Help - Posted by Angela

Real Estate Investing
#1

Posted by Chris O. (Seattle, WA) on February 12, 2002 at 24:35:56:

I don’t how you guys are misconstruing a few innocent complaints about how it can be hard to get by in tough times. Shame on you for picking on me. Eighty-five dollars is too much for me to dig out’f my pockets right now, and it’s too bad that I’m disallowed an opportunity to further my education because of it. That’s my current situation which I take full responsibility for. I didn’t say, “you deal with it!”, I said it’d be nice to get a few breaks here and there, even if you’re diligently looking out to make your own breaks.

Now shoosh.
Chris O.

#2

Help - Posted by Angela

Posted by Angela on February 06, 2002 at 22:45:24:

Some of these courses are way out of my price range. What can I do to get started even though I am unemployed and hubby was let go. I am just getting into the idea and am serious about doing this.

#3

Re: Help - Posted by DanT

Posted by DanT on February 08, 2002 at 06:26:28:

Angela,
Seems as though your thread got a little high jacked here. Most of the information on real estate investment has been around for years and is the same. That information is in most public libraries. They are not condensed as you see in a course and forms you can copy are not available but the information is there. I for one have never bought a course, but then I have a system developed pre-course era. I would buy one if I decided to branch out to other areas. DanT

#4

REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Chris O. (Seattle, WA)

Posted by Chris O. (Seattle, WA) on February 07, 2002 at 24:25:54:

From what I’ve read here at CREOnline, local real estate clubs can be a great source for educational materials. One club for my geographic area purports to have a library of over 600 media including books, tapes, and courses. All free to check out to club members.

The catch with this club here is that the meetings cost $15 for non-members to attend, or an annual membership free of $85. I understand the need for funding to support organizations like real estate clubs, but it’d be nicer if it was optional or membership was granted with an non-fixed donation amount. For me to pay $85 right now is for me to give up food for a week. Down my real estate investment career, after I’ve made a few deals, I’d be able to fork it over, and perhaps a little more. Oh well.

I kind’f got off on a rant here because it’s been stuck in my craw. I’ve no personal experience with this club so I really shouldn’t be so outspoken. I am curious about other clubs–if it’s standard to have such a to-me hefty membership fee. You’d have to contact yours to find out, I suppose.

Go to the main creonline.com page and look for the RESOURCES links category on the left side of the page. There you’ll see, “Local REI Clubs.” That’s your g-spot. Hope there’s a club for you.

Besides REI clubs, live in a book store. I don’t know about your locale, or how much time you have, but here it’s hip to sip a coffee while spending your whole day in a big arm chair with others admist bookshelves. At least you might find a good book that’s worth saving up the $20 for.

Good-luck!
Chris O.

#5

Re: Help - Posted by Sean (AR)

Posted by Sean (AR) on February 06, 2002 at 23:11:15:

Go to Ebay and buy Carleton Sheets “No Down Payment” course. You can get it for less that 50 dollars used. They also have many other REI “guru” courses listed for a significant discount.

#6

Re: Help - Posted by Heidi Wq

Posted by Heidi Wq on February 06, 2002 at 23:08:51:

Be patient. This stuff takes time to learn. Get all the books on CRE you can find from the library and read this site everyday. Owning courses does not guarantee understanding or success. This is not a quick path to wealth (at least for me,) and I’ve spent money on several courses.

Good luck!

#7

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Ronald * Starr(in No CA)

Posted by Ronald * Starr(in No CA) on February 08, 2002 at 09:36:39:

Cris O–(WA)------------

If you have time to sit around reading books, you have time to work at a job, even a part-time one. Then you can be earning enough to go to the meeting.

The group I go to, in San Fran, is $120/ yr, $20/meeting if not a member.

Good InvestingRon Starr*******

#8

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Jim(WA)

Posted by Jim(WA) on February 07, 2002 at 21:53:28:

Chris,

I spent probably in excess of $60,000 and six years of my life getting a couple of college degrees to learn how to do what I do, and now I look at it as only my day job. 85 bucks a year to learn how to have a real estate career is chump change.
Before you become a Donald Trump in real estate, don’t you think you will need to invest in yourself a little bit. I am a member of REAPS, the club I am sure you are talking about and I thought that January’s meeting alone was easily worth the full years membership. I presume you were not there but it was great.

I don’t really know if anyone is making money from the membership fees or not, but I doubt it. Either way the organizers are clearly providing a value to the members, if they are making money, GOOD, they deserve it. I think you have to stop looking at the cost and start looking at the value. In my opinion, the value you could recieve is clearly worth the $85 bucks.

Regards,

Jim

#9

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Tom B (GA)

Posted by Tom B (GA) on February 07, 2002 at 11:27:39:

It’s worth it if you use the services available. GA REIA is $145 a year. We have access to MapMerge, Magellan, Haines Cross+Cross, Win2Data and the Red-D software systems. Various meetings and classes throughout the month. Some for a fee, some included with membership.

