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    Well, I’ve gotten some additional information about the companies that are doing business.  While it seems like one heck of a coincidence, It appears that there is an  Ann Tate doing business in Toledo as RidgeCrest Ventures who purchases homes for sale in full cash deals.  Additionally there is an Ann Tate doing business out of Florida as RidgeCrest Ventures who tried to purchase properties using a lease-purchase and then doing rent to own on the properties with tenants, as was done by Pearce Enterprises, In Faith Properties, KACW Investments and WH Investments.  I’ll admit, in today’s world where you can be in one location (say maybe Florida) with a telephone number from another location (say maybe Toledo) I am still skeptical.  I have, through a separate person, asked this woman to contact me.  Hopefully she will so I can try and get some more information on this.

    I’ve also received the FAQ’s that Eric and Joanne Pearce of Chi Rho Investments send out with their offers.  This is suprisingly similar yet strangely different from the FAQ that Ann Tate and Matt Pearce of RidgeCrest Ventures send out with their offers.  The FAQ’s are very long so I’ve just included the last entry which gives descriptions of the two companies and their principals.  I’ve included it as it was forwarded to me because I am unsure if the formatting of this is the tru way it was sent out.  If so, they need to learn proper typing skills.  As always, you be the judge of what you read here.

Q. Who is Ridgecrest  Ventures
A.  Ridgecrest Ventures  is a subordinate company of Pearce Enterprises Inc.  
Ridgecrest  ventures consists of Matt Pearce, the owner of the company, Anne  
Tate, partner, along with six other employees. Pearce Enterprises  Inc. was
started in Oklahoma in 2002. The company mostly dealt in commercial  real
estate and development at the time, but since then has spread their wings  and
handles every kind of real estate transaction . In 2001 Matt Pearce  graduated
from Oklahoma State University respectively, with accounting and  business
degrees.  And moved the company to Florida.  Anne Tate  graduated from Florida
State, with business and Interior  Design/Architecture.  Anne Tate decided to join
Matt Pearce and  in their first year brought in over 4 million in sales for
the  company with 1.3 million of the sales in lease purchases. In 2003 they   
expanded the business, and they closed their first year with 7.5 million in  
sales with 6.3 million of the sales toward lease purchases.  They closed  2005
with over 9.6 million in sales and 7.9 million toward lease  purchases.  In 2006
they closed the year out with 8.1 million in sales  and 5.3 million toward
lease  purchases.
It is our goal to ensure that the process of selling  your home is a smooth
and easy one for you. We strive for a win-win-win  situation in all of our
lease option deals. You, as the seller of the house,  win by receiving the
assurance of knowing that while the house is being sold,  all of the expenses are
taken care of, and the house is maintained. Our  tenant/buyer wins by getting to
own a home in a shorter amount of time than it  would take them if they were
trying to buy conventionally, as well as being  able to immediately occupy
their new home, while qualifying for a loan. We win  by profiting from the sale of
the home, as well as gaining two more satisfied  customers. The reason that
we are in business is, of course, to make a profit,  as well as use our
expertise in real estate transactions to assist home buyers  and sellers in making
the sale or purchase of their home an easy  one.

Q. Who is Chi Rho Investments
A.  Chi Rho Investments  is a subordinate company of Pearce Enterprises Inc.  
Chi  Rho Investments consists of Eric & Joanne Pearce, the owners  of the
company with six other employees. Pearce Enterprises Inc. was started  by Bill
Pearce in Round Rock, TX, in 1986. The company mostly dealt in real  estate
development at the time, but since then has spread their wings and  handles every
kind of real estate transaction . In 2001 Eric  & Joanne Pearce graduated from
Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma  University respectively, with
accounting and business degrees. They decided to  join the family business and in
their first year brought in over 4  million in sales for the company. In 2003
they moved to Orlando, FL to  expand the business, and they closed their first
year with 7.5 million in sales  and 94 lease option/purchase contracts.  They
closed 2004 with 6.2 million  in sales and closed on 178 lease option/purchase
contracts. They closed 2005  with over 9.6 million in sales and 169 lease
option/purchase contracts.   And in 2006 they topped 15 million and 215 lease
option/purchase  contracts.
It is our goal to ensure that the process of selling your home  is a smooth
and easy one for you. We strive for a win-win-win situation in all  of our
lease option deals. You, as the seller of the house, win by receiving the  
assurance of knowing that while the house is being sold, all of the expenses are  
taken care of, and the house is maintained. Our tenant/buyer wins by getting to  
own a home in a shorter amount of time than it would take them if they were  
trying to buy conventionally, as well as being able to immediately occupy their
 new home, while qualifying for a loan. We win by profiting from the sale of
the  home, as well as gaining two more satisfied customers. The reason that we
are in  business is, of course, to make a profit, as well as use our
expertise in real  estate transactions to assist home buyers and sellers in making the
sale or  purchase of their home an easy one.

