Hello and thanks for your question. I must agree with Jerry Flynn, the seller’s agent has the seller’s interest at heart; however it is not unusual for the buyer & seller to be represented by the same agent, as long as it is fully disclosed & agreed to by both clients in writing.

If I were considering the purchase of a home, I would select an agent that is intimate and very knowledgeable with the area that I am looking to purchase in. I would also look for an agent that specialized in the BANK OWNED Market, an agent that is internet savvy-to keep me posted of any new inventory that might suit my needs, has access to the properties by way of key, knows how to prepare a BANK OWNED Contract (they are different), and is aware of what the bank requires from the buyer prior to considering the offer. FYI--98% of the homes that are being sold are BANK OWNED, that being said, do your homework.

In the West Contra County Market there are several REALTORS that are offering BANK OWNED HOME TOURS; they don't require that you buy from them; however they do require that you be APPROVED for the purchase. Our office offers Daily Bank Owned Home Tours, our bus leaves the Hercules Office at 10 AM, we ONLY view BANK OWNED Homes, on the average we view 4-7 Homes/Condos, the tour last 90 minutes-We have access to every home that we view. The Bank Owned Homes that are toured, are selected based on the interest of the passenger, YUP a custom tour! We tour daily and on Weekends. Investor type properties are toured on Wednesdays.

All the Bank Owned Transactions I have experienced were required to be purchased in AS IS CONDITION. Banks are not too willing to make any repairs to the property; however they are willing to adjust the price if the condition of a large ticket item were at questions.

Best of Luck to you in your home search. I do hope that I addressed your question.

Mdolan,

The listing agents are looking out for the best interest of the sellers. Your agent would be looking out for your best interest.

If you contact me I will be glad to guide you through the process of buying an investment property and doing all the searching for you, to find you the best deal out there. With 33 years of experience in the Real Estate Profession, I think I can give you some insight. I have been in Contra Costa County since 1975, and specialize in educating Buyers the Best way I know how. One step at a time.

So give me a call and let's get started Mdolan. My contact information is:

Jerry Flynn
Old West Realty Inc.
925-820-6550
oldwestinc@yahoo.com
http://housebiz.ca

NO... don't use the listing agent. Oh, gosh, please have your own agent.

Yes, banks sell as is.

Realtytrack lists homes that are in a stage of default, that DOES NOT mean they are homes available for sale.

Find an agent that seems to understand investing - can run some numbers for you to advise on cash flow, etc. If you're using a loan to purchase, insist that the appraisal you pay for includes the income approach as well as the sales comparison approach; and make your offer contingent on that.

See the post below on buying REOs