What questions to ask when interviewing a agent?

[Gurmanpreet Singh]

Hey BP family!

I am a 21 year old newbie who is a out of state investor and I am trying to build a team. I am starting this off by trying to find a investor friendly agent in the area of Cleveland, which is a market I am interested in. How should I interview an agent when I am in search of one? What important questions should I make sure to cover when I am interviewing them to see if they are the right agent for me?

Thank you,

Gurman Singh

[Ujwal Velagapudi]

First off make sure they are truly investor friendly. Will they help guide you at all, or will they just simply end you listings? What percentage of their business is made up of investors? What percentage of their business, or investor clientele, is made up of out of state investors? Do they understand you're new and that you may take a bit longer, need some more guidance, etc. and that it will be a first time experience? I also think it's very important that the agent themselves own properties, so I would ask what their personal investing history is and what they tend to invest in. Also ask if their deal flow only consists of the MLS, or if they also get off market deals that you would get access to as their client. Personally I would drive the initiative and just use an agent to send you listings and open the door for showings, back when I was using agents I found it difficult to get an "investor friendly" agent. 

Also, if you like the agent, think about what you could do to show your level of interest and commitment. Why should this great agent even work with you, especially as an out of state new investor? Are you a cash buyer? Are you pre-approved? The agents tend to get these requests all the time, so just like you'll be interviewing them, think about how to best present yourself and pitch yourself as a great client that they need to work with.