Those who join and stay involved in real estate investment clubs have a number of reasons for doing so - fellowship, encouragement, knowledge and networking.

Real estate investment clubs are springing up all over the nation as more and more people begin to invest in property for both short term and long term gain.

Real estate investing clubs provide a great service for the novice investor and for the professional investor. Depending on your location, you may have several real estate clubs from which to choose. For example, there is only one real estate club in Arkansas, but there are at least 38 in California. A typical club meeting might include a chance to socialize, seek advice from others, and the opportunity to hear a special guest speaker.

Real estate investment clubs thrive on the fact that networking brings about knowledge. If you have seen one of those infomercials that promises you can quit your day job by investing in real estate and have ever wondered if it really is possible, visit a real estate club. These people are doing it. They can tell you how they bought their first investment home with zero money down or how they turned a foreclosure into an investment property. The real estate investment club gives people a chance to share their personal experiences and because the market has so much room for growth, no one is afraid to tell their success story. The market is big enough for everyone to succeed.

Technology has been able to enhance real estate investment clubs. Not only can members actually attend a meeting, they can in many cases sign up for on line chat rooms, message boards or instant messaging that strengthens the real estate clubs’ membership.

Most real estate investment clubs charge a membership fee to be paid monthly, quarterly or annually. For that fee, the member is usually entitled to participate in the real estate club events and seminars which are geared to be helpful to the investor and often times email updates and newsletters. By staying informed, the members remain active in their club and in their own investments.

The real estate investment clubs are not to be mistaken for the old investment clubs many communities once hosted. Those began forming in the 1950s. People would get together and pool their resources in order to buy into the stock market. While those clubs still exist today, the main difference is that members of real estate investment clubs do not pool their resources to buy into properties. Each investor acts on his or her own, but has the support of fellowship and knowledge gained from the real estate clubs membership.

If you want to begin investing in real estate, seek out one of the real estate investment clubs near you. Ask what the membership requirements are and if the real estate club is open to beginners. Most likely it will be and you will probably be thrilled to find seasoned real estate professionals ready and willing to share their success how-tos with you.