    Last week I received the email that is below.  It's about my "Honest Company or Scammers? You decide" post.  I've reprinted the letter, with permission, removing the names protect the writer's identity.

I was so glad to read this blog on Joanne Pearce. I have been searching for info of any kind for months. I have a house for sale and it has been on the market for over a year. I received an offer from Chi Rho Investments in March that was a great offer. I spoke with 2 different people. Eric and Joanne Pearce. The said they originally were Pearce Enterprises. I was trying to get them to give me any info that I could check their validity. They said they were not able to give out that info but they were on public record in the state of Florida so I could find out that way. I spoke with the bbb and could find nothing. I spoke with the chamber of commerce. nothing. I spoke with the board of realtors. No one had heard of this company. When I questioned them and said I would love to do business with them if I could find just one piece of positive evidence about the people or company they withdrew the offer. I was glad. 2 weeks ago I was contacted again about the same house which is still for sale. This time it was Matthew Pearce and Ann Tate from RidgeCrest Ventures . A Florida Company. The offer was very good and I have until Sept 7 to let them know if I want to move on to the next step. I received a second notice yesterday from Ridgecrest wanting to know if I had any questions about the offer. This time it was signed by Joann Pearce. How in the world can we get this company investigated? I have some computer knowledge but not enough for this. Thanks for your help.

    Here are a couple of the Red Flags that I see in this offer.

1. Anytime you get an unsolicited offer from an individual or company your antenna should go up.  Not because it could be a scam, but because you know you are dealing with professionals.  If you are dealing with professionals, you need a professional on your side too.  Also in today's worldwide market place where we have scammers sending messages out looking for people to nibble at the hook, we need to be especially diligent to make sure we are dealing with honest and real companies/people.
2. The company changed their name.  Most companies try to hold on to their name for dear life.  It's their business identity, it's branding, it's just smart business….unless you are trying to hide something.  Also, if you are forced to change your name, you usually try to get something as close to the original as possible unless you have huge amounts of money at your disposal for a marketing campaign to announce to the world your new identity.  If I were Pearce Investments and I needed to change my name, I would not have chosen Chi Rho Investments.  I would have gone with Pearce Enterprises, The Pearce Group, or just Pearce, Inc., something that keep the identity, and thus the reputation of the company, around.  It appears that Eric Pearce and Joanne Pearce, formerly of KACW Investments, WH Investments, In Faith Properties, and Pearce Investments, does not follow the same thought process I do.
3. Any company that tells you they can't give you their company information is trying to hide something, or they don't have a company.  I'm not sure which it is,  but I wouldn't deal with them.  Companies have to file paperwork to be legitimate companies.  There are business licenses, professional licenses, tax records, etc.  Asking to see copies of licenses is not too much to ask of a company that wants to enter into a business relationship with you.
4. They pulled out when pressed for company info.  When you have a company and are doing business with people sight unseen, your company is your lifeblood.  You should have a vast amount of independent information available for people to access.  How else would they be able to know that Chi Rho Investments or RidgeCrest Ventures is a true, respected, honest, legitimate company?  Following that train of thought how will they know what to expect from Matthew Pearce, Joanne Pearce, Eric Pearce or Ann Tate?  When the company refused to give me the information I would be glad they walked away.  I would also believe completely that I just saved myself from a headache.
5. The last set of red flags I will lump together.  Having had the company pull out in the manner they did would keep me on guard.  Being contacted by another company soon after having the first one pulled out would have the cynic in me out in full force.  When one of the principals has the same last name as the previous company my sonar would begin blipping like I was running straight into the Rock of Gibraltar.  It could be coincidence but the cynic in me wouldn't allow my brain to accept it as such.  I would think something is up.  Lastly, after dealing with Matthew Pearce and Ann Tate during the negotiations receiving an offer letter from Joanne Pearce would send me through the roof.  Do you think that Joann Pearce, Helen Pearce, Helen Joanne Pearce…you get the idea and Ann Tate are the same person?

