[BarkingMad]

[ QUOTE ]
also, who is john t reed? is he a respected author of some sort? all i know about him is that his website looks like this, while robert kiyosakis website looks like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Respected" is subjective. I can tell you that I respect his work, that he runs a successful self publishing business, and that he has provided the details of his real estate investment experience on his site. I have read books from both authors. Specifically, from Reed - Fixers, Deals that make sense, Aggressive tax avoidance for real estate investors, How to Buy Real Estate for at Least 20% Below Market Value Vol 1&2, and Fundamentals of Real Estate Finance.

From Kiyosaki - Rich dad poor dad, Cashflow quadrant, and ABC's of Real Estate Investing.

I'm a small time RE investor (I own two duplexes in addition to my house), and I trade stocks short term (with mixed results), so I actually have used some of the information in these books (well... Reed's books) and I can tell you from experience that the difference in the appearance of their websites mirrors the differences of their material. Specifically, Kiyosaki is 95% fluff and 5% substance, John Reed is 95% substance and 5% fluff.

By fluff, I mean the pep rally, motivational BS that is designed to get you excited about "getting on the fast track to wealth". This is what Kiyosaki is all about. He talks about real estate investing, using OPM to build wealth, and why you should run & track your personal finances like a business, but he gives virtually zero nuts and bolts information on the subject matter.

In contrast, John Reed is all about nuts and bolts how to. He writes with the assumption that the reader has already decided to take steps to increase their wealth, and focuses on specifics. Want to buy property for at least 20% below market? His book talks specifics, from Probate to IRS auctions, you get detailed info that actually tells you how to do it. Rather than a pep rally, he gives pro's and con's for most of the things he writes about.

My .02