Do any of you find that after a while, your association meetings become somewhat routine? I'm just wondering what some of you folks are doing locally to push your own boundaries a little bit as far as information is concerned. I don't seem to find the same experience at my association meetings that I did when I first started going to them. A lot of the speakers after going there for about 12 years tend to become repetitive after a while. Even if they are from different businesses, etc., it does become kind of normal.

What kind of speakers are you bringing in to your meetings that are somewhat on the fringe of real estate that you wouldn't think would normally apply, but they do?

NE, I stopped attending the big REIA in my area because of exactly what you said.... I was only there about 3 years, and even within that point the meetings were mostly a rehash. I only went to try to find service providers and other LLs. They've "upped their game" recently (i.e. bringing in more national speakers), but in the end it's all the same old stuff.

Really, how many times do you need to hear someone talk about sandwich leases and subject-to purchases? ;-)

I would've liked to see them take a more local focus like Brad's group and invite in judges, sheriffs, code enforcers, etc to talk to land lords about local issues, but that wasn't they way the group was trending. They were more interested in inviting gurus to sell classes they wrote while investing in towns 1000 miles away that made a lot of assumptions that were not relevant to my market. Sure, I picked up a few tid bits now and then, but nothing earth-shaking.

We've got a small group now (7 of us, I think?), several of whom post here (#22, Dave[MO], Mike SWMO, Sisco). Our meetings are less formal, but we have time to really dig down into the weeds of issues, which I find is necessary once one achieves a basic level of experience.

If you've been in the game even semi-seriously for a decade, the odds of you getting a lot of new material out of a national speak guru who is trying to sell you his secrets are low. What I like is to get down deep in the weeds and ask specific questions that apply to my model in my area.

Our local REI has sub-group meetings, which focus on various aspects of real estate. We usually skip the large monthly meeting, which brings in a lot of speakers that are trying to sell their systems, which for a newbie might be helpful, but if you have been doing it awhile, is repetitive, boring, and not relative to what you are doing.

The subgroups allow a better chance to network with like minded individuals, which focus on the specific area of the real estate empire.

Some of these groups focus on a particular area of the city/county, others are for those who wholesale, some are for rehabbers, some are particularly focused on landlords, women who are involved in real estate, etc. The benefit is it is within our State, and as we all know, States vary quite a bit in how Landlords can work.

We find that these subgroups (usually under 2 dozen people), much more helpful to us. Anytime we attend a meeting and even pickup one tidbit of useful information or an idea, are rewarding to us and worth the time involved.

Sid, we do get judge's and constables and attorneys at our meetings and they are always good.

This month's meeting is a speaker speaking on how to analyze an investment property. Ok, I'll probably go and get a nugget, but blah.

I want to learn how to buy a retiring investors entire portfolio for nothing down and have him carry it!

I want to learn how to make money for nothing. And chicks for free!! Haha.

I want to learn how to attract so many motivated sellers that I can fill half of my week just looking at their properties.

I dropped out over 10 years ago when my group had only 1 person doing credit checks and she was on vacation. I had joined for the experience and discounts. Not worth waiting a week for a credit check and given an attitude on top of it.

I paid for a "life membership" in our local REI. Been a member for 15 years, and counting. Our group TRIES to do different things-BUT, it seems to me that the ones who do all the talking are all HAT, no CATTLE. Meanwhile, there are others in the room who have plenty of cattle who get totally ignored...like me (LOL). (I also feel very disrespected for being a woman investor-as does another woman in our REI-and she has plenty of cattle too!).

I'm usually busy training my dogs or teaching classes the night of the meeting, so I rarely go anymore-and I don't miss it.

Our group consists of-

1.A Hard money lender

2.Local realtors who join thinking they will make a killing b/c they will get all the members' business for buying and/or selling-they last one year.

3. Several property manangers-obvious why they join.

4.Local HVAC, insurance agents,etc- business owners looking for new business

5.Sharks trying to unload their junk to the newbies

6.Newbies

7. Me-I have no hidden agenda, unlike most. Which is probably why I don't hustle to go to the meetings!

"I'm just wondering where else the big time players are hiding their info, so I can start learning it."

NE, you've realized a hard truth about real estate....they big players will NOT share their info, any more than McDonalds will share their secret Big Mac sauce (1000 island dressing) with anyone.

Think about it, if you knew how to buy 100s of profitable properties, for nothing down, and spend half your day doing nothing but looking at deals, how eager would you be to share with anyone remotely close to your market?

