Where are the buyers for your wholesale properties hiding?
Between the amount of distressed inventory out there and easy access to transactional funding, the only thing standing between real estate investors and their goals is ready and eager end-buyers. So where are those buyers hiding?
Finding end-buyers for wholesale real estate deals is probably the easy part. If you have the inventory, they will come, and they’ll need you to meet their own demands. Many aspiring investors hold back from going all out to find, negotiate, and put deals under contract because they aren’t sure who is going to buy them. If you don’t lock them up, those end buyers are going to work to get those same deals without you. They may not have all the sources or skills that you do, but if you aren’t serving them the deals they need, they’ll find someone else who can. The buyers are out there, and there are plenty of them.
1. Craigslist: One of the most common places to find a wholesale deal is on Craigslist. There are qualified buyers looking for homes, land, and condos on Craigslist right now. You may have to repost frequently to stay at the top of results, get better at weaving your copy and creating good Craigslist ads, but they do work? There are other wholesalers getting leads on Craigslist right now. While there may be a lot of junk cluttering up this classified site, that really makes it easier for you to stand out if you do it right.
2. Online Real Estate Forums: At the time of writing this piece, there had been at least several buyers actively calling out for wholesalers to work with, and wholesale deals within the previous few hours alone on BiggerPockets. You don’t have to like what BiggerPockets is doing to the industry and other investors, and you don’t have to publish on it, but you can tap into its forums to get live leads for free. This isn’t the only online real estate forum out there either.
3. Realty411 Magazine: Magazine ads can still work very well for real estate sales. The traditional real estate magazines may take several months of consistent advertising to pay off, and some great ad copy. However, there are also industry specific magazines like Realty411 Magazine which goes out specifically to real estate investors, and is handed out at various expos around the country where investors that are looking for deals attend. Look for highly targeted publications like this to build your list and move properties.
4. Investor Groups: If you are not already a member of your local real estate investor association, get on that. There, you will meet dozens of other property investors hunting for deals, eager private lenders, and more. Don’t just limit yourself to local REIA meetings either. You can always organize your own meetups, attend regional conferences, and get involved with other types of investor groups like angel investors who have the cash to buy.
5. Google Ads: If your SEO and Google rankings haven’t kicked into gear yet, consider supplementing them with Google Ads. With the right keywords, you can start landing buyers for your wholesale deals right away.
6. Email Exchanges: Even though your own email list may not be very big yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t do a lot more with it. Highly targeted purchased or rented email lists can enable you to pinpoint ripe investors. Or even if you have zero budget you can exchange emails to with others in the industry. Some companies will even pay thousands of dollars to send emails to your list. Others with trade messages. Or perhaps will send messages to their list promoting your deals for a commission.
7. The MLS: Using the MLS to wholesale real estate deals is often hotly debated, but don’t completely dismiss it. The MLS can be used to get your deals right in front of active buyers, and to gain a whole army of real estate professionals promoting your deals on your behalf. You can even use flat fee MLS services or negotiate deep discounts to avoid commissions taking a big bite out of your deals. Just make sure you do well at highlighting the opportunity in the text description. Make sure your Realtor keeps the important copy at the top and visible to those searching via Realtor.com and other sites, and not just agent.
