“Learn how you can make money in real estate with no money!” We’ve all heard that expression before, but is it true? It was likely from someone pitching a seminar or course for thousands of dollars, possibly even tens of thousands. Although there is value in these courses and great relationships that can be made through them, there is an alternative that doesn’t have to break the bank.
REIA is an abbreviation for Real Estate Investing Association. This is an invaluable tool to meet people from all walks of life who have an interest in real estate investing. Why should you take the advice to join your local REIA from Out Fast Realty & Investments? Because the owners are heavily involved with their local REIA. Greg Simpson is co-owner of the largest real estate investing association in Tampa Bay, TBREIA, and Jeremy Kloter hosts one of the TBREIA sub-group meetings. They can tell you from experience that it has been an amazing source of business, relationships and experiences.
Before diving into the details, here is a little bit of background on the two hosts and how they utilized the local REIA to get started in investing.
Greg is from St. Petersburg, Florida where he owned a successful pool business for many years before selling it and becoming a real estate investor full time. The knowledge, training and relationships he has built from the local REIA has helped him and his father Bill flip over a dozen properties in a few short years and wholesale many others. He also knows what it is like to pay for expensive courses that make unrealistic promises with outdated information that isn’t always relevant to the local market. What better way to learn your local market with people who actually invest in real estate through various techniques, strategies and vehicles than through your local REIA? Now he is able to return the favor in various ways to other investors from beginner to advanced.
Jeremy Kloter is a native Floridian as well and became a Realtor after serving in the United States Marine Corps for 6 years. He quickly realized that there was a lot more to learn and an untapped market in real estate investing as a licensed agent. Traditional brokerages don’t teach that side of things, and now he can go to appointments with up to 7 strategies for a seller. After spending thousands on courses, he joined the TBREIA where he was able to finally take action and close his first few deals.
Now they utilize the TBREIA platform to make more connections with real estate agents, title companies, attorneys, hard money lenders, property management companies, painters, general contractors, insurance agents, transactional funders, IRA companies, wholesalers, rehabbers, buy and hold investors, CPAs, landscapers and more.
Here are the details on why your local REIA is an essential tool to your real estate investing success:
Cost – Many REIAs charge a small fee per meeting or include annual memberships. This typically is to cover room reservations and other products or materials they may provide. An example might be $15-30 per meeting or an annual membership for less than $350 for unlimited meetings.
Education – The topics will cover all areas of real estate and usually feature speakers from other professions that are relevant to the real estate business. They may also provide educational courses, boot camps and coaching that has been tested successfully in your local market at a fraction of the price of a big named guru.
Networking – There is no faster way to meet the key players in your market than a REIA. Walk into a room filled with other like-minded individuals of varying experiences. Build your power team quickly and share experiences to learn from the successes and failures of others without the costly price tag to you! As a recap, expect to meet real estate agents, title companies, attorneys, hard money lenders, property management companies, painters, general contractors, electricians, home inspectors, engineers, architects, insurance agents, transactional funders, IRA companies, wholesalers, rehabbers, buy and hold investors, CPAs, landscapers and more.
Regular Meetings – Meetings may be weekly, bi-weekly or once per month. You have a chance to network and pitch your deals or ask for properties that meet your criteria. Looking to wholesale? Great. Advertise deals or meet others with discounted properties that you can help them sell. Find cash buyers or meet wholesalers who can feed you great deals to fix and flip or buy and hold. Looking for potential joint venture partners? Find them there. Your REIA can help you regardless of your experience and strategy preference. More deals have been done during post-meeting networking than any other place.
Self-Development – The only way to grow consistently is to get out of your comfort zone. These meetings may allow you to develop personal communication skills, public speaking skills, negotiation tactics and networking skills. Many individuals who attend the meetings consistently are focused, driven and want to see you succeed.
Support Circle – The relationships you build act as a great support system to ensure you are moving forward with your goals and vision for you and your real estate path. Utilize others to help motivate and educate you. It is important to surround yourself with others that have similar passions and who build you up, and your local REIA is a great way to accomplish this.
Sponsors – Companies may pay to be a part of your local REIA for exposure to those interested in real estate. Utilize their knowledge and experience from being an investor-friendly company. This also contributes to building a solid power team.
Finally, here is a list of a variety of topics you may see at your local REIA:
+ Getting Started + Foreclosures + “Nothing Down” Purchases + “Flipping” Properties + Refurbishing & Rehabbing + Lease/Options + Finding Bargain Properties + Writing Contract Offers + Building profitable partnerships + Marketing to Find Motivated Sellers | + Buying Discounted Notes & Mortgages + Mobile Homes & Mobile Home Parks + 1031 Exchanges & Other Tax Issues + Landlording & Property Management + Using Self-Directed IRAs + Lawsuit Protection & Legal Issues + How to find money for deals + Creative Financing + Commercial Lending & Properties |
How do you find a REIA close to you? The easiest way is to do a simple google search for “local real estate investing associations.” You may also search for additional groups at http://nationalreia.org/.
NuView IRA is a member of the National Real Estate Investors Association among several others including:
- Dade Real Estate Investors Association (DREIA) General Meeting
- Tampa Bay Real Estate Investors Association
- Greater Orlando Real Estate Investors Association (GOREIA) General Meeting
- Broward Real Estate Investors Association (BREIA)
- Jacksonville Real Estate Investors Association (JaxREIA) General Meeting
- Tallahassee Investors Network General Meeting
For more information about careers, lending opportunities or discounted investment properties in and around the Tampa Bay area, contact Jeremy Kloter at Out Fast Realty & Investments. His contact information is below.
Jeremy Kloter
Owner – Realtor
C: 813 – 610 – 0015
Jeremy.Kloter@OutFastRealty.com
www.outfastrealty.com
