Should I hire a real estate agent for my first long distance purchase?

[Hubert Theodore]

Hi BiggerPockets people!

I am from the Seattle area and have found a property from a wholesaler in Indianapolis that I am interested in purchasing as an investment. This will be my first long distance purchase and planning to use my own cash for funding. 

I am wondering if I should find an agent to help me with the purchase or I should just DIY and just hire a lawyer instead to save on the closing cost.

Any advice is much appreciated!

[Alecia Loveless]

@Hubert Theodore Personally I have a realtor I use who has saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars on multiple deals and does all the scut work so I don’t have to and makes all the calls and keeps track of all the timelines for me.

If you have lots of experience perhaps you don’t need this type of service and since you’re going through a wholesaler I’m not sure there’s much more money to be saved.

Personally it’s worth a small commission to me to know I have someone covering my back.