Welcome to GRID Chicago
meetup.com/grid-chicago
meetup.com/grid-chicago
Who we are
Founded February 2026
Welcome! GRID Chicago is a real estate investment community based in Chicago, IL—built by investors for investors. We are a group of real people doing real deals in our local marketplace.
Our core mission is to connect to, learn from, and collaborate with like-minded people interested in growing their businesses and creating long-term wealth.
We welcome investors of all experience levels. We are life-long learners and believe everyone has value to share.
How it works
We meet once a month, 12 months a year, on the same day, week, and time of the month.
Each month we cover a different investing topic in the lifecycle of an investor—ranging from wholesaling to rehabbing to becoming a bank through private lending.
Our meetings are not sales pitches.
They are opportunities for us to dive deep into a real estate topic, connect with local experts in our marketplace, and build long-term relationships with other doers.
View and RSVP to our local events on Meetup →
Meet the GRID Community Leaders
About Juan
Juan Loya is a seasoned mortgage and finance professional with over 30 years of industry experience helping clients navigate financing, investment property purchases, and renovation lending.
He currently serves as Area Manager at Neighborhood Loans, where he leads a team dedicated to creative financing solutions for both homeowners and real estate investors.
Juan is a seasoned real estate investor with a proven track record of acquiring, rehabbing, and successfully exiting or retaining over 50 properties. With a deep focus on strategic acquisitions and high-value home renovations, he has built a specialized portfolio of 20 monthly recurring revenue (MRR) properties.
His extensive experience provides him with unique, firsthand insight into the complexities of scaling real estate holdings, optimizing consistent cash flow, and driving sustainable wealth generation through high-performing rental assets.
About Alex
Alex Corona is a real estate entrepreneur, investor, and speaker known for building high performing sales teams and scalable business systems.
He is the founder of the Corona Homes Team, one of the top ranked real estate teams in Illinois, and operates multiple companies across real estate brokerage, lending, title, construction, and real estate investing.
In addition to his operating companies, Alex runs an active real estate investment business and has an international network of partners, investors, and operators that allows him to source opportunities, deploy capital, and scale beyond local markets.
Alex speaks on real world leadership, sales mastery, mindset, and execution. His approach is direct, practical, and rooted in lived experience. He focuses on helping people raise their standards, build systems that actually work, and take full ownership of their results.
Whether speaking to entrepreneurs, sales professionals, or community leaders, Alex delivers clear frameworks and actionable takeaways designed to create immediate impact.
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Neighborhood Loans
Neighborhood Loans is a nationwide residential mortgage lender dedicated to empowering homebuyers and homeowners through every step of the home financing journey.
The company is built on a mission to provide transparent, process-driven mortgage solutions tailored to each client’s financial needs and long-term goals.
With strategically placed offices across multiple states and a team of experienced mortgage professionals, Neighborhood Loans offers a full range of loan products—from conventional and FHA to VA, USDA, adjustable-rate and renovation financing—while educating and guiding clients in a rapidly changing market.
The company’s core values of integrity, compassionate service, and open communication ensure that borrowers are supported through purchase or refinance with a commitment to exceeding industry standards.
Corona Homes Team
Corona Homes Team is a client-first real estate group brokered by eXp Realty. With a commitment to excellence and personalized service, they help buyers, sellers, and investors navigate today’s market with confidence. Their team brings deep market knowledge, responsive communication, and a relationship-driven approach that makes complex transactions feel simple and supported.
What sets them apart is their focus on results and trust. They provide accurate market insights, innovative marketing tools like 4K drone tours and 3D VR walkthroughs, and streamlined processes that keep clients informed at every step. From helping homeowners secure competitive offers quickly to guiding buyers toward the right property, their goal is to create long-lasting relationships rooted in service and integrity.
Whether you’re entering the market for the first time or looking to optimize a real estate investment, Corona Homes Team combines local expertise with a personal touch that simplifies decisions and elevates the experience.
Watch our event playbacks on YouTube
What people are saying
Very impressed. Probably the best content packed REI club meeting I’ve been to. If you are investing in real estate you have to join this group. Great assortment of industry professionals in the group as well.
— Whitney Sewell
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Phenomenal. These guys are the REAL DEAL and exactly who you want to associate yourself with to be successful in real estate investing. Honest, upfront, and experts at what they do I cannot recommend them more highly. From the moment I stepped into my first meetup (6 months ago) they have been nothing short of a class act. Very informative and lots of serious investors, wholesalers, lenders, contractors. As they say, the power is in the network and they have a great one.
— David Townsend
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
GRID is exactly the kind of group I had been looking for as a new investor with a lot of questions and not sure who to trust for answers.
— Elise Browning
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
