Investor buyers · Jefferson County & Greater St. Louis

Before we sit down, let's be honest with each other.

I take on a small number of investor buyers at a time, because doing it properly means running numbers, walking houses and writing offers — weeks of work per client. This questionnaire is how I find out whether I'm the right person for what you're trying to do, and whether right now is the right moment.

Answer it straight. Some answers will end it early, and that's a good outcome — it saves us both a meeting neither of us needed.

01About four minutesNine short sections. Nothing you need to look up first.
02It can end earlyThree answers stop it. I'll tell you why and what to do instead.
03It ends on my calendarFinish it and you pick the time yourself. No phone tag.
01Contact information

Who am I
talking to?

The basics, so I can reach you the way you actually prefer to be reached.

Your name and how to reach you

Please fill in your name, phone, email and city.

Preferred contact method

Pick one so I know how to reach you.

02Your investing goals

What are you
actually after?

There are no wrong answers in this section. I'm listening for what you want, not testing you.

What interests you most about real estate investing?

Tell me in a sentence or two.

What type of investing are you most interested in?

Pick the one closest to what you have in mind.

What markets or areas are you interested in?

Even a rough answer helps.

What would a successful first investment look like to you?

Optional, but it's the answer I find most useful. It tells me what "worked" means to you.

03Experience and readiness

What have you
done before?

First-timers are welcome — most of my investor clients start here. I ask because a first deal and a fifth deal need completely different help from me.

Have you purchased an investment property before?

Yes or no.

Have you owned or managed a rental property before?

Yes or no.

What experience do you have with renovations, construction, property management, or real estate?

Include the adjacent stuff — trades, project management, bookkeeping, a family business. It all counts.

What is the biggest obstacle currently holding you back?

The one that comes to mind first, not the one that sounds best.

This one I really do want to hear.

04Financial readiness

Let's talk
about money.

This is the section people want to skip, and it's the one that decides everything. I'd rather know now than three houses in. Nothing here is shared with anyone but me.

Do you have access to funds for an investment purchase?

Pick the closest one.

Roughly how much capital could you access?

For a down payment, earnest money, closing costs, or part of a rehab. A range is fine — I'm sizing the search, not auditing you.

Pick a range, or choose to discuss it privately.

Are you pre-approved with a lender, or have you spoken with one?

Pick one.

Roughly where does your credit sit?

Your best guess is fine — nobody is pulling your credit here, and I never see a report. Investment loans are priced off this, so it changes which houses are realistically available to you.

Pick a range, or choose not to say.

Are you comfortable with the possibility of unexpected project costs?

Pick one.

05Renovation plan

Who's doing
the work?

There's no right answer here either. "I'd need help finding contractors" and "I'm not interested in a project house" are both perfectly good places to stand — they just point at different houses.

Do you currently have a trusted contractor or renovation team?

Pick one.

What's your expected renovation approach?

Pick one.

How much hands-on renovation work are you willing and able to do?

Pick one.

Are you prepared to manage contractor bids, schedules, materials and project decisions if needed?

Pick one.

06Timeline and commitment

When, and how
much time?

Be realistic rather than optimistic. A twelve-month buyer who says twelve months gets better help from me than one who says three.

When would you like to purchase your first or next investment property?

Pick one.

About how many hours a week can you realistically dedicate to this?

Searching, touring, talking to lenders, making decisions. Honest numbers only — most people have less time than they think.

Pick one.

Are there any deadlines or events affecting your timeline?

Optional. A lease ending, a 1031 exchange window, money becoming available — anything that puts a date on this.

07Working together

What do you
need from me?

Last real section. This is the part that decides what our first hour together actually covers.

What type of help are you looking for?

Choose as many as apply.

Choose at least one.

Would you be open to discussing and signing a buyer's agency agreement?

If we decide to work together to find and purchase a property. It's the document that lets me represent your interests rather than the seller's — and it's what makes weeks of unpaid searching possible on my end.

Pick one.

Is there anything else you'd like me to know before we talk?
08Consent

Two things
to agree to.

Short, plain, and worth reading — one of them is the difference between a conversation and a legal relationship.

Consent

Both boxes need to be ticked before I can take this any further.

Your answers go to Sarah only. They are not sold, shared with third parties, or used for advertising. If you asked for a lender referral, the only thing passed along is your name and contact details — and only after you've said yes.

09Pick a time

Last thing —
when suits you?

You've answered everything I'd have asked on a first call, which means we get to skip that call and go straight to the useful one. Give me three windows that work and I'll confirm one of them.

Three windows that would work

First choice first. I'll confirm by your preferred contact method, usually the same day.

01
02
03

Give me at least your first two windows — a date and a time of day for each.

Phone call or meet in person?

Pick one.

Sending to Sarah
That didn't send. Nothing you did — the connection to my inbox failed. Your answers are still here on this page, so you can hit Continue to try again. If it keeps failing, call or text me on 314.795.8772 and I'll take it down the old-fashioned way.

Nine short sections. Nothing is sent until the last one.

Received

That's everything
I needed.

Your answers are with me. I'll look at your market and your numbers before I come back to you — which I'll do within one business day, on the contact method you picked.

One step first

Money before
houses. Always.

Everything you told me says you're serious about this. But on the financing side there's a step that has to come first, and doing it out of order is how people fall in love with a house they can't buy.

Talk to a lender before you talk to me. Not because of the amount — because until someone has actually looked at your file, nobody can tell you which houses are real for you. It's free, it takes a phone call, and it changes the whole conversation.

I've kept your answers, so none of this is wasted. When you come back with a pre-approval letter, we start from section nine, not section one.

And to be clear about what just happened: I'm not turning you away. I'm refusing to waste the next six weekends of your life. There's a difference, and you'll feel it later.

Not yet — and that's fine

Exploring is
the right move.
Just not with
me, yet.

You said you're only exploring, so I'm going to take you at your word and not sell you a strategy call. Exploring is better done reading than sitting across from an agent who'll want to talk timelines and offers.

Come back when a date has appeared — a lease ending, a bonus landing, a number in your head. That's when an hour with me is worth your time, and mine.

I've got your details. If you'd rather I check in when something changes, text me the word "later" on 314.795.8772 and I'll leave you alone until then.

Straight answer deserves a straight answer

Then I'm not
your person —
and here's
who is.

You said no to a buyer's agency agreement. I'd rather respect that than talk you round, so let me explain it once and then point you somewhere useful.

Representing an investor buyer properly is weeks of unpaid work — pulling comps, walking houses, running numbers, writing offers that don't get accepted. The agreement is what makes that possible. Without one I'd be doing it on a handshake while legally still working for the seller, which is worse for you than it sounds.

If it was the document rather than the idea you objected to — go back and pick "I'd like to understand it first". That's a completely different conversation and I'm happy to have it.

The order matters

Come back
with a number.

You told me the funds aren't there yet and that under $10,000 is what you could reach. I'm not going to pretend that buys an investment property in this market — it doesn't, and an agent who tells you otherwise is wasting your time to fill their pipeline.

None of that means never. It means the next move is a savings and lending plan, not a house tour.

If I've read that wrong — if there's family money, a partner, equity in something, or a 401(k) you'd borrow against — go back and change it. "Prefer to discuss privately" is a real option and it doesn't stop the form.