Online Real Estate Investing Community
(as reviewed by Kelly Quigley in REALTOR® Magazine Online)
Investing in real estate can be very profitable, but it can be just as risky if you don’t know exactly what you’re getting into. Every aspect of the deal is crucial, from finding the right financing, to planning a rehab, to hiring a landlord. Luckily, there are resources like this Web site, which lets you engage in online discussions with other real estate investors on all sorts of business-related topics. You also can access a collection of articles on real estate investing and sign up for a free investing e-newsletter. Here’s a guide to this Web site’s top free features:
- REIClub Newsgroup Forums. This is perhaps the most valuable part of the site, where you can converse with other real estate investors online. There’s a chat room for nine fairly broad investment topics areas, including Foreclosures, Short Sales, Tax Foreclosures, Tax Liens Forum and Asset Protection, Legal and Contract Issues, Income Taxes, 1031 Exchanges. You can click on any of the topics to read ongoing discussions among investors. In order for new users to post a question, reply, or comment on any given topic, you’ll have to Register for the discussion forums by choosing a username, entering your e-mail address, and creating a password.
- 485 Real Estate Investment Articles. These articles cover the gamut of investing and provide helpful information regardless of your investment experience. Topics include Getting Started, Negotiating, Rehabbing, Income Taxes, and much more. The articles are organized by both topic and author. With such a wide collection of articles, you’re sure to find one that applies to your investing situation.
- REIClub Freebies. This page is full of information and resources, including investing e-books (books that you download from the Internet and read on your computer screen or print out), marketing products, audio segments on investing, and even property analyzer software. Many items are promotional trials or incentives meant to convince you to spend money on related products. However, you’ll also find a good collection of free advice on an array of investing topics.
- Real Estate Investing Newsletter. Sign up for this semimonthly e-mail newsletter by providing your name and e-mail address. The newsletter provides tips and resources that are new to the Web site, and also gives you access to free e-books on investing. Note that by signing up for the newsletter, you also may receive “time sensitive e-mails including offers and promotions” on investment products, according to the confirmation e-mail.
