talking about the new season? [puking]

Posted on 06-Feb-08 at 10:53 pm | Permalink
RayMass wrote:

Trish, there is a new date of March 4.

Posted on 07-Feb-08 at 9:26 pm | Permalink
Shanna wrote:

I called to order the free cd they are advertising and you pay shipping and when you call they offer you the real package with the so called secrets. Well they give you a 30 day trial to read over it and if you dont return in 30 days your credit card is charged $97 a month for 7 months. I got it and read it within 8 days and basically it does not really show you anything that these other real estate programs are selling os I sent it back and have never been charged. They have called me to see if I wanted to attend his school to be his intern via online which I declined. iI do watch the show to get building and design examples but the book teaches you nothing the others do and it is more costly.

Posted on 08-Feb-08 at 2:41 pm | Permalink
WhyStillWatching wrote:

It looks like there will be a Season 4 of FTH San Antonio. According to the new video on Armando’s website (not the one with the where he drives up to a deserted office complex at dawn in his mercedes), they are filming it right now. He claims not only is now not a bad time to invest in real estate, it’s the best time. The problem is not the real estate market, but the banking industry. And he’s got a photographer that once worked with Sting and Courtney Cox! I just love the way he casually works that little piece of info in there. It amazes me what they think will impress people and make them seem more successful. Here is a piece of information that makes more of an impression, albeit a negative one- he now has three delinquent property tax cases pending in Bexar county. The last one, 2007TA105565, was filed on 12/20/07. Now that’s a man who’s got his priorities straight- pay back taxes or hire celebrity photographer? Why hire the photographer, of course. Unless this one was willing to work for free like the last one (remember the “mafia comes to the Alamo” photo shoot from season one), his services could not have been cheap. Even though they are filming Season 4, will A&E air it now that the full truth about Armando’s business dealings is starting to come out? Frankly, FTH San Antonio has become nothing more than a series of one hour info-mercials for Armando’s internet business. I wouldn’t object to A&E continuing to feature the Montelongos if they were willing to show the downside and the dangers of the flipping business (houses failing to sell quickly, threats of foreclosure, lawsuits, etc.) instead of the always profitable upside. That would be far more educational to the novice real estate investor than the shows that always end with a supposed sale and a potential profit estimate. However, I seriously doubt we will ever see those kind of episodes air because they would undermine Armando’s real estate millionaire guru image. They probably won’t be including any footage of his criminal trial in Season 4 either. By the way, he supposedly had a court date this week- does anyone know what happened?

Posted on 09-Feb-08 at 8:21 am | Permalink
Urundi wrote:

Hello all,

I received Armondos package for a “$10.00/30 day” trial basis on 2/05/08.

Now I need to clarify that I am a plumber in California and I have been doing custom homes, as well as, commercial buildings for the last 5 years. The average house is 6,000 to 15,000 sq. ft.. With Commercial buildings ranging from 4 Story TIC”s to Home Depot’s…that’s right the “If you can’t do it we can’t help you store”. And I have video to prove I can plumb as well as I profess. I am an “Expert Witness” when it comes to the trades. I walk in metal/wood frame buildings 5-6 days a week and design waste, water and mechanical systems for each building I work.

Point being, I am not trying to intentionally critcize Armondo, I gave him my money, but this yahoo is a Hack and a Theif!!! Buyer beware!!!

Proof of his intention to steal:

In his “Fix” section he states that he has all of his sub-contractors sign a “Lein release” before he does work with them. Now in the real world where fairness and production are the basis of a project performed with due-dilligence you DO NOT sign a Pre-Lein/Lein Release. In non-Armondo world both parties are supposed to sign a Pre-Lein notice. It is part of any Owner(Builder)/ Sub Contractor agreement. BUT HE WON’T TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE HE IS A THEIF.

The Pre-Lein/Lein is your only path of legal recourse if the client does not pay you for work you have performed. But he frames the reasoning for protection against non-performance. That’s what timelines are for…if you miss a deadline you deduct monies from the agreement. But you dont’t refuse to pay someone. If you don’t like them you have to stop the work before he completes the work. But he can not let you complete the work and not pay you. That is an unenforceable action. But he keeps the contract over $5,000 so you can’t take him to small claims court and no lawyer will take the case…too small an amount.

A non-theif does not force someone to sign away their rights to do business.
Trust me when I say that you will run into a world of problems if you follow his advice. Some of the people in the construction business are not the going to court type when they are owed money. And you never know who they are until you try to rip them off.

Proof he is a hack:

In his DVD “Assessing Properties” he walks you through an example property to show his process. He shows a house with major foundation problems that he broke his own 70% rule in order to acquire. No “Real Estate player” in the world would buy a house with a severly listing foundation for more than 30 to 40 cents on the dollar. And he states the ARV of the house 220k but he paid 120k…fuzzy math. The Living room addition has a weak foundation and the house is listing because the foundation was done without digging peirs, usually 14′ to 18′ down in the ground…depending on soil type. Point being this Yahoo states that after he is going to fix the foundation he will leave the tile and carpet over it because “Carpet is more forgiving”.

Direct Quotes from the DVD

“I tile over tile” “I lay carpet over tile because it’s more forgiving”

You can never tile over tile or even carpet over tile. The pro’s place #30 felt paper, a rubber membrane between the surface/floor and then they float the floor, then they lay marble/tile. This is done so the TILE DOES NOT SHIFT OR CRACK! To do it his way is not faster and it is not more efficient. What his tact leads to is a reputation that evokes anger, resentment and a situation where you are looking over your shoulder everytime you enter society.

I could continue to pick the flaws in his approach but its getting tired just like these hacks, i.e. Armondo Motelongo “How I built my real estate flipping machine”.

And I am sending back his package.

Posted on 09-Feb-08 at 4:14 pm | Permalink
Frederick wrote:

‘Montolongo’ is Spanish for ‘Hummer driving, posturing, bankrupt fool’.

Posted on 10-Feb-08 at 12:32 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1625, Urundi wrote:

“And I am sending back his package.”

