Trying to find a good agent

[Seth Dillon]

Good day! So I recently signed up a few weeks back and have just been learning as much as I can (I read the Ultimate Beginners Guide and all of the free how-to guides and am thinking on getting one of the books soon). So, moving forward I want to flip a few houses then do a buy and hold for a steady passive income and repeat the process until I can retire in a few years. As I am new to this I know that I could scout HAR, Tulia, Zillow, etc. to try and find what I think might be a good deal, but I would feel more comfortable having a real estate agent there to help find and let me know what the good deals are. Now, my question, how can I be sure the real estate agent I find is good or are willing to work with a new investor? Are there certain things I should look for or certain questions I need to ask? Thanks!

[Colin Smith]

To find a good investor friendly agent is hard to find but here are some things to look for.

1. Make sure the agent also invests in real estate in a manner how you intend to invest. Meaning if you want to flip houses, find one that also flips houses.

2. They should have connections already with lenders, contractors, and title companies. If they don't, then they probably haven't successfully invested in real estate or at least not well enough to maintain those relationships.

3. Make sure to call the agent. They should be calling you back the same day or the morning after. If they aren't, you should consider looking elsewhere. 

4. Find an agent who will guide you through the process and help you find a good deal, not just any property. If you're flipping the property, you should expect to use them on the buying side and on the listing side. The agent should be able to guide you in the ARV (guide with possibly an ARV range and not an actual flat number, that is your decision to make). The agent should be able to sell your property for something close to their guided ARV.

Please know that it may take a while to find a good agent like this, but they do exist as this is exactly how I run my business as an agent.