About Us

It’s Time to Stop Over-Charging and Under-Delivering
Real estate infomercials and Internet come-ons can drive me nuts.
Hello, I’m Bill Syrios and sure, I’ll admit it; from time to time I’ve gotten pumped up over the benefits of real estate from some of these pitches. But deep down inside I suspect that it’s more about enriching the particular real estate guru than about enriching “his students.”

Which Brings Me to Another Point
Overpriced real estate guru seminar training can drive me nuts.
I have talked to people who paid $25,000 for training that I received from a used CD set purchased on Ebay for $250. I’ve also sat in on my share of “free seminars” (if you don’t consider getting constantly up-sold as a waste of your time!). One comes to mind where the trainers would not allow us, “his students,” to circulate business cards. Hey, why would anyone want to make connections outside of the one being made to that particular real estate guru’s company? If truth were told very few hopeful real estate investors make it big or even make it at all from the expensive training they pay for.

There Has Got to be a Better Way
Sure, investment training is critical but INFORMED ACTION is the key!
What if you could, at a relatively modest price, become part of a real estate community with a strong brand name and a strong web marketing presence? What if that business provided you with an ongoing connection with other investors, and the key momentum you need to make the strategic investment decisions that brought you a great deal of money?

We Are Seeking to Build Such a Network
In 1989 I started Stewardship Properties as a typical “one house start-up” and used a local Wendy’s restaurant as my office. By shear dumb luck my initial focus proved quite lucrative-purchasing, remodeling and renting out campus properties near the University of Oregon in Eugene.

From these beginnings the company grew steadily as I purchased over 100 houses and apartment buildings, first in and around Eugene and later throughout Oregon. Fifteen years later I began training other would-be real estate investors and, during the summers of 2005 and 2006, I mentored sixteen students from the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. From those interns, six “returns” joined me from which we later created two partnerships (for more on all of this, see History).

Now we are poised to bring together a much wider group of real estate investors who are looking for something better than another overpriced training experience. We are not a franchise… but we appreciate their methodology and success.

Starting a new business is challenging at best. Most don’t make it, or are stunted in their growth, unless the owner develops a “franchise-type of mentality.” Franchises thrive because it is easier for a new business owner to “take the wheel” than to “invent the wheel.” Franchises avoid the haphazard and personality-driven nature of most “mom and pop” establishments and focus on a systems-driven approach that almost anyone, who is trained in it, can successfully run.

Any solid business franchise system has been developed, revised, adapted, edited, undated, tested, and condense over time into a series of steps that can be duplicated by its franchisees with relative ease. They often give a business owner the methodology needed to make his or her business a success.

By its very nature it is difficult to franchise real estate investment. While, it is true, buying is buying, selling is selling, and marketing is marketing, it is also true that all real estate markets are local, laws vary from state to state, and each deal is unique. Foreclosures may be the “only game in town” in one location, while there are very few in another. A successful real estate investor must sift through all the variables and take INFORMED ACTION. Where do you get a MacDonald’s type of turnkey system for that?

Well, Actually There is One
The only real estate investment franchise in the U. S.
If you don’t know about HomeVestors, you should (see HomeVestors.com). They are the 800 lb. gorilla in the room when it comes to providing a proven real estate investment franchise. As a matter of fact, they are the only gorilla in the room! Their track record is impressive and their methods are worthy of study and consideration. They are excellent at what they do and rank high in franchisee satisfaction. But HomeVestors’ initial franchise fee of $49,000 plus other related costs push the price of entry between $200,000 and $350,000. This makes them too expensive for most investors to afford.

We Offer an Association-a License–rather than a Franchise
Since we are not a franchise we cannot offer “significant assistance,” nor do we exercise “significant control” over those who purchase a license from us. Instead, we provide a network, a Web 2.0 connection if you will, with other real estate investors. This gives Stewardship Associates a context to assist and train each other by sharing the things they’ve learned and by pooling their resources within a web-based investor network.

What we provide: • A Strong Brand • Website Presence • Networking Connections

What the network provides: • Marketing Ideas & Techniques • Coaching, Training, Momentum  • Forums, Blogs, Webinars, etc.

Our goal for you-to see you become hugely successful by:

• Providing you with a Strong Brand Name

• Providing you with a Strong Web Presence

• Providing you with a Strong Investor Network who can help you:

1) Find motivated sellers

2) Evaluate values quickly

3) Make creative offers

4) Secure necessary financing

5) Oversee essential upgrading

6) Sell or rent properties as desired

7) Build a very profitable business

•   •   •   •   •   •

INFORMATION + MOTIVATION = SUCCESS

The formula is quite simple

The execution is where the challenge comes in

Our goal as Stewardship Associate Partners is to encourage

each other to do what successful real estate investors have always done:

Take INFORMED ACTION to accomplish our real estate investment goals.