Quick question for out of state investors who work with realtors

[Matt Littlepage]

Hi Everyone,

I currently own properties here in California and I have recently been looking for investment multi-family properties in North East Ohio. I am new to out of state investing but not new to real estate. I have already been pre-approved and have over $100K in the bank to use as my down payment money. I am finding and analyzing properties on my own. I have already worked with two realtors there in NE Ohio and to be honest, I am very disappointed. 

I basically call them up and ask if they can put in an offer for me. I have missed a few properties because of slow offers (24-36 hours after asking them to make them). I completely understand everyone is busy and are not waiting by the phone for me to call. I get it... At the same time, I feel that I am an easy client. I have done all the hard work on my own. I ask simple questions and get the answers a day or so later. 

Am I expecting too much? Is this just how it goes in that part of the country or have I found two realtors that are either too busy or don't care about my investing. I hope this doesn't come out as a poor me story but I am just trying to get a grasp on realtor mentalities there. 

How would you go about finding a realtor interested in helping an out of state investor? I interviewed both and both had the right answers on the phone but when it came time to act they fell short.

Thanks for your time,

Matt

[Brian Garlington]

Matt,

I'm in the Bay Area like you..............and realized we are spoiled here in the Bay Area. We are used to quick responses,......but in the midwest it is a slower pace. My worst experience was when I flew out to Cleveland the first time.....looked at properties with an agent.....and on Saturday I told him to write up an offer on a property. He didn't get it over to me to sign until Tuesday night. When he did send it over it wasn't even an E-Sign or DocuSign......I was out having dinner with friends and literally had to go to a Kinkos, print out a bunch of pages.....sign them......and then re-scan them back to him. Needless to say we didn't get the deal and I certainly did not do business with them. The kicker is when he said, "Brian, you don't know how it is out here, it's different than the Bay Area." I told him, "No, you are a non-responsive agent that gives Realtors a bad name. I was born in Columbus and fly back to Ohio every couple of years to visit family so I know what is slow and what is bad. You are both."   The conversation went downhill from there :-) 

As another poster said, I would ask any prospective Realtor do they own investment properties in the area and ask them to tell me about their last couple of investment properties they bought in the area. Don't fall for the one who says, "I work with investors all the time." They ALL say that even if they just passed the exam that morning. As a Realtor here in the Bay Area since 2004 if I ever took 3 hours, let alone 3 days to write up an offer the client would walk and I would not blame them. 

If you want I am more than happy to get you the names of a couple of Realtors in Cleveland that own investment properties in Cleveland and have had great success at working with folks from the Bay Area.