All Forum Posts by: Tom Smith

Thanks for the replies guys. So it seems like this works very well for landlords, but is it risky if I were to rent sight-unseen and wire people money? I heard there can be people on craigslist that just run with the money.

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How to rent to a tenant moving in from out of state? Do we have them pay the deposit first and conduct a background/credit check? Do we have them sign the lease electronically or through email?

Conversely, if I am to rent a room or place from out of state, what should I do to secure a location? I will be taking all of my belongings in my car. I am planning to move from California to Texas...

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I have never purchased a home before and am renting right now.

Do all agents require you to get pre-qualified/pre-approved before actually showing you homes? What percentage of agents will require that you get pre-qualified and pre-approved before showing you homes in the area? Also, should you use their lenders or find your own? What are the pros and cons of each?

Thank you.

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Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

Originally posted by @Tom Smith:

Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

Originally posted by @Tom Smith:

The reason why I don't want to look at houses without someone present is because agents job is to sell you something and because of the high pressure environment. It is like buying a car. Wouldn't you rather test drive without having someone in the car with you talking to you and trying to get you to buy afterwards? Wouldn't it be great driving test driving multiple cars without having anyone there and pressuring you to buy each car you just drove instead of test driving 5+ cars?

If I become an agent myself, is that the only way to legally check out houses? I am brand new and never owned a home before so I want to look at as many houses as possible before I buy my first property.

You seem to have an almost irrational fear of sales people. My recommendation is next time you are approached by a sales person, explain to them that you have had high pressure sales people in the past and it makes you uncomfortable. Ask for them to give you space.

Most agents are not high pressure in the manner you describe. The key is communicating your needs up front to the agent. Let them know this is your first home and you want to look at many properties before buying. Make sure the agent understands you don't respond well to high pressure and that you will want to look at many houses before making a decision. Keep in mind that in a hot real estate market properties can sell quickly. Your agent may tell you, "if you are interested let's put an offer in as soon as possible". You may view that as pressure, but they are just trying to make sure you don't miss out on the opportunity. Buying a house ins't like buying a car. Houses are one of a kind and can sell quickly.

My agent walks around the house with me and points out good and bad features. He doesn't pressure me to buy. Honestly with your lack of experience, you would really benefit from an experienced agent to show you around a home.

Even if you have your real estate license, they don't just give you a magic key to let you into any house. You need to join an agency, which means you are taking a job and you would be expected to perform (sell). If you are uncomfortable even being around a sales person, there is no way you could succeed as an agent.

I don't have an irrational fear of sales people. I just know that I can spend more time viewing properties without sales people there and don't want to take up all of their time and view 10+ homes. I am the type of person who likes to view a lot of properties. What kind of agent will want to keep showing you properties for months on end? lol I just don't want to waste their time. If I told them this upfront I am sure many agents would not bother correct?

People don't just let you into their home without an agent there. In many cases, a showing needs to be scheduled ahead of time (unless it is vacant). Your agent will coordinate all this. They will ask you what you are looking for in a property and setup search criteria. They can filter houses by price, location, bedrooms, bath rooms, square feet and location. You get a list of properties and you look through the photos and locations. You pick only properties that interest you. The agent sets up the showing. An agent will have no problem showing you 10 homes or even 20 homes if that is what it takes. After you look at a home, they will ask what you like and don't like. That will help them further filter search results. The job of an agent is to help you find a home that meets your needs, not to force you to buy the first house you look at.

Of course the agent doesn't want to waste their time and I am assuming you don't either. So the goal is only looking at houses that meet your needs. In other words if the bank approves you for a $1.5 million house, they are not going to show you $2 million dollar homes. That is reasonable, right?

I am wondering, how do you know you need to look at 10+ properties over the course of months? What if the second property you look at meets all your needs? My point is it could take two house or it could take 30 houses. Since you have not even started looking, you have no idea.

If you are not ready to buy yet, then I would suggest going to open houses. That is a great way to go tire kicking and realtors will mostly leave you alone. It is also a good way to meet realtors and find one that fits your personality.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for your posts, Joe. They are all very helpful. I will start with open houses. I upvoted all of your posts and also everyone else's too. Thanks everyone for replying! :)

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Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

Originally posted by @Tom Smith:

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I just checked out rently like one of the members pointed to. Do really allow you to view the property yourself without anyone present? Are there any other services like this?

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Originally posted by @Dennis Wasilewski:

Get an agent & do showings?

What do you mean? I am asking for ways to look around houses for sale without anyone. Also, I want to know if they try to sell you things at open houses and new build showings.

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What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone? I know there are Open Houses and New Home sales offices, but can I go into these homes and look around myself without any one being there to sell me something? I have never been to an open house so are they usually trying to sell you something or do they let you look around as you like and not bother you? Are there any other ways to check out the inside of a lot of houses for sale without anyone being there?

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So you guys are saying I can just forget 90%+ of the course material after I take the license exam and I can still be a top-notch/producing real estate agent since I don't need 90% of the material to serve my clients?

I just want to know how fast I can get through the information and just pass the test. If you really don't need the information then it makes sense not to dedicate the time to really study it to remember it forever.

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All Forum Posts by: Tom Smith

Tom Smith has started 37 posts and replied 64 times.

Post: How to rent to a tenant moving in from out of state?

Post: How to rent to a tenant moving in from out of state?

Post: Do all agents require you to get pre-qualified/pre-approved befor

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

Post: Is there anything you don't use from Real Estate Agent courses?