They would be good places to meet seasoned investors and service providers and they do not have any cost other than the food or drink you purchase.   

And with four children, wife, job that takes up a lot of my time, and being a little fish in the big sea of investing, I don't have the time/resources to find deals otherwise.

I have spent a lot of time searching through posts on these forums to get an understanding of different directions and investment decisions that interest me, however I realize times are dynamic and what investments worked 2 years ago may and most likely  would not work the same in todays world. 

Hi Andrew, I have been enjoying CIREIA :) it's membership basis but i have learned a lot from the events. 

I have alot of goals and even more questions.

I’ve been reading a lot about flipping contracts and I understand the concept, but I’m still confused about a few things.1.

I have listed to several Bigger Pockets podcasts already and have done a lot of market research on AirDnA with the intention of buying our first house within the next few months!

This is what a lot of people do.

you can probably get a lot of information trying to reach out and if still no contact, do what you have to do.

(I need to shop for one as I don't have a lot of friends doing the same thing as me in my state.)