Real Estate Agents?

[Edward Briley]

I am just wondering how many investors have problems with real estate agents showing low cost real estate?  I buy properties for investment, or to flip, many are properties that are in foreclosure. I have the money to buy the properties in cash, however, I normally offer less than the listing price of the properties.  (I have to make the numbers work). It is very difficult for me to find an agent to show me these properties at times.  No matter if it is the listing agent or another agent.  My normal response is that "I am busy today, maybe I could show it to you tomorrow or one day next week".  I am always told to drive by it and look at it and let them know if I would care to look at it, I do this before I ever contact them. I feel like they expect me to make an offer on a property without looking at it first.  Some real estate companies even want to charge a fee to even put in a contract on the property.   I have just about had it with them.  Even when I flip a property, they just take their time in selling, even if the property is a good value, in which all of mine are, and are much better than code requires.  I am not a slum lord, and never have had a problem with a real estate agent not wanting to rent them for their fee.  I am so tired of hearing agents bragging that they sold 12 properties in the last month or them telling me about their million dollar listing they just obtained.  I think I am going to start contacting the owner of the property, and ask them to find someone that will show me the property.

[Wayne Brooks]

Realize, if by low costs you mean $30-40k properties, the net commission to the agent on a $30k property will end up at about $600 or less, before considering gas, realtor fees, normal overhead, etc.  If you want me to show 20 houses, and make offers, the work after contract acceptance, etc., I'd have a hard time justifying the time verses the income in that scenario.  More so, if like some, the target offers are so low to not even expect that ratio.