How to Network Like a Pro on BiggerPockets

In this article, I’m going to teach you five quick tips for networking. In other words, how you can use BiggerPockets to connect with other people on the site—potential lenders, partners, mentors, or just friends—so you can achieve your financial goals.

True story: I was actually one of the early members on BiggerPockets. Years ago, I found the site through a Google search. It was about a decade ago when I bought my first property. Since then, I’ve used BiggerPockets and connected with enough people to grow a pretty massive real estate portfolio and bring in thousands of dollars a month in passive income.

To do that, I’ve partnered with people on the site. I’ve borrowed money from people and have lent money to people on BiggerPockets. I’ve received more advice than I could ever hope to repay. Most importantly, I built solid, lifelong friendships and colleagues through networking on BiggerPockets.

Networking via BiggerPockets

Now, don’t let that fancy word, networking, overwhelm you. All we’re talking about here is connecting with other people who can help you achieve your goals and vice versa. So let’s get to the list of the five tips for networking on BiggerPockets.

1. Create Your Profile

Imagine what steps you need to take when joining an online dating site. If you don’t post a picture or a description of yourself, chances of meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right are pretty slim. BiggerPockets may not be a dating site, but it is a networking site where you can find future connections. Create your profile by uploading a photo and providing a detailed description of who you are—as well as your real estate investing goals.

It’s OK if you’re brand new to real estate because you don’t have to be an expert to use BiggerPockets. We just want you to be open, honest, and transparent.

2. Search for Local Investors in Your Area

Every location is unique, which makes every location for investing unique. It’s helpful to connect with people in your local market to see how they are investing. To do this, just hover over the word network in the navigation bar and then go down to members. (To save you a few steps, just click members, and it should take you to the right page.)

When you’ve reached this page, it should automatically pull up your local area. If it doesn’t, simply enter your city or zip code to find local members. If you’re going to invest long-distance, type in the zip code or city name of that area.

3. Send a Colleague Request

This request is kind of like a Facebook friend request. You’re just connecting with other people who you can chat with. You can see what they publicly post on the forums or on their page. And they can do the same for you. This is really, really important because these local investors—or soon-to-be investors—may eventually become future partners, lenders, or mentors.

It all begins with a colleague request. And this may sound obvious, but please don’t use the message system to send spam. Do that and you could lose your private messaging privileges.

4. Attend a Local Real Estate Meetup

Now, this can be in person or virtual. If you want to succeed in real estate investing, get together with others who are pursuing the same goals as you on BiggerPockets. These meetups can range from a few folks getting together for drinks to hundreds of people in an auditorium—and everything in between.

To check out the events in your area, head over to BiggerPockets.com/events and register for an upcoming meetup. If you don’t see one there, well, that could be a great opportunity for you to start your own.

5. Post in the BiggerPockets Forums

BiggerPockets Forums are the lifeblood of the site. When you have specific questions or you want to engage in conversations about a certain topic, the forums are an amazing place to do that. Thousands of posts are made every day on hundreds of different topics. Find topics that interest you and join the conversation.

If you’re just starting out, go to the New Member Introduction Forum and introduce yourself there. Click “start a discussion” where you can tell other members about yourself. People with common interests will reach out. It’s that easy!

If you do those five steps and you do them often, you’re going to be a networking pro in no time. Soon enough you’ll develop amazing relationships that will lead you toward the incredible life you were meant to live.

In what ways has networking on BiggerPockets helped with your real estate investing goals?

Share with a comment below!

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.