Realtor recommendation for condo/SFH in Houston/Katy area

[Manzur Y.]

Hello all,

I am looking to get 1 or 2 condos or single family homes in the Katy or surrounding Houston areas. I am working with a realtor now, but she is not being very helpful. After identifying potential properties, I need her to go and check out the property. However, a week has passed without any action on her part.

I doubt good properties are going to sit around for that long. I signed a representation agreement with her, is that binding in the sense that I cannot work with any other realtor in Houston? If so, I am willing to cancel out of it.

Could anybody recommend good realtors in the Katy/Houston area, who can help me find my target properties without giving me a lot of runaround?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Ann Watkins]

Thanks for the shout out @Sharon Tzib you're a sweetie!…funny thing is I’d written a post earlier and it simply would not post. Your kind mention must mean I should chime in. There are some great realtors on this site and I’m sure he will find someone he feels compatible with.

@Manzur Y. I’m sorry to hear you had such a disappointment with your realtor. Often times we sign up with new investors thinking we can fulfill their needs and at some point instead of having that “come to Jesus talk” and saying look we’re just not compatible, just not a good team and I don’t think I can best serve your needs…we simply end communication. That is unprofessional and gives us all a bad label. I always make sure my clients know that while I work for you…both you and I can end this relationship if either of us feels our needs are not being met. It’s only fair, right? Clients are good...but referrals are better. I’ve had clients I parted ways with, refer me to others and we worked out fine.

Now let me ask you, how well do you know the Katy market…both of them…as there is the old Katy and the new Katy? The latter being the more desirable and thus more attractive to renters. A lot of folks think just saying I want to buy in Katy assures high property values and the much sought after Katy school district. It doesn’t. You could buy Katy and wind up in a different school district.

I just ran the townhomes/condos and there is nothing which has sold for $90k or less since January of 2013, perhaps further back. Granted there are several “interesting” listings for homes less than $90k, but they all need work or are in neighborhoods plagued with short sales. Before a short sale there is often deferred maintenance…so even the best of these will probably need work before they would be considered rent ready.

You mentioned you had cash from a home equity loan. Is that cash in the bank…or the plans you have to get the money once you find the home? The latter won’t work…even if you find the home that meets all your parameters; there will be stiff competition…with “ready” cash. If you haven’t already done so, do the loan and have the proof of funds letter ready for your next realtor. Trust me when a client can show bank backed proof of funds…realtors will treat them soooo differently, than that HML letter of promise. (Don’t judge me…lol)

I work with the banks and know when the good ones are coming on the market (sort of sucks because I cannot buy my own listings) and sometimes there are investors already lined up way before the listing hits the internet, so you have to be ready to move fast. So that’s my $.02…okay a nickel.

Good luck in your endeavors and if you decide you’d like the listings I ran, just PM me and I will gladly send them to you. NSA.