4 Tips for Finding a Multifamily Syndicator

You've read some articles or books, listened to some podcasts, and decided that you want to be a passive investor in multifamily deals. But you have a problem. You don't know anyone who is a general partner in multifamily deals. How do you find one?

Here are four ways you can find a general partner for your next passive investment.

Real estate investor associations and meetups

Real estate investor associations, or REIAs, are groups of real estate investors who meet throughout the year to network and learn from each other. Often during one of these meetings, there will be a presentation about some aspect of real estate and some time before and after the presentation for networking. Many REIAs also have members submit and share their "haves and wants." You can use this information to find someone who is looking for passive investors, or someone can find you if you write that you want to find a general partner in multifamily.

Even if no one at the meeting is a general partner, it is likely someone knows of someone who is, and they may help set up a connection between you and the general partner. For this reason, you should tell anyone you meet at the REIA about your passive investing goal.

You can find REIAs in your area by searching online or looking at events on BiggerPockets.

There are also real estate-focused groups on Meetup.com. These groups tend to be less formal than REIAs, but some of them are focused just on multifamily investing so you may be more likely to find general partners or other passive investors. Most of the time, these groups host monthly networking events so you can talk with other investors to see if they are general partners or know of one. I've met a few passive multifamily investors and a couple of capital raisers through Meetups.

If you can't find a real estate investing Meetup group in your area, then you could start one. Being the host of a Meetup can lend you some credibility, and encourage people to come up and talk to you, instead of the other way around.

What if hosting a meetup, or even attending one, sounds impossible because you don't have the time? You're a busy person after all with a job, friends, hobbies, and maybe a family to take care of. Then you could try podcasts.

Podcasts

Podcasts are exploding in popularity. It seems like every week there is another multifamily syndicator launching their own podcast. This is great news for you because you can listen to podcasts anywhere and anytime, even while driving to work, exercising at the gym, or doing chores. Even better is that podcasts give you a feel for what the podcast host and their guests are like. You may find that you connect with certain hosts or guests, and not others. That can help you narrow down who to reach out to and develop a relationship.

Once you have a couple of syndicators you want to reach out to, you can often find their contact information in the podcast show notes, or catch it at the end of the podcast episode.

You can find podcasts specific to multifamily by searching for "apartment investing", "real estate syndication", or "passive real estate investing" in your favorite podcast player. After listening to a few of these podcasts, you're likely to hear about conferences.

Conferences

There are many real estate conferences, and as with podcasts, some are focused on multifamily investing or geared towards experienced investors. At these types of conferences, you will find many general partners who are looking for passive investors. You may also find real estate professionals, such as brokers and property managers, who have experience working with general partners, and may recommend some to you.

You can find conferences by searching online or the Bigger Pockets forums for conferences that people recommend. Some of the podcast hosts you listen to may host or recommend conferences as well.

Although conferences can be expensive, they can be worth the money if you are serious about investing. They give you the opportunity to network with hundreds of other investors, and learn from presentations by experienced investors, some of whom may be multifamily syndicators.

Your own network

A fourth place to look for general partners is within your own network. Even if you don't directly know of a friend, family member, or coworker who invests in multifamily properties, it's possible that they may know someone who does. Share your passive investment goals with the people around you and ask them if they know anyone investing in this space.

You could also use online social networks like LinkedIn to search for general partners. A search for "asset manager", "syndicator", or "multifamily investor" should return a list of potential general partners who you can message directly. If you have a shared connection with some of them, you could ask the shared connection to make an introduction.

By using the opportunities above, you will have a list of potential general partners, and a new problem. How do you know which general partner to invest with? You will have to make sure your investment goals align with what the general partner is doing and vet that person to ensure you can trust him or her with your investment. I will write a future article to cover vetting a multifamily syndicator. Until then, start building your network of multifamily investors by attending a meetup or conference, listening to a podcast, or sharing your goals with friends and family.