While I'm an investor through Walton (Singapore) for land investment in Alberta, I'm still continuing my intensive due diligence prior to further investment... as the saying goes, life is like a new box of chocolate, you never know what you are going to find (both gems and non-gems).
In brief, I've found plentiful of related literature, websites and at least 30 forums discussing on this topic, and as expected, the forum threads are a mix of myths, misconceptions, facts and new discoveries. Tiring but necessary for any serious investor.
For the record, I'm not a Walton sales consultant, not now, not in the future, as I've other businesses to take care of. Thus, if you are interested in any land offers, it's better that you approach any good sales consultants either in this forum or another forum, or via my trusted sales consultant (referee usually comes with 2% commission, and tell her that I'm trading this 2% commission as a discount for your purchase(s) instead
Let me take this chance to clear up some myths and misconceptions in this fairly active discussion here:
> To xlawyer: I was quite baffled by their high returns, capital guaranteed, low risks claims.
From what I've found from both Walton's completed projects and resale market, high returns -> yes; capital guaranteed -> yes; low risks - not necessary as the value of each new and resale land differs - need a lot more due diligence to determine which land is better than others. Long explanation, thus I'm skipping this.
> To TommyShi:
> Walton bought the Land from Canada and mark up price 300
>to 600% before dumping to us. If returns so good, why sell to
>us? Why not just keep it for themselves? Walton Singapore
>is a $2 company despite their claims of being cash rich.
1. 300-600%? I'm very interested to validate and document the source of this information. For now, it's just a heresay. There are people who claimed the end of the world since centuries ago...
2. "why sell to us"? You can ask the same question to DBS, if their unit trusts are so good, why sell to us?
3. Walton Singapore is $2 company? I think you are refering to another company call "Profitable Plots", which is $2 paid-up capital. I've purchased the ACRA biz report and it clearly state that Walton paid-up capital is $500,000. Unless you think ACRA is out to cheat you also, that's another story altogether, ha.
> To xlawyer:
> Land that’s worth only $1000 may be sold for $20000
Useless speculation. Show us the facts...
>Walton has a brilliant presentation, I have to say.
>They anticipated all the questions that one might have
>and they try to "mislead" with their superb reasoning.
Their presentations are good but I wouldn't go as far as to say it's brillant. They certainly didn't anticipate some of my questions, such as whether I can counter offer existing land owner with a 110% their purchase price as an alternative to those who intend to excise their put option (capital protection, ie. 100%) among other questions.
>To xlaywer: Hopefully, there will be different views from others
>and we can all learn something from here.
I can tell that you seems to be a very astute investor, would appreciate if you can critic my due diligence on Walton, thank-you in advance.
>To freeman: I used to work for them
Cool. We have an ex-insider here. How long are you with them and can share with us some information? I heard that prior to 2002-2003, there isn't a structure of consultant, TM, PM, DM?
>To freeman: My partners investing in Calgary are reaping returns on cheap houses
Can you share with us more details on this, reference to websites would be helpful for a start.
>To visionary: mart investors will keep buying the resale units as the waiting timeframe are shorter.
Your long response to xlawyer is most interesting. Looks like we have another very astute investor here...
My first investment with them is a resale unit... though it's 20% higher than the first owner purchase price ($70,000), after much calculations and research, I've found the land to be undervalued, Northridge P16 to be specific.
So far among the 30 forums I've reviewed, you are among the top 5 astute investors - based on your postings here
Good to hear more from you... it also helps that you don't seems to be a Walton staff.
Sounds like you have lots of info on Walton also... good if you can critic on my due diligence and purchase, don't worry, if I've overvalued my purchase, I rather know it through an astute investor and initiate my plan b (NO, it's not selling it to somebody else in the resale market
> To TommyShi: Bottom line: if the land is such good investments,
>selling them would be the last thing on Walton's mind.
Same response as above, if DBS managed unit trusts and their other investment vehicles is so good, based on your thinking, DBS should be pumping the bulk of their money into those vehicles instead of offering it to investors?
> To xlawyer: I swear I've chanced upon this topic "LAND-BANKING"
> in this forum sometime ago
You seems to have some other motive for starting this thread? You started innocently and then responded within 1 day, bashing Walton? hmmm... fishy fishy...
> To mudnik: Has anyone here heard of profitableplots?
Yes, I did a due diligence on them after start a dd on Walton
Hope to exchange notes with you too... thanks in advance.
>Is that done to a similar concept to this Walton investment?
In brief, yes, business concept wise, very similar, but... see the .zip file.
>To mudnik: I have gone to their presentation and to me, the
>investment is worth a second look.
Hmm... your comment has roused my curiousity too, will consider dropping by their office, is the consultant that you talk to trustworthy (based on yr gut feel), if not, I'll just do a cold call and whoever that I am assigned to, I'll inform them that I got to know this through you, do they have the 2% referee commission like Walton?
>To signasoft: The core flaw in Walton is their marketing. They
>never highlight the risks
Well, it's a 2way responsibility. It's the investor responsibility to be a skeptical and counter check the perceived risks.
>Many could be "forced" to buy something that they don't really know
Fortunately, my trusted consultant didn't do that, otherwise, it would only turn me off and risk not having me as her customer.
Whichever sales consultant (be it Walton, insurance, travel holiday, MLM) who try the 'forcing' approach would probably worked on 'weak' customers... I believe that the bulk of Singaporeans are tougher than that, correct me if I'm wrong.
>"I am buying a piece of land at an extremely cheap price which
>I definitely can sell at a much higher price later
At $84,000 per acres or $28,000 1/3a, I wouldn't consider that cheap, would you?
>BEWARE!
While you recommend people to BEWARE, I recommend people to do your own research and due diligence.
Opportunities knocks frequent enough to give some away. If we find that land banking through Walton is not good for us, walk away and there will be other opportunities in life ahead of us. I'm quite sure of that
>The sale guy also try to sell by claiming a famous bollywood
>start is one of their major client.
Ha. I would actually ask them to pass me the details of this 'famous bollywood' star so that I can contact him or her to verify the facts. Let me do just that if I drop by their office.
>To singasoft: Walton's guys are preaching in their
>marketing effort: "Guaranteed high return, zero risk"
My trusted consultant certainly didn't preach this to me... as this is internet forum, chances are facts from one person to another just get distorted, this is just the nature of communication is.
Pass this message to 100 person in a chain and at the end of the chain I'm not surprised that the outcome is as such:
1. "high returns, capital guaranteed, low risks claims" - by xlawyer
2. "Guaranteed high return, zero risk" - by singasoft
3.
4.
:
:
100. Guaranteed high, Low and risky capital - 100th person
Life. Life. Life
> loyster: It's basic business sense.
Jackpot. It makes same basic business sense for DBS to sell it's unit trusts and other investments to individual investors.
> To singasoft: go and meet any walton's guy and ask them what
>are the risks involved, and judge for your self
Being there, done that. By extraploting your bad experience with Walton guy(s) to all Walton sales people is ridiculuous.
Same, if I were to extrapolate my positive experience with my trusted sales consultant to all Walton sales people, it would also be ridiculuous.
Even among those who sell insurances, property, etc there are bad sales people and sales people whom are more trustworthy. For those who believe in Karma, you will probably know what I will say next...
>To singasoft: DO NOT underestimate the risks involved.
This is a fair comment. Any new investors should conduct a thorough due diligence and research prior to investing thousands of dollars into it.
Try to be an open-minded skeptic for any new investment opportunities. I've have busted several scam offers and MLMs using this approach and I'm excited and look forward to busting a few more in the future.
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