Day one of the REIA Tour was more successful than anticipated. We were both a little anxious because we had a lot  of work to do in addition to the traveling , but we were extremely happy with the results because we met some really awesome people and we are confident that we are going to meet a lot more on this trip.

We attended the Long Island REIA Meeting in Huntington NY last night at the Hilton Hotel. Speaking were representatives from local Real Estate Investment Firms – a charming man, contractor and property manager of 30 years Tom Bencho from Aurora Marketing Financial Services,  A Representative from Prepaid Legal, Jay and Jeff Tatum from Impact Realty Advisors in Birmingham Alabama, and Carl Schiavone from Carl Schiavone & Associates – a Real Estate Coach. We met Joe Scorese, the President of the NYC REIA, whom Jillian may speak for in October, and had a great meeting with Melissa Gagliano, Principal of the Long Island REIA – a really terrific and friendly gal who was enthusiastic about the Education Jillian is providing. It was a great day and we look forward to meeting more interesting folks and getting their take on the local real estate markets. Here are some of the comments we heard:

Philadelphia is a really strong emerging market – not only is there a new casino there, but there is also a new convention center and the G8 summit is being held there this year. Philadelphia seems promising in every way for multi-family and single home markets. Talk to Tom Bencho (above) about Philadelphia if you want a local’s perspective.  We also heard great things about investors and properties available in the Albany, Syracuse area. If you’re interested in learning more, you may want to get in touch with Chris Jackson of Rampant Lion Homes. If you’re curious about getting into multi family opportunities in the Bronx, which we also heard a lot about – talk to A&M Associates in NY or Joe Scorese from the NYC REIA. They will point you in the right direction. Osprey Cove Developers would be a good contact to have for Development in the Long Island area or other outer Buroughs of NY.

All in all, the day was great, the travel was smooth (Although Ali had to run to catch her 6:30 am flight in Burbank!) and we made it through day 1 with great success. Stay posted to learn more about the great people we are meeting!