Networking- Mentors and meetup

[Garrett Ott]

Hello BP,

Looking for more meetups in my local area to build my network and hopefully find a mentor to help me with my real estate journey. I’m currently focused on small MF, and would eventually like to transition into large MF. Right now I’m the owner of a 3 flat  and renting out a bedroom in my own unit I’m an ambitious person and obsessed with learning about the local market. If you have suggestions or connections and would like to share meetup information it would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you!

[Alex Fenske]

Hi Garrett, where in the Chicagoland area are you?

[Shea Murray]

@Garrett Ott Hey Garrett, I'll link the Straight Up Chicago Investor podcast website that has an excellent list of meet ups in a variety of places throughout Chicago. Maybe I'll see you at one one of them!  https://www.straightupchicagoi...

[Richard Loniewski]

Not from your area so can't help with local live Meetups but I have made so many solid connections online. I belong to over 20 RE investing FB groups and got a few deals through that,

[John Warren]

@Garrett Ott welcome to the forums! @Shea Murray already tagged the best list of meetups in the area. There are so many great folks here in Chicago who run meetups, and you can definitely find one or two near where you live. I would attend as many of these as possible so you can make multiple connections. 

As for mentoring, it sounds like you are on the right track. This is a simple business. Create equity, refinance/sell, buy more deals. Stack them up until you meet your goal. I think the main thing to know about jumping into larger MF is that you need to really get to know the brokers who handle the bulk of the sales in that space. It is not transactional in the same way as an MLS deal would be.

[Mark Ainley]

@Garrett Ott There is @John Warren 's awesome meetup coming up Tuesday on 11/29/22 at 6733 Roosevelt Rd in Berwyn!  Lots of great contacts there you can make!

Keywords: Chicago Meetups / Cicero / Oak Park / Westchester / Lagrange 

[Jonathan Klemm]

Hey @Garrett Ott - Awesome to hear you already have your first deal closed.  I know for me that was by far the hardest one.

If you check out the NETWORK tab on BP, they'll definitely have a list of locat meetups.  Another great resource is the Straight Up Chicago Investor site/podcast/meetup list that @Tom Shallcross and @Mark Ainley put together  :https://www.straightupchicagoi...

[Garrett Ott]

Awesome, thank you both for the information! Contacts are probably my biggest weak spot right now, so it’d be great to shake a few hands

[Garrett Ott]

@Alex Fenske

I’m in Jeff Park!

[Alex Fenske]

Quote from @Garrett Ott:

@Alex Fenske

I’m in Jeff Park!

 Ok, not in my area but looks like some of those other meetups are in yours. Good luck and stay plugged in here!