I am a new real estate agent - What makes a good investor agent?

Question

Hi everyone, I am a new real estate agent I've been listening to bigger pockets for a few years now and I really want to serve the investors in my area. Investors, What do investors look for in an agent and where have you found or met your agents?

Andrew Freed · Answer

Connections, connections, connections. If you're an investor focused agent, you better have a great insurance broker, foundation guy, electrician, plumber, unit turn expert, leasing agent etc all in your back pocket. You need to be a one stop shop for your clients and have all the resources readily available. Say the foundation is shot during an inspection... dont worry i got a foundation guy to check it out. Or I cant lease my unit, no worries... i have a great leasing agent. This is what separates the average investor focused agent from the great one in my opinion. If you provide solutions and value, opportunity will come.

Mark Updegraff · Answer

Most agents think “investor-friendly” means knowing how to calculate a cap rate.

The really useful agents know enough about operations to help kill bad deals quickly.

Learn actual rents, taxes after sale, insurance, utilities, zoning/CO issues, leases, repair costs, financing constraints and what management will realistically cost. Build a good bench of contractors, lenders, attorneys and property managers too.

But probably the most important skill is being willing to tell your client, “I wouldn’t buy this.”

Some of my strongest investor relationships came from the properties I talked people out of, not the ones I sold them.

Kevin George · Answer

Real talk, the fastest way to earn trust with investors isn't networking harder, it's being able to talk numbers without stumbling. Investors can tell in the first 2 minutes if you actually know rehab costs and comps or if you're just repeating what your broker told you.

So build yourself a cheat sheet. Rough rehab cost per square foot for cosmetic vs full gut in your market, a simple rent comp process you can run in 10 min, and a go to line for when they ask "will this cashflow" so you're not freezing up. Takes a weekend to put together and you'll use it on every single deal after.

Also go ride along with a GC or two on an estimate if you can. You'll learn more watching someone walk a house for 30 min than a year of listening to podcasts.

This stuff compounds fast once you have it written down somewhere instead of in your head. Happy to go deeper on any part of this if you want.

Kevin George · Answer

Andrew's right that it's all about connections but I'd push it one step further. Don't just keep your contractor/lender/inspector network in your head, actually write it down. A simple doc with names, what they're good at, how fast they respond, and any pricing notes. New agents lose so much of this knowledge because it's all in their head and then they get busy on a deal and forget who was actually good. Investors notice real fast when an agent can pull up a solid name in 30 seconds versus scrambling. It's a small thing but it compounds over the first year. Lmk if you want me to go deeper on any of this.

Drew Sygit · Answer

#1 - having the knowledge to actually be "investor-friendly" vs "commission-friendly"🙃

Majority of agents are nothing more than showing coordinators.

How can YOU actually help an investor:

1) Find below market opportunities?

2) Properly analyze a potential rental purchase?

3) Know what specific investor/landlord clauses to include in the purchase contract you writeup for them?

Caleb Brown · Answer

1) Having referrals for GC, lender, PM, etc.

2) Understanding the various strategies.

3) Knowing how to run comps and don't inflate the ARV.

4) Understanding basic #'s. Each investor is different but investors will need you to have a grasp on basic numbers.

5) Being able to spot red flags and identify a turd.

6) Being boots on the ground and available to step in.

G. Brian Davis · Answer

The biggest thing is having an agent who understands how investors think. I want someone who knows the local market, understands the numbers, and will tell me when they think a deal doesn’t make sense. I’d much rather have an agent challenge my assumptions than just tell me every property is a great deal. If you want to work with investors, I’d spend time around them, learn what they’re looking for and be useful. Once people know they can trust you and you won’t waste their time, the relationships tend to grow from there.

Marcus Auerbach · Answer

I was an investor for many years, before I quit my job and got licensed and started working as an agent - of course with a focus on investors.

1.) Bringing good deals to investors is overrated: the reaction usually is "meh, looks okay. do you have anything better?"

2.) Investors are happy to take your drywall guy's information with little appreciation and don't realize that you spent 2 years and a lot of money on 3 bad drywallers before you found one good one.

3.) Knowing rehab costs: if you have done 20 rehabs and know what stuff costs, that is extremely valuable.

4.) Market rents: knowing with confidence what a place will rent for is valuable. Online estimates are always off, sometimes 200 or more.

5.) Most investors are not agent-friendly. You have to bring so much more skill, work harder and will earn less then with residential clients. There is a reason I moved on to luxury properties. It's literally 10x the pay, I don't have to carry when I go to showings and wade through wet basements filled with trash and pet feces.

Divin Kanyama · Answer

Great question, @Kyle Kroeker . Investors want an agent who understands the numbers—not just someone who opens doors. Learn to assess rent, expenses, cash flow, renovation costs, ARV, and neighborhood demand.

Be responsive, honest, and willing to say when a deal does not make sense. Stand out with strong comps, useful opportunities, reliable connections, and consistent follow-through.

Meet investors through local meetups, BiggerPockets, Facebook groups, lenders, property managers, and investment-property open houses. Lead with useful market insights, not a sales pitch.

You do not need to know everything immediately. Master one or two local strategies, be transparent about what you are learning, and consistently help investors make better decisions.

I am a new real estate agent - What makes a good investor agent?

I am a new real estate agent - What makes a good investor agent?

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