Work With One Agent or On Your Own

[Anthony Jentsch]

I'm wondering what is the best approach when searching for commercial/multi-family units as investment properties in NJ. My experience has always been in sfh and always used my residential realtor for most deals. Is it best to use the same approach and use one person to assist in finding your deals or reach out yourself to sellers and selling agents?

[Michael G.]

I look at everything I can get my hands on! 

- All the popular websites (Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Trulia.com, Loopnet, etc....)

- County Auctions (both live and online via the upcoming schedule of homes to be auctioned)

- Tax records to see how much homes I've been following actually sold for. There could be a delay here so write them down!

My approach is to not depend on any single source - I've learned to consolidate the above and after years of tracking both the listings and what they actually sold for (county records).  This has allowed me to develop my own benchmark, making my analysis strong and more accurate. I must disclose, this is difficult and time consuming to accomplish for multiple areas (cities or counties) so i'd start focusing on a single area in which you have interest in. Over time repeating the above process will make you an expert in an area. You will begin to identify good deals and have confidence to accurately price an investment position that works for you.

This is why I said if you do your homework and put the time in, you will find a good deal.