I have no problem with gurus selling courses...to be clear about that. Yay, capitalism. But I have a hard time stomaching it when they say they are helping others to succeed and somehow make it sound like they aren't being paid a boat-load on the side. I think real estate investors turn into gurus when they realize it's actually more profitable and takes less time to sell courses than it is to do what their courses teach.

Find someone Tight Lipped, who doesn't share with the Class.

(Unique Breed)

Take'm Fishing, using your Boat, Bait and Beer.

Sometimes ya just gotta step back.

In Dallas, when I first started out, we had an excellent real estate investors group run by a woman that really knew the business. They brought in mostly local experts to talk about local foreclosure buying, local flipping, local renting, local home inspectors, a local judge that taught about landlord laws from a judge's point of view. Very interesting lectures all. They also had classes for $25, loaded with useful local materials. Then once in a while, they'd bring in a national guru.

She sold it to another individual that went all national lecturers and it just became an infomercial. One thing you have to be aware of is that the national speakers pay the club a percentage of the sales they collect at the club so that's why you're seeing so many national salespeople at your events. They also collect when money lenders, inspectors, etc set up a booth or poster at the event too. It's all about getting a cut of what people are trying to sell you. They've lost touch about educating.

I like the breakout group sessions mentioned above. You might want to collect names of successful members in the group and start your own meetup with them.

NE,

Good question.

Quick thoughts:

-Join the board of your group. YOU have great ideas PLUS you are the inside circle to meet and talk with the mover and shakers of your group AND take the visiting gurus to dinner.

-start a subgroup or just call a session for rehabbers or whatever you are interested in

-Seminars and gurus courses helped me become wealthy.

-After a few years of training and experience the valuable nuggets are fewer and farther apart but they are more valuable than when I was new. Example: I sat thru a 90 minute session that I could have taught in my sleep but the speaker dropped one casual comment which I applied to MY business for a profit of $156,000.

-Pride comes before a fall. -God

I talk to LLs and investors every day who say "I don't need that stuff" then they complain about their residents who tear up their properties and are behind in rent - problems which are easily fixed WITH TRAINING!!

BRAD

NE,

Something we do

We started a Monday lunch. We have 12-24 people come each week now. Just LLs fellowshipping, enjoying each others' company and friendship, venting, ranting, comparing notes, keeping up with court and govt changes...

THAT's the place to get the real info. In a small setting LLs are very generous with sharing info.

Key to making it work: EVERY Monday, rain or shine, even when it was just me and Cathy. Then it becomes a habit.

S i d, just a couple of quick comments regarding a couple of your statements:

"...you've realized a hard truth about real estate....they big players will NOT share their info."

Not true my friend, you just have to: 1. talk with them way outside of their local market (where there competition is located)

2. talk with them (those who are successful doers not just meeting attendees) in a relaxed, casual, upscale environment.

3. talk to them where everyone is encouraged to share there best secrets and everyone benefits.

That my friend has been the formula of why our Landlord Getaway Conferences have been going successfully with many repeat attendees for going on 30 years:)

Another statement:

"...when they say they are helping others to succeed and somehow make it sound like they aren't being paid a boat-load on the side."

When I got started in the business and knew very little, "every" meeting brought me new information. The first time I heard Jeffrey (Mr. Landlord speak, it was uplifting, with all of his ideas. Going to an association events and attending up to six 1 hour classes in a single day, my head would spin because of all of the new information I was learning.

Then over the years my experience would grow and the trade shows/events would be mostly the same old stuff, but still I would learn and take in some important information. Like 5-10% of what was out there.

One of our best practices is a Chili round table. This meeting is the best attended by and far.

ALWAYS hit the Meeting After the Meeting. THAT's when the real juice comes out.

If there isn't one, make one!

No association here. Most rental property owners are long-distance for the big vacation rentals and they use the professional property managers.

We know of a few local landlords - one guy owns a TON of houses in the same neighborhoods as we do. His places are unkempt, he is always in eviction court - and his tenants complain of having to do all of their own repairs, including roofs and other major systems.

One lady tried to use Meet-ups to start a Real Estate Investment group. We joined but never went to a single meeting and now it's closed down.

I also am tiring of the infomercials. I'd like speakers that tell me how to keep more of the money my rentals are generating. So a speaker on 1031 exchanges, recent changes in the tax code from Trump that impact my business, ways to get more money into retirement accounts, how to legally structure the business to reduce tax liability.

Realistically, most potential speakers are going to speak if there's something in it for them. Seems a CPA who specializes in real estate would jump at the chance to speak. Same for a lawyer.