Homeowner · Washington, Washington D.C. · Member since 2014 · 17 posts · 4 votes
Greetings BP!
As a newbie I'm trying to absorb as much of the great info here as possible. I'm scheduled to attend my first REIA meeting this evening. However when I received the confirmation email it indicated a registration fee of $20. I didn't see anything about fees when I signed up and although I have no problem paying the $20 for potentially great info and networking possibilities, I was just wondering if this is typical. I understand the organizers have to pay for the venue, so I'm guessing its normal and not something to run from. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Professional · Santa Monica, CA · Member since 2014 · 186 posts · 81 votes
11y
@Brian Risi I'm also a newbie to RE and have attended 2 REIA's so far. One was free and the other was $20. The one I paid for was definitely in a nicer venue with snacks and drinks provided. It also seemed to have a higher level of investors compared to the free one.
Both provided good information. If it was worth $20, I'm not sure. However the best takeout of these events is networking. You can meet 10-15 people at one meeting if you're smart with your time.
You'll discover as a newbie you won't have much to contribute, not matter how educated you try to be, but you're out there being a part of the community that's going to hopefully one day help you achieve your goals.
My advice, just get out there, because this industry is all about networking with other like minded local investors.
Residential Real Estate Broker · Beaverton, OR · Member since 2014 · 335 posts · 149 votes
11y
Brian, I don't have a lot to add to the discussion since most of the major points have already been addressed. That said...
I've attended, and will continue to attend, both the NWREIA (a chapter of the non-profit National REIA) meetings and the Rarebird REI group meetings (the group started by @Mike Nuss ) and have found both to be wonderful sources of information and contacts. I do believe that the Rarebird meetings are more organized and there seems to be more of a line-up of local experts, but I'd expect that from a for-profit group.
In defense of NWREIA, I attend a couple of meetings a month that do not bring in national gurus selling their programs and it's easy enough to know when a meeting is geared toward a national guru, so I can decide to attend or not.
I mention this to you because it appears to be the consensus that the for-profits are to be avoided at all costs. As with Rarebird, I'm sure there are other reputable for-profits in the industry and you can probably find them though the non-profit REIA chapter in your area.