The purpose of this article is to identify the role of the real estate agent as part of your real estate investment team of experts.

Anyone who has more than a passing interest in real estate investment will have heard horror stories about real estate agents, their dirty tricks and the ways in which they attempt to trick buyers on a daily basis.

Sure, there are some real estate agent sharks out there that cause havoc in the market and use their position as illegal leverage to get back door property deals that undercut the market. 

But rest assured there are also some very trustworthy agents in the market also and there are a few tips and tricks to help you find them.

The first trick is to deal only with the most experienced agent in the office when looking for your next real estate buy. 

This agent knows their business inside out, they have negotiated top deals and usually sell the properties in the higher end of the market -- this is the agent you want on your side.

Of course, real estate agents are a necessary evil in your real estate investment expert sphere. 

It is going to be very hard for you to get your hands on decent investment properties without the assistance of a real estate agent one way or another -- most sellers hire an agent to do their selling this means you will be dealing with agents day in and day out when you're doing the buying.

Agents are after the best commission they can gather on a sale, we all agree? 

A good thing to look for in today's market is agencies that work on a fixed commission rate so it doesn't matter if they sell a $100,000 bedsit or a $1 million mansion the amount they take away from the sale is always the same. 

These types of agents are fast becoming the favorites of the selling public who like to know their costs upfront and same too for the buying public who enjoy the fact that the agent is looking for turning over as many sales as possible in the shortest amount of time, and therefore wont be sitting around obsessing over every single dollar if they can help it.

Before you decide upon a real estate agent to connect yourself with and keep in contact with when looking for investment buys - do your homework. 

Ensure they are fully licensed and experienced. 

Know the details of their commission and watch their negotiation skills in action to determine if you feel like you can trust the way in which they operate

Be friendly, but never reveal the money you can afford to spend, remain tight-lipped on dollars until you make your offer and then stick to your ceiling price and do not budge from it. 

Remember, real estate agents are trained in the power of persuasion - keep your wits about you at all times.

My Knowledge Tips

1. Anyone who has more than a passing interest in real estate investment will have heard horror stories about real estate agents
2. The first trick is to deal only with the most experienced agent in the office when looking for your next real estate buy
3. Before you decide upon a real estate agent to connect yourself with and keep in contact with when looking for investment buys -- do your homework.
4. Be friendly, but never reveal the money you can afford to spend
5. Ensure you use Compare-Homeloans to find your ideal home loan