Working with real estate investors as an agent
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readInvestors want an agent who brings them deals before the market sees them, gives them real numbers fast, and sells their finished houses: that's three commissions from one relationship, the purchase, the resale, and the referrals. Find active investors in your county's deed records, and bring them sellers from lists like expired listings, which sold off-market at about 12 of every 100 within a year in the county records.
An agent who works well with investors gets paid three ways from one relationship: the purchase, the resale after the rehab, and the referrals. Here's what investors want and how to get in front of them.
What investors want from you
- Deals first. Off-market houses, pocket listings, and your expired sellers who'd take a fast as-is offer.
- Fast, honest numbers. After-repair value from real comps, and a rough repair estimate, the same day.
- A listing agent for the flip who prices to sell fast.
- No hand-holding. Experienced investors know what they want; respond fast and get out of the way.
Where to find investor clients
Every active investor in your market is in the deed records. In Harris County, Texas, our records show investor buyers who bought 17 to 28 houses each in a year; in Dallas County, the busiest bought 74. See who's buying in your county.
Bring them sellers
The sellers investors want are the ones your county records already flag. Expired listings sold off-market at about 12 of every 100 within a year across 492 counties we measured. Those are often your own expired listings, and an investor offer may be the best outcome for that seller. Are expired listings worth mailing?
Know the rules
- Disclose your license when you buy or sell for yourself.
- Represent your client's interest, not the investor's, when you're the seller's agent.
- Know your state's wholesaling rules before you work with assigned contracts. State by state.
Questions investors ask
How do agents work with real estate investors?
By finding them deals, often off-market or distressed, running quick numbers, and listing the houses they fix up. Good investor agents get repeat business every year.
How do agents find investor clients?
In the deed records: LLCs and repeat buyers in their area. Also at local investor meetups.
What do investors want from an agent?
Deals before the market sees them, fast and honest numbers on repairs and after-repair value, and an agent who'll list their flips.
Do investors pay agent commissions?
Often, on listings of their finished houses. On purchases, how buyer agents are paid now depends on the buyer agreement signed before touring, under the rules since 2024.