Distinguishing A Real Estate Agent That I Can Trust

[Trey A Johnson]

Hello All,

My question has to do with how to find a trustworthy Real Estate Agent. My wife and I are currently looking to move to another state this summer and are hoping to secure a multi-family property that we can "house hack". When we were looking for an agent to help us with this search we came across an agent that is young, hungry, and after chatting with him, seems like a knowledgeable "go-getter". Well, after working with him for a month and not really getting very close to finding any great investment properties, we are beginning to wonder if he has our best interests in mind. It seems like every time we find a property where the numbers work, the agent dismisses it for whatever reason...the latest being that the home is mold infested. Now, the home may be infested! I just wonder if our agent just wants us to buy more expensive homes for his benefit...because the ones we like all need work since we are looking for homes that offer "sweat equity" and the agent has dismissed them all. I'm not looking to bash this agent's character, but it does beg the question of how do I distinguish when an agent..especially in long-distance real estate investing...is looking out for me or for themselves only? Thanks for any input. I really look forward to what y'all have to say about this :)