Boots on the ground business idea

[Samantha Soto]

I am wanting to ascertain if there is a market for a service I am thinking about offering.  I am a real estate agent in Indianapolis and have a history of working primarily with investors.  I was thinking about starting a side job where I would act as an unbiased third party for out of state investors.  Having been an out of state investor myself, I know it can be hard to trust the people you are working with when you know they have a motivation to be selling you certain properties.  Many people worry about buying a property from out of state.  What is the neighborhood really like? Is the house in decent condition? etc.  

I was thinking of offering a service where for a fee I can go out to properties that people are interested in and do a walkthrough and preliminary inspection in addition to taking video or photographs. Although I am an agent, I would not be working with these investors as their agent, and therefore could solely be in charge of giving them an honest and unbiased assessment of the property and area. Also, since I am an agent I can get into MLS properties easily.

Is this a service you would be interested in?  If so, what would you be willing to pay for such a service (per property)?  

Please let me know your thoughts and feedback.  

[Marc Winter]

IMHO:  there is need for this type of service.  Pricing: $75--100 per unit on multi, $150 on single.  Caveat: FULL DISCLOSURE--if you are licensed, disclose it, if you are NOT a home inspector, disclose it. Let the 'client' purchasing your service know you are simply providing photos or video, and any comments you make about the property and/or neighborhood (be careful about HUD discrimination laws) are you own opinion only.

When we are asked about any neighborhood, we tell the person to take a look at the photos, and Google the demographics, crime rates, school ratings, etc., and make their own judgements.

Good luck!