How do new investors actually find partners for deals?

Question

In almost every real estate book I’ve read, people eventually find partners or investors to help support larger-scale deals. Sometimes it’s family or friends, but that hasn’t really been an option for me. The people close to me tend to see real estate as risky or too expensive, so they’re not very supportive of the idea of investing in it. However, I tend to see opportunity where others see risk. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to make projects work, and I’m hoping to connect with people who think similarly and want to build something together.

I’m currently finishing up my first flip, which I plan to rent as an Airbnb (and eventually pull my money back out to keep investing). I’m especially interested in Airbnb and vacation rental developments because I think thoughtful, creative design can really boost ROI. With a background in interior design, I bring a design-focused perspective to projects. While I wouldn't be bringing massive sums of money to the table, I will have some capital available and believe I can add a lot of value on the design, renovation, and creative side of deals.For those of you who have found investing partners, where did you actually meet them? Local real estate meetups? BiggerPockets events or conferences? Online communities? Just networking locally? I’ve considered attending larger conferences, like the BiggerPockets one coming up in October, but as someone in my mid-20s I worry about not being taken seriously yet. At the same time, I know the connections could be valuable if that’s really where partnerships form.

Would love to hear where your best partnerships actually came from and whether conferences were worth it!

Evan Polaski · Answer

@Kaylin Wedel I appreciate the fact that you come from a design background versus most people on these forums which tend to be more spreadsheet focused.  My wife is an interior designer.  She does the occasional flip, when we find one in a neighborhood we know and like.  We had an Airbnb.  Have some long term rentals.  And she has recently started doing client work.

How does this help you?  There are likely areas in every city where the typical buyer values design over "value".  And creativity is innate and hard (if not impossible) to teach, where almost anyone can learn how to plug numbers into a spreadsheet.

All that being said, Airbnbs and flips are likely best to find partners at local meetups. In the grand scheme of things, you are not talking about a lot of money, so one or two partners will likely get you there. I would start there and see what you find. Attend them for several months straight, as partnerships are built on trust, and trust is not built by going to an event once.

Secondly, I would be looking for possible lending sources.  Again, if you have some money to put down and fund renovations, a loan is a better option , in many ways, than a partner, because you won't give up unlimited upside to a lender, leaving you with more at the end of the day, and that much closer to being able to do these alone.  A loan is also better for a good Airbnb for the same reason.

Then I will echo Don.  If you get this first one done and start crushing it, don't be shy about sharing on these forums, linkedin, if you are on social media.  It is amazing how quickly friends and family that are "against real estate" change their tune when they see you killing it.  And even if they don't, you have shared it with others who may be interested and/or know someone that would be.

Overall, I think anything involving single family real estate: flips, rentals, airbnb's, etc don't have enough "meat on the bone" to make sense with partners.

Last piece of unsolicited advice: each version of real estate, in your case flips and airbnb's, require a different skill set.  Airbnbs are hospitality.  So while the design is important, and can help get people to stop scrolling, you need to be in the right area for travelers, with good design, and be ready to serve guests: toilet paper, comfortable beds and sheets, all the dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.  You will get guests contacting you day and night and need to be responsive. My wife loved designing the airbnb and coming up with creative touches to enhance the guest experience, but hated the day to day work that is really involved.

On flips, it is construction management more than anything.  My wife hates every flip she does until the last couple weeks when "all the pretty things" happen.  But there are 3-4 months of annoying work to get to that point, with the worst being the "man sitting" of her contractors who will deviate from her plans, only show up for 3 hours a day, and generally create a lot of stress for her. But the end result is worth all the headaches to get there.

Nicholas L. · Answer

@Kaylin Wedel

Hi Kaylin.  Two thoughts come to mind.

1. I think I'm echoing what @Evan Polaski said: you can partner with service providers without actually going into business together, or sharing equity on something.  I have a great hard money lender and a fantastic property manager, for example.  I can ask them anything I want, anytime I want.  Then, if I want a loan from the lender... I get one.  In your case it sounds like you're both potentially offering a service, and also an investor, so you're on both sides of this.  And in any case, I'd recommend doing multiple transactions with anyone first.  A single project can go badly and you can still walk away amicably.  If you actually form a real legal partnership and / or share equity... that's more like a marriage.  Proceed with caution.

2. Yes, local meetups are the best way to meet folks, period.

Hope this helps

Don Konipol · Answer

1. Once you have a successful (profitable) transaction under your belt you can “sell” based on your track record.2. The fact that you have some capital to invest along side “partners” is a BIG positive.These two points should make your “offerings” attractive.There are basically two different type “partners”.  Those that are ACTIVE in the decision making, management, and operations; and those that are PASSIVE. ACTIVE is the traditional partnership; the ONLY reason for having an active partner is that they bring an expertise, knowledge or experience to the table that you don’t have.  If all they bring is money, then it only works if they are PASSIVE partners.  These two points reason someone with no experience, expertise or knowledge and just money doesn’t work as an active partner is because you end up with someone not qualified to make decisions, judgements, etc. doing just that. The downside of having PASSIVE partner(s) is that the sale of an equity interest and possible a debt interest is the sale of a SECURITY.  All security sales in the USA or to USA residents are regulated by the SEC and require SEC registration, unless they fall under an exemption from registration requirement.  The three main exemptions are (1) the general exemption for private offerings (2) REG D and (3) exemption for intrastate offerings.  20 years ago there were “work arounds” used by smaller investors.  Those were rendered inoperable by 2009.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

one thing not mentioned here is get in the game its how I started personally. back in the 70s there was no interenet there were no meet ups about the only thing there was was Dave Del Dotto courses and Carlton sheets more of an AMWAY approach..

