Fort Hood Area Investor Meetup

General Real Estate Investing
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Fort Hood Area Investor Meetup

Jeremy Fay
Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes

Greetings Bigger Pockets community!

After waiting and waiting for someone to spearhead a local investor meetup in the Fort Hood/Killeen area, I've finally decided to grab the bull by the horns and organize one myself. I should concede that there are, at least in name, a couple of investor meetup groups in the area. They're largely comprised of the Renatus people who are more interested in selling you their overpriced investor education program. This is not that!

Many times in order to best describe what something is, it's best to describe what it isn't. This isn't a gimmick, a fraud, or a scam. I will never ask for your money for some sort of education program. I will however, freely and happily share everything I've learned about real estate investing thus far. I will honestly share my mistakes, failures, and my successes in the hopes that you can find you own path of success and learn from the mistakes I've made along the way. I hope to create a meetup that embraces the values of honest investing. I'd like this to be a place where information and knowledge is freely exchanged in the interest of promoting proven investing principles. Whether you own dozens of units or simply have an interest in investing in the Fort Hood area, I hope you can attend.

I'm not sure what format this will take as the idea is still forming in my head. With that being said, this is not MY investor meetup group. It's yours. I'm not in charge. I'm not the boss. I'm just a guy stepping up and trying to fill a need that it seems a lot of people have. Perhaps we'll start with very informal meet and greet discussions over lunch or dinner and then scale it up in both formality and education as the meetup grows. I'd like to see a situation where we meet for a meal or drinks and receive an instructional class given by a member of the group on their given specialty. Everyone who plans to attend a group of this sort has something to give and I'd like to hear from you as we all work to become better investors. 

Please post if you would be interested in attending. Stay tuned to the thread for updates as this develops. 

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Matt StricklenPro Member
Investor · Austin TX · Member since 2020 · 227 posts · 152 votes
6y

I concur that you'll get better attendance and people will make better connections at an evening meetup versus a lunch rush. And if you've got people coming from Belton to Temple or Waco, Austin etc they just wont be able. With that said, though, you could try to get a broker, an agent, or a financial advisor, a contractor... someone to sponsor a "lunch and learn" where they feed people and give a presentation. Nothing will boost your attendance better than free food or drinks. Of course you could do this in the evening too, maybe with just a happy hour. Gotta go. Thirsty.

2Reply
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  • Matt StricklenPro Member
    Investor · Austin TX · Member since 2020 · 227 posts · 152 votes
    6y

    I'm interested. When you decide on a date, be sure and post under network >events so more people will see. 

    1Reply
  • James Guillot
    Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2020 · 52 posts · 42 votes
    6y

    I'm interested. This is exactly what I was trying to find for the past month or so. 

    I stumbled on the Renatus group and it took me 3 meetings and a runaway webinar to realize they don't actually network with anyone who doesn't buy their education.

    I'm excited to join up when you get the ball rolling. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

    1Reply
  • John Kidenda
    Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    I'm also interested, please let me know once you have a date

    1Reply
  • Adrian Fajardo
    Rental Property Investor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2017 · 338 posts · 100 votes
    6y

    @Jeremy Fay that works! I've attended a really chill one and it was interesting because there was no agenda but the conversation just kept going. Just post one and I'll attend if schedule permits. Thanks!

    1Reply
  • Billy Edwards
    Investor · Harker Heights, TX · Member since 2020 · 1 post · 1 vote
    6y

    Definitely interested just let me the details when there’s a schedule and time !

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Good day everyone! Looks like a fair amount of interest in establishing an investor meetup local to the Fort Hood/Killeen area. Exciting! I'd like to solicit everyone's feedback on a time and location for our first meetup.

    Concerning the time (and frequency), I was thinking we make this a monthly event. Not so intense in its frequency that it consumes people's busy lives but also frequent enough to continue to feed people information and keep momentum going. We may rotate the day, as well as the time of the meeting to better accommodate the fact that people have varying availability. 

    On the note of location, I was thinking something mainstream and kind of casual with outside seating so we don't bother anyone, maybe Pluckers in Killeen? 

    I welcome everyone's thoughts and will try to accommodate everyone's needs.  