Um……hmmmmm……

;-}

wyldwmn

Posted on 11-Feb-08 at 1:15 am | Permalink
Tammy wrote:

Update on Armando…As I stated before Armando promised to refund my money for the master course per our conversation on New Years Eve. His terms were I had to send the course to him and he would refund 250.00 on Jan 3rd or 4th then when he got back from out of town he would refund the next 250.00. After listening to him ramble on I told him no because you will never refund my money, but you will have your worthless course back, so I told him I would send one box and I would send it certified so he would have to sign for it, for my records. Today I spoke to the post office in his town and was told the package was still sitting there, so it seems even Armando don’t want his frisbees back. The post office is going to send the box back to me and a letter stateing all the attempts to deliver.
I am done with Armando’s games this time he messed with the wrong woman. I have all my emails re: the refund plus the tapes of him promising me a refund and now a letter from the postmaster. I went to see my attorney today and it looks like Armando Montelongo is going to be sued by me, so back to court for Armando! My attorney informed me that we will be asking for a lot more than just the refund of the course. Also I would like to let you all know that since the story in the Enquirer many people have come forward and are pissed to say the least so it also looks like a class action lawsuit will be filed against Montelongo. I guess you could say Armando will not have much time to flop houses he will be to busy going to court. I would like to say that I feel so sorry for Mandoman, I hope he grows up to be everything Armando isn’t. Have a Great Day Everyone!!

Posted on 11-Feb-08 at 3:19 pm | Permalink
Beluga wrote:

I did buy his tapes-and quickly returned them. I find it interesting that all of these gurus have the same tale-they were desperate, broke, and made a killing over night.Armando is an amazing self promoter-whether he is legit is a different story.He reminds me of James Fray-author of a million little pieces-full of it, but talented none the less.I anxiously await the outcome of the trial

Posted on 12-Feb-08 at 9:41 pm | Permalink
Annonimous wrote:

I happen to know Armando’s bro. His brothers name is Rick, and he is the complete opposite of Armando. His saughter Monique is a darling girl. Shes so sweet and funny, and Anthony is just an outgoing young teenager. Laila is so sweet and kind, and a very giving mother. I would just like to say that they have no asosiation with armando, thats how mad they feel towards him being a jerk like the way he is.

Posted on 13-Feb-08 at 7:34 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Tammy… That is definitely interesting!! Please keep us all informed here! :-)

Posted on 17-Feb-08 at 12:02 am | Permalink
kathy wrote:

Tammy what about writing to Judge Judy and getting this on TV so 10 million people can watch

Posted on 17-Feb-08 at 4:25 am | Permalink
patt wrote:

Just received an invitation! Montelongo is giving me a free $249 ticket to attend his exclusive event in Sacramento and Stockton CA Feb 27-Mar 1. I can
1. create my own high-profit flipping machine in the sacramento market.
2. discover how to become rich from the 2088 foreclosure opportunity.
3. learn strategies to generate 16-34% return approved by the government.
4. how to buy and profit from bank-owned proprterties with little or no money out of pocket.
5. how to put an extra $7K-$12K in my pocket in 30-90 days.
6. How to profiit in and identify real estate markets hitting rock bottom.

1-866-330-1705 immediately and ask for Beverly this event will be sold out…

What a crock, someone should rent a bus and make up the entire attendance of one of his “snake oil salesman shows”…what a hoot that would be.

Needless to say, the little weasel is still making money off of greedy (don’t feel too bad about these snakes) and uninformed people.

Keep up the good work here…hopefully, he can be shut down soon!

Posted on 17-Feb-08 at 1:19 pm | Permalink
Tammy wrote:

Hey Kathy never thought of Judge Judy, it is a real good idea. I will definately look into it…Chris in Detroit, Hey Chris I grew up in Detroit! I will always keep you updated, you all have been an inspiration. Hope everyone has a great week!

Posted on 18-Feb-08 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
N.D. Boy. wrote:

This blog is dieing. Armando won! LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!

Posted on 20-Feb-08 at 12:06 pm | Permalink
retired rat wrote:

Loving this whole process. The sad reality is, here in this part of the country, the market has stabilized with prices still high. One can infrequently find a home to rehab, but the market is glutted, and it’s a very transient area. lots of military who are wisely buying, vice renting, but then get reassigned across country, and are willing to take deep cuts to sell quickly, as long as they come out right side up.

If you watch Armando closely, you’ll see he’s not much different than Tom Sr. on American Chopper, or the shop foreman on American Hot Rod. Brash, pushy, over the top personality, the whole dril-sargeant mentality. The difference here being they wey weren’t maketing anything that was non-tangible. So, food for thought, Since anybody who is considering spending a grand for his (can I use the word “product”) is eithe rincredibly naive, mis or uninformed, can he STILL be held liable for selling to them. One of the biggest buzzwords in real estate is ‘due diligence”. All anybody would have to do is Google his name, and thi site will pop up. So, since there is a wealth of “don’t do it!!” info out there…

My .02

Oh, if you were free to move anywhere, and wanted to spend your time rehabbing and renovating SFH, wheere would you go?

Hey, Mike Voss, did you ever serve in the Navy??

Posted on 20-Feb-08 at 12:47 pm | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Rat- One big difference: Boyd Coddington and Paul Tuttle Sr. (of American Hotrod and American Chopper, respectively) both have decades of experience in their fields and have built up strong reputations. Montelongo has no credentials whatsoever. If Tuttle or Coddington sold books or DVDs, they’d probably actually be pretty good and worth the money. Since they make money at their actual professions, they don’t bother with such crap. Montelongo is just the opposite - since he has no skills nor reputation on with which to make money, he spends nearly all his time hawking useless crap to try to generate income and the rest faking his tv “flips” including ripping off the vendors involved, which I have heard is STILL going on. This is actually a very good illustration of the difference between him and someone who really has something to say/do/sell.

Personally, I think Tuttle is funny and seems like a nice guy, but Coddington is such an a__hole I’m amazed anyone stays in his employ regardless of his (fading) reputation. The guy just has no clue about dealing with other human beings. When he fired Liz Miles, I stopped watching for good.

As for me, never in the Navy, and now that I’m too old to go to BUDS school it’s not likely I ever will be. :)

MV

Posted on 20-Feb-08 at 8:35 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

This thread has come a long way, hasn’t it? lol ; )

Posted on 20-Feb-08 at 9:57 pm | Permalink
S.P. wrote:

I think this recently released article paints a pretty accurate picture of this ass.

