Networking at Local REIAs

Local Real Estate Investing Associations (REIAs) are a great way to meet and build your investing team.  I know, no one enjoys going to an event full of strangers and doing the whole “speed meeting” introduce yourself and be pleasant to.  Depending on how large the group is, it’s easy to be anonymous in a large group.  Alternately, you see if they have smaller groups and you can attend one of those meetings or you can drag a friend along to be your buddy.

Many of these groups also have large online forums and ways to contact other members through online messaging systems.  Forums and email are a great way to reach out to other members, ask questions and start interacting with your local experts.  The great thing about REIAs are that these are the local investors and experts.  They know every zip code, neighborhood and rumor that can help you find the best deals around.

I was fortunate to join www.richclub.org, the Houston REIA when I first started my journey into investing.  After taking a few classes I approached one of the instructors and not only helped me analyze my first deal but he also helped me find a great private lender for the whole thing!  Then when he discovered my background was in training he asked me to help take over the role of Education Director on the Board of Directors for the Club!  What better way to learn directly from the experts than to help them create their classes.  Now I’m Vice President of RICH and can honestly say it was the best investment I have ever made in my RE journey.

To find your local REIA go to www.nationalreia.com and search for the one closest to you.  And if there isn’t one, Start One!