154. Stop! Don't Make These 7 Realtor Mistakes!

🌟 Maximize Your Success: 7 Mistakes Investors Make with Realtors! 🌟

Hey, everyone! I'm so excited to be joining you here on the first Wednesday of the new year. We're kicking this off with an open session, and I can't wait to dive into some valuable insights with all of you!

🔥 The Quote of the Day:

"We're getting rejuvenated and focused on really setting some goals that are not just achievable, but goals that are gonna stretch us a little bit to force you to achieve by making yourself better." — Niyi Adewole

📝 This year, let's commit to setting ambitious yet achievable goals that challenge us to grow. By pushing our limits and striving for excellence, we can unlock our full potential and make 2026 a year of significant accomplishments.

🎙️ Today's Topic: 7 Common Mistakes Investors Make When Choosing a Realtor

As we start 2026, it's essential to focus on setting achievable goals that stretch us and help us improve. Let's explore the common mistakes investors make when selecting a realtor.

1. Choosing a Realtor Who Cannot Negotiate Their Own Commission.

-If a realtor can't negotiate their own pay, how can you trust them to advocate for you?

2. Working with a Family Member Who's Licensed but Inexperienced.

-Choose someone with a proven track record and investment experience, not just a license.

3. Not Asking How the Realtor Analyzes Deals.

-Ensure your realtor can demonstrate their deal analysis process to build your trust.

4. Ignoring Exit Strategy Conversations.

-Discuss your long-term goals and potential exit strategies right from the start.

5. Working with a Realtor Who Lacks a Strong Investor Network.

-A realtor with a solid network can provide valuable resources and connections.

6. Treating the Relationship as Transactional.

-This should be a long-term partnership, not just a one-time transaction.

7. Working with a Realtor Who Does Not Understand Investment Financing.

-Understanding financing options is crucial for making informed investment decisions.

🏡 Key Takeaways:

• Focus on building a long-term relationship with your realtor.
• Ensure they have a strong understanding of investment financing.
• Don't hesitate to ask questions about their processes and strategies.

⚛️ Why This Matters:

As we move into 2026, being proactive and informed about the real estate market is crucial. Set yourself up for success by avoiding these common mistakes!

🗓️ Tune in every Wednesday at 7 PM Eastern! Don’t miss out on our journey toward financial freedom through smart investments.

👉 Hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you never miss an update! Let’s unlock your potential together!

Our Links

➣ Financial Freedom Mastermind Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/53083...

➣ Peer Space Host Referral Link https://www.peerspace.com/referrals/g...

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➣ Ekabo Home Network (IG, Youtube, Email) https://linktr.ee/ekabohome

Niyi Adewole is a licensed realtor in Georgia, brokered by EXP Realty. Feel free to reach out at Niyi.Adewole@exprealty.com if you would like to work with an investor friendly real estate agent.

Chapters

• 0:00 New Year Kickoff & Format
• 1:05 Why Investor-Friendly Realtors Matter
• 1:46 Mistake 1: Commission Negotiation
• 2:24 Mistake 2: Choosing Unproven Family
• 3:09 Long-Term Partnership & Network Value
• 3:35 Mistake 3: No Deal Analysis Method
• 4:29 Mistake 4: Skipping Exit Strategy
• 5:19 Mistake 5: Weak Investor Network
• 6:25 Mistake 6: Transactional Mindset
• 7:19 Mistake 7: Ignoring Financing Tools
• 9:03 How The Team Helps & CTA
• 9:29 Weekly Schedule Reminder

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Financial Freedom Master Money Group Podcast. Here we're all about breaking free from the 40 to 50 year work grind and accelerating our journey towards financial freedom. Join us every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern as we explore different types of investments that can fast track your path to financial independence. We serve as a hub for connecting with fellow members during our sessions so you can share successes, ask questions, and keep the momentum going.

