Individual results will vary, but:

-this person may contact you in future and be able to pay you with money, maybe even more than you expected (in appreciation for your past understanding);

- they may propose another service exchange, offering you something with a greater dollar value (or benefit to your business) than before;

- they may highly recommend you to their colleagues, which can generate more business for you (and even if it doesn't right away, it's traditional 'word-of-mouth' advertising which is very powerful).

My experiences with this kind of exchange have been very positive; I've received pro safelist memberships, ad postings, top banner spots and branded ebooks for free (to name a few).

Obviously, there is an element of risk associated with this type of payment - so keep your eyes and ears open, do a little research and most importantly, do math - if you don't think their offer is equal to dollar amount of work you will be doing for them, then you will either have to do a little more haggling or respectfully decline their proposal.

Remember old adage "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? It still rings true - especially if you can reach your customer at most important (and responsive) of levels - their heart!

Elizabeth Piotrowski ---------------------------------------- Powerful ad copy is key to producing visits and sales you want. Drop by http://www.strategyadservice.com for low-cost, effective solutions!

If you're going to go this route, I think it's extremely important to have actual data sheets sent to you so that you can begin to learn how to evaluate values. You'll soon discover that no one runs comps like you do. After all, a comp is merely someone's opinion of what a property is worth. I've had Realtors provide alleged comps on properties that were in different subdivisions miles away, fifty years older than my target property, with a different number of bedrooms and baths, different foundation structures, sold years prior, etc. Do you really want to trust six figure decisions to someone else's judgment?

Become a Realtor Although I frequently see disparaging comments about Realtors and liability associated with becoming one, I think this line of thinking is way overblown. I can promise you that if you're in real estate long enough; you're going to end up a target for someone. Whether or not you happen to have a real estate license is probably irrelevant.

Then there's theory that you're held to a higher standard if you're licensed. Again, who cares? You're not going to operate your business to at least standards that Realtors are held to?

No, I'm not licensed and I go back and forth on whether or not I should be, but my decision, or lack of one, is based on costs versus benefits and being lazy. I've never met a successful investor who also happened to be licensed who told me not to get my license. It's seems to be only folks who aren't licensed who warn me of "risks". So, my suggestion is to not rule out this possibility simply because someone else told you to or you read something on a newsgroup.

Obtain an Associate Membership In some areas, Board of Realtors will sell associate or affiliate memberships to non-licensed individuals. For example, appraisers may qualify and I've heard of investors being able to obtain a membership as well. In my area anyone who wants access to MLS must have a real estate license or someone in their office who is licensed. If you don't know if this is available in your area, it's certainly worth a phone call.

Relationship Access Building relationships with Realtors and other professionals who have access to MLS is another great way to gain access. Granted, this methodology takes longer and requires ongoing efforts, but it is an effective way to get comps. You may start out initially with receiving faxes and then progress to limited and supervised access to MLS during non-work hours. From there you might achieve non-supervised access, which then gives way to a full-fledged copy on your home computer. Anyway, you get picture. As relationship grows and Realtor is fairly compensated for time spent, you'll find it easier to ask for favors.

As far as how you do this, I would suggest scheduling lunches with appropriate people. If you take ten Realtors out to lunch over a month, you'll find someone willing to work with you. I would suggest contacting agents who specialize in commercial properties. The reason is simple. Agents who work residential listings and buyers need to use MLS on a daily basis.

Commercial agents typically don't. In fact, in my area commercial real estate deals are handled almost exclusively through networking. In other words, it's done by word of mouth, phone and faxes and MLS isn't even used. However, being a member of Board of Realtors still requires paying same dues regardless of fact that commercial agents may not really use MLS. Is it possible that one might agree to let someone else pay for that service that they're being charged for, but not using? Hmmm...

If you're going to take this approach, tread lightly. In many areas allowing non-licensed individuals access to MLS is viewed as a violation, thereby putting agent's license and livelihood at risk. Again, it's a relationship thing. However, perhaps that agent opened a "branch office"? Anyway, it's something to consider and I wanted to let you know that not only is it possible to do this, it's not even that difficult.

Summary In summary, let me state that no method for getting comps will surpass importance of learning your market and more particularly, your farm areas. However, that takes time and I wanted to let you know there are other ways to get it done while you're gaining knowledge and experience. In my opinion combination of MLS access and firsthand knowledge is critical in determining comparable values, but that's not always possible, especially when just starting out.

So, it's time to get busy chasing MLS access and learning your farm areas. Good investing...

Sincerely, Tim Randle

http://TexasRealEstateClub.com

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