In the first two installments of this series we covered how the internet can help supplement your core real estate tasks. However, for real estate investors the internet provides two incredibly helpful roles that every investor should take part in… networking and education! These are essentially two things that the inspired investor can’t ever get enough of.
If you’ve found your way to this blog post you probably have an idea of what the internet can provide as far as education goes, but for those of you who aren’t, this part is for you!
Now one of the most abundant sources of real estate education can be had at your local REIA’s home page which may feature audio of past meetings, replays of past webinars, and archived newsletters with articles galore. This is the information that you want to access first because not only will it be information geared towards real estate, but it’s also geared towards your market as every market is different. This will also expose you to the rest of the resources that are made available by your local REIA (always a good practice).
Outside of your local REIA you can find all sorts of webinars, blogs, and articles that each offers some pieces of valuable information. Most of these sources will have a sort of subscription to them so you will be notified when new content is posted. Look for the sources that have a sense of regularity to them so you can make a routine as to what to expect as far as quality and delivery are concerned. One tremendous source for real estate education is Facebook. One fair bit of warning though is that there is a lot of fluff out there, especially on Facebook, but if you can wade your way through the sea of events and find the ones that provide quality (like us) you can subscribe and have a regular resource for extra education.
After covering these last 5 concerns of the real estate investor and what the internet can provide we can finally address one of the most vital facilitation can provide… Networking!
Networking is something that makes the life of every investor easier, an investor can be an island but it’s not the most desirable route to take, nor the best use of time. Setting up a website and having a web address provides you with another means of maximizing your networking. When networking you don’t want to spend a lot of time talking to a handful of individuals while there are 170 investors in the room. Having a website that has a detailed description of your services, inventory, and mission statement allows you to make a leaner script when networking that allows you the freedom to give them the short and sweet. Not only does this give you more time to talk with other investors, but it also allows you to evaluate the possible synergy that you may have with the other party.
In my recent post: “No Money Down Real Estate Investing With Auto-Responders: Part 1 – Bringing Buyers to the Table” I illustrated how you can simply use the internet and networking to make money in real estate. While this is one example, take the idea behind the approach to come up with your own style and position yourself in a role where you can make money networking.
Altogether what real estate boils down to is a people business and with the advent of the internet a lot of people are taking to the internet and even more are on their way. If you want to get the ball rolling, we have a free website that we offer to investors that is lean, effective, and has been molded over the years by seasoned real estate investors. There is a very good post that lays out what a real estate website should do and what its actual function is that is well worth reading: “How a Real Estate Website Should Work.”
Stay tuned for more!