David Lindahl review: RE Mentor, refund complaints and a shifting track record

Who is David Lindahl?

David Lindahl is a Massachusetts based investor who started in real estate as a landscaper in the 1990s and founded RE Mentor in 2002. He wrote Emerging Real Estate Markets and Multi-Family Millions, both published by Wiley, as well as Trump University Commercial Real Estate 101. He is the principal of The Lindahl Group, his investment company, and his teaching centers on buying apartments in “emerging markets” identified by job growth and household formation.

According to the Better Business Bureau, RE Mentor is based in Rockland, Massachusetts, with about 22 employees, and Lindahl is CEO and owner.

What RE Mentor offers

RE Mentor sells a ladder of products: free and low-cost events and books, multi-day bootcamps on topics such as apartment investing, private money and property management, and higher-priced coaching programs. Program prices are not published. Student complaints describe paying $15,000 and nearly $33,000, and one complaint mentions a $1,994 training event.

Several complaints note that students were coached by RE Mentor staff rather than by Lindahl himself, which buyers should clarify before paying.

Track record

Lindahl has been investing for over two decades, and his books are respected introductions to market selection. His own description of his portfolio, however, has changed a great deal:

• A 2010 Wiley author bio said he owned or partnered in more than 7,000 apartment units, worth over $300 million.
• Audible author pages describe him as currently owning over 7,200 units and controlling over $240 million.
• Podcast bios from around 2021 say he has bought and sold over 8,200 units, with a peak portfolio of over 9,000 units in 18 markets.
• In another interview he said he peaked at over 8,000 units and had cut back to about 1,500 units as the cycle turned.

Shrinking a portfolio late in a market cycle can be a sound decision, and he describes it that way. But we found no public record of specific properties or investor results that would let readers verify any of these figures.

Claims versus records

Costs and refunds

• Books and introductory events: low cost.
• Bootcamps and trainings: one student complaint cites a $1,994 event.
• Coaching programs: student complaints cite $15,000 and nearly $33,000. RE Mentor does not publish prices.
• Refunds: RE Mentor has a refund window. In its replies to complaints, the company says it denies requests made outside that window, and in some cases says it did issue refunds.

Legal and regulatory record

We found no SEC, FINRA, state securities, attorney general or FTC actions against David Lindahl or RE Mentor in our searches.

Some anonymous posts on complaint and employer-review sites make serious personal allegations about Lindahl. We found no news reports or court records confirming them, so we have not relied on them.

What students say

RE Mentor responds publicly to many complaints, saying refund requests outside its policy cannot be honored, offering to resolve issues privately, and in some cases confirming refunds were processed.

Strengths and concerns

Strengths

• More than 20 years in apartment investing and education.
• Well-regarded books on market selection and real estate cycles.
• No regulatory actions found.
• The company responds publicly to complaints.

Concerns

• Repeated complaints about refunds on programs costing tens of thousands of dollars.
• Prices not published; strict refund windows.
• Portfolio figures vary widely and cannot be verified.
• Students report being coached by staff rather than Lindahl.
• Not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

Who it suits

Questions to ask before you pay

1. What is the full price, and exactly how long is the refund window?
2. Who will be my coach, and how much time will I have with David Lindahl himself?
3. Can you show recent student deals closed through the program?
4. Which properties does Dave currently own?

What would change our verdict

• Published pricing and a clearer, more flexible refund policy;
• a sustained drop in refund complaints;
• documented current holdings and investor results.

What we couldn’t verify

• Any specific property Lindahl currently owns.
• Current program prices and refund terms.
• How many students have closed deals.
• The personal allegations in anonymous posts, which we found no record to support.

Verdict history

October 15, 2026 · Initial review · Caution (4.5)

Sources

• RE Mentor reviews (Trustpilot)
• RE Mentor business profile (Better Business Bureau)
• RE Mentor complaints (Better Business Bureau)
• RE Mentor reviews and complaints (PissedConsumer)
• RE Mentor reviews (PissedConsumer)
• The Six-Figure Second Income, author info (Wiley)
• Emerging Real Estate Markets, author info (Wiley)
• David Lindahl author page (Audible)
• Real Estate Cycles with David Lindahl (podcast)
• Surviving Today’s Multifamily Market Conditions (Raise Capital Legally podcast)
• There is a difference between having a team and the right team (Wiley on Business podcast)