David Lindahl Review: RE Mentor Students Paid Up to $33,000. Many Say They Couldn’t Get Refunds.

Two decades of teaching and two respected books. But complaint after complaint describes five-figure programs, strict refund windows, and coaching from staff rather than Dave himself.

Multifamily Coaches · Updated October 15, 2026 · Sources listed at the end

David Lindahl has been teaching multifamily investing through RE Mentor since 2002, and his book on emerging markets is still widely read. But a long trail of student complaints raises questions about what his coaching programs deliver for the money. Here’s what the record shows.

Who is David Lindahl?

Lindahl went from landscaper to apartment investor in the 1990s and launched RE Mentor in 2002. His Wiley books, Emerging Real Estate Markets and Multi-Family Millions, teach investors to pick markets by job growth and household formation, and he also wrote Trump University Commercial Real Estate 101. He runs The Lindahl Group, his investment company, and RE Mentor employs about 22 people according to the BBB.

How big is his portfolio, really?

It depends on which bio you read. A 2010 Wiley bio said he owned or partnered in more than 7,000 units. Audible’s author page says over 7,200. Podcast bios around 2021 said he’d bought and sold over 8,200 units, peaking at more than 9,000. In another interview he said he peaked above 8,000 and scaled back to roughly 1,500 as the market cycle turned. Selling late in a cycle can be smart, but none of these numbers comes with a property list or investor results.

What students say about the coaching

• A Trustpilot reviewer says they lost $32,989 on the program and were refused any refund, even after a BBB complaint and a bank dispute.
• BBB complaints describe denied refund requests, slow responses and unwanted marketing emails after cancelling.
• PissedConsumer posts describe paying $15,000 for coaching with little to show for it, and learning that Lindahl wouldn’t personally be their coach.
• On the other side, some students defend the program, saying it works for people who put in the effort, and RE Mentor says many alumni come back to mentor newer students.

RE Mentor answers many complaints publicly. Its standard reply is that requests made outside the refund period can’t be honored, and in some cases it confirms refunds were issued. RE Mentor is not accredited by the BBB.

Anonymous posts on some complaint and job-review sites make serious personal accusations about Lindahl. We found no news reports or court records to back them up, so we left them out.

Mixed messages on partnering with students

In one public reply, RE Mentor said Dave has partnered with students on many deals. In another, it said Dave does not enter into deals with students. If partnering is part of why you’re joining, get the terms in writing.

Pros and cons

Is RE Mentor worth it?

For the books, yes. They’re inexpensive and still useful for learning how to pick markets.

For the coaching, be cautious. Before you pay, get the full price, the exact refund window, and the name of your coach in writing. Don’t sign up at an event on the spot, and never use money you can’t afford to lose.

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Frequently asked questions

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