The networking alone makes it worth it.

Just my perspective.

Tom

#10

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Mike Malan

Posted by Mike Malan on February 07, 2002 at 09:25:15:

Hello Chris!

Our local REIA here in the Dallas, Texas area (AIREO - a.k.a. Association of Independent Real Estate Owners)has a monthly dues structure as well as an annual dues structure. For those who want to come to specific meetings for the programs offered, there is a monthly meeting fee of $10.00. So if you came to every monthly meeting it would cost you $120.00 per year. However, if you want to pay your dues on an annual basis it will only cost you $75.00; $100.00 if you want to include your spouse, partner, etc. Included in that annual fee is a sit-down dinner and net-working session during the Christmas Season. That event alone is worth the cost of the annual dues. In addition, the people that you meet during the course of the year at the regular meetings along with the knowledge that they have and are willing to cut you in on is worth far more than the dues. I come away with at least one good idea from every monthly meeting. If you can’t cough up $85.00 for your local REIA dues I would suggest that you beg, borrow or do whatever you can to find the money. Possibly you can enlist the help of a current member to sponsor you for the year and pay him/her back when you have the money. You will be amazed at the generousity of the folks that you will meet at your local REIA.

Try to stay with the program and Good Luck!

Mike Malan (Tx.)

#11

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA)

Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on February 07, 2002 at 02:53:46:

… I kind’f got off on a rant here because it’s been
… stuck in my craw. I’ve no personal experience with
… this club so I really shouldn’t be so outspoken. I
… am curious about other clubs–if it’s standard to
… have such a to-me hefty membership fee. You’d have
… to contact yours to find out, I suppose.

Chris, $15 to non members is reasonable, as members are paying less than $8 per meeting in advance. Advance membership payments allows for planning. Remember that a club will have to pay for a meeting place and that takes money. I started a club here in Pierce County and we will tackle the money issue at the next meeting. First meeting was informal breakfast and the restaurant helped by putting us close together, but not conducive to talking around the table. :frowning: Our first meeting discussed a pitch in of $5 a piece for the next meeting so that we can pay for a more private setting, better seating, a reserved time, and a tip for the workers serving us.

While I think $5 is not a big deal, I also feel that $15 is not a big deal. You do not need to join a club for the full year, you can pay per meeting. If the topic of discussion is something you are interested in or the speaker is worthwhile, then pay the $15 for the meeting. If the next 2 month’s meetings are about Foreclosures & Preforeclosures and you are not interested, don’t attend and you saved $30. I think you get the idea that you pay the $15 when you want to go.

BTW, I have only been to REAPS once and the main reason for not going back was because of distance to get there and the time of night (rush hour) that the meeting is. I paid the $15 for the meeting as a non-member of the club.

#12

Re: REI clubs and club fees rant - Posted by Chris O. (Seattle, WA)

Posted by Chris O. (Seattle, WA) on February 08, 2002 at 16:42:41:

I have time to sit around reading books.
I have time to work at a job, a full-time job, and I do.
I also have time to work even a part-time one, and I do.
I earn enough to go to the meeting.

I still think it’s a lot of money to be spending on a club.

#13

Unfortunately I… - Posted by limeydale

Posted by limeydale on February 07, 2002 at 07:09:18:

missed that first meeting.Hope it was a good turnout.Any idea when the next will take place i am looking forward to attending?BTW any idea when PCI will be at full steam?

#14

Of course you do; you don’t know any better… - Posted by HR

Posted by HR on February 10, 2002 at 08:56:51:

Chris,

You appear more interested in a cyber fight than good advice, but I’ll take your bait.

Accept this fact: you don’t know what you don’t know.

$85 is chickenfeed. Let’s see, for that price, at most reia groups, you get:

-access to real players in YOUR market who put these theories into practice;
-monthly speakers teaching on an array of re topics;
-a newsletter keeping you informed of the association’s goings on;
-the reia library, stocked with lots of great titles and tapes;
-mentoring opportunities
-access to national speakers

Man, Chris: I think you’re right. This is too much to charge for all this. AFter all, real estate is such a low cash business. Where do those folks get off charging so much for so little?

HR

#15

Re: Unfortunately I… - Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA)

Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on February 07, 2002 at 13:46:55:

Guesstimates: I am in working with the restaurant now on set times and schedule, but I expect that the next meeting will be March 2nd. Still trying to firm the dates as set in stone. Maybe a few months before we are fully developed with goals set and structure in place. Try to make these early meetings so that you can be part of the voice of the club. Since you are on the club list, you will be sent an e-mail in a few days with confirmation of when the next meeting will take place and a note about what the last meeting contained.