Reputation in a Small Town

[Tim Hertz]

Hey All,

I live in a very small midwest town. I am going to start making a lot of low ball offers in my town for buy and hold rentals that meet my cap rate goals. Should I be worried about getting a reputation around town as being "the lowball guy"? Is there a way to minimize this? 

Also, I am not working with a real estate agent for buying them, as I am trying to get FSBO houses too. Should I be using an agent? What are the main pros/cons with having an agent represent me?

Thanks!

[Brandon Schlichter]

I'm in a small town, made tons of lowball offers for 5 years now. I can't keep up with all the people calling me asking me to buy their property. The big thing is whether or not people take your offer. If they do, then you're gonna have a track record of success and being 'the guy' that buys property. An alternative would be ask for seller financing (Even partial financing) to hit your cap rate goal while putting a carrot in front of a seller for a slightly higher price. I've got a 50% cap rate deal this way.