Six or seven years ago, the stock market was booming, Internet companies that no one had ever heard of were valued at billions of dollars, and anyone and everyone was investing their money in tech stocks. Then, in 2000, the stock market crashed, the Internet companies closed their doors, investors lost trillions of dollars, and life went back to normal, more or less. Five years later, tech stocks are nowhere near their 2000 peaks, but investors are salivating again. This time, they're putting their money in real estate, and they're forming real estate clubs to help them achieve greater success.

There were investment clubs in the 1990's, where a group of people with common investing interests met regularly, pooled their money, and invested in stocks as a group. A few of them did well enough that they made national news. Now the equivalent is the real estate club, but in these clubs, it's every person for themselves. Rather than pooling money for common investments, members meet to share advice, lessons learned, and stories of their latest acquisitions. It's difficult to say how many real estate clubs exist in the United States, but estimates suggest that there may be thousands of them. Real estate prices are at record levels, particularly on the East and West coasts, homeowners have record amounts of equity in their homes, and with the stock market still crawling along, people are putting money in real estate and helping each other do it.

The typical real estate club has anywhere from a handful to several hundred members, and they typically meet once a month or so to share their experiences. Those who have been investing for years can share what they've learned with newcomers ? how to invest, how to avoid risk and minimize losses, how to find quality properties, and how to deal with the legal aspects of real estate investing. Many members are interested in learning how to buy prepare a "fixer upper" for market. That particular area of investing has a lot of potential pitfalls, and can easily turn into a money drain for those who aren't careful, and stories of what to do and what to avoid are common.

Real estate clubs are popular across the country, and not just in areas with rapidly rising real estate prices. Those who are interested in meeting with others to learn about real estate speculation can probably ask a local realtor for information. Otherwise, type "real estate club" into your favorite Internet search engine, and you will undoubtedly find a club in your area.

?Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.