When's the right time to find an agent? Starting the process

[Marshal Amon]

Hello BP community!

I've been a member for awhile now but haven't gotten the chance to do exactly what I planned since beginning last year. Being in my last semester as a student, I'm looking to transition into owning a duplex I can househack and put some sweat equity into in the Columbus area this coming summer.

I saw some similar forum prompts on BP, but they were Pre-Covid. I'm not sure with Covid and the residential market being on fire if anything has changed. My question is, when is the right time to find an agent and start seriously looking around? I've searched most platforms where I can see property options (Realtor, Zillow, Redfin, etc.) and have been saving them to review them but I'm unsure of the exact process. I'm pretty green to the real estate community and I want to ensure I'm making a correct first step in my investing career. I want to bring on an agent who knows the game so I'm not "shooting in the dark" per se. 

I'm assuming the best time to find an agent is right now! So, I would love to have referrals for buying agents in the Columbus area. I'm open to having a discussion and I know your time is important. As a FYI, I'm not looking to move until June/July 2022. I have yet to find financing options but I'm looking to do that once I identify which lenders I want to go through.

Thank you in advance for the answers, I very much appreciate it!

[Michael Dumler]

@Marshal Amon I'm not based out of the Columbus market, but I agree, start connecting with real estate agents now. The market is moving fast and I don't foresee it slowing down this summer at all, even with the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) around interest rates, inflation, Russia/Ukraine, etc. there is still going to be high demand for real estate purchases. Start lining up phone calls with agents and drill them on questions about the market and how they can specifically help to source house hack deals for you. With that being said, as much as you are interviewing them, they will be doing the same to measure precautions. While any agent will certainly keep you in their pipeline, an investor-focused agent wants to work with someone who well knowing will put in aggressive offers and close on the deal. Furthermore, your agent is not going to start sending you deals until they know you have your finances in order. As you have mentioned, start networking with lenders now as well to get pre-approved and determine how much you will qualify for. Hope this helps!