EXHIBIT 31.1

              CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TO
                  SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

     I, David L. Johnson, certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this quarterly report of Maxus Real Property
Investors-Four, L.P.;

     2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of a  material  fact or omit to  state a  material  fact  necessary  to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which such statements were
made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

     3. Based on my knowledge,  the financial  statements,  and other  financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the small business
issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

     4. The  small  business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer(s)  and I are
responsible for establishing and maintaining  disclosure controls and procedures
(as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  for the small
business issuer and have:

        a) designed such disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused  such
disclosure  controls and  procedures to be designed  under our  supervision,  to
ensure  that  material  information  relating  to  the  small  business  issuer,
including its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made known to us by others within
those  entities,  particularly  during the period in which this  report is being
prepared;

         b) evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the   small   business   issuer's
disclosure  controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

         c) disclosed  in   this  report  any  change  in  the  small   business
issuer's  internal  control over financial  reporting  that occurred  during the
small business  issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer's
fourth  fiscal  quarter  in the case of an annual  report)  that has  materially
affected,  or is reasonably  likely to  materially  affect,  the small  business
issuer's internal control over financial reporting; and

     5.  The  small business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer(s) and I have
disclosed,  based  on our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over
financial  reporting,  to the small  business  issuer's  auditors  and the audit
committee  of the  small  business  issuer's  board  of  directors  (or  persons
performing the equivalent functions):

         a) all  significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
or operation of internal  control over financial  reporting which are reasonably
likely to  adversely  affect  the small  business  issuer's  ability  to record,
process, summarize and report financial information; and

         b) any  fraud,  whether  or  not  material, that involves management or
other  employees  who have a  significant  role in the small  business  issuer's
internal control over financial reporting.

Date: October 4, 2004
                                           /s/ David L. Johnson
                                           --------------------
                                           David L. Johnson
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer
                                           Maxus Capital Corp.