If you’re not plugged into a real estate investor community, you’re missing the fastest way to grow your portfolio, find deals, and skip costly mistakes. The right real estate networking group can be a total shortcut connecting you to people, knowledge, and opportunities you’ll never get alone.

In this episode of The Real Estate Pessimist, Kristi and Erik break down the single most underrated hack in real estate: surrounding yourself with the right people. Not the “complain and coast” crowd… but a real investor community that pushes you to grow, makes you smarter, and brings deals straight to your lap.

We cover how to find them, how to make them work for you, and why knowing when to leave is just as important as joining in the first place.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The key differences between paid and free investor communities

• How to spot (and avoid) the time-wasters and tire-kickers

• The hidden ROI of paying to be in the right room

• Why entrepreneurship gets lonelier the more successful you become—and how to fix it

• Simple ways to build relationships that lead to actual opportunities

• How to create your own community if you can’t find the right one

• The signs it’s time to exit a group and move on
  

Bold truth: If you’re trying to do this alone, you’re already at a disadvantage.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos 📍 Find us on all platforms:

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/30iW9NGVaPVqIBZqf8iNd5?si=aa41afe7b90b4315

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-estate-pessimist/id1785003692

🎧 Want more from Kristi? Hear how she’s helping locals become developers in their own communities by removing the gatekeeping.

→ Listen to the Local Real Estate Developer Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalRealEstateDeveloper/podcasts

#realestateinvesting #mindsetshift #entrepreneurjourney #fearvsprudence #therealestatepessimist #developmentlife #propertyinvestor #startscared #riskandreward #truthaboutrealestate

What do you do when a hurricane wipes out your dream just three months after you buy it?

Most people quit. Mike and Dawn didn’t.

In this episode of The Real Estate Pessimist, we share the raw, no-fluff story of two Midwest entrepreneurs who bought an iconic bar on Kristi’s home turf—Fort Myers Beach—only to watch it get annihilated by Hurricane Ian. But instead of walking away, they rolled up their sleeves, rallied a broken island, and started rebuilding something even stronger.

This isn’t just a comeback story.

This is what it looks like when locals lead.

💥 What we cover:

• How Mike and Dawn lost a business, then tripled their impact in the community
• The emotional (and financial) rollercoaster of post-disaster investing & rebuilding
• Why insurance isn’t a magic fix. Just ask their $8M rebuild
• The behind-the-scenes of navigating FEMA, permitting, and red tape
• What really motivates a local developer to rebuild when big players jump in.
• Why locals with grit are the future of community development

Truth bomb:

Storms will come. It’s not about what gets destroyed. It’s about who chooses to be resilient, get back up, and become a beacon of hope for those around them.

Contact info:

• https://www.thewhalefmb.com/
• Instagram: @thewhalefmb
• Facebook: facebook.com/thewhalefmb
• Dawn Miller on facebook
• dawnmiller@thewhalefb.com

🎧 Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos📍 Find us on all platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/30iW9NGVaPVqIBZqf8iNd5?si=aa41afe7b90b4315

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-estate-pessimist/id1785003692

🎧 Want more from Kristi?

Hear how she’s helping locals become developers in their own communities by removing the gatekeeping.

→ Listen to the Local Real Estate Developer Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalRealEstateDeveloper/podcasts

#realestateinvesting #mindsetshift #entrepreneurjourney #fearvsprudence #therealestatepessimist #developmentlife #propertyinvestor #startscared #riskandreward #truthaboutrealestate

Ever wonder what seasoned investors wish they never did? And what they'd double down on in a heartbeat?

We’re pulling back the curtain and spilling the dirt on the deals we regret, the lessons we paid dearly for, and the five best decisions that changed everything.

This is the real stuff no one brags about on social media. The things we’d never do again, and the wins we’d fight for every time.

In this episode, we get raw about:

• Why we wish we started investing sooner

• The one thing we ignored (that almost wrecked everything)

• What we did with our primary homes that totally changed the game

• How the wrong partnerships and bad vetting cost us big

• What actually makes real estate worth it (and what doesn’t)
  

Truth Bomb: Sometimes the best move in real estate… is the deal you don’t do.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos 📍 Find us on all platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/30iW9NGVaPVqIBZqf8iNd5?si=aa41afe7b90b4315

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-estate-pessimist/id1785003692

👀 Want to become a STR Expert with Erik’s help? https://eriks-academy.teachable.com/p/str-in-an-hour

🎧 Want more from Kristi? Hear how she’s helping locals become developers in their own communities by removing the gatekeeping.

→ Listen to the Local Real Estate Developer Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalRealEstateDeveloper/podcasts

#realestateinvesting #mindsetshift #entrepreneurjourney #fearvsprudence #therealestatepessimist #developmentlife #propertyinvestor #startscared #riskandreward #truthaboutrealestate