When to Reach Out to a Real Estate Agent as a New Investor

[Shawn S.]

Hello, all!

I am an engineer located on the Space Coast of Florida (Cocoa Beach/Melbourne/Brevard County) and am currently in the educational phase, as I am new to the real estate investing world. I have read and heard a lot from the BP podcast that it is recommended to reach out to the real estate agents that work in your intended market. However, being that I am a newbie and do not have all of my ducks in a row, so to speak, I am hesitant to reach out to an agent, as I do not want to waste their time.

My questions are:

1.) When should a newbie investor like myself reach out to a real estate agent?

2.) Should I wait until I have clearly defined my intended market, strategy, niche, etc.?

3.) Are there any rules of thumb on how to ethically "shop" for multiple agents at the same time? I would think that it is frowned upon to have multiple agents taking their time to find you deals simultaneously.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, and cheers!

- Shawn