All Forum Posts by: Angela Gennari

Hi Travis,
Jake had a fantastic, thorough answer, and I echo what he advises. In my opinion, this is an ethical question, because at the end of the day, you are probably not going to be coming out ahead financially by NOT using a realtor, because the commission was already determined in the listing agreement. However, you will not have anyone protecting your interests in the transaction (dual agency is in most cases not a good idea, and the listing agent's broker may have rules prohibiting it, as many of them are doing now for ethical and liability reasons). Tons of buyers find properties on their own online now, but that is by far not the only reason to use a Realtor. If you have a good relationship with your agent, I say you bring them into the deal. Loyalty, trust and ethics are an essential part of this business if you are interested in investing long-term.

To echo what others were saying, only licensed real estate agents/brokers can usually access MLS (but varies by state, I assume), and in our private remarks, it often tells us what type of listing it is (REO/Short Sale, etc). This typically does not show up on Realtor.com because it is information that banks and homeowners sometimes want to keep private for a multitude of reasons (security, privacy of financial matters, etc.). You may want to consider working with a licensed real estate agent in your area who is investor friendly to gain access to those listings.

As an investor and a Realtor, I say go with SFH all day long. Like you, I tend to favor the MF for the same reasons, but in looking at the market, I find that when it comes time to sell, a SFH will be much more solvent. Only other investors are likely to be interested in the MF, and there are not as many of us as there used to be making the pool of buyers fairly limited, whereas, you could sell a SFH to anyone. Also, the neighborhoods are key, an OO neighborhood will hold its value, and continued improvements will increase the value, unlike a majority rental community where capital improvements are rare and people are less likely to put down roots and make investments in their community. Thanks for asking the question, I have been pondering the same thing lately, and in responding to you, it has forced me to really think through the dilemma. Just my two cents. :roll: