Are Real Estate Investor Clubs a Productive Use of Your Time?

Are you a member of any real estate investment club? There are distributed across the country with much larger groups based in larger cities.

last updated Monday, May 6, 2024
#Investment Clubs #Networking experience

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John Burson

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These national and local investment clubs have been around for several decades. Most are non-profit organizations whose members regularly meet to share investment insights and network with like-minded investors and real estate professionals in their locality.

Are you a member of any real estate investment club? These clubs have existed for several decades. Most are non-profit organizations whose members regularly meet to share investment insights and network with like-minded real estate professionals and other investors in their locality. They are distributed nationwide with much more significant investment groups based in larger cities.

From the surface, one can easily conclude that real estate investor clubs provide the ideal meeting place for local investors in the real estate industry. However, there are different factors you need to consider and some rules to play along to optimize the networking experience.

My Experience with Real Estate Investment Clubs

As I began my journey in real estate investment, I attended real estate investment club meetings every month, only to discover that the most established investors in my region were not part of these meetings. That baffled me, and I began to ask around, wondering what was happening. I realized that most of the attendees were beginners in the industry, just like I was. Getting investment advice from them was a sure mission to failure.

Later, I met a reputable local investor who was not a local real estate investment club member and found my breakthrough. He was skeptical about attending the real estate investor meetings for fear of revealing his secrets to success. It’s typically taking time off your business to create your competitors. He, however, chose to associate with a community of leading investors drawn from across the nation to share ideas and network to avoid creating any local competitors.

That made some perfect sense, though I can boldly affirm that my days at the local real estate investment club were never futile. I was fortunate to find a terrific closing company and a versatile hard money lender who helped me to accomplish some of my initial creative deals.

Through experience, I have established two simple rules for handling real estate investment clubs.

Rules for handling real estate investment clubs.

1. Talk Less, Listen More.
   Listen keenly to members’ contributions and ask questions, but keep your talking to a minimum. It’s okay to grasp some ideas from the team, but resist the urge to spill the beans on what you know and are doing. Remember, the other members are doing the same business in your locality, and it makes no business sense to empower the competition. At the national platform, it doesn’t hurt to share your experiences since most members come from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations and will be less likely to apply the ideas to your market.
2. Strategize as you network.
   When attending your local club meetings, set a goal on what kind of connection you’re seeking. It may be a hard money lending company, a mortgage broker, a closing firm, a real estate agency, etc. Focus on the critical vendors to your business and build those bridges.

The correct approach to investment groups' real estate improves productivity.

When utilized effectively, these two rules ensure your time is spent wisely and beneficially. Don’t expect to learn so much from the meetings since most members are newbies in real estate investment. If you find established investors in the room, chances are they’ll remain silent throughout the session, and you should act the same. Focus on networking with the right people who can boost your real estate investment ventures through various vending services.

 
 
 

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