Finding a good agent...

Last night I was super excited that I set appointments to meet with real estate agents and start getting information from them. My first meeting with an agent was a bit of a mood killer. He mentioned that he'd heard of Dean's program and had completed one a few years back that was similar - and he really wasn't thrilled with his program. I felt like we went in circles for a while: I was trying to get him to send me likely MLS properties and he kept insisting that MLS was probably not the best place to find a deal and kept asking what other ways I had of finding properties. I mentioned bandit signs, craigslist, referrals, etc. Ultimately, he suggested I get my real estate license & had me meet the manager of his office. My final impression of him was that he didn't make a go of real estate investment and got into retail instead. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that, but I think it's made him more prone to discourage new investors and to point them toward retail as well - rather than working with them.

It made me appreciate even more the advice from the seminars and books to let the words of naysayers roll off my back. After our meeting ended, I went to a quiet coffee shop and made a few more calls to real estate agents. And the first person I talked to was the most enthusiastic of all! She answered all the questions I got from Dean's blue print in 30 Days, and she clearly believes that my area does have good potential for profit. She even mentioned that she has a couple of properties that haven't hit the market yet that she can give me the specs on.

So far I have contacted 6 agents out of the 9 offices I've called. I feel really positive about 2 of them so far. Can't wait to continue seeing what they send me and meeting them.

Looks like my mom will be checking out title companies. I know several people who have buyers, and I have strategies to find my own buyers. Things are coming together!