Updated September 29, 2021
If you’re involved in El Paso real estate or interested in getting involved, you need to join the El Paso Investors Club, or EPIC as it’s called for short. This real estate investors club provides a great environment to learn more about real estate and build a supportive network with like-minded entrepreneurial spirits.
4 Steps for Joining the El Paso Investors Club
- Visit the Website
- Select Membership Type
- Pay Member Dues
- Attend Meetings
What is the El Paso Investors Club?
Like many similar real estate investors association clubs or investors clubs around the United States, the El Paso Investors Club is a dedicated space for individuals interested in real estate to learn, grow, and network. Many of these clubs, the El Paso Investors Club included, are part of a larger organization called The National Real Estate Investors Association or NREIA. As the El Paso Investors Club puts it, their organization is “to promote knowledge of real estate investment through education and to improve awareness of the real estate investor’s interests at a local level.”
Many people love the idea of making money through real estate investing, but actually developing an actual cash flow from real estate is a different story. The truth is, for many such individuals, they don’t know where to start. Many investors keep working their day jobs and leave the idea of financial growth to their designated financial advisor. Little do they know that there is an El Paso community of other like-minded real estate investors right in their backyard, where those familiar with the real estate investing process network and share their knowledge.
A real estate investing club is not a nonprofit organization, as they do charge each and every private investor and aspiring private investor membership dues. This revenue may go toward funding group activities, but some of it may be used to compensate the president for their work maintaining the organization. This includes inviting speakers, updating the website, coordinating events, and providing a space for each and every resident of the El Paso real estate community to network and find mentorship.
A real estate investing club is not a professional association for a realtor or broker (although a realtor or broker would certainly benefit from joining). It’s a space where anyone interested in learning about real estate investing can come and grow while building their network.
4 Steps for Joining the El Paso Investors Club
1. Visit the Website
The EPIC website is a no-frills space that is fairly easy to navigate. You can read a brief description of the organization, browse advertised properties and see the services of vendors who have partnered with EPIC. You can also read updates and articles relevant to the real estate market, see the dates and times of upcoming meetings, and join the El Paso Investors Club.
2. Select Membership Type
Currently, the El Paso Investors Club offers three different membership types: individual, couple, and business.
The individual membership is $150 for a year of attending meetings, receiving NREIA discounts (more on that later), accessing networking opportunities, and getting EPIC insights into the latest legislation affecting the investing community.
The couple’s membership is $250 for the same package. This membership type is good for two people, meaning that the second person can piggyback off the membership benefits for a discounted price. Contact EPIC directly via email or by calling them to inquire if a couple’s membership can also apply to business partners, friends, or siblings—in many other local REIA clubs, it can.
The platinum membership is really where it’s at when it comes to the EPIC. This membership covers three people for $300 and covers the benefits listed above. Additionally, a platinum membership comes with other perks, like a website banner and the opportunity to be featured as an EPIC industry partner on the website for 365 days (a particularly lucrative opportunity, since EPIC members will often refer to industry partners to build their real estate business).
Someone from your platinum membership team will get to speak as a representative for five minutes at one of the monthly meetings, which is a great opportunity to pitch your business. You will also receive a six-foot vendor table with signage at the annual Deal Night and other periodic educational meetings. You can distribute informational packets or promotional goodies at monthly meetings, along with a 50 percent discount on any other promotional opportunities that aren’t already covered by the platinum membership.
3. Pay Member Dues
You will need to pay your membership dues upfront for the entirety of the year. Ask for clarification from EPIC, but it is likely that membership fees will auto-renew at the end of the year from the time of your purchase. You can use PayPal or a credit card like Visa, Discover, America Express, or Mastercard to make your payment.
Contributions cannot be considered tax-deductible unless you write it off as a business expense (ask your tax advisor or attorney if this is possible).
Based on the scheduled list of meetings on the EPIC website, it does seem that individual meetings are free to attend if you’d like to check out the organization, but presumably, you will be asked to pay membership dues if you’d like to continue attending.
4. Attend Meetings
Once you’ve selected your membership and paid the membership fee, all there is left to do is take advantage of the wonderful benefits of EPIC membership, which includes attending monthly meetings.
The time, place, and content of upcoming monthly meetings are posted on the EPIC website. At the time of this article, for instance, a meeting in December was advertised with several selling points, among them networking opportunities, breakout discussions, a central presentation on the pros and cons of holding versus flipping, and a discussion on commercial real estate versus residential real estate. Due to the current COVID pandemic, most monthly meetings are held virtually online.
