Wayne -There are a number of reo confrences each year which are sponsored by REOMAC, NRBA, etc...They have roundtables and intros to the asset management companies for agents...

I'd like to hear about what's different, since I think apartments are going to be a fruitful area of investment as more people go from marginal homeowners to good tenants.Jon

In California it is regular practice for agents to have new agents in their offices hold their houses open.

If you truly know what you want, and you understand the market well, and you've developed a network of people who know what you like to buy / rent / sell, then I don't see the value in paying anyone else for agency.

I spent years selling contracts on junk and on foreclosures, but anymore, I like the low hanging fruit!

Maybe I could drop my haggle room off, drop off another 10K for agent's commission and be able to reduce the price 30K to get what I'm hoping for today.

I'd look around for lower hanging fruit myself, (a place in much better condition, needing a lot less work for around the same price) unless you could get the place for a substantial discount, which, like I said, it appears you're not.

Specifically, in my county, it's very common for agents to use the FMLS and not the GAMLS.This property was listed on the GAMLS and not the FMLS.

Look for agencies that have all of their recently sold properties listed online as well as for sale as another resource.Dion, I always thought ARV and Market Value were different animals that depending on the condition of the property could end up being the value.A house with ARV of $100,000 that needs $20,000 in repair would have a Market Value of $80,000 (what it is "worth" on the market "as is") if it didn’t need the $20k the ARV and Market Value would be the same.

they worked, and took their money and invested it into apartments and homes..and now they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor...just like i take the profits from my flips and invest them into rentals,and as james plans to...it's very difficult to live on a few rentals, especially if you plan to buy more...plus, the bank wants to see additional income until you have a subsantial amount of rentals...however, if you work at it long enough, eventually you can be a buy and hold only guy, as i plan to be in a few years :)