CRIME

‘Flip This House’ star indicted in Travis County
Armando Montelongo accused of failing to pay real estate appraiser.
By Steven Kreytak

AMERICAN STATESMAN STAFF

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Armando Montelongo Jr., 36, faces up to two years in state jail if convicted. The indictment, handed up Wednesday, charges that from January 2006 through February 2007 Montelongo failed to pay home appraisal fees in Travis County.

According to an arrest affidavit, Montelongo hired Reliance Appraisal Services of Austin to perform several appraisals but never paid. The cost of those appraisals was $4,125, the affidavit said.

Montelongo is due in court March 3. He has no lawyer listed in court files and could not be reached for comment.

The show’s Web site says he is one of three real estate developers who attempt to fix up old, run down houses and sell them for a profit on “Flip This House,” which airs on A&E. Montelongo heads Montelongo House Buyers, the Web site said, and “is a hard-driving entrepreneur flipping over 300 houses a year.”

skreytak@statesman.com; 912-2946

Posted on 21-Feb-08 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Mia wrote:

Just FYI, I noticed above where someone said they bought the 5 e-books for $97. If you go on ebay, you can them much cheaper. I got them literally for like $1.74, YES ONE DOLLAR AND SEVENTY FOUR CENTS. He’s got some kind of affiliate program that gives reseller rights. I see a set on ebay right now for .05. Just for the record I’m a huge fan of the Montelongos. He was on a telecall the other night and he started out talking about how his wife and his newborn son were both near death at the same time and how his wife had to be transported to another hospital and hour away from where his son was in the hospital because he didn’t have the right kind of insurance. You could hear in his voice that living through that still affects him today and that’s why he has such a drive to make money and stay wealthy..FYI from what i can gather :) Peace!

Posted on 21-Feb-08 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

http://www.woai.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=c7e3851d-b7db-4800-bb06-93e31be3546b

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 9:43 am | Permalink
Jim Furr wrote:

Can anyone give me an unemotional review of HIS COURSE and not about his Character - I don’t give a hoot about his personal life.

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 2:03 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

Hello, Mainstream Media ; )

‘Flip This House’ Star Defaults On Appraisals

KXAN 36 Austin Thu, 21 Feb 2008 9:11 PM PST
The star of a television home makeover show is in trouble in Travis County. Armando Montelongo, a real estate developer who fixes up homes on A&E’s “Flip This House, has been indicted for theft of services.

______________________________________

Flip This House’ star indicted in Travis County

Austin American-Statesman Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:57 PM PST
Armando Montelongo accused of failing to pay real estate appraiser. Armando Montelongo Jr., 36, faces up to two years in state jail if convicted. The indictment, handed up Wednesday, charges that from January 2006 through February 2007 Montelongo failed to pay home appraisal fees in Travis County.

_____________________________________

TV Home Flipper Armando Montelongo Facing Jail Time

WOAI San Antonio Fri, 22 Feb 2008 4:45 AM PST
Armando Montelongo Jr., star of A&E’s “Flip This House,” was indicted this week in Austin.

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 2:44 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Mia wrote:
“…You could hear in his voice that living through that still affects him today and that’s why he has such a drive to make money and stay wealthy…”

The Montelongos are NOT wealthy. Armando is nothing more than a Johnny come lately who made money in Real Estate by taking out loans on properties with over inflated appraisals, paying high interest rates (hard money loans), and skimming a portion of the money (via padding invoices, not paying contractors, or taxes)to pay for his extravagant lifestyle.

He failed to pay back 23 of these loan (foreclosure).

The irony he claimed to come into town 50,000 dollars in debt. Today, he is over MILLION dollars in debt and I bet he has a NEGATIVE net worth.

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 5:24 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Jason:

ARMANDO does make money on every house he flips -

“Let me give you a little insight into how this all works.

His wife, Veronica is a Real Estate agent - So, every time they buy a house she gets paid the buyer commission out of closing escrow….”

The only license that Veronica hold is for Cosmetology. It’s list as MONTELONGO-RODRIGUEZ, VERONICA.

http://www.license.state.tx.us/LicenseSearch/SearchResultDetail.asp?ID_NO=COSMOS01311527&STYPE=OP

The way Armando is getting money off these properties is skimming money off the loans - eg padding invoices, paying himself, not paying contractors or taxes.

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 6:26 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Hi all!

I found this article about Flopper being arrested, information about the affidavit regarding Linda Gass, owner of Reliance Appraisal Service against Montelongo’s company Mandoman Management, etc.; It also gives information about the September 2007 Montelongo Acquisitions, Inc. for almost $6000 delinquent taxes situation; then it has a paragraph about the June 2007 lawsuit alleging that his company Montelongo Developments LLC, took $5000 in earnest month and $500 in option money from a California investor and states that David was not a part of this; after discussion on each of these topics it then closes with them selling a series of e-books called “Flip It Now” and home study course on CD. I take it that maybe this is the newspapers way of helping readers put all theses charges, together with what they are in to now and in their way helping people Stop - Read - Reconsider - Research, before getting taken for their hard earned money, including anyone Flopper hires to do business for him. Just my opinion. (Linda, I hope it was okay to use your name/company since it was printed in the paper).
Have Fun Reading,

Jennifer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/stories/MYSA022208.fliphouse.EN.1a99226d.html

BTW - It is sad about the insurance situation that all of us deal with in life but how will AM be able to afford insurance on his wife and son while he is in JAIL? Did that drive for money have anything to do with all these in coming criminal arrests and reports? You do not have to walk over others, screw them out of money, or take the stupid chances he has taken in USA.
Sorry, I just can’t listen to his whinny stories told that makes him sound like the average “I had nothing but look at me now.”
SHOCKING - WHAT A CROCK!!!!

Posted on 22-Feb-08 at 10:43 pm | Permalink
Patrick N wrote:

Mia, I’ve noticed that his story gets more dramatic and tear jerking each time he tells it. Also, I knew him before he was ever on the show and I never heard anything about that heart wrenching time.
Just my 2cents.

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 12:20 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1640, Mia wrote:

“Just for the record I’m a huge fan of the Montelongos.”

