There are certain things in life that we can teach ourselves, but solo learning tends to lack the dynamic energy of bouncing new ideas off experts and fellow learners with different experiences. Real estate investing is one of those areas: it can be done alone, but success is more tangible with expert input. For those who are curious to start their own real estate investing pursuits, or for new investors still settling in to the field, how do you find a community of experienced investors in your local area to guide you as you learn?
Plugging into a community of real estate investors will boost your real estate business by helping you develop yourself and enrich your understanding of the industry and its complexities. Once you find this community of fellow investors in your area, how do you make the most of it? Why does networking with local real estate investors matter to you?
Why seek out your local real estate investing community?
Two big reasons to seek out the community of investors in your area are that it will help you orient yourself to the players and resources available in your local real estate community, and develop your purpose and preparedness for real estate investing.
Community is built in shared purpose. Many folks invest in real estate for logistical reasons: increasing cash flow, preparing for retirement or other financial benchmarks, enjoying a hobby. Whatever it is that has led you to investing in your local real estate market can connect you to other like-minded folks who are on similar journeys with their businesses.
In sharing tips and tricks of the trade and other shop talk, it’s natural to pivot into learning what fuels your fellow investors. from other investors about their experiences with investing in rental properties for neighborhood uplift, financial stability for families, elevating neighborhood value, and the like will help you hone your vision for your real estate investing and ground your projects in a stronger sense of purpose. A successful business flows from having a strong purpose.
Connecting with other people in your field will also help you prepare, both for the unknown and unforeseen, and to improve on things you’ve already done. A large part of real estate is planning. You need to plan the finances of each investment project, plan for snags in construction or for lags in the market. This is where surrounding yourself with other savvy investors can be a relief: you will know you’re not alone in whatever issues crop up along your way, and you can tap into your community as a resources on how to navigate.
The real estate investor community offers many supports and lifelines for whatever challenges you may face. As you develop your portfolio of properties and investments you will gain plenty of experience; hearing from others with more or different experience will guide you in your decision making, strategic planning, and overall familiarity with your local real estate market. One of the most important benefits of connecting with experts in your area is the extra vetting of contractors and other service providers, which helps protect your deals in the long run.
So in other words, why build your real estate investment community? To sharpen your purpose, make connections, and start networking with experienced investors so you have solid go-to resources for questions. This can be found in any area, especially if you start online. Let’s start small and look at how to navigate the web for building your circle in real estate.
Where can you find local real estate investors?
When it comes to finding real estate investors in your local area, start with casting a wide net. Some avenues may seem too obvious, but in fact, those obvious options are a great place to start. If you are new to the world of real estate, or maybe you are new to your region, do not underestimate the power of internet searches.
Googling can get you pointed in the right direction of more general resources like real estate investing podcasts and blogs. Bigger Pockets is an incredible resource, but you should also be on the lookout for local podcasts and publications. A lot of real estate investing information translates across regions, but connecting specifically into your regional market will be more beneficial to building meaningful and lasting community around your business.
Online resources like local podcasts, Youtube channels, and blogs produced in your local real estate markets are great because they give you direct access to experts in areas you are working in. This is invaluable! When you gather with fellow investors in person, these sorts of materials can be a great spring board for further discussion.
Conversation with investors can definitely happen online—be sure to look for real estate investors in your area on Facebook! Here you can both inquire about finding deals, vetting contractors, and invite feedback on other potential questions, and also begin to make connections to carry over into in-person community! Local Real Estate Investor Associations (REAs) and coaching groups often run Facebook pages or other forums. These are great places to start asking questions, and to find groups to join in person as well.
The internet is a great tool for fostering professional and personal connections in the real estate investing industry. Among other benefits, beginning to build online investor community can be a great way to find properties for fix and flipping or other projects. If you are interested in investing using the BRRRR method, you know you will want to buy solid properties at a discount. Wholesalers will often post their inventory online, and connecting with them in online groups or forums will position you to snag good ones before they are sold!