SPEAKER_01: 0:27

Good evening, everyone. This is Niigi Adwale, host of the Yakaba Home Financial Freedom Mastermind Podcast Group. And I'm so excited to be joining you here on the first Wednesday of the new year. We're kicking this off with a bang, coming back to you with an open session. And we're just excited to be back. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but we spent the past two weeks getting rejuvenated and focused on really setting some goals that are not just achievable, but goals that are going to stretch us a little bit to force you to achieve by making yourself better. And so I'm super excited to attack 2026 with all of you. And I'm pumped to start joining the calls on Wednesdays. And so we're going to be bringing on some more guests this year. Last year we kind of slowed down on the guests, but now we're already lining up a whole myriad of guests that are going to start appearing. At least one guest a month will be on the podcast. So I'm excited about that. And then when you look at even some of the topics we're going to cover, we're going to see if we can't pack in as much content and pack in as much value as we can for you. And so to kick off today, we're actually going to talk about the seven common mistakes that investors make when choosing a realtor, right? And this is specific to investors because when it comes to selecting a realtor, there's so many people out there with their license, but not many people that can actually live up to the title of being investor-friendly realtors, which is what we do as the ACABO home team. And so one of the first common mistakes is choosing a realtor that cannot negotiate their own commission. And what I mean by this is some investors are looking for a realtor that would take a 1% commission as opposed to, you know, 3% or whatever else is negotiated. And the whole thought process behind that sounds good. Hey, I'm going to save a little bit of money. Maybe I can get that in the deal. But if that realtor can't even negotiate their own pay with you, how can you trust that person to go to the other side and negotiate the things that you want from the seller? And so I think this is a red flag. If somebody's unable to depict their value, how are they going to be able to, on my behalf, fight for what I'm looking for within a deal? Number two out of the seven red flags and mistakes that investors make for choosing realtors is working with a family member who's licensed but has never invested, right? If a family member is licensed and they've invested and they kind of have the whole network, absolutely go work with them. But if you're working with somebody just because they have their license and there's no other credential apart from that, maybe they closed one deal two years ago. I would highly rethink that proposition. When you look at this piece, you want to be partnered with somebody that's going to be able to help you long term. Can tell you that the investor-friendly realtor that I utilized for seven years in Louisville before she became my partner in a couple deals helped me in more ways than just buying real estate. Anytime there was an issue, that was the first person I called. And she had a whole network of plumbers, of roofers, electricians, of tax people that she was able to refer me to that helped me keep our properties up and running and in tip top shape that helped us achieve our goals of building that generational wealth through those properties. And that was all because she was an investor herself and out there actually in the world getting after it. And so when you look at who you choose to partner with in this journey, you want somebody that you can be with long term. Number three, not asking how that realtor analyzes deals. Now, the ACABO home team, when we do our buyer consultation with new clients, we walk through the entire buy process and we also show how we run the numbers to analyze deals. We personally use a phase one and phase two deal analyzation technique. Phase one allows us to do more high-level numbers so we can move quickly and narrow the field from a thousand properties to hey, here goes the top 10. And phase two allows us to go into microscopic detail and pull all the records. And that's what we do once we get a deal under contract while we're in due diligence and can still walk away. And so a lot of realtors may say they're investor friendly, but if you press them on it and ask, hey, how do you actually run the numbers on deals? And they can't give you a solid answer or better yet, show you, you should run the other way, right? Because they're probably just taking the word of the performer or whatever the other realtor said. And you can't trust that when you're looking to invest in your own properties. Number four, ignoring exit strategy conversations. This is something that you have to have to have to have up front when you're buying a property. And ideally, you want to have multiple exits from it, right? When you're working with an investor-friendly realtor, you want to keep the end in mind. And one of the questions that we ask is, hey, what do you want this to look like five years from now? There's certain people that come to us for their first deal and say, Hey, I want to come out here and do flips. I want to start a flipping business. And then you ask them, hey, what do you want this to look like five years from now? And they're like, oh, I