BiggerPockets

Originally posted by Andrew S

Is it possible for me to ask an investor RE agent to find comps for me in order to find out whether or not properties I look at are really deals or not and what amount I should be offering for them/how they should be valued?

Not only is it "possible," but it's also reasonable...

If you have an agent that will be submitting offers for you, and will be earning commission on your transactions, that agent should be willing to pull comps and advise you on what a property is worth and what you should be offering.

That's part of the job of any agent who works with investors...

Thanks for the responses. I should have pointed out that I don't plan on using the agent for anything more than this. So is it still ok to ask to do that? Maybe if I'm nice and say hey here's fifty bucks can you help me out?

I think honesty is the best policy. If you are doing something you wouldn't like being done to you, don't do it. You don't want a bad experience with a local Realtor to spread like wild fire.
I think if you are honest, you can find a Realtor willing to help you. Many probably will not waste their time knowing they won't get anything out of it.
Others may try to negotiate a deal out of it, and some may do it in the hopes of future business.
Remember it never hurts to ask.
Good Luck!

I have been considering doing this as well. I don't intend on using an agent as I will assign my contracts. Until I am 100% comfortable with my farm area however, I will need assistance with values.

What would anyone here suggest is a good starting $ offer... how much per hour or per comp? This could really add up because when starting out, making many offers is key.

Thanks!
Danielle C

finest expert, zillow, and most of the internet based quick value web sites are normally quite a bit off, Finestexpert in my experience in my area is pretty accurate on rental rates, this is just my area, you need to be very comfortible with the price you come up with, and no website is going to just give you the magic number.
-Scott

The problem I found with "finest expert's" rental rates is this: Just because the beds and baths are the same, and the zip code is the same, does not mean it is a true comp! Things like square footage, parking, A/C, W/D, dishwashers, year built / renovated, etc all impact how much rent you can get. Once you see that such things aren't used in their classifications ...

Anyway, "finest expert" was saying that because newer and bigger 3 bed/1 baths were going for $1400 in a certain zip (those were the comps they had), that the REO I was checking out would also get that rent. I got rental comps from the MLS, and saw that $1200 would be tops for that REO. Makes a big difference in this example.