All Forum Posts by: Sam Lin

@Karim Z. I like buying 1-story SFR in NOVA and rent them out by rooms. Much easier with no HOA fees, HOA rules and possibilities to build out/up.

@Sergey Pshenichkin There are several programs in MoCo that offer grant assistance for down payment, as well as several in DC. PM me and I can recommend a few experienced loan officers for guidance.

"...don't throw away your hard earned money on an agent."

Must have had bad experiences. Selling FSBO = hiring a subpar/average agent. But hiring a quality agent? The financial, mental and time gained are worthwhile.

@Kathryn Bowden If the windows are still in good condition (it opens/closes easily, locks, and non-foggy), I wouldn't spend the money to replace them. Not all double-pane windows are created equal, and you could end up with a buyer who wanted the ultra high end ones than the ones you have - and result in no value created.

I know there are glass replacement companies out there, if the window frames are still good. They are cheaper alternatives and give a great look.

@Peter Kehr Assuming there's no additional information beyond what you provided, I would echo what @Sean Cole said - just because an agent provided a MLS list full of houses, doesn't mean every house on that list is under the procuring cause. If the first agent however took you to any of the houses and spent time to show you, and you want to work with a different realtor for one of those houses, you should definitely consider the first agent to do it. In fact the second agent should advise so if he/she is ethical.

Just throwing my 2 cents out there - I know several 'paperwork' agents who are super savvy and fast at putting in dozens of offers for investor clients, but have little to no experience in finding or evaluating deals. These paperwork agents are valued highly by some investors, but not so much by other investors.

So to echo what some have said already - it's all about compatibility, not whether an agent is good or bad.

Normally I'd suggest filing a complaint with MHIC - but if you're looking for speedy result, you may want to sit down with the contractor and work out a plan. 

@Gary Harris What area are you mentoring in? Wholesaling? Getting leads? Closing deals? Or everything in between? How much are you charging people locally?

And are you mentoring people who are taking action but need some guidance? Or people who are just thinking or learning? 

I don't think you have much to worry about - you may find worse splits from larger brokerage, but you typically pay your own license and association fees, lockboxes, marketing flyers, etc. So the brokerage isn't paying for a whole lot to keep you, but the good ones will give you support when you need it.

Take advantage of brokerage that offers recorded training classes. Obviously in-person training is always better as you can ask questions right away, but doing this part-time, you need to reap whatever benefits the brokerage is providing.

@Brandon L. Just throwing an idea out there - if you happen to join a larger or recognizable brokerage, you'll find a good supply of new agents every few months. Then you can build your own group and find out what works and what doesn't.

Outside of brokerage? There are plenty of realtor-related events across the DMV area, and if you're part of the NAR or GCAAR or PGCAR or NVAR etc, you'll find plenty.