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Austin Negron
  • Investor
  • Boston, MA
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3 Tips for Choosing a Realtor for Your House Hack

Austin Negron
  • Investor
  • Boston, MA
Posted Jan 14 2021, 04:13

Hi everyone. Here are what I believe to be the most important qualities of an exceptional realtor for your first house hack. 

1. Running Numbers

At a bare minimum, it's important find a realtor that generally understands the numbers, but it's even more helpful to find a realtor that will take the time to sit down with you and run the numbers together to ensure you know exactly how the financials of the deal look. If they don't know how to run the numbers of a house hack or aren't willing to take the time to sit down with you, then they probably aren't a great choice when you are making the largest financial investment of your life.  If your realtor says that 'everyone home is an investment', slap them on the face and run as fast as you can. That is a nightmare waiting to happen.  

2. Isn't Pushy

Realtors should be more transparent with their self-interest. They are looking to make money. They certainly would not be helping you pull together your house hack if they weren't going to profit on the back end. This isn't a bad thing - it's just important to be transparent about the situation. If someone says "I really don't care about the money! I care about providing value to you!" - The lie detector determined that is a lie. Ask them if they'll help you for free and see how quickly they don't care about you making a lucrative investment. 

Like I said, it's not a bad thing - the bad thing is not being aware about the reality of the situation. With that being said, if you feel like your realtor somehow thinks every property is a good deal or pushes you in a direction that makes you feel uncomfortable, then please find a realtor who is patient, calm & empathetic of your situation and emotions. 

3. Extra Mile & Responsiveness

Find a realtor that is extremely responsive that is willing to go the extra mile for you. There will be times throughout the house hack process when you have a question, and not hearing back from your realtor for 20 minutes may feel like 20 hours. It's not necessarily the end of the world, and more often then not the situation isn't as urgent as you may think, but regardless, having a realtor that is empathetic towards the fragility of the situation and responds quickly to mitigate your stress is extremely valuable and important. It may be worthwhile to ask your realtor how many clients they are currently working with. If they have 10 clients and you are the 11th, you may not get the attention and responsiveness that you need, especially if you are not a seasoned investor that's been through the process many times. 

Hope this helps! 

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