I'm very familiar with REI and have attended seminars ran by some of Houston's bigger investors such as 713REIA (I personally know and have done work with Ray Sasser who is one of the organizers for the Houston 713REIA) .

If it's a larger organization, feel free to inquire about their different staff qualifications.2.

I think @Joe Villeneuve makes a great point to organize an LLC.

I set one up for an organization I worked with, and when I had a question about the account, I was able to get a human at Paypal to help me resolve it. 

DH and I want more time to travel, volunteer, aid organizations and ministries we love, and we want to have a cash flow that also allows us to give...we love generosity and making a difference. 

Some things we've dealt with are negotiating with sellers and lenders on price and rates, staying organized and having all the appropriate documents, dealing with contractors and making sure you have a system in place so that you don't get screwed, managing timelines, set backs, and people in general...the list goes on, but it's very exciting and I can't wait to do more and keep educating myself in this industry!

Those Investors were silent partners and did not really understand what they were doing.Most of those Investors were also guilty of signing a waiver as an Accredited Partner, which is needed to buy shares in a Private Corp.The list of fraud went on and on.I quit attending REIAs and other organizations which preached these kinds of "alternative" ways of funding your real estate investments.These things go on day after day, year after year, and while it's illegal, people get away with it as long as everyone is making money.Anyway, that's what I was seeing when I started reaching out to these Real Estate Network meetings.

Up here our EMT guys call motorcycle riders 'organ donors'.  

Let me know if there is interest and I will organize a local event for us.

My organization does not require the lagging inspection, we pay 100% until no longer needed, we have a housing liaison that is assigned to the client to conduct home visits and inspections, our rent limits are generous compared to other programs, there is a $500 incentive, we pay double deposit.