Benefits of Joining the El Paso Investors Club
One benefit of joining EPIC is that they tout themselves as very involved with legislative news that impacts the investing community. Other groups around the country, from the Atlanta REIA to the Los Angeles Real Estate Investors Club, do not necessarily have this focus. While real estate investors pay attention to the real estate market and its ups and downs, it’s equally important to understand how changes in local and municipal law affect the industry, from new zoning laws to tax loopholes to landlord-tenant law.
Of course, the most obvious benefit of joining EPIC is access to the monthly meetings. The price of individual membership, for instance, means that you’re able to attend invaluable real estate classes every month for less than $13 per class. Additionally, you’ll be connected with a supportive network of individuals who can help further your interest in real estate, whether that means finding a lender, real estate agent, property manager, or mentor.
There is also a great number of resources on the website for both members and even casual browsers. Reading through the EPIC reading recommendations is sure to give you a solid education in real estate, investing, and money.
There are also benefits to joining EPIC because of its affiliation with NREIA. Members get discounts at stores like Home Depot, where they’ll receive a two percent annual rebate, 20 percent off certain items like paints, and volume pricing. Membership in the NREIA also provides discounts with service vendors like 1-800-GOT-JUNK (10 percent on junk removal), Foreclosure.com (25 percent off the monthly subscription fee), Office Max (40 percent off printing and copies), and RentPerfect Property Management Solutions (a 95 cent setup fee). There are also other discounts with services necessary to the backend operations of running a real estate business, like email services with Constant Contact, accounting software like HammerZen, and analytic decision-making tools like Local Market Monitor.
El Paso Investors Club Annual Events
In addition to the monthly meetings, there will be semi-annual and annual events with special guest speakers and networking opportunities. Some of these opportunities are seasonal, such as a holiday party. But even these lighter affairs are excellent opportunities to connect and build a real estate network.
As the EPIC website does not advertise updated scheduling information to non-members, it’s good to make sure you are attending monthly meetings to catch wind of all upcoming annual events, along with following EPIC on social media venues like Facebook and Twitter. You can set notifications on these platforms to alert you when accounts you are connected to post information, such as EPIC posting a notice about an upcoming event.
And since EPIC members are part of the NREIA, they can also join other NREIA members at the national organization’s annual events. For example, the 2021 Winter Cruise Conference is scheduled to set sail from Miami for one week of travel and professional development with experts in the real estate industry. There is also a mid-year leadership conference and exposition. Both of these events are incredible opportunities to learn more about real estate and connect with like-minded individuals around the country. That in and of itself could open additional doors to expanding into real estate investing beyond El Paso, Texas.
EPIC in particular provides a link on its website to the Rich Dad Summit, presented by author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robbert Kiyosaki. This seminar is all about learning how to invest in real estate, stocks, or anything else that presents a lucrative opportunity, along with highlighting the importance of developing assets while limiting personal financial liabilities.
Join the EPIC Today
Membership in an association or club like the El Paso investors Club is a great opportunity for anyone interested in real estate, no matter their level of experience, to network and learn more about the real estate industry. Though EPIC is certainly unique to Texas, if you reside in the Lone Star State closer to another metropolitan area, there are dozens of other associations like the Realty Investment Community Houston or associations in Austin and Dallas that can help you along the same lines.
Keep in mind that these types of real estate investing clubs are geared toward people of all experience levels and a variety of personal and professional goals. You don’t have to be interested in owning a large investment property, like a hotel or shopping mall, in downtown El Paso in order to participate in real estate investing. Even if you have an extra single-family home in your family (like a vacation home) that you want to rent out and turn into an extra source of cash flow, joining a real estate investing network can prove to be very beneficial. In fact, many individuals in these clubs still work full time in the profession they already had before getting involved in real estate.
Some individuals do go on to get more involved in real estate investing, and that might be you. If a real estate business sounds appealing to you, organizations like EPIC are a great place to start and find supportive help as you are getting started. You will meet other members of the El Paso community who are also involved or getting involved in real estate investing, and it’s likely you will make professional connections that will stay with you for life, even as you continue to grow your real estate business.
Bonus Video
Free Strategy Session with an Anderson Advisor
Receive a detailed risk assessment to assist in lowering problem areas that could wipe out all of your assets with one wrong move. Speak with an Anderson Professional Advisor to get your FREE Strategy Session. Limited-Time offer: FREE (a $750 value.)
