Getting Access to MLS Properties

[LaQuan Bates]

Hello Everyone,

So I am currently in the Education/Research stage of my REI career. Ive been listening to alot of BP Podcasts and reading the House Hacking Strategy Book. Ive been reading alot about getting access to the MLS Database as a investor and how you should have your agent set you up with email alerts. Im very new to the DMV area and currently do not have a agent. My Question is how do I approach a agent and ask to be set up with email alerts? Will this cost me anything? Will they expect me to purchase a house within a certain time period? I want to be set up with these alerts to get a better understanding of the market and whats out there. Thanks for your help!

[Mike Shahi]

As Ray stated, be upfront. You should start getting in touch with a good agent who can guide/mentor you through your REI journey. Some agents are just trying to make the sale- many are patient and will tell you when a deal is worth it or not. When I was searching for my DC home years ago, I actually picked multiple agents to work with. You'll get a good feel of who knows what. I went with an agent who followed up every other day to see if I had questions about a particular house, area etc....he knew the areas well and was quick to follow up with calls and emails. When it came down to my decision, it was between 2 homes and he advised me to purchase the home I'm in now which ended up being an excellent decision. My house has appreciated faster than the the other house I would have chose- neighborhood changed quickly and is one of the hottest DC neighborhoods to live in. My equity has doubled since 2013. The other house- not so much

As far as tools- I personally came across 2 sites that offer something very similar to MLS and have other fantastic tools built in. Google Propelio and REIPro. They offer trial versions of their software and have been very helpful. Propelio also has an academy of free classes that you can take to further your real estate education. Of course there's going to be a monthly fee (about $100) a month to continue to use the software but it's good to get familiar now so when you're ready, you know what to shoot for. We can talk further at the MD meet up