As amazing and useful as these online resources can be, you will still want to get connected with investors face to face. While you’re online, make note of different masterminds or small local coaching groups you might come across, and give them a try. This will offer you the most regionally-specific and useful network!
Where can you find the St. Louis real estate investment community?
St. Louis offers a number of ways for area real estate investors to find and connect with each other. Local chambers of commerce often have groups for networking with and learning from real estate experts. This can be a good avenue for finding community specifically around how to manage the business and financial sides of real estate.
St. Louis real estate Mastermind groups are another great resource for building your support network. Real estate investing Masterminds will be more specific and offer a higher level of information and networking for people gathering under a common interest with an interest in identifying and overcoming problems. For example, a local Mastermind would be a great place to bring questions about scaling your business, while learning from experts who have done that.
We recommend getting on MeetUp and finding various St. Louis real estate investor groups there. MeetUps are accessible and usually a free way to get the ball rolling on building relationships in your area of interest. Since they are a little more local by nature, groups advertising themselves on this site are likely to be welcoming places to receive frank, honest input on your ideas. Talking through projects with fellow investors is a great way to learn from your mistakes, or preemptively hear from others what pitfalls you can avoid.
Here at FasterFunds Lending, we use MeetUp to announce meetings for our real estate investor groups. Our biggest recommendation for you is to find and join a Real Estate Investor Association. If you are a real estate investor in the St. Louis area, we have a specific recommendation for you!
Joining a Real Estate Investor Association in St. Louis
One of the best ways to plug in with experts in your local real estate market is to find and join any local REIAs. Look them up – there’s a bunch! You’ll be able to network, find deals, get references and vetting for contractors, and even glean specific details such as new places to source materials. Importantly, you’ll also be able to find and connect with industry players who share your core values, so that you can keep your business strong as you scale.
To get connected with a St. Louis area REIA, you can start by exploring our very own REIA, Buyers Club.
FasterFunds Lending is unique among hard money lenders in that we have a close relationship with a real estate investing education company FasterFreedom, and maintain a similar relationship with the folks at FasterDeals. These two companies collaborate on all sorts of resources for real estate investors. Buyers Club is for wholesalers, rehabbers and landlords, new and experienced, in the real estate investing business. It meets monthly with a casual, informal agenda. These meetings are designed to allow everyone the opportunity to ask questions, network and walk away with some new knowledge.
REIA meetings typically include a presentation on current industry topics, a panel of experts, case studies, or a combination of educational programming designed to foster growth in your real estate investing business. Joining a real estate investor association also affords you the invaluable resource of networking.
At FasterFunds Lending, we are all about win-win situations for our borrowers and we care about improving, serving and supporting our community of borrowers. One of the biggest ways we strive to facilitate win-win situations is by making it easy and accessible to participate in the Buyers Club REIA and a variety of coaching groups. We believe offering these resources strengthens our borrowers, fosters excellence, and builds comradery—and we hope you can plug in and benefit from these support systems as you scale your business.
We have our own network and want to share our resources, which is why we have created a resources page on our website in addition to the Buyers Club. Also in our real estate investor community is FasterDeals, our in-office wholesalers. Navigating the real estate industry with a trusted support network provides invaluable protection against scams and frauds. Through our real estate community, we can put our borrowers in contact with vetted people and steer them towards winning situations with reliable contacts. We are invested in your success at every step.
If you have watched our Youtube videos, you have likely heard us reference our “Tribe.” The FasterFunds Lending Tribe is our growing group of quality rehabbers and landlords in the St. Louis area who we do repeat business with every year. The benefits of this group vary slightly from some of the others in that it is a highly focused, selective support resource. The Tribe’s emphasis on individually educating borrowers in order to grow their businesses. In the Tribe we can help with business planning, building relationships with other wholesalers, finding deals, and vetting contractors.
No matter what your experience level is, FasterFunds Lending is ready and excited to help you find a solid, reliable community of real estate investors in the St. Louis area to bolster your business and help secure win-win situations.
To learn more about how we can help you navigate the St. Louis real estate community, give us a call at 636-223-4262.