Guillermo Clan

Guillermo Clan, Ladera Ranch, CA
Ahhh... the American dream. Make boatloads of ca$h without having to work--the Guillermos cashed in on the housing bubble, bigtime! They "purchased" 7 homes and all 7 are now in foreclosure. We can thank the collective real estate community for allowing this to happen, but buyers (or straw buyers) were certainly an integral part of the ponzi scheme.
2007-10-29: Why Is Papa Guillermo Relaxing on a Beach in Cabo?
2007-10-26: Update: The Family of Ladera Ranch
2007-02-06: Fraudera Ranch: It's a Family Affair!

Kendra Todd

Kendra Todd; winner of Donald Trump's NBC show, "The Apprentice"; Broker of Florida-based The Kendra Todd Group, ex-host of the HGTV Show "My House Is Worth What?"; Author: "Risk and Grow Rich: How to Make Millions in Real Estate" (aka How to Make Millions in a Real Estate Bubble)

From her website:
- "Highly acclaimed lecturer, real estate investor..."
- "...has a commanding knowledge of investment real estate."
- "One of the most successful real estate investors in the country."
What a load of crap. How about "one of the luckiest bimbos to gamble on real estate during a growing bubble." Her real talent: Marketing herself.

Oh, Kendra, you're such a real estate genius. Tell us more...
Is the Real Estate Market in Bubble Trouble? (alternate link)
September 26, 2006
You can't go anywhere without hearing people talk about "the real estate bubble." Such talk drives me to distraction, and I'll tell you why. It's because there is no real estate bubble. Bubbles are for bathtubs.

What to Do When a Market Cools
November 3, 2006
Well, what was for some time touted as the "bursting of the real estate bubble" appears to have become a soft landing for the real estate market. In the business, we call this a "correction."

What Makes a Market Bubble-Proof
January 10, 2007
As I discovered after a recent column, to the list of subjects best avoided if you want a civil discussion -- religion and politics -- you can add the real estate bubble. Plenty of people disagreed with my take that, overall, the "bubble" was nothing more than a long-overdue correction expected in markets across the board. Yes, some markets are experiencing considerable value declines that can be classified as a "bubble," but I could probably count those markets on one hand. (must be a deformed hand with hundreds of fingers)

Here is the pilot of "My Home is Worth What?" What a piece of garbage.

The Spin (Smith) Doctors

Dr. Margaret Smith and Dr. Gary Smith
Famous last words: "When is a Housing Bubble Not a Housing Bubble?"

That was the title of a paper written by the good doctors. The answer to the question is fairly simple. A housing bubble is not a housing bubble when...
- appraisals are not fraudulently increased,
- mortgage lenders are honest and trustworthy,
- mortgage lenders verify applicant information,
- mortgage-backed securities are backed by credit worthy loans,
- realtors honestly advise their clients on affordability,
- buyers are realistic about what they can afford,
- and buyers understand the consequences of their actions.

What did the doctors conclude in their paper?

The relevant question, however, is not how much prices have increased in the past or how fast people expect them to increase in the future, but whether, at current prices, a house is still a fundamentally sound investment. Our answer is yes, even if the owner either buys for keeps (with no assumptions about futurehouse prices) or makes conservative assumptions about future housing prices.

2006-04-01: Housing Bubble? What Housing Bubble? April Fools!!!
2006-04-16: Is there a bubble? Do the math

Maria Gudelis

Maria Gudelis and Rudy Straat Speak Out...
but I wish they would STFU.
FatCat Real Estate
While there may be no direct evidence that Maria is guilty of mortgage fraud, she has been inducted because she has the audicity to post videos about the lawsuit filed against her by First Magnus. My take on her is that she's a "get rich quick" type, doesn't produce anything, and follows the "get rich quick schemes". She says she's a "professional", but I believe a professional would know when and if they they were in a potentially fraudulent situation. She definitely profited from the high appraisals and loose lending standards, and I'm sure she wasn't complaining when the money was pouring in. Watch her in the First Magnus videos, prancing in front of a Mercedes and Audi, explaining how she has to return them. Boo-hoo!
Maria: Get Rich Quick Using Real Estate
Maria: First Magnus 1
Maria: First Magnus 2
Maria: First Magnus 3
I love her comment about the "herd of luxury vehicles that we have".
I found the following blog entry by her that smacks of her own real estate pyramid scheme.
Gudelis Pyramid Blog