Troubles for 'Property Wars' star John Ray continue in Arizona – Phoenix Business Journal – Phoenix Business Journal

The Arizona Department of Real Estate said “Property Wars” reality TV star John Ray has failed to reapply for his real estate license, as the state agency had required in a February ruling.
After slapping Ray with a $10,000 fine by way of a consent order in February for conducting real estate activities without a license for two and a half years, the ADRE gave him 60 days to apply for a two-year provisional real estate salesperson’s license.
Sarah Dobbins, a spokeswoman for the ADRE, confirmed on Monday that Ray did not file an application as required.
Because Ray missed the deadline, the consent order states further disciplinary action may follow.
“It appears he has not complied with the terms of the order,” Dobbins said in an email. “If Ray is not compliant, a new matter will be opened for noncompliance with a commissioner’s order and that matter will be referred to the (Attorney General) for a formal hearing.”
Ray did not respond to requests for comment Monday at his new email address at Flip-PHX LLC.
Flip-PHX is a newly-formed business that — much like Ray’s company, Arizona Investors Alliance LLC — portrays itself as a bidding service and wholesaler, which is essentially a person or company that finds cheap homes and resells it to investors for a fee. The company also offers training courses for those who want to be real estate investors.
Flip-PHX is not a licensed entity.
According to my research, the company’s website explains how its business works with much of the same wording — in some cases verbatim — that Ray used on his www.bidazforeclosures.com website, which was taken down earlier this year.
That same wording is what clued in ADRE to the fact that Ray was conducting real estate activities without a license, which lead to a cease-and-desist in December and then the consent order in February.
When I first learned of Flip-PHX back in March, the website listed Ray and Damon Knutson as the primary contacts.
I also spoke to Knutson in March, and he said that Ray was only teaching the training courses since he did not have a license.
Knutson, who is not licensed in Arizona, said he owns the company with his wife. The company’s business filing with the Arizona Corporation Commission does not mention Knutson, but lists Dawn Demarco, a licensed broker in Gilbert, as the manager and Leslie Boynton, a unlicensed individual, as a member.
Shortly after my conversation with Knutson, Ray’s name and contact information was deleted from the company’s website, with the exception of one section where individuals can sign up and pay for training under Ray and Knutson for a one-time fee of $14,995.
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