Which buildings have the better amenities and which buildings have better views. The wrong partnership can kill everything much faster than the right partnership. You also need to check on their charges, if there is any.There is no doubt in my mind that there are plenty of reliable real estate agents out there, but how do you know when you've picked the right one? Even though many are reliable there are a lot of them that will just leave you out in the cold after working with you. I know many agents who don't even answer their freaking phone or respond to their emails! So how can we weed these losers out and find a real estate agent who is passionate about their career and providing great service?Forget real estate as an investment. You are paying too much for real estate that is not worth the mortgage and will not recover in the medium- to long-term future, so why own it? No good reason. The real estate is no longer worth the debt. Forget about equity, that's gone, unlikely to return soon enough and in a large enough amount to warrant the investment now. It's a bad deal that will put you out of business if not controlled and worked out, and the debt forgiven.But now, more than in years past, you need to make professional decisions, based on hard data. And you need to get it through your head that the old days are gone, along with the values we placed on real estate.If you don't have real estate a property agent you will be dealing with all of these things on your own which would take a lot of time. In fact, finding a property for sale alone would take days of searching. Once you found a property for sale, the next thing that you need to do is to determine whether the location of the property is good or not. Aside from this, you also need to contact the owner of the property, and ask him about the problems that it has.Look for referrals from your relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. If you have a new neighbor, you can ask him where he got the information on the house that he bought. People you know are one of the best sources of information apart from the Internet. They can lead you to the best real estate agents.A real estate contract is first created by a real estate lawyer, and then approved by the local and national real estate board. This contract contains sections that state the rights and duties of both the seller and buyer. What the contract should contain varies among states, but there are pieces of information that should be seen in all real estate contracts. The names of the seller and buyer and the detailed description of the property being sold are essential pieces of information that should be seen on the contract. The sale price should be indicated, as well as the binder fee or earnest money amount. The closing date should be stated. Of course, for that contract to be valid, it should bear the signatures of the seller and buyer.As you learn more and more about real estate investing, you find there are more and more myths. Share them with others who are entering or contemplating entering this arena. It is both fun and profitable. Nobody should deny themselves this opportunity nor fail simply because of misinformation.Most of our lives we are taught that the essence of successful entrepreneurship is self-reliance. Buying cheap through properties in pre-foreclosure is a tremendous opportunity. Negotiation is definitely a key skill, and can be learned.