    1Reply
  • John Kidenda
    Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    I am open on location and flexible on date and time as long as it's the afternoon or evening. Looking forward to it.

    JK

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Zollin
    New to Real Estate · Killeen, TX · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    Interested

    1Reply
  • James Guillot
    Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2020 · 52 posts · 42 votes
    6y

    During the week the evenings around 6pm or later are better for me. Weekends are pretty open. I prefer weekends, but I'll find the time no matter when it ends up being.

    I think to start out having meetings a bit more frequently (every two weeks) might be more beneficial for newer investors (like me) and then maybe cut it back to once a month after we get comfortable.

    Also I think Pluckers is a great choice.

    1Reply
  • Michael Mullins
    Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2016 · 463 posts · 177 votes
    6y

    Lunch time would be perfect. And I’m open to any location and date.

    1Reply
  • Chris Allen
    Temple, TX · Member since 2018 · 307 posts · 215 votes
    6y
    For me personally, the lunch time meetup is what has stopped me from going to meetups in the area. Working nights the only way I could make a lunch meetup is if I am off completely, rather that if its in the evening, I could work the night prior, get some sleep, and still make it to the meeting. I definitely think once the meetup gets established having it less often at a set time, but I could also get on board with meeting maybe twice a month to start out, just to get more people involved, and get a flow of what time, days, and schedule works best for people. I know the meetup I have gone to in Austin has a "Private Money" meet at the beginning of the month, then a "REI" meetup at the end of the month around 6-7pm and I feel that has worked pretty well.
    0Reply
  • Adrian Fajardo
    Rental Property Investor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2017 · 338 posts · 100 votes
    6y

    @Jeremy Fay I agree with @Chris Allen that lunchtime is a tough one because it's hard to squeeze out quality conversations when we have to rush back to work. Regardless of what happens, these first few ones will be experimental and we can get a better idea once we have a few going. 

    My vote is weekends though =D

    0Reply
  • Matt StricklenPro Member
    Investor · Austin TX · Member since 2020 · 227 posts · 152 votes
    6y

    I concur that you'll get better attendance and people will make better connections at an evening meetup versus a lunch rush. And if you've got people coming from Belton to Temple or Waco, Austin etc they just wont be able. With that said, though, you could try to get a broker, an agent, or a financial advisor, a contractor... someone to sponsor a "lunch and learn" where they feed people and give a presentation. Nothing will boost your attendance better than free food or drinks. Of course you could do this in the evening too, maybe with just a happy hour. Gotta go. Thirsty.

    2Reply
  • Todd Cornett
    New to Real Estate · Killeen, TX · Member since 2020 · 1 post · 1 vote
    6y

    I would be thrilled to be a part of this group.  Closing on my first home this week and will be moving into the area these next 2-3 weeks.

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Hello everyone and (un)happy Monday!

    It seems the general consensus is that an evening meeting is most preferred. While this is not ideal for some, it's the option that provides the greatest amount of accommodation for the majority of those who have weighed in with their thoughts. 

    Thus, for the time being I think it's best to set a meeting for 6:00pm on Friday, September 18th. The location for this meeting will be Pluckers in Killeen. This will be a recurring meeting for the third Friday of each month (the location my change for future meetings). I understand there are those who desire to meet more than once a month. Doing an evening meeting once a month allows flexibility to add a lunchtime meeting at another time in the month, should there be a high demand for a lunch meeting for those unable to attend the evening meeting. 

    This first meeting will be little more than a "meet and greet" and very informal. Think of it as an opportunity for networking with like minded people of varying investor experience. In time, I'd like to add more formality to the meetings as we begin to become more established. What shape or form that will take remains undetermined. Please remain patient and flexible as we sort this out. While I am no stranger to organizing people, this is my first endeavor in creating an investor meetup. Any feedback and (constructive) criticism is appreciated as we go through the process of building this up. Thanks for all the input thus far. 

    I have posted the event on Bigger Pockets and ask that if you plan to attend please go to the following link and let us know. Thanks so much! I look forward to seeing you all at the meetup.

