All Forum Posts by: Doug Merriott

That depends on what neighborhood it is in. 2 story Key West style house at $59k screams a good deal to me, unless it is in a horrible neighborhood and the termites only left enough standing so the place will not collapse. 

Their website won't even load up... Not good sign in my humble opinion.

I believe that a new agent/investor would want the best training, the best support and the best opportunities at residual income. That is the reason I chose Keller Williams. To comment on what Gabriel had mentioned about if the brokerage is not profitable then there is no profit sharing, then you have to make the brokerage profitable and sell more!

Ha ha! I thought you looked familiar @Amanda Sutherlin but the picture is so small it was hard to recognize you.

you are a Rock Star, we talked about your success story one night at Pete and Shorty's. 

See you around.

@Jay Lohn That is a snazzy little tool that you show in the pictures. Thanks for that. 

Thank you for the recommendations @Amy Davidson and @Account Closed  and I have attempted to assist Pavel. He has a lot of things going for him including a very well defined criteria. Unfortunately his criteria does not match up well with Pinellas County. I have suggested that he look in Pasco County and the Gibsonton/Apollo Beach areas to meet his criteria. If any agents are available to help him out please do reach out. I have seen his preapproval and he is ready to act now.

@Michael King you definitely have a good head on your shoulders that is a plus. You are surrounded by sources of positive information. Just remember that one deal as a Realtor will more than compensate for the $1600 that you would make as a teller at a credit union. That is a pretty lower barrier of entry. I have to replace nearly that much per week if I wanted to go full-time. You will also have a lot more exposure to deals WHEN you are consistently talking real estate. You will have the time to call FSBO, I personally never hesitate to ask a FSBO if they will carry financing.

KW's training is what you make it. You are encouraged to call FSBO, expireds, knock on doors, you are trained to know the ins and outs of a sales contract, you are trained to market yourself. You are encouraged to timeblock 3 or 4 hours a day to cold-calling and lead generating activities. Sounds kind of familiar... Wait a second, that training sounds like it could be good for an investor...

Always make sure you are talking with other investors of all stripes too. Learn from those that did or do creative financing. Go to REIA meetings and your local Meetups.

You might get the warning that you will never be able to get a traditional loan, which is not true. I was at a REIA on Wednesday and a rep from a local lender was talking about a product specifically for 1099 workers that just needs a couple of years of bank statements to prove income.

Grab this bull by the horns and you will never go hungry again!

Congrats man. That is pretty awesome!

@Jamie S. Welcome to Bigger Pockets. It looks like you got quite the  red carpet greeting so I will simply say welcome!

Most Realtors do just 4-5 transactions per year and make about $20k. Many, including me, practice real estate in their spare time. My goal is to do 4-5 transaction per month. My goal is to provide a level of service that makes my clients feel comfortable, proud and grateful for choosing to use me as their Realtor. I think that goals separate the 4-5/year, just get by crowd from those that choose excellence. 

Many of my investor friends deride Realtors, sometimes even in good humor. The fact of the matter remains that 9 out of 10 houses are sold using Realtors. I don't see this changing any time soon. A good agent is more than just a robot that enters information in the MLS. A good agent can tell a tale of your home that will interest the internet viewer to want to come by and take a look. A good agent can take photos or hire a great photographer to highlight your homes best points. A good agent can steer you to deals, whether they are on the MLS or wholesale. A good agent looks out for your best interests before their own.

In a world where many folks are more and more overworked I don't see people wanting to take the time to show their home, or figure out contracts and disclosures. I don't see people relocating to new cities driving around aimlessly trying to find a good home in a good neighborhood.

As far as the fees I will just quote a friend of mine who introduced himself at a REIA meeting immediately after a $295 listing service guy, he said; "I am a Realtor and I charge 6%, because I am worth it.". If you don't value your Realtor's service, fire them.

Realtors are not essential, but neither is your car. You can buy a home without a Realtor just like you can get to work without your car but both will make the journey a whole lot easier. 

Hey Patrick,

First of all thank you for your service and welcome to Bigger Pockets!

St Pete has changed quite a bit in the past five years. The market is interesting. I hope that it has calmed a little when you come home.

Doug