Steve Cook

With no money, bad credit, and plenty of debt from a failed business venture, Steve Cook decided to take his future into his own hands and decided to jump into real estate investing in 1998. Through hard work and determination Steve changed his life for the better and became financially free after fours years in the business. He did this by specializing in buying and selling, what could be deemed as, ugly houses.

Today, he is known as The Ugly House Investor. He is an expert in wholesaling and rehabbing homes and has done hundreds of deals since the beginning of his real estate investment career seven years ago.

He admits that it wasn't a piece of cake in the beginning but with some reflecting he knew what changes he had to make in order to succeed. "I evaluated what was working at what was not working," says Steve. He then decided to simply eliminate those things that were not working and change his overall strategy to one that was more heartfelt rather than monetarily motivating. "My business exploded at that moment, when it was no longer about me," says Steve.

Steve Cook undoubtedly has a wealth of knowledge to offer his students. This knowledge has come from thorough research and time-honored trial and error. Steve, like most investors, also had a mentor who helped guide him in the beginning. He still uses those techniques passed on to him and also employs real world experiences in his teachings.

Using his practical and realistic techniques for investing, Steve has written several books and hosts numerous seminars across the U.S. each year. He also maintains a website, FlippingHomes.com, which is based upon a community of real people dedicated to succeeding in real estate investing and more specifically are focused on the "flipping" aspect of real estate. The entire program is geared to ultimately helping students and investors find financial freedom in a similar fashion as Steve has.

For people considering real estate investing and flipping, Steve recommends to "have a plan" and don't veer from that plan. He also suggests having a set of goals to help guide you along the way.

According to Steve, the most important quality that should be exhibited in a potential investor should be perseverance. "Investing is simple but not easy," he explains. Also, remember that with every venture there will most certainly be a learning curb. And most likely you will start at the bottom. "If you are willing to learn, work and keep focused" says Steve, "you will conquer your own learning curve and succeed in the end."

His desire to help others get started in the fruitful career of real estate investing and teach them how to invest ethically and morally has helped hundreds of his students become successful investors. Steve now enjoys the teaching aspect of real estate investing and gets a tremendous sense of satisfaction every time one of his students succeeds.