If you are starting out as a real estate investor, one lesson that is important to remember is not to try to save money on real estate agent fees and commissions by trying to sell an investment property yourself.

A mistake many novice property investors make is trying to save money by attempting to sell their property themselves. They do this in order to save some money by not having to pay real estate agent commissions or fees. They are looking at the deal from the point of view of trying to make the highest possible profit on the property. In fact, they should be concentrating on selling the property quickly so that they can move onto the next property deal in order to turn another quick profit. 

By attempting to sell a property yourself, you are taking a large and unnecessary risk. Generally, it will take you much longer to sell your property because you do not have the resources that the real estate agent will have. Also, you will be forced to waste time by showing prospective buyers through your property, and looking after the marketing of the property. This all takes up valuable time that would be better spent searching for your next deal. 

If you use a real estate agent, you will have the advantage that you will not have to spend much, if any, time on selling the property. The real estate agent will look after advertising and they will show prospective buyers through the property on your behalf. They will also list the property on the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS. This is a listing used by most real estate agents to advertise all their properties. The listing includes many properties for sale and this in turn attracts a large number of prospective buyers to search through the listing. With a large number of prospective buyers searching through the MLS every week, you will have a much greater chance of selling your property quickly. 

Selling your property through a real estate agent will allow you to develop a good relationship which could prove invaluable for finding future profitable property deals. 
These days, more and more real estate agents are offering a flat fee for selling properties rather than the commission based on a percentage of the sale price of the property. This provides you with the opportunity to negotiate a reduced flat fee for the sale of each of your properties by agreeing to sell all your properties through that real estate agent. 

If you want to sell your properties yourself without the assistance of a real estate agent, then you will need to learn the most effective ways of selling your properties. You should take out advertisements in the real estate classifieds section of the local newspaper. Try running a number of differently worded advertisements, and also use a number of different newspapers. Then, when you receive calls from prospective buyers, you can ask them where they found out about the property. Keep a record so that you can determine which ads and which newspapers provide the best results. 

When you speak to prospective buyers over the phone, you’ll want to find out how serious they are about your property. Many callers may just be starting out in real estate investing or they may just be considering it. You only want to talk with investors who are truly interested in buying your property. You do not want to waste time with others. Ask these callers questions about their investment experience. These questions may include:

• How many houses do you buy each year?
• Do you use your own capital or do you borrow?
• What renovation experience do you have?
• How soon can you buy a suitable property?

You should also keep a record of these details. You can then build a database of potential buyers of your future properties. 

When starting out as a real estate investor, it’s best to utilize professional services such as real estate agents whenever you can. They can help you sell your property quickly so that you can move onto the next deal. They can also prove to be an invaluable source of leads for any future property deals.

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