Hey all - I've been trying to determine how many agents focus primarily on investment properties. I know that there are some of you out there, but it is certainly a specialized field.

I'm just curious to hear from any of you out there. Do you find that most of your clients are newbie investors or experienced, repeat business? Thoughts?

Some agents acquire rehab listings and then get investors who call on the property. If you don't have rehab listings, you can just put yourself in investment circles:

1. Start investing for yourself

2. Build close relationships with service people investors use (property managers, lawn service companies, handymen, contractors)

3. Get involved in local investment groups.Yahoo Groups also has clubs online, but many are just group spam.

4. Take part in online investment forums like REIclub, creativerealestate, mrlandlord, landlording.com, etc.

It's just like any niche. Figure out who you want to target (price range, type of property, type of investment), and farm it.

Dee - I think you missed the point here. I'm just interested in learning about the clients of realtors who work primarily with investors. I'm not currently a realtor - not looking for clients. Just looking to find out some info.

I have a real estate investing site with a forum for investors, and I wanted to learn more about what many of the realtors who work with investors find to be their clients biggest needs. What drives them? I think you just misread the post. No biggie. Anyone???

Most of my clients started out as newbies, now a majority of my business is repeat buyers. Most new clients that come to me are just getting started, occasionally I get a new client that is an experienced investor that isn't pleased with the job their agent is doing, and they want someone who specializes and understands working with investors.

Their needs are usually simple, they want to be made aware of new listings, return their calls in a reasonable time frame, submit any offers for them, some want comps, some don't.

Most have different goals, but when you step back and look at what drives them, it always boils down to being better off finacially.

I have a mix of experienced investors but mainly first-time investors. The great thing about specializing in investment is they tend to flip the properties more often. It's done for income purposes and then they purchase larger or greater quantities of property. This week I am meeting with a newbie investor that wants to invest for their childrens future and not leave them with debts. Next week I have a seasoned investor from San Fransisco that plans to buy 3 more properties in my area. He currently has 2 rentals in the Bay area. I have a newbie investor that started with me last summer and now owns almost 3 million in Real Estate. She's flipping 2 fourplex's in a month to buy 3-5 single family homes. I just got off the phone with a contractor that owns 75 units in town and is building 80-120 duplex's.
They all want the same result and that is tax advantages and passive income.

Maybe next time, the question can be more straight-forward like the second. My clients are usually experienced, but I keep a couple first time investors. I work with only a few first time folks at a time because I'm very busy and they're very close to having needs similar to first-time home buyers.

As far as your second post, it's tough to answer without being long-winded. They just want to make money and be financially independent.

I have worked almost exclusivly with investors for several years. Over the last couple of years I have seen an infulux of new investors near retirement age. They lost their retirement in the stock market, and have recently determined it's not going to get back where it was any time soon. They're pulling out of stocks and getting into real estate. Many have been very interested in setting up a self-directed IRA to be able to pull money out to invest in real estate without paying penalties- I'm still researching that. They are conservative- not interest in 0 down techniquues- they just want to rebuild their retirement quickly with minimal risk.

BTW- With my clients working toward a retirement income we are concentrating on fast equity first- which in my town means new construction on the north end. When they are ready to retire we will flip the properties for cash flow properties. (Not nearly as good appriciation rate here- probably due to low rents- due to low interest rates)

Our area has had a boom of investors from CA or FL who are cashing out and doing 1031s. They want to buy in Texas (Houston, San Antonio, or Austin) since properties are much less expensive.

I encourage investors to keep their money in California and in the Central Valley. Property is still affordable and appreciation tops anywhere else in the nation, except Las Vegas which I hear is losing steam.

How much are properties going for? Can you buy a home under 200k?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, I was lead to believe that with new restrictions California was not able to transact 1031s outside the state.

You can do the 1031 exchange. http://www.realestatejournal.com/columnists_com/buildingvalueqa/20031001-smith.html

The difference is that the future sale of the property can trigger capital gains. "...things get more complicated when it involves an exchange with relinquished and replacement properties in different states, Mr. Weller points out. In Georgia, deferral of taxes on gains from a property sale is possible in a 1031 exchange only when the replacement property is located in Georgia. In California and Oregon, if in-state property is exchanged for out-of-state replacement property, a future sale of the replacement property can trigger an obligation to pay the state tax deferred on the original exchange."