Exactly. Armando Montelongo is looking for people to be his FANS, not people who are interested in being educated in an intelligent way on the basis of acquiring actual information. Armando Montelongo is looking for people who will simply beleive what he says, not people who are intelligent enough to have developed mature analytical and abstract thinking skills. when I have learned a lot from another individual, I may comment on the quality of the information they have offered me, but I am not going to identify myself as one of their “fans.”

“He was on a telecall the other night and he started out talking about how his wife and his newborn son were both near death at the same time and how his wife had to be transported to another hospital and hour away from where his son was in the hospital because he didn’t have the right kind of insurance. You could hear in his voice that living through that still affects him today and that’s why he has such a drive to make money and stay wealthy..FYI from what i can gather :) Peace!”

Cleary a man who utilizes his wife’s and infant son’s medical problems to elicit sympathy in order to win “fans” who will make emotionally-based purchases of his products, is not interested in “working hard.” He is interested in exploiting both his wife and son and his customers.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have much respect for a “man” like Armando who constantly brings up his wife’s and infant son’s medical history as part of his business schemes.

Armando Montelongo is not a “hard worker.” He is lazy, scheeming, and exploitive, and he is only interested in making easy money off those who are too naive or who are as equally lazy, scheeming and exploitive as he is.

wyldwmn

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 1:20 am | Permalink
Trish wrote:

Finally San Antonio is catching on/hearing about all this. First talk radio yesterday kept announcing it in their news items and today the Express News has an article about it. He was indicted by the Grand Jury in Travis County on Wednesday for theft of services. He could face up to 2 years in jail as it is a state felony offense. “Our businesses are not connected,” said Rick Montelongo, Armando’s brother and an SA builder and remodeler…”He’s made his own choices,perhaps digging his own grave. Sometimes you get a black sheep, and that’s what happened.” OUCH! It’s sort of sad when even your family won’t stand behind you, but I guess I wouldn’t stand behind my brother if he were as full of hot air as Armando is. What a stink!

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 8:21 am | Permalink
Don H. wrote:

L. Gass,
How do you sleep at night knowing that if/when Armando is vindicated he could go after everything you own.

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 10:01 am | Permalink
Erik wrote:

The quote from one of his brother sums up the situation….

Grand jury indicts ‘Flip This House’ star

Web Posted: 02/22/2008 07:26 PM CST

Creighton A. Welch
Express-News Business Writer

Armando Montelongo Jr., 37, a star of A&E’s “Flip This House,” was indicted Wednesday by a Travis County grand jury in Austin on theft of service charges for failing to pay appraisal fees.

According to the arrest affidavit, Montelongo’s company, Mandoman Management Inc., owes Austin-based Reliance Appraisal Service $4,125 for several home appraisals between December 2005 and September 2006.

“I finally decided he was going purposefully out of his way to avoid payments,” said Linda Gass, owner of Reliance Appraisal Service. “He just seems to think that he doesn’t have to pay for his services.”

The charge is a state felony offense, and Montelongo could face up to two years in state jail if convicted. His hearing is set for March 4 .

“Our businesses are not connected,” said Rick Montelongo, Armando’s brother and an S.A. builder and remodeler who is president and CEO of Montelongo Cos. “He’s made his own choices, perhaps digging his own grave. Sometimes you get a black sheep, and that’s what happened.”

The affidavit states that on Nov. 30, 2006, Gass mailed a letter demanding payment. On Jan. 22, 2007, Gass again attempted to collect payment through a debt collection agency. On Aug. 20, 2007, Armando contacted Gass to say he would send payment through his attorney. But Gass never has been paid, according to the court document.

Armando Montelongo did not return several requests for comment.

In September 2007, Bexar County and the North East Independent School District sued his Montelongo Acquisitions Inc. for $5,913.13 in delinquent taxes on a property in the city of Windcrest. The case status is still pending.

A lawsuit filed in June 2007 accuses Montelongo’s brother David Montelongo of breach of contract and fraud related to a real estate investment in Schertz. The lawsuit alleges that his company, Montelongo Developments LLC, took $5,000 in earnest money and $500 in option money from a California investor for a retail center, but that David Montelongo never signed a partnership agreement on the land. The case is still pending.

David and Armando co-starred with their respective wives — Melina and Veronica — in the second season of “Flip This House.” David and Melina left after that season, but Armando and Veronica appeared in the show’s third season.

Armando and Veronica also sell a series of e-books called “Flip It Now” and a home study course on CD.

cwelch@express-news.net

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 11:05 am | Permalink
Tom G wrote:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA081007.01C.BuilderBill081007.2b098e5.html

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 11:58 am | Permalink
Tom G wrote:

OOPS, sorry wrong link
http://www.woai.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=c7e3851d-b7db-4800-bb06-93e31be3546b

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
ChrisInDetroit wrote:

Mike Voss, I too would most likely go to Coronado for a little bit of getting “wet and sandy” in BUDS if a few years younger… Have you read “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Luttrell?? GREAT book!

StevefromTexas, Yes, this board sure has come a long way! Will be interesting to see where it goes from here…

Mia, with all due respect, I would ask you to PLEASE read all the evidence listed in this blog alone about Mr. Montelongo… I think that it will be eye opening for you… There is a reason that his junk cannot fetch $2.00 on eBay! :-)

Posted on 23-Feb-08 at 2:09 pm | Permalink
Keri wrote:

Wow, I have learned so much in 3 hrs on this web site than waching those show’s for more than 2 months.
For the average person like myself i really believed in them.
My husband and i really wanted to look into “flipping” …… Now i know it just doesn’t exsit. It was too good to be true. It is just sad to me.
My best friend was in real estate for 1 year and did very well, but even looking back on that it was all about who she knew/connections and once she exhausted all her connections she no longer able to make that kind of money. So it truely about who you know and really staying on your game.
I myself am a stay at home mother and sell on Ebay Full Time. And let me tell you I make quite a bit now but, agian it’s the same thing it is all about who i know and what i know and has taken me 5 years to get to where i am.
Thanks for all the information, i hink i will stick with what i do….LOL

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 12:15 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Don H:
“How do you sleep at night knowing that if/when Armando is vindicated he could go after everything you own.”

