When my mom called me up last weekend to say that she and my dad were going to start investing in real estate after retirement, I countered with “Why wait?” I don’t think it matters how old you are or where you are in the timeline of your career. If you want to buy, rehab, and resell houses, you should. Start slowly if you have to by flipping houses part-time, one at a time. But, to make the most out of the current market as well as the market opportunities that may be coming down the pipe, begin flipping houses classes today so that you can set up your business for long-term success tomorrow. After all, as the saying goes, good things may come to those who wait, but they’ll only be leftovers from those who hustled.

Which Flipping Houses Classes Are Right for You?

In my experience as a professional real estate investor, there are a variety of reasons people give for why they’re waiting to start buying, renovating, and selling property. Like my parents, sometimes they’re enjoying their current career path and think they can’t flip a house or two while they’re also teaching teenagers or managing a law firm. Others assume that their youth may get in the way of being taken seriously or that investing in real estate at a young age just isn’t feasible without a boatload of capital. But, in my opinion, beneath every excuse lies at least a little bit of fear of failure. And, the only way to allay that fear is to learn how to do the thing you want to do. Of course, you do that by taking classes.

So, to help you and my folks, become more confident about getting into real estate investing sooner rather than later, here’s a rundown of some of the best educational resources available.

Freedom Mentor

Freedom Mentor offers a couple of training options for new real estate investors. You can apply to be an apprentice and, if accepted, get access to all of the online materials for free. Or, you can purchase the Core Training Comprehension program which prepares you to test for certification. The list of available courses is online and impressively long. Everything from how to get funding for your deals to how to close the deal with the seller once you find an investment property to flip is included. So, once you get through it all, you could, theoretically, know it all. And, you can start by taking one class for free to see if it’s even a good fit.

In the end, however, both options will cost you and there is no guarantee the expense will be worth it. The price of buying the coursework outright, for example, is $40,000. And, whether you’re declared certified or not when the testing is done, there is still a business to build—assuming you have any funds leftover. Of course, if you’re not chosen as an apprentice this option will be your only option. But, you won’t fare any better under the apprenticeship program anyway. Half your profits through the life of your contract will belong to Freedom Mentor—up to $500,000. That’s a lot of money to give up when you’re just starting out. It could take many years and flipped houses to get there.

Rich Dad Education

You can train to flip houses with Rich Dad Education by attending classes in person or streaming them live, as well as by taking instructor-led online courses or participating in your own time on-demand. Three-day intensives are available, too. You can also take a one-day workshop, free of charge, for an introduction to the basics of real estate investing. Since you’ve got a lot of training options to choose from, the freebie is probably a good place to start. If you decide to stick with the program, you’ll learn how to manage your finances, perform home inspections, and, of course, fix and flip houses.

You’ll also pay for this knowledge—possibly, right through the nose. Completing a module will cost close to $6,000 and learning them all costs more than ten times that amount. If you’ve got cash to burn and think name recognition will give you an edge, there’s no reason not to sign up. Except that distressed homeowners don’t care how much your classes cost or with whom you studied, only that you’re the best person to help them out of a distressful financial situation.

Fortune Builders

There are several options available for learning to flip houses through Fortune Builders, too. Most people start by attending a free two-hour introductory class to get a taste of what is taught, then move on to one of the more comprehensive programs. Live workshops and bootcamps are offered all over the country, but a home study course is available, too. And, you’ll learn almost everything you need to get a full- or part-time jump on your investing career, including how to find leads on distressed properties and evaluate their potential returns. You can choose to work with a personal mentor as well should a deal hit a wall or your career starts to stall.

Unfortunately, if you train with Fortune Builders, your new career flipping houses may never get off the ground. Though there are several testimonials on the company’s website that extol the value of the program, you won’t find the same level of enthusiasm elsewhere. There is a lack of transparency about the cost as well. Do a little digging, however, and you’ll find it may cost you tens of thousands of dollars to take all of the courses. And, for a mentor, you’re going to pay a lot more. That said, no one expects to learn for free, so you’re probably not surprised there could be a steep price to pay. Still, you deserve to know how much you’ll be charged for your education and if you’re going get what you pay for. It doesn’t appear that Fortune Builders delivers that, either.

Of course, taking any classes on how to invest in real estate can be better than doing nothing. At the very least, you stand to gain confidence—and, possibly, enough nerve to buy, rehab, and sell your first house. But, the program you choose should also be worth the time and money you invest in it. Otherwise, you risk spinning your wheels trying to get your business off the ground or, worse, running your career right back into it. And, there’s only one program I know of that not only teaches you how to flip houses, but that gives you ongoing support and one-on-one mentoring to help you keep at it. If you want to make a good business out of flipping houses, you should expect no less.

Your Top Option Offers the Most Trusted Training and Support Around

I realize I talk a good game now, but I was somewhat hesitant to start flipping houses, too. However, as soon as I learned that by becoming an independently owned and operated HomeVestors® franchisee I’d get training, continuous support, and one-on-one mentoring with a Development Agent, I signed on immediately. Obviously, there is the benefit of name recognition as well. What’s more impressive, however, is how distressed homeowners feel about the brand. They know and trust HomeVestors® franchisees to handle with care what can be an already stressful situation. That’s why so many of them come to franchisees, like me, when it’s time to let go of their home. That ended up being one of the main reasons why my parents became HomeVestors® franchisees, too. Their thinking was that if over 140,000 homeowners trusted franchisees with buying their houses, they could trust HomeVestors® with teaching them how.

Get the most trusted investor training and support around. Call HomeVestors® to discuss how you can start your house flipping classes—and open your franchise—today!

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