Last year around this time I had a lot on my plate. As a graduating medical student, I was making the finishing touches on my residency application and prepping for the mandatory hospital rotations needed to complete my degree. With all of that going on, I still made it a priority to attend real estate meetups once a month. I went to these groups for 5 main reasons:
1. I needed to learn new skills. Unlike people who choose to focus on one job or skill for the majority of their lives, I want more. Instead of working a traditional job into my 50s I want to acquire passive income through real estate investing. Acquiring this passive income through real estate allows me to continue building wealth for my family while also providing me with the flexibility I crave, whether that means working part-time to have children or simply creating space for me to pursue less lucrative passion projects. Since I didn’t grow up around real estate investors, I needed to learn some background information and acquire a whole new skill set. Going to these real estate meetups put me in direct contact with people who had these skills that I could learn from.
2. I needed to expand my network. If I ever wanted to achieve my goal of building wealth through real estate, I had to start doing things I’d never done. This meant thinking differently and surrounding myself with people who had already achieved what I was looking to obtain. Along with learning new skills, going to these meetups gave me a way to expand my network so I could interact with real estate investors and emulate people who had already achieved these goals.
3. I needed mentors. My parents didn’t use real estate to build their retirement savings and none of my close family members had the experience needed to guide me through the process. Despite the numerous podcasts I listened to and books I read, I needed more. I still had questions that were unanswered and concepts I wanted clarification on. Going to these meetups were a great solution. They helped me find mentors who could “show me the ropes” build relationships with people who could serve as advisors. Because of these meetups, I met people who volunteered to teach me how to find, evaluate, and finance deals.
4. I needed to change my thinking. Along with mentorship, my outlook on real estate reached a whole new level when I started going to meetups. The people I met at these groups kept me inspired in the midst of doubt. They gave me insight on how to invest in real estate in ways that could increase my monthly cash flow and help me save money on taxes. They also kept me optimistic about my goals and my ability to eventually create wealth. Being around people who were constantly discussing deals and sharing advice on pitfalls to avoid helped me learn more than I ever could have imagined. These meetups changed my view of real estate investing and made me even more committed to my goals.
5. I needed access to deals. The final reason I needed to expand my network was to actually NETWORK. Some of the best real estate deals are ones that take advantage of “leverage” and involve multiple investors. Companies raise money from rich investors and fund lucrative investments as a group. Unfortunately, it’s illegal to advertise these deals to the general public due to their high risk and buy-in costs. The only way to actually find out about these deals is to meet the people who create them or invest in them. Going to meetups played a key role in allowing me to cultivate business relationships with people who could give me access to those deals.
Long story short: the meets-ups help me expand my network. I needed to expand my network to continue to meet potential mentors and surround myself with people who could keep me motivated to reach my goals, safeguard against doubt, and get me to think more like an investor. Lastly, I needed to expand my contacts and cultivate relationships with people who could be potential partners in the future.
Have you ever gone to a real estate meetup group? If so, what was the experience like for you?