Central Jersey Meeting - June 2015

[Mark Scarola]

Agenda

This meeting will focus primarily on the area of crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a way of raising money with numerous smaller investments as opposed to searching for one single large investment. Websites such as gofundme and Kickstarter are examples of popular crowdfunding sites for personal causes such as raising money to pay for medical bills, college tuition, endangered animals, etc.

There is also crowdfunding that is specific to real estate investing, which will be the focus of this meeting. Imagine being an investor with a great opportunity who can't get funding at your local bank, but who is able to find funding by partnering with a bunch of friends and family members. Now expand that idea with the power of the internet and imagine reaching people from all over who want in on your great deal.

Or conversely, picture yourself as someone who wants in on a great investment deal but lacks the knowledge to do a deal yourself or the cash to fully fund someone else's deal. With crowdfunding you can get involved in larger, more complex, and other such deals that might never otherwise be available to you. It can also be a way to diversify your investments.

There are a number of legal issues that someone getting involved in crowdfunding must be aware of and consider, including several recent changes to the rules and regulations based on the JOBS Act. These changes are helping to open up opportunities to smaller investors that were not always permitted to be involved in some of the most profitable investment opportunities out there. This will be part of our discussion.

As usual we will also briefly go around the room and introduce ourselves. This helps to give everyone a chance to determine who they might want to network with before the evening is over.

Guest Speaker

The main crux of the meeting will be the talk on crowdfunding. For that we will turn to our guest speaker, Mr. Syd Chase. Mr. Chase is a 15 year US Army veteran who has spent the last 20 plus years investing in real estate through a variety of means including REO'S, foreclosures, land trusts, lease purchases, and assignments.

Mr. Chase is a regular speaker at real estate investment groups, is an author, and has been interviewed on a number of different radio programs. His company, The Syd Chase Group, LLC provides investment-grade American properties and Alternative Investments to High Net Worth Individual's from around the globe and specializes in buying, selling and developing a wide variety of properties and products, from single-family homes to hotels, theme parks, marinas, gas & oil, timber land, movies, music, television, sports team, players, and celebrities.

We are very fortunate to have Mr. Chase speaking at our group. The evening promises to be an informative and educational one. Mr. Chase will discuss what crowdfunding is and provide an update on some of the recent changes in the rules that have come about as a result of clarification of the JOBS Act. He will also discuss ways to get involved in crowdfunding whether you're looking for funding or looking for deals to invest in, and whether you're and accredited investor or not.

What is an accredited investor? Basically, a high net-worth individual who because of their financial standing is assumed (accurately or not) to be more financially savvy and in need of less protection from governmental regulations.

Date & Time

Thursday, June 25th. The doors will open at 6:30PM for networking. We'll begin the formal part of the meeting itself at 7:00. We'll begin with a few quick announcements and the introductions. Mr. Chase will then speak until about 9PM. Afterwards, those who would like to stick around to network further will be welcome to do so for approximately another 30 minutes.

Location

We'll be meeting at the Comfort Inn in Middletown. The address is 750 Route 35 South in Middletown. Should you need directions or get lost you can reach the hotel at 732-671-3400.

There will be no food or drink provided. The $10 admission fee is to cover the cost of renting the meeting space. Please pay in cash when you arrive. If the $10 presents a financial hardship for anyone, please address me privately before the meeting.

The hotel has two meeting rooms. Once you pass the front desk and start down the hallway you'll find the first on your left. The other meeting room is directly above the first. There are stairs further down the hallway on the right. An elevator is also available. We haven't yet been told which space we'll be using.

Misc.

As always, all are welcome to attend. There are no prerequisites, experience, or membership requirements.