Ask Armando the same question concerning his lying, stealing and being a slum lord?

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 1:41 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

Jim Furr:

“Can anyone give me an unemotional review of HIS COURSE and not about his Character - I don’t give a hoot about his personal life.”

Did you read Mike Voss’s review?

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 1:55 am | Permalink
Mike Voss wrote:

Don H. Wrote:
_____________________
Don H. wrote:

L. Gass,
How do you sleep at night knowing that if/when Armando is vindicated he could go after everything you own.
_________________________

In the first place, the odds of him being “vindicated” are about zero. In the second place, it is a criminal case, not civil, which means he’d have to go after the city/state that has indicted him, not the victim. THEY are the ones that have stated that he is a criminal and a deadbeat, not her.

Beyond that, even if it WERE a civil case and he were cleared, what grounds would he have to go after Linda Gass? That she ruined his reputation? Are you JOKING? Anyone could solidly establish that both his business and personal reputations are sh_t with minimal effort. Get real, Don, it’s open season on Armando for all the people he’s screwed over for years, and he’d better get used to it because he made it all happen. There is a tidal wave of other, similar victims of his out there and he’s going to be swimming for his life soon, count on it.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they do indeed turn.

Mike Voss

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 11:41 am | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

To Don H. at post 1650.
I sleep very well as this is a criminal investigation. You should learn a little more about the law. Nothing is made up, the grand jury has seen the evidence, There is nothing for me to lose sleep over.

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 11:46 am | Permalink
tony wrote:

Armando Montelongo financially is in dire straits. Nearly all the homes that were in the renovation/restoration stages during 2007 have been placed in foreclosure due to him being unable to pay monthly mortgage.
Also he was indicted by Travis County Grand Jury for failure to pay appraisal services to a firm that has done many appraisals for Armando.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_This_House

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 3:21 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

I’d love to know whether Armando Montelongo is a registered member of this organization.

http://www.danielgutierrez.com/press-kit/Daniel_Gutierrez_Bio.pdf

wyldwmn

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 8:15 pm | Permalink
Derek D wrote:

Good Day:

While I understand that purpose of this website is moreso to condemn the activities of the “get-rich-quick” television scam artists, I stumbled upon it while conducting research about “flipping houses.”

I have about two months left in the Marine Corps, and I’ve managed to save a decent amount of money to start with investing. Unfortunately, I really can only afford enough to get one property to start with. I understand I could wait longer and save more, but I think it would be better to start now and gain experience that much quicker. I have spent about a month now grinding through every book and audio CD advice I could get my hands on regarding Real Estate investing. I have learned an immense amount of information on the markets, tax procedures, the importance of an effective and trustworthy team of advisors, and even the benefits of starting a corporation or LLC to protect from liability and deduct further from taxes.

My question is, with effort and care, is it feasible to make a significant profit through flipping homes in the right markets? I have every intent of purchasing and developing properties for positive cash flow through rental and appreciation, but I lack a significant enough amount of starting cash to get a good hold on some decent rental properties. I was originally planning on getting an owner/occupant loan (for the lower rates and less money required down) on a duplex, and living in one unit while renting the other. After I started looking a little further into it, I started the feel that flipping houses might give me enough of a boost to start with a slightly larger property with greater returns.

Assuming I conducted thorough research and planning, would I likely be successfull buying and flipping a succession of houses and then using the profits to start my rentals with a small apartment building? or would I be better off starting with duplex and working my way up over the years to come?

I know there is no such thing as a get-rich-quick-without-having-to-work-at-it plan, but is it possible to be have a get-starting-capital-faster-for-future-investments plan?

Thanks,
Derek

PS. Free advice seems to be more trustworthy than ever in these days when people sell their “expertise” for money. Anyone who has greater knowledge and experience, and wouldn’t mind helping a young aspiring investor get a better understanding of real estate investment, please send me an email to derek_dowell@mail.org. I appreciate your time.

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 11:34 pm | Permalink
Derek D wrote:

I should note, that above when I say I’ve been through all the books and cd’s I could get my hands on, the $997 Montelongo Package was not one of them.

I do have every real-estate, investing, and personal finance “For Dummies” guide out there, as well the the “Rich Dad’s Advisors” series. None of these seems to make unbelievable promises in regards to investing, and most tend to shy away from in-depth coverage of “flipping.” Any insight into the honesty and more importantly, accuracy, of these advice publications?

Thanks again,
Derek

Posted on 24-Feb-08 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
Tom G wrote:

Here is more local news:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/realestate/stories/MYSA022208.fliphouse.EN.1a99226d.html
and
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/realestate/stories/MYSA022308.01C.Montelongo.1b79700c.html

Posted on 25-Feb-08 at 1:18 am | Permalink
M in TX wrote:

Flip these CDs

Paid $0.29 per CD
Work ‘in’ few hours of dishing BS
Total ‘in’ $1.50 + few hours of nothing

Sold $997.00

Profit $995.50

Sounds like a pretty good business model

Posted on 26-Feb-08 at 8:24 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Armando is on 99.5 KISS here in San Antonio this morning. He brought up the appraiser in Austin and that his lawyer tried to contact her on Aug 20th and he has a copy of the cashiers check for $4500 but that she refused to take it. He said that she wants her 15 seconds of fame and cant wait to go to court to get vindicated. Others have called saying they have driven by his homes and they are still for sale. He said that all the houses from the first season and a half have sold. If they are for sale its because the owners now are selling them. It was interesting to hear him and I was surprised that he took calls. He said the new season starts on 15 March and his book comes out on 10 March and of course he plugged it on the show.

Posted on 27-Feb-08 at 10:18 am | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

United Press International (UPI) has it now too! ; )

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/02/22/flip_this_house_star_indicted/8181/

Posted on 27-Feb-08 at 1:57 pm | Permalink
FTHFan...NOT! wrote:

Yeah, I tried to call in this morning to KISS radio but couldn’t get through. I wanted to get his reaction to the foreclosures. I’m surprised that no media has really seemed to have picked up on it. Someone I know had contacted the business section of the local newspaper, The San Antonio Express News, about three months ago and was told that it was ‘entertainment’, not ‘business’ news so the paper wasn’t interested. I wonder if they’d feel differently now?

