When I first started my house flipping business, I was eager to join the “right” real estate investment club in San Diego. I knew that beefing up my network could create opportunities for me, and I also suspected that most of the best deals on the market were only available to people who were part of one of the area’s more exclusive organizations.

So, I joined my first club, and I was promptly disappointed. I wasn’t a good fit for the membership, as most of the other investors were even less experienced at house flipping than I was. At the same time, they appeared to be more focused on how to manage their rental units, which was a topic I didn’t know much about at the time. And many of the monthly meeting discussions ended up going nowhere.

Eventually, I found a group of investors that were my cup of tea, and that’s when my business really started to take off. My initial hunch was right: The best deals really do get made behind closed doors, and that’s why I highly suggest that new investors join a San Diego real estate investment club. I’ll walk you through a few of the most popular clubs so you know which ones are worth your time and which ones aren’t.

Why An Investor Network Is Helpful

Many of the benefits of having a strong investor network via a real estate investment club may not be obvious to newer investors.

In a nutshell, the best San Diego real estate investment clubs (and the best investment clubs in general) tend to:

• Hold regular seminars or meetings about topics of interest
• Provide a platform for members to connect and collaborate on projects
• Offer educational materials that are pertinent to the local market
• Work with local businesses to secure discounts and benefits for its members

Of these opportunities, connecting with other investors is the most useful.

Even if you don’t necessarily have an opportunity to team up with one of your clubmates right away, meeting them at a club event and getting to understand what they’re doing with their business expands your network. Then, sometime down the line when you’re looking for someone to help you with a large project, or if you have some extra work that you’d like to offload onto someone deserving, that new connection will pay off.

It’s also really useful to be able to discuss your business ideas with a knowledgeable and approachable colleague.

The Top 3 San Diego Real Estate Investment Clubs

Let’s take a look at three of the best San Diego real estate investment clubs so that you can get a feeling for whether you might want to seek membership.

San Diego Real Estate Investment Club

The San Diego Real Estate Investment Club (SDREIC) is a small but tightly-knit community of highly experienced individuals.

Though its educational materials and membership benefits are a bit sparse, the club’s main appeal are its structured meetings in which members routinely raise issues that they are interested in getting or receiving help with. The club isn’t as active as it used to be, but membership is free and readily granted, so it won’t hurt to be on the roster.

If you’re looking for a club that emphasizes teaming up to make deals rather than providing the tools to make your business more efficient, the SDREIC might be right up your alley.

Pros:

• Led by highly experienced investors
• Lots of connections with local contractors
• Structured meeting format
• Free membership

Cons:

• Not as active with events as it was a few years ago
• Membership is not intended for beginners
• Few benefits for members

San Diego Creative Investors Association

The San Diego Creative Investors Association (SDCIA) is probably the largest and most fully-featured real estate investment club in San Diego.

Thanks to its weekly meetings and monthly special educational sessions, there’s something for most types of real estate investors, and it’s a welcoming environment for experts and newcomers alike. It also has a roster of resident experts on everything from California market dynamics to contractor relationships. And with the club’s privileged relationships with businesses and national investing clubs, you’ll receive quite a few perks that will help you save when it comes to rehabbing homes or rental properties.

The only downside, and it’s a big one, is that membership is significantly more expensive than it is with other clubs. You’ll need to pay regular dues and one-off fees for events and for attending the basic weekly meetings.

Pros:

• Weekly events tailored for specific niches
• Website includes direct-listed leads
• Membership has many benefits that reduce core business costs
• Membership includes partnering with the National Real Estate Investors Association (NREIA)

Cons:

• Annual membership costs $80
• Monthly meetings have a $20 door fee on top of the annual membership fee
• Lots of club bylaws to be aware of

Black Belt Investors San Diego

The Black Belt Investors Club of San Diego is a local chapter of the national Black Belt Investors chain, which offers a combination of education, training, and networking resources that are best for new investors.

Its monthly dues are quite inexpensive, and there are a lot of opportunities to learn about every aspect of real estate investing. What’s more, the club takes a cutting-edge approach to teaching its members about the real estate market and investing, meaning that it’s effective at preparing investors to compete in the real world.

But for investors who are already established, the club doesn’t offer much. There aren’t many benefits, and the power of the network isn’t very significant in comparison to broader and more widely-attended clubs like the SDCIA.

Pros:

• Oriented towards newer investors
• Online training program
• Features mentorship opportunities
• Dues are only around $15 per month

Cons:

• Small network size
• Not well-known
• Few benefits for members

Some Networks Are Better Than Others

The clubs I’ve discussed so far are decent, but none are perfect. It’s tough finding the right mix of collaboration, education, and integration with key businesses in the San Diego real estate market.

While it isn’t explicitly a San Diego real estate investment club, owning an independently owned and operated HomeVestors® franchise makes you a key part of a nationwide network of investors who work together to grow their businesses. If you join, you’ll receive initial week-long training, 1-on-1 mentorship with an experienced investor, and access to proprietary HomeVestors® software.

That means you’ll have a solution in place for everything—from finding high-quality leads to securing hard money loans for larger deals. Plus, you’ll become skilled at operating some of the most sophisticated property valuation software on the market, helping you secure wider margins on your deals and investments.

After joining so many real estate investment clubs, starting a franchise with HomeVestors® was the boost I needed to compete in the San Diego market. If you’re just starting your real estate investing business and feeling a bit isolated, I’m confident that working with HomeVestors® will take you further than most investment clubs.

If you want to join a real estate investing club in San Diego or learn more about investing in California real estate, request information about becoming a HomeVestors® franchisee today.

Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.