Why not always buy wholesale?

Why not always buy wholesale?

Real Estate Investor · Berkley, MI · Member since 2014 · 52 posts · 14 votes

There is a lot of information out here on how to become a wholesaler, but I can't see as much for people who want to buy and hold properties at the best price. Would I be correct in saying the following?

A wholesaler will find properties which are undervalued and get them under contract to be sold to an investor or a rehabber. They want to maintain good relationships since buyers often come back to them, so they might "buy" a property thats 70% below market, and "sell" it to the investor at say 85%. Then both parties are better off.

Whilst this is similar to a realtor, a wholesaler isn't as constrained about what they can say about the property.

1) If this is true, why would anyone who is in the property investment business buy from a realtor?

2) Can landlord investors profit from wholesale purchases or is it only those who rehab and resell?

3) I'm sure wholesalers can be found at REIAs, but what's the best way to determine who is worth doing business with? (Note - For anyone who wants to give referrals, I'm in the Metro Detroit area)

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Kalamazoo, MI · Member since 2014 · 224 posts · 129 votes
11y

If I could find a wholesaler to bring me good deals, well then I'm all in. I've joined scores of "lists", because somewhere I think they train wannabees to just go create investor lists. These people never once have responded with a lead. So far, REOs on the MLS are the cheapest option I have available. I know my strengths and weaknesses. Doing direct sales, cold calling, investing many months pounding the door down for people to sell...not my thing. I certainly wish someone would do it for me and I'd happily pay them for their service. But so far, my experience seems to be that wholesalers tend to be a flaky bunch of dreamers.

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  • Laguna Beach, CA · Member since 2014 · 263 posts · 140 votes
    11y

    @James De Silva 

    Thank you James. Yes, wholesaling is easier said than done, but so are a lot of other things. The most frustrating part about the wholesale business is finding a seller who is truly motivated to sell quickly. These types of sellers are everywhere and it is a matter of sticking to your marketing plan and persistance in executing your plan.  Real estate is not a get rich quick business, but it offers tons of opportunity for the persistent and focused person. 

    Part of the reason so many give up and complain about the difficulty with wholesaling is because they may misunderstand where their focus should be applied. The business of wholesaling and all the tasks associated with running the business is first and foremost. Concentrating on marketing, learning and application of knowledge is a lot more satisfying than thinking about money. It is in the daily work of building the business you want that will lead to the goals you set.

    Write down your goal and plan to reach the goal.  Implement a marketing plan that you can afford to continue to operate over an extended period of time.  It does not matter from where you start as long as you take action and start.  As you proceed, continue to look for ways to improve upon the things you are doing and make the necessary changes. Sometimes the smallest detail can make a huge difference.   

    When a person enjoys the things they are doing, they are more likely to continue and improve upon what they do. The monetary rewards follow as a natural result. 

  • Ben G.Pro Member
    Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2013 · 647 posts · 196 votes
    11y

    A reason that most people don't use wholesalers is because they don't have the expertise, knowledge, or patience needed to rehab the houses that wholesalers sell.  

    As a wholesaler, I'd love to sell direct to the end buyer, but they never want to take on the rehab.

  • Real Estate Broker · Modesto, CA · Member since 2014 · 82 posts · 76 votes
    11y

    As for Wholesalers - Absolutely  "LOVE THEM",

    we treat them as another marketing channel - we have to give attention to - no different than direct mail campaigns need attention.

    We love to draft off their marketing money (direct mail, bandit signs), we also draft off their

    sweat equity ( boots on the ground) - 

    They go into our data bases - and they get emailed from us every week - 

    We find out most of them are younger / and just starting out / and pretty good on-line

    From my experiences - you show me a bad employee - and i will show you a bad boss!!!  

    Thus - we train our wholesalers: They know what we want / they verify the ARV's with local realtors / they know how much rehab we want to do

    We go as far - besides them getting a wholesale fee - if it's a smoking deal - we give them some of the net profit from the fix n flip

    in closing - even star players - need water boys

    Happy Hunting!!

    Michael Rae

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