Why YOU Should Organize a Local BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup

Last Friday night, twenty-nine BiggerPockets members gathered in a trendy Portland, Oregon brewery and engaged in one of the most important events in an investors life: networking.

Sitting around tables shaped like surf boards, we talked about everything from getting started, buying multifamily properties, second mortgages, the ugliest buildings we had ever seen, and the incredible taste of a Chicken-Spinach-Feta pizza.

Sure – engaging on BiggerPockets can do incredible things for your business, but sitting at a table with those you’ve only seen a 1″ photo of before really takes it to the next level. You can grow your knowledge, find potential partners/lenders/buyers/sellers, or get answers to specific questions you’ve been having. The great thing about local meetups is that whether or not you are brand new or have years of experience, these networking events can do wonders for your local investing.

You see – local meetups aren’t like REIAs or clubs. There is no formal agenda, no fee to get in (other than the cost of your drink) and no agenda. The problem with most formal clubs is that the organizer needs to make money, so they partner with the traveling guru to spend an hour pitching a product, then split the profit. You can see where the conflict is in this. With an organically grown, BiggerPockets Meetup – there is no agenda. It’s networking, pure and simple. And it’s fun.

Today’s post is going to be one of my shortest, and I want to just stress one thing:

I want to encourage you to meet with local investors.

Plan local meetups, invite people from the site, and start growing your local network. It doesn’t need to be fancy or formal. I know there are BiggerPockets meetups happening on a regular basis, and deals being made, in a number of cities around the country, so if your local area doesn’t have one – start one! Here are a few tips for starting your own BiggerPockets Meetup:

How to Host a Meetup

1.) Set up Keyword Alerts – One of my favorite features on BiggerPockets is the keyword alert system. You simply enter in words you want to be notified about, and BiggerPockets will email you any time one of those terms is mentioned on the forums. While it’s great for learning about certain topics (turnkey, multifamily, etc) the best value is entering in your local city name so when anyone talks about your local area – you can jump into those conversations. Who knows- maybe your city is already having regular meetups?! So if you don’t have alerts set up for your nearest large city – definitely do that right now.

2.) Start Connecting with Local Investors – Once you have keyword alerts set up, you’ll start meeting new members when they join BiggerPockets. Start building relationships right away by welcoming new members from your area, or start jumping into conversations when people talk about local events. You’ll quickly see who the local players are and you’ll start developing strong relationships.

3.) Just Do It – Finally – stop thinking about it and just do it. It doesn’t need to be fancy – it just needs to get done. Put up a notice on the Forums a month ahead of time, plan a date/time, and @mention everyone you know from your local area. You can choose a brewery like the Portland group did, a Denny’s, or someone’s rehabbed property. It’s really up to you!

What’s stopping you from meeting up with other investors and building your local network? I cannot stress the importance of this enough. I’ll end my rant with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Timothy Ferriss, who said “You are the average of the five people you most associate with.”

Who are you associating with?

Photo: Sean Davis

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.