Should I work with a Realtor to find my first Investment property?

[David Link]

Should I work with a Realtor to find my first Investment property?

I'm looking to start out by buying a single family home in Westchester NY between $100-$200k with an Equity Line of Credit.   Should I worry about a buyer realtor's fee if they can help me find a good deal?

Thanks.

David Link

Start out in NY

[Nick Patterson]

No, and I am actually a Realtor.

In my experience (15 years) its very difficult to find a Realtor who wants to work with investors, main reason is they have no motivation to buy and don't need to buy.  In addition, most investors have no defined goals on what they want.  Most investors tell Realtors "Find me a good deal" with no indication as to neighborhood, type of property, return requested..  There are just too many options to choose from and an experienced Realtor will not spend time with that.

Best advise

1) Get precise and specific about what you want to buy if you want a Realtor to help you.

2) Spend some time and money and get your own real estate license.  Even if you have great contacts nobody is going to "find you a deal" better than yourself

Good luck!