finding a real estate agent for first time investor

[Josh Wing]

I live in south bend Indiana and im looking to invest in south bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart area.  I always hear everybody say that a realtor is one of the most important people you can have on your team. So if you've never bought a property how do you know if the realtor is good or not. Is it ok to start out with multiple realtors and try to weed out the bad ones. I also hear people say ask other investors but why would other investors refer you to there realtor when they could potentially lose deals to you.