8. Find a good Realtor to help you locate properties. Not all Realtors are experienced or even adept at helping investors. Before the real estate crash in 2007 and the subsequent onslaught of foreclosures, only a small percentage of Realtors would even work with investors. Since then, many Realtors have taken courses and suddenly claim to be “experts” on foreclosures. Make sure that you choose a Realtor who has sold a large number of investment properties, and also understands concepts such as return on investment (ROI), net operating income (NOI), and debt service.