just want to own a bunch of long-term rentals. I'm like, dude, if that's what you're looking to do over the next five years, then we should start by going after that. Now we can go after one that needs some work, but you should start building that portfolio now so that you can build the expertise and start to become a master in this space and move even more quickly. And so you got to know the exit and you gotta have the end in mind when you start investing. Number five, working with a realtor who lacks a strong investor network. When I look at investor-friendly realtors, anybody that has their license and is reasonably competent in closing a couple of deals a year can write an offer and can stick a sign in the yard and can and can take a phone call, right? But the true thing that sets apart the investor-friendly realtors is the fact that we're out in the field actually investing ourselves. We've built out a network of all the people that are helping us in our own business and we share that network with our clients, right? And the key is we're using and sharing people that we actually use. It's not like we're just looking somebody up on Google and saying, hey, try this guy. It's no, this person's replaced three roofs for my properties. I trust them. I know their pricing is good. You can use them. Or hey, this person no longer is in my network. They they kind of fell out of grace. They messed up a project, but I have another person that I've been using recently. Here they go. That's the key to constantly be updating that Rolodex of the different contractors and vendors that are going to help you be successful and to share that with you is a huge benefit of working with a true investor-friendly realtor. Number six, treating the relationship as transactional instead of transformational, right? It kind of goes back to when we talked about working with a licensed family member versus working with a true investor-friendly realtor that is good at their craft. When you talk about this relationship that you're building, it should be a long-term relationship. This is not one where it's like, hey, you're just going to help me get this transaction and then we're going to move on and never talk to each other again. It needs to be an ongoing thing where, hey, let's work together to accomplish your overall dreams, your five-year, seven-year, 10-year goals, little by little, step by step. And this relationship is something that you should be able to call on constantly for the needs that pop up. Because when it comes to real estate, there are things that are going to pop up. It may be smooth early on, but there's going to be something that pops up that you may need help with. And you want to have a go-to person that you're building a relationship with that can pop in and help you with that piece and ease your mind. And lastly, number seven, last but not least, working with a realtor who does not understand investment financing. I can't tell you how many new realtors do not understand the lending side. And when you look at the lending side, there's a myriad of things that you can do. Like there's so much you can do on the lending side to make a deal work that this is one of the strongest levers you can pull. For example, one of the things that we've been doing of recent years is working absolute magic with the credits, right? To lower interest rates, to get special projects done on properties to where you're not coming out of pocket for it, and to really optimize and bring in that cash flow for our clients. These are all things we we've had some deals where we've been able to get the seller to go ahead and install certain things like in-law suites and kitchenettes to where we can now rent out two spaces. And so this all comes back to understanding how the financing piece works. And we work with investor-friendly lenders and we've done so many deals, over 150 now. So we've seen just about anything that you can come across from doing bank statement loans to DSCR loans to conventional loans to FHA, VA, to doing uh 1099 loans, right? There's so much that you can do from a lending perspective, and you need to work with somebody that's done enough deals and work with enough different investors that your story is not going to be a brand new story to them, that they're going to be able to use extra tools in their tool belt to make it happen. And so those are the seven common mistakes that people make when choosing an investor-friendly realtor to partner with. And we are here as the Akaba home team covering Georgia and Florida to make sure that you don't make that mistake. So if you want to partner with us, feel free to hit the subscribe, the like button, and send us a DM, and we'd be happy to hop on a phone and have a conversation with you. And also, we have a network of 30 other realtors in 30 different states outside of Georgia and Florida, the two states that we covered that have been vetted and are investor-friendly. And if you need help from an investor-friendly realtor in a state outside of Georgia and Florida, if you reach out, we will go ahead and connect you with our partners so that you can make 2026 an amazing year. Thank you, and I hope you all have an awesome evening.

SPEAKER_00: 9:29

Join us every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern as we explore different types of investments that can fast track your path to financial independence.