Developer · Missoula, MT · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 29 votes
I have just moved into office space here in Missoula, Montana and will be starting a real estate investor meet up here at our location in February. Are there any BP members that have formed similar groups willing to share success stories or words of wisdom? My slate is open. We are in a community of less that 100,000 with no other real estate investment groups that I can find. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Ryan, I'd be interested in helping to put on the meetup. It seems like we've been due for a meetup here for a while and have considered doing so myself informally at a coffee shop or brewery. Let me know!
Hey Ryan, I'd be interested in helping to put on the meetup. It seems like we've been due for a meetup here for a while and have considered doing so myself informally at a coffee shop or brewery. Let me know!
@Ryan Frey I am also considering to start a Meetup group myself.
I think there are certain elements of meetup groups that aren't desired such as the unsolicited sales pitches from tradesmen and/or the group having a clique feel.
So, if you are starting a meetup, I think it is important that folks coming to your Meetup don't pressure to buy plumbing services or that this is another big boys club where newbies aren't really welcomed.
Another thing is charging members to come to the meetup I think might be a good thing, but that's something you obviously want to weigh its pros and cons.
I'll chime in as I've started two meetups now. First one was in Fargo and garnered 300 members (only knew maybe 20 of them for real) and recently got one going in Illinois. I have always found the hardest part is securing the right location and guest speakers that are willing to share an evening to educate mostly novices.
My goal is to create a laid back atmosphere where people can network and learn from each other. Unfortunately, the already successful players probably won't attend because they are playing an entirely different game.
My biggest piece of advice would be to practice your elevator speech about what the meetup is and what the purpose is and stick to a purpose. Mine is to provide free education and networking in a no pressure environment. That means I'm likely not going to have people pitching products, we won't be bashing each other, etc. Similar to the forums on BP (minus some of the hostility in some). Its a casual atmosphere. Ideally, the perfect spot would be a secluded room at a restaurant where food and drink can be served and the room is sequestered off so it doesn't get too loud. So far, I've stuck with Perkins... not quite the right feel but its a free place.
As for events I try to find topics that will be engaging for others. The hot button topics you see on here would be good such as wholesaling, landlord/tenant law, etc. I've seen speakers discuss REITs, screening tenants, section 8 housing, syndication deals in Belize, and the really popular ones are when you can visit a property that is currently being flipped. This allows people to see and know that its been done in their area.
Then you've got all the marketing to worry about. Meetup.com, craigslist ads in the group forums, and facebook pages and adverts all help. Build your list of attendees and send out nicely crafted emails reminding people of the events.
Good luck! I hope it turns out well - just bear with the small numbers at first!
I started a Real Estate Networking group around 15 or so years ago and it really changed my life. It started local to me with only 12 people and it grew into 5 states and 6 cities, with a database of over 8,000 investors. So needless to say my network grew exponentially and the opportunities I encountered because of it (including the opportunity to start my Note Business that I still run today) were priceless.
I almost always recommend the idea of starting a group like this, especially when people can't find a group that's right for them in their area. And it sounds like there's already interest in this one!
As far as words of wisdom go:
I agree with @Steven J. about the restaurant idea. You always want to have investors break bread because there's really just something about it that connects people. That aspect was also something that was missing from our local REIA.
I'm not sure about what sort of team you have in place already, but you want to bring in experts. They'll bring their networks along with their expertise. Mine started with my insurance guy, my accountant, my attorney, etc. In the beginning we paid for it all out of pocket, using money by the sponsors and founding members. We did this because we knew thats what we needed to get the group off the ground, plus we all got so much business from it.
Also be prepared to put in at least a year's time for the group to start paying for itself, but once it does...it starts to feel like autopilot.
@Travis Green It's great you're interested. I will reach out when we have a date picked.
@Steven J. Great advise on making the group education based with networking. Deals happen while networking. I don't see our group as a pitch party.
@Dave Van Horn I hadn't thought about using my team as guest experts, but I see it now as a great way to get the initial expert speakers to come, especially since I have a relationship with them. Thanks for that.
Where my business is located now has a conference room and open waiting area, which I thought would work great at first for a meeting spot. I can see where meeting at a restaurant might be a good option as well for the fact that it is neutral territory. We'll see how the attendance numbers are over the first few months.
Hi Ryan! So glad you're interested in this. I would be happy to help out and contribute. Another option for space might be The Loft? Please let me know when you decide to meet and if I can help out beforehand in finding a space.
@Michaela Schager Hi Michaela, Thanks for the offer of help. I am sure we will take you up on that. Right now we have tentatively set the date for the first meet up to be February 20. I will put the word out when we confirm.
@Jared K. Thanks for the shout out and vote of confidence, sir. @Ryan Frey this post, and the encouraging outcome of the informal meetups I have been organizing in KC for the past few months, inspired me to add a brief post to my BP blog on the subject. Check it out here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/9877/69675-mon...
Best of luck on your upcoming meetup! and congratulations on taking the initiative to build something awesome and valuable for your community!
It's been a while since we last chatted. I am glad to see that you are actually getting this up and going. I would love to help out and do anything I can for this. You have my number, please feel free to call or text. I am very interested in seeing this get going here in Missoula.
My partner and I started one in Helena last year and have had great success. If you would like to visit about what we did let me know and I would be happy to talk with you about it.
I am a Real Estate Investor that moved back to Missoula about a year and a half ago. I would be interested in checking out one of your meetups. Please let me know when the next one is...
I am a new investor in the Missoula area. I am looking to network with some local real estate investors and professionals. This thread is a bit outdated and obviously things have changed significantly with COVID but curious if there are any meetups still going on...
I am not aware of any meetups that exist post pandemic but I am a local investor/realtor in Missoula and am looking to join the same type of group....may just have to start one up once things loosen up a bit. Let's chat or meet up for a beer and see how we can help each other achieve our investment goals.
I'll be starting a monthly meet-up in Missoula in a few months actually, once we have a bit higher COVID vaccination rates and people feel comfortable meeting in person. Ryan (who started this thread) generously offered his space for a monthly meeting, I just got my first shot, so we may be able to get started in a few months. Anyone interested should shoot me a message and I'll start a list.
If anyone is finding this thread, meetups are back! We're meeting every third Tuesday of the month at the Highlander at 6:00. Our inaugural meetup went really well, we had 22 people show up and had some great conversations about the current market. Shout out to Matt Mellott who was nice enough to present, and shared some really interesting data about the current Missoula market and what's coming down the pipeline. Our next meeting will be June 15th at 6:00 at the Highlander. Our speaker is Kevin Jones, who has been practicing in Montana since 1992. He leads Jones & Associates, who specialize in real estate transactions. Please let me know if you have any specific topics you'd like him to cover, hope to see you there!
@Ryan Frey I started an investor meetup here in Kalispell. It's has been pretty successful. I've been hosting them monthly for the last 8 months now. I usually get a better turnout when I have guest speakers.. Lenders, Title Companies, Bankers, Financial Advisors, Property Managers, and many more.
I also created a FB page for the meetup. I try to post on there a lot but haven't gotten too much interaction.
@Steven J. As Steven said, most of the successful players won't attend because they are "out of the rat race" if you will. But that doesn't mean some won't show up. I have had a few very successful investors come to our meetup in Kalispell and they all said, the reason they came was that it was a laid-back environment where people could learn, network, and hang out. It wasn't a class or something you had to pay for.