A real estate investor meeting in Greenville that actually trades

If you've searched for real estate investor meetings around Greenville, you've probably found two kinds: the monthly club with a guest speaker and a raffle, and the meetup where everyone hands out cards. Both have their place. GEMS is a third kind, and it has been the format of the country's serious exchange groups for decades.

What happens in the room

Every member who has something — a rental they're tired of running, land that pays no income, cash that needs a home, a note they carried back on a sale — puts it on the board with one more line: what they'd take for it. Then the room works. Someone wants income and has land; someone else wants land and has a duplex; a third has cash and wants paper. Two of them can't trade. All three can.

The host moderates, the board fills up with legs, and by the break people know who to go talk to. Every leg that comes out of the room closes as a normal transaction with each party's own attorney, CPA and lender.

Who comes

• Owners of rentals, land, commercial buildings and notes across the Upstate.
• Investors with cash or 1031 proceeds that need to be placed by a date.
• Licensed professionals — attorneys, CPAs, brokers, lenders and exchange intermediaries — who structure and close the legs.
• Newcomers who want to see how this is done before they bring anything.

What it is not

It isn't a listing service — nothing you bring is published or marketed outside the room. It isn't a wholesaling group. And nobody in it is paid on your deal: GEMS charges dues, not commissions.

Your first session

Come with nothing but your attention. If you own something you'd consider trading, write down three lines beforehand — what it is, what you want, what you'd take — and you'll get more out of the morning. Members who'd rather work it out first can put a position on the board from their dashboard before the session.