Where do I find local investors?

Question

I see all your comments and I thank you! Now I’m wondering how I get into contact with local investors that are willing to help here in St. Louis.

Ryan Brown · Answer

@Imani Johnson, the easiest way I know is to show up in person. Almost every market has local investor meetups and REIA groups, and most of them run a Facebook group and post their meetings as Facebook events. Search Facebook for "St. Louis real estate investors" or "St. Louis REIA," join a few groups, and keep an eye on the events tab. Meetup.com is worth checking too.

Most of these meetings are free, or close to it, and they're full of people who are already doing deals in your city: landlords, flippers, wholesalers, lenders, contractors and agents who work with investors. Go to a few and keep going back. The first time you're just a new face. By the third or fourth time, people know you and you start getting real conversations, referrals and sometimes deals. Investors are usually happy to help someone who shows up consistently and asks good questions.

Here in Louisville I'm a member of our local group, KREE, and a lot of the relationships I rely on started at those meetings. I'd guess St. Louis has a few good options. Pick one or two and make them a habit.

Marc Mora · Answer

@Imani Johnson Nice, shoot me a message, let’s connect. I can get you pointed in the right direction depending on your end goal

Matthew Morrow · Answer

@Imani Johnson Ryan and Randy covered the big one. Meetups are where I've met a lot of the people I still work with. The only thing I'd add is go more than once. The first time everyone's a stranger, and by the third or fourth time people start introducing you to others. Be curious about what they're working on, and the help usually follows. Looking forward to following your progress.

Randy Schell · Answer

Ryan nailed it with the local meetups. Show up early and help set up chairs, you'll meet everybody who runs the thing haha.

Randy, Bunklow

Marc Mora · Answer

@Imani Johnson 100% local meetups. What are you doing in REI? Or what do you want to do? I can help connect!

Randy Schell · Answer

Imani, I know the beginning can feel a little lonely. Besides the meetups, I'd try asking a few small landlords in your neighborhood if they'd grab a coffee, since most are happy to share what they've learned and a lot of mentors start with a simple hello. And be patient with yourself, nobody finds their people overnight.

Randy, Bunklow

Juan Hasbun · Answer

I'd start by getting in front of people who are already actively buying, not just networking with other investors.

A few places I'd focus on in St. Louis:

• Local REIA and investor meetup groups. You'll find landlords, flippers, BRRRR investors, and private lenders all in one room.
• Property management companies. Ask which investors are actively acquiring rentals. Their best clients are often looking for more doors.
• Title companies and investor-friendly real estate agents. They see who's closing multiple transactions every month.
• Private lenders and hard money lenders. We talk to investors every day and often know who's looking for their next deal.
• Auction events, foreclosure sales, and local courthouse networking.
• Facebook groups are still useful, but I'd focus on building direct relationships instead of just posting deals.

Local REIA and investor meetup groups. You'll find landlords, flippers, BRRRR investors, and private lenders all in one room.

Property management companies. Ask which investors are actively acquiring rentals. Their best clients are often looking for more doors.

Title companies and investor-friendly real estate agents. They see who's closing multiple transactions every month.

Private lenders and hard money lenders. We talk to investors every day and often know who's looking for their next deal.

Auction events, foreclosure sales, and local courthouse networking.

Facebook groups are still useful, but I'd focus on building direct relationships instead of just posting deals.

One thing that's worked well for wholesalers entering a new market is reverse-engineering the buyer list. Pull recent duplex and small multifamily purchases, identify the repeat buyers, and start calling them directly. A list of 20 real buyers who have closed recently is usually worth more than 1,000 Facebook group members.

Also, don't be afraid to tell people you're new to the St. Louis market but not new to wholesaling. "New market" and "new investor" are two very different things, and experienced buyers will respect that.

If the numbers are as strong as they sound, you probably don't need more exposure. You need the right five buyers to see it. That's usually where deals get done.

Imani Johnson · Answer

I would love to wholesale and do flip and fix !!

Imani Johnson · Answer

Great to know thank you! I will look up some in my area. Excited for the meet ups!

Where do I find local investors?

Where do I find local investors?

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