All Forum Posts by: Jonathan Greene

@Corbin Wafford - you will be able to tell from how they talk about investing. Do they even know about Bigger Pockets? Do they have any investor/client flips going on now? All of my clients know my investment portfolio and where I invest and why. As an agent, I dig for deals to service my investors. Yes, an agent will not say they will take the A deals, but if they have a lot of their own deals going locally, instead of client deals, they will be taking the A deals.

@Corbin Wafford - the only drawback to an agent with investor experience is if they are too active. If they are you will get the B and C deals and they will take the A deals for themselves. I don't invest in my market area right now because I want to give all opportunities to my investor clients. If my top people pass or are too busy, I may take a look at it for myself. So yes, they should understand the needs of an investor to be able to help you and that usually means they do it themselves.

I agree with @Carter Crowley - good agents, the ones you will stick with and never question what they get paid, will never negotiate their commission because they earn it. @Chris Igard - you are just working with the wrong agents. The seller pays the commission as well so most of the time there isn't anything a buyer's agent can do about it.

From the other side, if a buyer/investor asks me to cut my commission, I already know they don't value the work that I put in and I let them go so it can go both ways. When you find the right agent, you will never question what they get paid by the seller and on the listing side, you will know that they earned it through marketing and results.

@Corbin Wafford - just be honest with them and let them know you are looking for a different angle from your agent or to start fresh with someone else. Even if you signed a buyer agency agreement, they aren't enforceable so just be honest and move on.

When looking for an investor-friendly agent, ask them if they invest and when they say yes, ask them where they have properties. Ask them if they flip, buy and hold - if they understand what you want to do, you will know right away. An investor-friendly agent talks the talk and understands comps, block values, rehab costs, etc. If they don't, they won't help you.

Many agents are too lazy for investors because it takes seeing a lot of properties and running a lot of comps, but that is because they aren't seeing the big picture.

@Jamal Momon - we are planning on doing monthly events. More info coming soon. It was great!

Link to photos from the event - https://www.facebook.com/gosselingreene/posts/1331...

@Kebron Girma - in my market 90 days out from an auction date is meaningless because they get continued on average about 5 times. If the upset value is high I already know they won't get sold and will end up as an REO and you won't have much traction with the bank at that point. I like the early notice of defaults to give them a variety of options by seeing what they need - do they need to be out fast and be done with it, do they need to make the most money, do they need to beat a short sale possibility. If you can meet their needs, that is what those preforeclosure deals will be about if you can get an audience.

@Kebron Girma - what are you classifying as pre-foreclosure leads? If it's just Notice of Defaults through local records or a web service, I wouldn't really call those leads. Pre-foreclosure is kind of a created entity since a portion of those homes will not get foreclosed on because the homeowner will resolve it. Sometimes a "lead" marked as pre-foreclosure is a long way from accepting the fact that they have fallen behind or defaulted. Also, pre-foreclosure does not signal desperation yet and desperation is what makes foreclosure opportunities happen on your side.

@Austin Richey - PM me and I will send you a great investor-friendly realtor in Orlando if that's close enough. He scouts properties for me right now in the area. P.S. - I lived in Plantation for 5 years back in the day!

@Pauline Jones - there are some good opportunities in the 100k range to rehab and do well on a hold strategy only 30 minutes from NYC in areas like Newark, East Orange, and Orange for two-family units. Let me know if I can help.

@Stanley J Okazaki - I would be happy to connect you with a strong agent in the LA area who could be a good resource for a new agent with an investing background. PM me and I will send you his info.

In terms of investment focused brokerages, you have to remember that the brokerage's goal is to make money, plain and simple. Many of the larger brokerages will take on anyone and may provide more training, but may not be the right fit for you and what you want to do. What is your plan? Become an agent just to work on your own deals and get MLS access or will you work with clients? This is a big factor in where you would choose to go and how to present it.