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/870466-fort-hood-area-investor-meetup

    0Reply
  • Lashonda Reese
    New to Real Estate · Copperas Cove, TX · Member since 2020 · 9 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    Hello all, I’m a brand new investor in the Killeen area and I’m ecstatic about these future meetups. Can’t wait to network with everyone and build some powerful relationships. I only have one property under my belt, but hoping later on down the road that i can bring something to the table. Can’t wait to meet y’all! 

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    An an FYI to everyone tracking this thread, I've changed the date of the event at the recommendation of the staff at Pluckers. See the link for the new date. 

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

    0Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Reminder for everyone following, we are meeting this Friday! Hope to see you there!

    0Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Hello everyone!

    I just got home and settled from our first meeting and I must admit I'm pretty stoked by how everything went. Leading up to this evening's meet up, I held my expectations quite low and figured there would only be a couple of people to attend. I was very surprised to see so many people, all with different experience levels of investing.

    I had a some good conversations with many of you and overheard some good conversations as well. It seems like everyone enjoyed themselves and I heard several mention how they were excited for the next meetup.

    With that in mind I think we should consider a different venue. I'll be looking for a place that can accommodate us a little better than Pluckers did this evening. I feel we can do better.

    Also, if we did an education topic the next meeting, what are some subjects that you would want to see covered? Throw them out there and we can consider possibly doing a quick informative piece on a topic next meeting.

    Continuing with ways we can improve, I feel we need a better communication system that works in real time. After we got seated at Pluckers, I quickly realized I had no way to inform everyone on their way that we were inside and seated. Therefore, I created a groupme for our little meetup so those types of updates can be pushed. 

    This evening I conducted an unofficial poll or two and everyone seemed to want to meet in two weeks time. I seem to be outnumbered on this one, so two weeks it is. I'll be creating an updated event soon with the new location and date.

    Again, it was great seeing everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. I'm looking forward to your input on location and potential education topics for the next meetup.

    *** EDIT***
    My post was removed because it violated BP terms of service. The reason given was that it contained contact information. Apparently they didn't like the link to join the groupme for ease of communication. Maybe BP doesn't want any communication that competes with their forums? IDK. If you'd like the groupme information feel free to reach out to me directly and I'll pass it along.

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Update: Working to find a suitable venue for our purposes that works better than Pluckers. 

    I'm thinking for this next meeting it would be good to have a little more structure and some informative education presented. Give me some ideas for a topic of interest you'd like to know more about and we can look into having someone present a quick class (probably 15-30min) on it. 

    0Reply
  • Lashonda Reese
    New to Real Estate · Copperas Cove, TX · Member since 2020 · 9 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    Hey Jeremy,

    Thank you for organizing that meeting, I enjoyed it and I am excited about the future of it. Some topics I would be interested in are financing your first deal (whether it be a buy and hold or fix and flip, brrrr) and how to start investing in out of state markets. Hope this helps! 

    0Reply
  • Michael Mullins
    Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2016 · 463 posts · 177 votes
    6y

    @Lashonda Reese

    That is a good point.
    I would like it if people went around the table telling people there name, and a little about what they do, and what they need. It's a great way to network to everyone quickly in the group. 

    0Reply
  • Lashonda Reese
    New to Real Estate · Copperas Cove, TX · Member since 2020 · 9 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    @Michael Mullins

    Valid point. At our first meeting, we briefly introduced ourselves. If we do it that way (in a more formalized setting), we could network better and set ourselves up for more success. 

    0Reply
  • Jeremy Fay
    OP
    Realtor · Killeen, TX · Member since 2012 · 80 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    Greetings everyone, 

    I apologize for my silence. I've been working to get a venue that will work better than Pluckers. That was kind of rough and didn't want a repeat of how that played out. I'd love to have a more formal setting but I couldn't find anything that didn't require a room reservation for a high price. I recall hearing someone mention the possibility of meeting at Billy Bob's in Killeen. Their tables are large enough to support a decent sized gathering, even if it's not as formal as some would like. Should we desire a more formal setting or something different feel free to post your ideas. In the meantime, the next meeting is scheduled for 30 October at 6:00pm at Billy Bob's in Killeen. The link to the event is here:

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/...


    Looking forward to seeing you all there!

    1Reply
  • Michael Mullins
    Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2016 · 463 posts · 177 votes
    6y

    @Jeremy Fay

    Sounds good I’m in

    1Reply
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