So to get in the game I got my RE license and went to work. That is where you get some really good networking everyone in the industry is into doing deals. And you just organically meet investors buyers and money lenders

U dont have to make a career of it but it gives you a foundation and access to MLS and deals that we call pocket listings IE deals that are offered to other agents before they hit the market..

I personally spent the first 10 years or so on my 50 years at this as an agent selling mainly dirt but I learned a ton and the contacts I made allowed me to make the jump to work with developers HML ers title folks etc etc..

So just a thought..

Nyron Isaac · Answer

Your experience is a common operational hurdle for scaling operators. It is completely normal for non-investors—including family and friends—to view real estate through a lens of risk rather than yield.

As a professional in your mid-20s with an interior design background and a near-completed short-term rental (STR) flip under your belt, your primary asset is your active execution capability, not your capital stack. In the vacation rental ecosystem, joint-venture capital partners are actively looking for operators who can source deals, manage renovations, and deploy design architecture that forces a premium Average Daily Rate (ADR).

To find high-quality partners, do not pitch yourself as someone 'looking for money.' Instead, build a clean, digital three-page case study of your current flip. Bring clear before-and-after photos, your line-item renovation budget, and your short-term rental pro forma data. Attend local investor meetups and national events like the BiggerPockets conference with this data packet in hand. In the modern real estate sector, capital allocators respect youth when it is paired with execution velocity. Passive investors often possess the capital but lack the time, vision, or structural design skills to manage a construction crew or select high-ROI finishes. You are the solution to their execution bottleneck.

Structure your deals using a standard Sweat Equity Joint-Venture framework under an LLC. Have your capital partner supply the majority of the down payment, while you take a 40% to 50% equity stake for managing the project and deploying the design. Finally, bypass traditional retail banks that will bog you down with personal W-2 or DTI audits. Finance your partnership deals via Commercial DSCR Loans via a Non-QM platform. They will underwrite the loan based strictly on the property’s short-term rental projections, allowing your partnership to scale with cash-equivalent speed.

Denise Webster · Answer

Building on the comments of @Don Konipol and @Nicholas L., I've found that new investors are often looking for “partners” before they've clearly defined what they are bringing to the table. Sure, it's great to find a partner with money, but you should anticipate that they'll want to see that you've thought through the deal, the risk, the execution plan, and the exit.

Before approaching potential partners, I would suggest having a simple package of information ready:

• What type of deal are you pursuing?
• What market are you targeting?
• What is the purchase price or expected price range?
• What is the renovation or improvement plan?
• What capital is needed?
• What are you personally contributing?
• What is the projected return?
• What is the exit strategy?
• What could go wrong, and how would you handle it?

A lot of experienced investors and capital partners are not against working with newer investors. They are against unclear expectations, weak numbers, and people asking for money before showing that they understand the deal.

For a new investor, I think the best way to find partners is to first become someone worth partnering with. That may mean starting smaller, documenting your analysis, building relationships with contractors/agents/property managers, and showing that you can communicate clearly and follow through.

The relationship usually comes before the money. If someone sees that you are serious, organized, realistic, and coachable, the partner conversation becomes much easier.

Doug Smith · Answer

My wife also has a degree in interior design and she's been flipping for about 15 years now. It's really hard to find good partners, but I think it depends on what your skill set is, what you lack, and how you can work together. For instance, I was a long-time banker that owns a lending company. My wife had the design and project management background. What we needed was the capital, so that's what we hunted. We had friends with extra capital that wanted to get into investing, so it was a great match. We found some solid GCs (you've gotta kiss a lot of frogs there) and we were off. We've added capital partners over the years to do multiple deals at a time. We're still always looking for capital partners, but as to where to find them, it really depends on what you bring to the table and what you lack. That is going to dictate where you look.

Steven Weidler · Answer

I just caution you really think it over.... You have to remember your not just selling off a piece of your deal but agreeing to be tied with someone for years.

Ive gotten lucky so far inthe process but ive paid for that too. I use a similar strategy with my rentals. Itry and offer more (or take less) so theres more options available.... Issue is that if a deals time sensitive you run into problems...

Then you look at the fact that no matter what, you owe a silent partner. Thats 2 times the responsibility for less payout. Please factoring in their personality...

I have 2 investors/ boith are great guys that I enjoy working with. That said, I have to remember we arent friends but friendly.

Brian Briscoe · Answer

I have found partners and investors at conferences, meetups, work, church, and on social media...

My first partnership formed in a paid coaching network. We all wanted coaching to buy apartments and there were plenty of other people also looking for partners. Great place to find similar folks (though mostly newer folks).

I've been involved in 20 or so real estate partnerships and each one is unique with memberships...

I've also found partners at conferences, meetups, and online forums too... but it's not like: "Hey, I just met you, let's partner!" It's more like: "Let's do a zoom call" then "Let's have lunch" then "Let's keep talking" and etc.

John Halford · Answer

One thing I’ve seen consistently is that most solid partnerships don’t start from “looking for a partner”—they come from working relationships where each person proves value first.

Early on, it’s usually less about finding someone to fund a deal and more about getting involved in projects where you can contribute something tangible (design, project oversight, deal sourcing, etc.) and building trust that way.

From there, partnerships tend to form more naturally once people see how you operate.

A lot of the stronger connections I’ve seen come from:
– Local meetups and smaller events (more real conversations vs. big conferences)
– Working alongside other investors on deals, even in a limited role
– Ongoing conversations in places like this where people get a sense of how you think

Conferences can be useful, but they’re usually more about exposure than forming immediate partnerships. The real value tends to come from smaller, repeated interactions over time.

Your design background is actually a strong angle—if you lean into that and get involved in a few projects, that’s often what opens the door to bigger opportunities and partnerships down the line.

How do new investors actually find partners for deals?

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