Posted on 27-Feb-08 at 3:06 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

I was also hoping someone would get through and ask about the foreclosures but I guess not. I think Lisle and Hahn could have been a little bit more in depth with him but maybe they dont know everything going on with him.

But Armando doesnt give the impression that things are going bad for him, he seemed his usual self and even brushed off what his brother said about him.

Posted on 27-Feb-08 at 10:29 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

WOW, KISS FM. The whole thing smells fishy. I mean if he indeed offered payment and she refused, then why did they still indict? I think the prosecuters would have been more than happy to just let him pay the amount and drop the case.

And Linda seeking 15 minutes of fame???? What about North East School District, City of Windcrest, Bexar County, City of San Antonio, and The State of Texas, who are also looking to get some money out of you. Armando do you have copies of cashiers checks for them?

Or where you too busy on the cruise from last month:

http://www.simonleung.com/blog/i5-gold-bon-voyage-cruise-2008/

Posted on 28-Feb-08 at 4:58 am | Permalink
boyson wrote:

AF,

I would like to see how Armando would answer questions from Mike Voss, Gage, Patrick, or myself. :-)

However, next time he has a call in segment why not ask some of these questions:

1) You claim in 2001 you rolled into San Antonio on you last tank of gas, a credit score of 501, and 50,000 dollars in debt. What is your credit score today and how much are you in debt now?

And if you are debt free, why did you take out a loan from one of your students for 11,000?

2)You claim all the houses were sold from the last two seasons of FTH, what about the “Cat House” and how much money did you make?

3) Can you tell us from what period of time you were flipping 25-30 houses a month?

4) In the episode “Jungle House”, why did you have Brandon Holt purchase the property for you?

5) In the episode where Chris (eager intern) found a house in Alamo Heights, how much did the house sell for?

Since you personal coached Chris, is he now a millionaire?

6) How much did you sell “Flip 101″ house for - you know, the one that you filed a TRO to stop the foreclosure sale?

7) You claim you should buy properties at 40% (or less) and most hard money lenders will finance up to 70% of the value after repairs. Your latest purchase (the one he and Veronica are posing in front of on his website). How were you able to convince a hard money lender to give you 130,000 dollars on a house that is tax appraised at 133,000 and the comps in the area have sold for 120-135K?

Thus at 130K, you would have somehow convinced the lender the house is worth about 180K… Am I missing something here?

BTW, the address is 5629 Galewind, Windcrest if you guys want to look it up.

The backyard faces the back end of a huge strip mall and has burglar bars (get used to them Armando) - not what I call a desirable location.

If you are sentenced to house arrest Armando. This would be a perfect place to live.

Posted on 28-Feb-08 at 5:31 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1666, AF wrote:

“He said that all the houses from the first season and a half have sold. If they are for sale its because the owners now are selling them.”

I would find it very interesting to know why those homeowners were selling, and whether or not it was *all* of the owners who purchased the homes from the first season-and-a-half. If I lived closer to Texas, I just might take that project on and post the results right here on this website.

wyldwmn

Posted on 28-Feb-08 at 10:23 am | Permalink
Darnudan wrote:

Re # 1666 …. Remember this is a criminal action … I’m sure the appraiser will follow up with a civil action.

Dan

Posted on 28-Feb-08 at 6:58 pm | Permalink
Been Gone wrote:

What is A&E’s respnse ?

Posted on 29-Feb-08 at 11:26 am | Permalink
Been Gone wrote:

Where are the shill postings ?
Warren, Alex where are you ??
hmm their silence speaks volume.

Posted on 29-Feb-08 at 11:35 am | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

For those of you who want to know, there has been another delay so that A.M. can get a new attorney. Court has now been set for March 31st. I think this should be the last delay.

Posted on 01-Mar-08 at 1:23 am | Permalink
L.Gass wrote:

For those of you wondering about the check he claims to be running around with as proof he offered me payment. I would love to clarify more, but I will say that I’m probably the only person who has not seen this piece of paper by now. Anyway, I can’t wait for details to come out in court and I don’t want to accidentally mess anything up for the prosecutors office by saying something they wouldn’t want me to say just yet. I really would LOVE to tell all.

Posted on 01-Mar-08 at 10:10 pm | Permalink
Steve in Texas wrote:

L.Gass,

Since Armando is a self proclaimed
“expert witness” I’m sure he’ll have not problem testifying in his own defense! ; ) LOL

Posted on 01-Mar-08 at 10:40 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

L.Gass,
You are an asset to this site and many of us will be anxiously awaiting the outcome. Be very brave, as you have been so far, and remember there are a lot of people behind you. Here is hoping March will blow through very quickly, so quickly that AM still can’t figure a way out of the hole he has dug.

As for the new advertisement for David and Melina’s new company stating they are not involved in any of Armando’s businesses — the first thing that turns you off at this site is the picture of them standing slightly tilted, just like the picture of Flopper and Veronica. They are off to a bad start!
http://www.montelongohousebuyers.com/David_26_Melina_20_Statement.html

God Bless,
Jennifer

Posted on 01-Mar-08 at 10:57 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Guys, go to this website and you can listen to both of his interviews. He was on Wednesday and I think Thursday or Friday. I only listened to part of Wed but missed the other interview.

http://kissrocks.com/listen/archives.html
Wide Open Wednesday (02/27/2008)

He did mention the cat house, he says he still owns it and is renting it out. Check out the website and you can listen to both interviews.

The house he fixed up on Quill this past season is still vacant, I drive by there at least once a week since its a block from my brothers house.

Posted on 02-Mar-08 at 7:22 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

Boyson,

How were you able to find those pictures of Armando on that cruise?? He doesnt seem like someone who’s in financial trouble or about to go to court. Could all be part of an act though.

Posted on 02-Mar-08 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
Angela wrote:

Whew! What a load of comments on this show. I just wanted to say that I can’t stand the show with Richard and Ginger. Why are they ALWAYS together, and why does she dress like a hooch all the time? She comes across as an idiot. As for Veronica Montelongo, does she dance on tables to supplement their income? Put some clothes on, already!

