RE Clubs in Orange County or Long Beach, CA?

Question

This is my second post :).

Can somebody suggest a good RE Investment club in Orange County or Long Beach, CA?

I have been to the REI Club in LA, good club, but a little out of my area.

thanks!

Gabriel Suppes · Answer

You might enjoy our club here in Orange County.

We've been running meetings once per month and have been getting awesome turnouts. We're always looking for new members and new ideas.

Here is a video from our January 15th 2010 meeting:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=904863005207&ref=mf

Gabe

Gregory Scott · Answer

I'm also a newbie and looking to and attend meetups.

Rafael Larios · Answer

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/491259-long-beach-local-real-estate-meet-up-at-honduras-kitchen-monthly?page=1#p3022109 .

Nadine Lajoie · Answer

I gave a talk last Saturday at

http://www.meetup.com/NEWPORTBEACHINVEST/events/23...

and over 25 people were there, great energy and was really fun to share with the RECEPTIVE GROUP!

Another one was Yorba Linda, at Mimis Cafe at 6h30, with @Ron Herrerra who is also a BP member :-)

http://www.meetup.com/North-OC-REI-Network/members...

good luck in your real Estate investment and let me know if you need my help!

Blessings,

Jeff S. · Answer

Iâ€™ve attended many clubs in the LA area, have seen many come and go, and have limited myself to just a few.  In general, Iâ€™ve observed two types of clubs:  1) Those that claim to be educational are nothing more than vehicles for the speakers to sell you something and 2) Those that are less educational and focus more on networking.  Thereâ€™s a place for each and I prefer the latter.  If you are new to this, then try a few clubs out to see where youâ€™re most comfortable.

In my view, the best way lately to find real estate investment clubs is through http://www.meetup.com.  You can use Meetup to find local clubs nationwide that cater to many interests, not just real estate.   In Los Angeles, I like Ellis San Joseâ€™s club in Hermosa Beach and Jeremy Rollâ€™s commercial investment club (the only commercial club I known of) in West LA.  These are decidedly not sales clubs.  No one will encourage you to run to the back of the room for 50% off their overpriced CDâ€™s, courses, or sure bet deals.  On the contrary, both meetings are very low keyed and are nothing but a roundtable discussion between both veterans and newbies.  They are small, usually 10 to 20 attendees max, and not at all intimidating.  Often the discussion is on economics, new books, or particular strategies.  Specific deals occasionally get discussed and this is welcomed.  The best parts of these meetings are the several hours afterward, that everyone uses for networking.

Ellis has branched out to other locations and has some investors running clubs similar to his (search for the word FIBI on meetup).   There are new clubs forming in Long Beach, run by Matt Owens, an experienced REO investor, and another new one in Tustin though I donâ€™t know the organizer.  You might check them out.

If youâ€™re in LA, you can attend Phyllis Rockowerâ€™s club just north of LAX (http://www.realestateclubla.com).  Phyllis, mother of well known RE guru and attorney Bill Bronchick and a bit of a character, holds a huge pitchfest each month that often attracts hundreds.  There is limited networking as well as a dwindling number of vendor booths to visit before it starts.   Iâ€™m not a fan, since I find these meetings hide behind a thin veil of education and can be heavy on sales, but you might be.  Ditto Steve Love (http://www.irca-losangeles.com), whoâ€™s monthly meeting is free, including food, and usually has a well know real estate guru speak.  To be fair, Iâ€™ve seen Bruce Norris and Peter Fortunato present at Phyllis and Steveâ€™s meetings, respectively, with absolutely no sales pitch and they were wonderful.  These meetings can be hit or miss in my view.

There are many other clubs and I donâ€™t think it would be much an exaggeration to claim that you could go to one almost each day in Los Angeles.  Let us know what you think and if youâ€™ve found one you particularly like.
Jeff

Will Barnard · Answer

Will B

Rusty Eddy · Answer

I actually joined Iris's club last month after the first meeting really liked it.  Big bonus is getting in the naked investors club.

Had to miss your talk last thursday, my son's b-day..  Hope it went well, was looking forward to see you guys again..

Will Barnard · Answer

Rusty,
as you may already know, Nked investors club in Anaheim is now with Iris' club and Rosie ONLY has the Nked Investors club in Los Angeles.

Rusty Eddy · Answer

Hi Liam,

I'll be checking out one or both of the clubs upcoming meetings. Yes, let's get together, I'll PM ya and we can figure something out.  Thanks for the info!

I've been away for the last week, otherwise I would have responded sooner :)

Thanks for the Reply!

Liam Ferris · Answer

Hi Rusty!

I'm also a newbie/wannabe investor, and am also located in HB. This is my first post here, so hello everyone!

I have been to the Commonwealth real estate club a number of times, and do enjoy it. They meet in Anaheim the first Wednesday of the month, and usually have really good speakers. No networking really, so it's a little tricky if you're a newbie.

There is a newer club that also meets in Anaheim, and it seems a little more geared toward newbies. It's called the "Naked Real Estate Investors Club," and I have heard good things about it.

Here are the relevant URLs:

http://www.commonwealthofoc.com
http://www.nakedrealestateinvestorsclub.com/

I am in no way associated with either of these clubs, just wanted to pass on information.

If you're interested, maybe we should go check out a meeting or have lunch some day. It would be great to have someone to talk to about investing - maybe we could bounce some ideas off each other.

Liam