What REIA's are you a member of?

Question

Would love to hear what associations you are a member of. I am first time investor and I want to get in front of these groups in my local area and just hear of what association you are part of for future collaborations with BiggerPockets. Let me know the following:

-Associations name

-Location

-Website

-How often you meet

-Contact person (if you have one)

-In person events, virtual, or bothIf you are from the DMV let me know, you can even send me a DM if you want to meet up in person.I am looking forward to everyone's response!

Matthew Morrow · Answer

@Candice Coates good question! I can't speak for the DMV groups, but I'd just try a few and see which ones feel right. The best ones have people actually doing deals, not just selling courses. And as you know, BP's a pretty good place to find them. Let us know which ones you end up liking.

Ryan Brown · Answer

@Candice Coates Here's mine in Louisville.

KREE (Kentucky Real Estate Exchangors), kree.org. We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month in the morning at 900 Envoy Circle in Louisville. It's in person, but out-of-town members and guests can join by Zoom, so you could sit in from the DMV. The KREE office can get you a guest invite through the website.

It's a little different from a typical REIA. Most of the members are investment-focused agents and brokers, and the meetings are marketing sessions where people bring actual deals, exchanges and properties to the table and work through them as a group. It's one of the best places I've found to see real deals and creative structures like 1031s, seller financing and trades, without a sales pitch from the stage.

The big one is the Derby Marketing Session every spring around the Kentucky Derby. Members come in from all over the country for a few days of deal-making, and there's usually a day at Churchill Downs with KREIA, our local investor association. If you ever want an excuse to see the Derby and network at the same time, that's the week to come.

Ametria Chaney · Answer

Candice, a good REIA is worth its weight in gold for a first-time investor — and a bad one is an expensive social club, so choose carefully. Go as a guest first and look for rooms full of people actually doing deals, not just selling courses from the stage. The best value is usually the networking: contractors, lenders, property managers, and investors a few steps ahead of you who'll answer questions over coffee. Ask whether they have subgroups for your strategy (buy-and-hold, flips, STRs) and whether meetings include real deal analysis. One caution: don't sign any long-term mentorship on night one — learn the room first. Here in Memphis we have active local groups, and I'd bet your market does too. What strategy are you starting with?

Dan Worth · Answer

I'm in the Philly suburbs, so I can't vouch for DC-area groups, but here's a quick way to vet any REIA. Ask the organizer how many members closed a deal in the last year, and whether meetings have a "haves and wants" segment where people pitch deals and needs. That segment is usually where you meet the wholesalers, lenders and contractors who are actually active. Smaller strategy-specific meetups can also be more useful than the big monthly meeting, so it's worth checking Meetup and the BiggerPockets events forum too.

Candice Coates · Answer

Sure thing, Matthew!!! Selling courses is a no go. That is a recurring theme I am hearing.

Candice Coates · Answer

I love this!!! It seems like real time deals can happen at these events and having a Zoom option is awesome! I appreciate you sharing this.

Candice Coates · Answer

I appreciate the tips, these are super valuable to act in caution versus going all in. I started with an LTR and want to get into house hacking with an LTR as well.

What REIA's are you a member of?

What REIA's are you a member of?

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