There is a widely held misconception that originating loans as a hard money lender is easy. Many think that if you have the money, great loans simply pile up on your desk. I can tell you… this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. That is why I spend a lot of my time networking at local real estate investor meetings, engaging various real estate websites, and using social media to market my private lending business, TaliMar Financial.
Here are several tips I have for real estate investors to expand their network.
Local Real Estate Meetups
I feel the best approach of getting started in real estate and/or growing your real estate business is to attend local real estate networking events. Yes, most of the featured speakers are trying to sell you something and the Sponsors are always hounding you for business, but I find the opportunity to network face-to-face is the very best way to increase my network of clients.
In fact, I started my business funding Fix & Flip, Construction, and Bridge loans by attending a local real estate investor event. With very little knowledge about the hard money lending industry, I met a investor seeking a short term loan to fund a flip. I funded the loan and from there, I became heavily networked with other investors seeking hard money loans for their projects.
The real estate investor meetings that I attend in San Diego include San Diego Creative Investor Association, North San Diego County Investor Association, and San Diego Investment Club. In full disclosure, I am a Sponsor of each of these events but I wouldn’t be if they didn’t offer a great platform to network.
Suggest Websites
There are thousands of real estate centric websites that offer valuable information on the market and can connect you with other real estate investors. One of the best sites that I use is Biggerpockets. Biggerpockets is a online meeting place for real estate investors that offers valuable tools specific for most facets of the industry. Their various forums are full of useful information and education tools offer valuable information. I use the platform to engage other local real estate investors.
Other websites that I use heavily for my business including Redfin which offers insightly articles and market information. We also use Redfin’s free tool to obtain data on specific properties and view recently sold properties.
Social Media
I am heavy into utilizing social media. There is no better way to announce to the world what you do or what you are looking for. Best of all, it is FREE. Many of my clients use social media to post their recently purchase project or completed rehab. We use it to promote our hard money lending programs and announce recently completed projects.
Social media sites that we use include Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter. There are plenty of other social media platforms, but we find these platforms provide us the largest audience. Please take a moment to find us on each of these sites.
Networking with other real estate investors is key to building a successful business. Using basic network tools such real estate investors meetings, real estate centric websites, and social media can be a great option to enhance your networking.
About TaliMar Financial
TaliMar Financial is a California Hard Money Lender that specializes in funding residential and commercial Fix & Flip, Construction, and Bridge Loans. As a private lender, TaliMar offers an aggressive lending platform for borrowers and real estate professionals.
Contact TaliMar Financial today at (858) 613-0111 x1 or visit our website at talimarfinancial.com to learn more about our hard money lending programs. TaliMar Financial is based in San Diego, CA and has been funding hard money loans since 2008.
