My club is one of the biggest in the country and the cost if really cheap ($175/yr) and we have about 20 meetings a month!

With real estate, some of the biggest pluses aren't seen in ROE (or ROI for that matter, at least until you sell), namely appreciation, principal paydown and depreciation as a tax write off.

The single biggest metric nobody talks about in real estate is portfolio value in dollars.

The freedom to be your own planner and boss is the biggest plus in this business.I am actually heading up to Mt Rainer soon.

Ask them who the biggest player in the room is. 

Biggest driver for vacancy for us is being pet friendly.

I would think the biggest red flag would be asking for any fees other than an appraisal up front - would you agree?

My biggest tip would be to attend in-person meetups; we actually have one coming up this Saturday if you are free: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1209859-lear...There is something about meeting like-minded people in person that really seems to create a positive energy. 

Your biggest hurdle will be dealing with regulation red tape, and finding a place where it can be done.

The biggest lesson was that with the right partner and plan, even a first-timer can achieve significant success in real estate investing.