How do you stay current as a real estate investor?

I’m not here to bash mainstream news outlets. I have nothing but respect for journalists… but even the best real estate sections of mainstream news outlets tend to NOT dig deeply enough and report on what real estate investors need to know. Many of them fail to stay current on investing tactics, markets, or the simple nuts-and-bolts of investing in education.

That’s where the blogosphere shines – you can find some incredibly detailed, niche news and information just for real estate investors. All for free, all the time.

Since most of the world is already on Facebook, it only makes sense to follow and pay attention to some of these blogs and news outlets by way of their Facebook pages.

Here are my seven of my favorite Facebook pages to help real estate investors stay current, educated, and informed. As a real estate investing writer, these pages, podcasts, and blogs are where I go for insights and inspiration.

(And if the list is occasionally biased, what can I say; it’s a list of my favorites!)

1. REtipster (duh!)

What, you thought we wouldn’t include our own Facebook page on the list?

How It Helps YOU: One of the great strengths of the REtipster page (and blog in general) is the balance of breadth and depth in real estate knowledge covered. Seth is an expert on not just investing in residential real estate, but also land investing, an entire niche in itself.

Nor do you only get Seth’s expertise – Seth brings in real estate investing columnists (like me!) to keep the perspective fresh and the topics diverse.

If you’re a long-time reader, you know how widely we cover real estate investing, while keeping it firmly grounded in actionable tips.

And for those of you who love consuming your info as audio, RETipster’s podcast brings in even more perspectives from guests across the industry!

The Bottom Line: Whether you’re new to real estate investing or a grizzled veteran, the REtipster Facebook page, podcast, and blog are constantly evolving engines of education for investors.

2. Coach Carson

Chad Carson, the friendly, down-to-earth real estate expert better known as Coach Carson, is the real deal. He’s genuine and transparent and knows real estate investing inside and out.

How It Helps YOU: Coach Carson focuses heavily on flips and rental properties, with a particular emphasis on finding and analyzing deals. He also does a great job profiling successful investors, and breaking down individual deals they’ve done as case studies.

Beyond his professional expertise, Chad brings a uniquely personal perspective. Chad moved with his family to Ecuador for a few years as a fun family experiment. How did he finance it? Through his real estate deals back home in the US, and through his blog, of course.

The Bottom Line: Follow Coach Carson on Facebook for detailed real estate investing case studies and in-depth help with finding and analyzing deals.

3. BiggerPockets

No list of real estate investing Facebook pages would be complete without investing community behemoth BiggerPockets. If you know me, you know that I’m a weekly columnist for BiggerPockets, so once again you can throw around those accusations of bias, but there’s no denying that this monster real estate investing website is an incredible source of free information for investors.

How It Helps YOU: BiggerPockets generates so much traffic, and so much reader engagement, that they don’t have to pay their writers. (Trust me. I know.) Yet week in and week out, many of the best minds in the industry keep contributing excellent content – the amount of articles published every month is simply staggering.

If that sounds like it could threaten to overwhelm readers, their Facebook manager posts only one or two of the best new articles every day.

The Bottom Line: From house hacking to wholesaling, land deals to commercial properties, landlording to flips, BiggerPockets is a goldmine of fresh, free content.

4. Afford Anything

The first time I heard Paula Pant interviewed (which was, incidentally, on the BiggerPockets podcast), they introduced her as “the most interesting woman alive.” She didn’t disappoint.

How It Helps YOU: Paula Pant is like the Tim Ferriss of real estate investing: she’s all about lifestyle design. Put another way, Paula preaches intentionality and pushes you to specifically define your perfect life. And then create it.

Paula knew she didn’t want to work for someone else, so she started investing in real estate and quit her job. Between frugal living to keep her expenses low, and her growing real estate income, it didn’t take long for her to reach financial independence. Now she teaches others how to do the same.

The Bottom Line: If you want motivation mixed with hands-on how-to advice for using real estate to create your perfect life, then Paula’s your gal. Check out Afford Anything on Facebook for more.

5. SparkRental

Ready for another bias alert? I’m one of the founding creators of SparkRental, so yes, I’m a little biased. But that doesn’t take away from how current, cutting-edge, and well-curated the Facebook page is.

How It Helps YOU: As the name suggests, SparkRental focuses on one subset of real estate investing: rental income. Specifically, we love that intersection of where rental investing meets personal finance, to create passive income and work towards financial independence.

From property management hacks to rental investing tips and tricks, from house hacking to tax tips for landlords, SparkRental is all about helping mom-and-pop landlords succeed and earn more money. In addition to our blog, we host live masterclasses at least once/month, often bringing in guest experts like attorneys specializing in asset protection for landlords.

The Bottom Line: If rental investing, landlording, and passive income are your bag, you won’t be disappointed by SparkRental.

6. Flipping Junkie

Danny Johnson knows flips. A former software developer turned real estate investor, Danny is all about helping other people make that shift from 9-5 grind to the flexible life of a professional flipper.

How It Helps YOU: The Flipping Junkie is a blog and podcast, with well over 100 podcast episodes under its belt. Danny also helps real estate investors with their own websites, being a software engineer and all.

Not quite ready to start flipping your own properties yet? Danny has plenty of direction for getting started with wholesaling.

The Bottom Line: Danny and his wife have been flipping properties for a long time. If you’re looking to learn to flip, you’d do well to learn from the Johnsons at Flipping Junkie.

7. InvestFourMore

Mark Ferguson, the man behind InvestFourMore, is not only a real estate investing expert but he’s also a Realtor educator.

How It Helps YOU: Beyond being just a blog, InvestFourMore is a longstanding podcast, if you prefer your content as audio.

Mark leads a large team of Realtors, and is a veteran real estate investor. If you’ve thought about diving headfirst into a career in real estate, getting your real estate license and investing in your own properties on the side (or vice versa!), InvestFourMore is a great fit.

The Bottom Line: Sure, Mark knows his stuff when it comes to flips and buy-and-hold. But he also shines in helping you with becoming an excellent Realtor-investor, if that combination intrigues you. See InvestFourMore's Facebook page (ready for it?) four more info.

Keep Your Investing Edge Sharp

Want to keep an edge over the real estate investing competition? You need to stay current, and constantly continue learning and growing as an investor.

As Albert Einstein famously observed: “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”

It’s true in life, and it’s true in real estate investing. If you spend ten minutes each day checking these Facebook pages and reading the posts you find most intriguing, you’ll stay far more focused than your competitors lazing on the couch watching TV.

Stay sharp, my friends.

RELATED: 101 Real Estate Rockstars to Follow On Twitter

What are your favorite real estate investing Facebook pages? What makes them so spectacular? Share your thoughts below!

G. Brian Davis is a long-time landlord and real estate investor who's served as an expert for US News and World Report, Huffington Post, Realtor.com and dozens of other publications. He co-founded SparkRental.com, a top landlord blog, and a toolkit of free landlord resources. His mission is to help 1,000 new investors reach their first $1,000 in monthly passive income.