Posted on 02-Mar-08 at 8:10 pm | Permalink
Dan Knoth wrote:

Ok…I ordered the Flip and grow rich at the $9.00 intro for 30 days…Then I get hounded by a group wanting me to pay $25,000 to be trained unde Armando’s leadership… Big scam or what here… They spent 4 hours on the phone trying to get me to pay 25 grand. Comment please on if any of this material is worth the $500 or so???

Dan

Posted on 03-Mar-08 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
PJW wrote:

“A fool and his money are soon parted.” Armondo is a master at exploiting the ignorant. You want to spend $ 1000 ? Go to Vegas, at least you have a chance of comming out ahead. But, in the name of all that is holy, do not waste your money by giving it to a guy who has nothing to sell.

Posted on 05-Mar-08 at 11:16 am | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

Hmmmmmmmmm………….

http://www.armandomontelongo.com/book.php

wyldwmn

Posted on 06-Mar-08 at 9:34 pm | Permalink
TLS wrote:

I’ve read each and every entry above and have to say I wholeheartedly agree. However, after searching the internet for any indication AM will be getting his just desserts, didn’t find much. And, after going to a link included in one entry, found pictures of he and his wife on a cruise looking like they didn’t have a care in the world. How real is the probability he’ll get his comeuppance?

Posted on 07-Mar-08 at 4:01 am | Permalink
Roy wrote:

Very interesting thread everyone. I am posting from the San Francisco Bay Area and thought you might be interested that A.M. is advertising VERY heavily on local radio about a personal appearance he will apparently will be making locally to ‘benefit’ the local flippers to be. The S.F. Bay Area has been overpriced for years and is, quite predictably, being hammered with large inventories of REO (bank owned) properties that, while being offered at lower than their all-time high ‘values’ are STILL overpriced. I hope that potential buyers of A.M.’s program check out this website first.

Posted on 07-Mar-08 at 4:52 am | Permalink
TLS wrote:

Oooops! I just realized my first comment above is misleading - ie., I DON’T agree with those comments that support AM and company. Sorry…I’m a newbie to posting comments on a web site.

Posted on 07-Mar-08 at 7:06 pm | Permalink
Dave C wrote:

Linda, Thanks for your effort. Good luck and keep us updated.

Posted on 08-Mar-08 at 4:40 pm | Permalink
Graig wrote:

A Thank You to Mike Voss. I am a real estate attorney in New York City (a jurisdiction that actually requires transactional attorneys). The whole subject of Armando Montelongo is nauseating to me. Everthing he suggests amounts to nothing more than fraud and illegal activity- as well as immoral and unethical behavior both socially and professionally. I’m glad the farce of this “show” and this disgraceful individual have been exposed. A “flipper” that has no construction experience and know how. What a joke. I would be remiss if I did not point out that the most glaring misrepresentation is in the area of “lending”…. at least around here, the days of 106% and even for the most part 100% financing are a thing of the past. 10% to 20% equity is needed to purchase… as for HARD MONEY!!! that’s the biggest joke of af all. Around here hard money will get you approximately a 55% LTV- 60% if you’re either proven or lucky…between 14 & 16% interest only. Anyone suggesting hard money is either a moron or a liar. In this guy’s case, I’d say a little bit of both. This con man should be right at home in prison. Thanks again Mike. Good luck to all.

Posted on 08-Mar-08 at 10:09 pm | Permalink
Camille wrote:

I stumbled upon this website yesterday & have been reading the blogs since. Mike, Steve, Boyson, Jennifer & wyldwmn, you are all an inspiration. Kudos to this “Internet Band of Brothers & Sisters” who went to so much trouble researching, etc. to help bring that “snake oil salesman” Armando CONdelongo down. Kudos also to Tammy & Linda for same.
Keep up the good work, y’all!!

Posted on 10-Mar-08 at 10:03 am | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Post 1684: Dan Knoth wrote: “Ok…I ordered the Flip and grow rich at the $9.00 intro for 30 days”….”Comment please on if any of this material is worth the $500 or so???”

If you would just read through all the posts here you will find over 1600 reasons to cut your $9 loss and all your wasted time on the phone. It is pretty evident that to do business with the Montelongo’s is INSANE!
If the dictionary is ever updated with updated descriptions of words then “Insane” would say “to do business with any member of the Armando Montelongo Companies from San Antonio, Texas.”

To be straight with you, if you are truly interested in flipping, read through here and find all the REAL flippers are and get the help you seek without giving away your money. If you have money to blow then you would get better results to donate to charity or animal refuges.

Peace,
Jen

Posted on 10-Mar-08 at 8:29 pm | Permalink
boyson wrote:

AF:

Thanks for that link. Now Armando is on record concerning those house flips.

He is lying about the time frame. Most were never done in the record time he claims.

I have nothing against KISS-FM or it’s radio personalities, but they are just that, personalities not journalist.

It was evident in the first minutes of the interview. Armando basically told them the same old sob story “…I was told by two different doctors that I might lose my wife and son in the same day…”, the deejays took the bait and said they weren’t going to ask him some of the questions they had prepared.

As I said, if Armando was interviewed by people who have researched him, he would have bolted and run.

He was more than happy to call KISS-FM, why not try the Express and News?

As for the cruise pics. Anytime a new name pops up on Armando’s radar, I do quick research. Simon Leung claims to have been an employee of Google and knows how to manipulate rank placings via Google adwords.

You would think Armando would have his priorities straight… pay people and taxes first… right ?

Posted on 11-Mar-08 at 12:11 am | Permalink
Jordan Johnstone wrote:

What happened to the posts since March 8? This is now March 13. Are the rest of the posts somewhere else?

Posted on 13-Mar-08 at 1:37 pm | Permalink
wyldwmn wrote:

In Post #1694, boyson wrote:

“It was evident in the first minutes of the interview. Armando basically told them the same old sob story “…I was told by two different doctors that I might lose my wife and son in the same day…”, the deejays took the bait and said they weren’t going to ask him some of the questions they had prepared.”

How do you know that Armando Montelongo did not *pay* them to say what he wanted them to say? You mentioned that they are not journalists. So what’s to stop them from selling him some airtime so that he can use their show to make his feeble attempts to seem legitimate?

