Las Vegas Real Estate Insider Club Keeps Growing

Wednesday March 10th was the two year anniversary of the Las Vegas Real Estate Insider Club founded by me...Glenn Plantone. The event was recently moved to the meeting room inside Tommy Bahamas at Town Center on the south Strip. We have already begun to outgrow this location. This last meeting saw over 65 attendees enjoy special presentations from our guest speakers as well as our regular educators.

Our first guest presenter of the evening was Ranya Botros of the Nevada State Contractors Board. Along with her partner and lead investigator Greg Welch, they spoke about how to protect yourself from unscrupulous contractors, both licensed and unlicensed. Greg was able to share several stories of individuals who were taken advantage of and how the Contractors Board aided in their defense.

Out second featured speaker of the evening was Carla Carlson of Direct Credit. Carla spoke specifically about loan modifications in today’s marketplace. Not everyone is aware that loans on investment properties can often also be modified. Carla has years of experience with credit and lending and found it a good fit in the difficult housing market to begin helping individuals with loan modifications.

In addition to our guest speakers, we also benefited from updates and educational pieces from our regular contributors. As the host and founder, I shared with the group a story about a client of mine that ran into trouble with his HOA (Home Owners' Association) regarding rental restrictions in a newer community. I suggested getting a copy of the CC&R’s and reading them before looking to purchase within an HOA community if you are thinking of renting out the home for investment reasons.

Co-host Jeff Howard shared his thoughts on lease-options and explained that our current market is creating a great opportunity to buy inexpensive properties and rent them out to folks that have become credit challenged.

Scott Meservey, our "Realtor on the street," was able to give his update on the local market place and current foreclosure trends.

Our economic update this month was given by financial planning expert, author, Bigger Pockets columnist and recent Harry Reid communicator Mr. Richard Warren. Although an eternal optimist, Rich also prides himself on being a realist. Rich discussed the possibility that our current recession may end up evolving into an economic disaster as severe as that of the Great Depression in the 1930’s. However, this current situation has also presented us with one of the best opportunities to purchase real estate that we may see in our lifetimes.

We are looking forward to next month's meeting which will feature a representative from the Las Vegas Housing Authority speaking on the ins and outs of government sponsored Section 8 housing as well as Internet Marketing and Small Business Marketing specialist Tamara Bostrom who will give tips on how to stand out from the crowd in today's difficult economic climate. This is a meeting any investor and entrepreneur will not want to miss.

We love the value that we currently offer with the meeting: attendees pay $25 which covers not only admission to the club but also dinner and drinks. But as we continue to grow, we must look for a new venue for future Las Vegas Real Estate Insider Club meetings. If anyone is aware of another site that can offer the same benefits but accommodate more people, please contact us with more details.