I signed up just as an investor wanting to engage with other investors and the whole thing seemed shady.  

Zillow, her complaint says, "should not be engaging in this business practice without a valid appraisal license and, further, the consent of the homeowner."

An individual called the qualified intermediary must be in place to document the exchange and hold the proceeds of sale prior to the close of the sale.In your case you did not engage the required intermediary prior to sale.  

If you are looking to gain knowledge and info, then it's worth attending at least one session to see if it what you expected.  

I kept buying stocks for 3 years and when the day came to get engaged I used that money to buy the ring.

Keep listening to the podcasts, and engage with others. 

You are bringing up a very important perspective of how to best engage prospective investors. 

@Lisa Sessions Thank you for the information!

I will continue to research what is best for our family and look forward to engaging everyone in the future!

I am a lineman for Ohio Edison with and 7 year old daughter and recently engaged!