    Could it be possible that Matthew Pearce, formerly of KACW Investments, WH Investments, In Faith Properties, and Pearce Investments, has begun operating under a different name also?  Could he be Eric Pearce or has another Pearce has decided to get into the family business?  From the letter above, it appears that there is now an Eric Pearce working with Joanne Pearce at Chi Rho Investments.  Could this be the same Joanne Pearce that was working at KACW Investments, WH Investments, In Faith Properties, and Pearce Investments?  I know the Real Estate Market is bad, but they were switching companies around like this at the height of the Real Estate Boom!  If the people and the companies are truly separate then Joanne Pearce is moonlighting over at RidgeCrest Ventures along with Matthew Pearce and Ann Tate.  I'm still waiting for Helen Joanne Pearce to get involved in all this.  That cynic in me is screaming.  I don't know if I should believe him or not but he thinks it's possible that KACW Investments, WH Investments, In Faith Properties may have reincarnated themselves yet again as Chi Rho Investments and RidgeCrest Ventures.

    As a final note, I'd like to talk about doing your due diligence.  When someone has a property for sale for an extended period of time it can seem like a Godsend when an offer finally does come in on the property.  Especially in this market, the temptation to jump at an offer will make many people forget to do their due diligence on the person or company making the offer.  While everyone should be on the guard in all real estate dealings, ones like the offer above should send red flags.  Luckily, the person involved knew how to handle everything right from the start by asking for company information and going to check them out.  They may have saved themselves a huge headache by taking a little bit of time to investigate the company "Chi Rho Investments" and subsequently "RidgeCrest Ventures".

    I'm continuing to gather information on these companies and people.  I've actually got a couple leads that I am following.  I'll keep everyone posted as I get more information.

web log for us – those that know to do their due diligence on all possible business partners. 

    Currently there is no tax on Internet Access in the United States.  This moratorium on Internet taxes, which first appeared in 1998, has been extended several times, with the last extension granted in 2004.  This moratorium is set to expire November 1 of this year.  If it expires, states and other municipalities could put in place a variety of access taxes, similar to those on telephone bills.

    There has been a measure filed to extend the moratorium for four more years.  Without this extension, some say there could be a tax on email or dial-up or broadband connections.  

    In addition Congress is considering a plan to dip into Americans' wallets, develop a new tax system intended to create a "level playing field" for shoppers, businesses and governments, and help states collect sales taxes not being charged on many Internet purchases.

    Let your Congressmen and Senators know how you feel about taxing the Internet.

    Read more about it here.

web log for us – those that feel the Internet should remain a tax-free shopping place.

    I've been reading a lot lately about the launch of Google's StreetView.  If you have not yet experienced StreetView, here is a link to a StreetView of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  The technology that Google is using is quite impressive.  They have roving vans that have 360 degree cameras mounted on their top (see pic on right) that snap images of everything they pass.

     As expected, Google has faced tons of feedback stating that this is a privacy violation.  Google is a company that has prided itself on a do no evil approach to life and business.  They are heavily into the green movement with using solar power for their offices and data center, they pay a lot of attention to making sure that their employees have great benefits, etc. and overall try to keep a good image of themselves.  With a company that has such regard for their employees and the earth, how could they have such disregard to the public?

     The Google Street View idea is great.  As with all great things, it's a double edged sword.  You can do good things with it and you can do bad things with it.  Since Google initiated this effort, and they are the innovators in the field they should take responsibility on making sure it is implemented property.

     Google however, has taken the same stand on these items as they have with items on Youtube or in their search engine.  "Tell us it's there and we will remove it".  I can understand that point for copyrighted items.  After all, if you own the copyright to "War and Peace" all you need to do is search for a few lines of the text to find relevant items.  Similar searches can be made for television programs, songs and downloadable games.  How can a person find a picture of themselves that was taken by a van driving around the streets of a city?  Google could have taken the process a bit farther and blurred out the faces of people.

     A few examples of the pictures that have been taken are below. There is one story I read where a woman looked up her work area only to find a snapshot of her car pulling into her work parking lot.  That item seems perfectly innocent unless you take into account she knows that the parking lot shown is one she never uses.  The picture was snapped on a day where she came into work 2 hours late.

     I won't even go into the whole rationale that terrorists can now see any target they want to plan their attacks.  Want to see Madison Square Garden?  Here it is.

     Than again, you could always ask yourself….how much is that kitty in the window?

     Even TV shows blur out the license plate's of cars they show on Television.

     Honey, what did you do on your lunch hour today?

    On the plus side.  I can see how this can be beneficial to those in the Real Estate market.  You can at least do an initial scouting of a neighborhood long before making a trip out to seethe physical property!

web log for us – those that can see both sides to anything.