I didn’t hear the radio show you mentioned, but I suspect that the “sympathy” they gave him around his family emergency was paid for. After all, Armando Montelongo has been using that line over and over and over and over to try to get peoples’ attention. It just seems a *tad* unrealistic that these two radio “personalities” would think that talking about that emergency would be a subject that was much too tender for the poor, hurtin’ guy.

My guess is that their sympathy and questions were scripted and/or dictated by Montelongo money.

wyldwmn

Posted on 14-Mar-08 at 6:57 am | Permalink
TLS wrote:

Given the numerous entries from the legal field and individual research done by legitimate resources, why hasn’t the entertainment industry (including A&E), taken a legal stand against him yet, like they did Sam?

Posted on 14-Mar-08 at 8:32 am | Permalink
greg aldridge wrote:

Usually purchases are made under different Joint Venture mames. Thats why records under Armando name can’t be found

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 3:43 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I was flipping, no pun intended, through the TV listings this evening and found the new season for FTH is on at 11 PM EST tonight. Did anyone know it was starting again and that it was going to run late at night instead of it old time?
I also found a game for all you flippers to play at the A&E site — It’s a trivia quiz on the past few years of FTH and believe it or not it asks a question about who flips 340 houses a year? A&E still has their heads up their patuties.
later,
Jen

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 9:56 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Sorry, I forgot the link to the game –

http://www.aetv.com/games/games-flipthishouse-quiz.jsp

Jen

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 9:58 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

Another game for FTH

http://www.aetv.com/games/flip-this-house-match-game/index.jsp

Also, this show just started and I looked up the next two Saturdays. Looks like they are focusing on getting out Montelongo’s crap and he has already stuck his foot in his mouth a dozen times in five minutes besides the food he is stuffing in it while talking.

Jen

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 10:06 pm | Permalink
Brian wrote:

As a contractor, I would never allow a anyone to speak to me in the manner armando speaks to his contractors, nor would I ever accept a job from him with his lowball offers.

Armando Montelongo is nothing more than common street trash, he is not a shrwed business man, he is at best a con artist. His books are trash, anyone with 15 minutes could learn everyhthing has has to tell from searching Google.

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
ANGEL THOMSON wrote:

TO THE PERSON THAT POSTED THE LINK TO THE SITE ABOUT SAM LECCIMA, WHEN I CLICKED ON THAT LINK, ALL I GET IS A BLANK PAGE.
THIS WAS THE FIRST I’VE HEARD ABOUT ANY LAWSUITS CONCERNING THIS SHOW, AND ABOUT AN ARREST.I CAN’T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT IT ANYWHERE, SO IF ANYONE ON HERE KNOWS WHERE I CAN GO TO READ ABOUT SAM LECCIMA BEING ARRESTED, COULD YOU PLEASE POST IT? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 10:44 pm | Permalink
Paul wrote:

Didn’t and wouldn’t buy anything from him about flipping houses. I did however try to by a property from him once. It was a rehab and it failed finial inspection 4 times before I walked away. And the whole time his people kept trying to bully me into just buying it and getting it fixed later.
He is well known and not in a good way.

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 11:15 pm | Permalink
Jennifer wrote:

I watched tonight’s show. At first I thought that he was making an A$$ out of himself in every area. Then I got to thinking that perhaps by making every contractor mad, firing most of them and then putting together a poorly done house, still showing that he didn’t really show true remorse towards the end for the way he treated the help - maybe this is A&E’s way of helping Flopper make such mistakes this week and probably next week also so that it will look like Armando shows he is making money on his book scam and they will then discontinue Floppers version of FTH.
Just an idea. And, where is everyone at?
All the other blogs are running 100 miles an hour and I do have the e-book address which also shows nobody posting. Is there a new site yet and if so, how do we find it?
Regards,
Jen

PS did anyone catch the address? At the end I couldn’t tell when Mandoman Jr. put the for sale sign up, what the company name was. And, it looked like it wasn’t even an open house, they didn’t show people looking at the house and they put up figures for expenditures less what they want to sell the house at. Totally different from other years.

Posted on 15-Mar-08 at 11:23 pm | Permalink
AF wrote:

wyldwmn,

I seriously doubt he paid them to be nice to him. I listen to KISS all the time and they probably just dont really know who he is or even watch the show. And once he started with the sympathy bit they probably keep the interview lighthearted. They do other interviews all the time with other personalities so its highly unlikely he paid them off. That sounds too conspiracy theory for me.

I think the address is 226 Aztec, it looked like the property was near downtown.

Posted on 16-Mar-08 at 11:53 am | Permalink
JennFromVT wrote:

This is the first time I’ve ever stayed on one page on the www the entire day, and I’ve spent the last 6 hours reading most every single post (except for those by “alex”)… Mike Voss you are an inspiration, Steve you should be a PI, wyldwmn I WANT YOUR BOOK!. I am impressed by the depth of all your research, tenacity, and courage in getting the word out on this guy.

I googled “montelongos bad” and found this thread. I used to love that program with Trademark properties, and agree that there is little comparison between Richard who seems to have a genuinely kind spirit and concern for his fellow man and this Armondo creep. I myself am a drywall taper by trade (20 yrs exp.) and know a lot about construction, and watching Armondo and his crew operate made me sick. Wyldwmn has him pegged to a T! I just started this search on a whim because I too saw him hawking his BS CD’s/seminars and there were just so many things about him that made my skin crawl from the first time I saw him on FTH.

The realestate market is taking a big dive, my family has a property inspection business where we work for mortgage companies and banks who send us to check on properties when people miss mortgage payments. There are many “negative equity” situations now where people are simply walking away from the property because they will never get ahead of the debt owed because they are on a fixed income, yet their mortgages are skyrocketing. These are the same people who are DESPERATE for a way out. Some of these are the same “believers” who refuse to accept the fact that they have made a mistake and spend their last dime looking for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Very sad, but so many are too proud to seek help and admit defeat and instead they run and hide, thinking that will help the situation. It won’t. And if sounds too good to be true, yes, it most definitely is.

Mike Voss you do a great service here by provi

Trademark Properties v. A&E Television Networks

Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?

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Comments (2194) to “Anyone purchased Armando Montelongo’s Real Estate Package?”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 11:41 PM and filed under General.
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