Does anyone know of an REI group in the greater Philadelphia area that is not sponsored by a Real estate guru that is just hawking their own study coarse ?

DIG - Diversified Investor Group

https://digonline.org/

I have to agree with @Andrew K. and put in a good word for DIG http://digonline.org/

DIG does offer training from local experts. DIG does have the occasional national speaker / guru come to town, but the frequency of that has been reduced over the past decade.

And DIG subgroup meetings are a good place to get better acquainted with investors who are also attending.

Hi Andrew & Steve. Dig looks like a great place to learn. Their training looks like exactly what I am looking for. I am planning on going to their February meeting. It looks like the dates for the classes have already passed, do you have any suggestions for other training courses?

@Kevin Robertson - the full day training classes are usually offered twice a year. So they could be offered again this year, depending on demand.

I would suggest you attend the main / general meeting, and a subgroup meeting; the Delaware County subgroup meeting just passed so you would have to wait until the first Wednesday in March for the next time they meet. You can mingle and ask others if they recommend any training and absorb the night's information.

When you attend the main / general meeting for the first time as a non-member, you might be given an opportunity to "spin the wheel" to get a discount on the first year's membership. If you do join, please list my name as the sponsor. ;)

Hi @Kevin Robertson , I'd love to know what you think of the February meeting! I'm exploring further REI pursuits in the area and would love to know how you find it.

Certainly. It is on the 22nd, i'll let you know how it goes.

Here is the BP announcement for the February 22, 2018 DIG meeting:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/53...

@Steve Babiak, what is the cost to join DIG?  It seems as if I would have to fill out the entire form to find the answer.  Is it a yearly membership?  I am in the process of relocating to Philly, but this trip I am only here for 3 weeks.  Don't want to start that membership before I"m really here :-)

Originally posted by @Jackie P. :

@Steve Babiak, what is the cost to join DIG?  It seems as if I would have to fill out the entire form to find the answer.  Is it a yearly membership?  I am in the process of relocating to Philly, but this trip I am only here for 3 weeks.  Don't want to start that membership before I"m really here :-)

DIG just recently raised the annual membership fee - I believe it is now $200 per year.  You can attend the DIG main meeting one time for free; but attendance at the DIG subgroups now requires a DIG membership starting March of 2018. At that free visit you get a chance to spin a wheel that gives you a discount for your first full year's membership; renewing is at the regular price. There used to be a three month trial membership that was (obviously) a lower price than the full year - I think it was 1/3 of the annual rate but not 100% sure about that since I never used that myself, and I am not sure if that is still offered or not.

So, the suggestion I make is go to the main meeting for free and spin the wheel - if you get a big enough discount you can judge whether to join then or just pass until you are moved in locally.

You can email the office using the "info" address to get more specific details; somebody is there M-F in the mornings, so if you phone or email that is when you will get a hold of somebody.

Originally posted by @Kevin Robertson :

Certainly. It is on the 22nd, i'll let you know how it goes.

If you went, give your feedback ;)

Thanks Steve!  I'm considering attending the Philly Sub Group meeting tonight.  It says it's open to the public and is free.  But, I'm watching the snow outside my window and trying to figure out if they will tell me if it gets cancelled, lol.

Originally posted by @Jackie P. :

Thanks Steve!  I'm considering attending the Philly Sub Group meeting tonight.  It says it's open to the public and is free.  But, I'm watching the snow outside my window and trying to figure out if they will tell me if it gets cancelled, lol.

That "open to public" no longer applies if the subgroup leader is following the latest rules. That wording might appear on some website, the reality might be different once you get there. There was an email that was posted on DIG's private forum that the Philadelphia subgroup meeting will be cancelled if weather gets too bad - but how that is defined is ????

Originally posted by @Jackie P. :

Thanks Steve!  I'm considering attending the Philly Sub Group meeting tonight.  It says it's open to the public and is free.  But, I'm watching the snow outside my window and trying to figure out if they will tell me if it gets cancelled, lol.

Stay put and stay dry - notice just came out that tonight's meeting is cancelled.