What's Stopping Investors From Undermining the Wholesale Agent?

What's Stopping Investors From Undermining the Wholesale Agent?

Real Estate Agent · Long Branch, NJ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 2 votes

Hey I'm new to the wholesaling business, and still in the early stages of learning.   After a lot of reading and research, I am confident that I understand the parts of the wholesale transaction and marketing strategies to find potential seller and potential investors/buyers.  What I'm trying to figure out is what is stopping an investor from taking a look at the property that a wholesale agent is trying to sell, and then making the home owner an offer slightly higher offer to buy after the contract between the home owner and wholesale agent expires?  

For example, lets say the wholesale agent works hard to find someone that is a motivated seller and contracts to buy the house for $75,000 

The wholesale agent then finds a potential investor at a foreclosure auction and makes an offer of $90,000 and then gives the potential investor the details of where the house is. 

The potential investor then takes a look at the property and after talking a little more with the wholesale agent and the seller, learns that the contract between the wholesale agent and the seller expires in 2 weeks. 

The potential investor waits until the contract expires and then makes the seller an offer of $80,000 thereby giving the seller $5,000 more than they originally would have made and saving the investor $10,000. 

My guess is that the only thing keeping the potential investor from doing this is the fear that the house will sell to a different investor before the wholesale agent's contract with the seller expires.  

Does this make sense?

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Josh C.Pro Member
Property Manager · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Wholesale agent? That put a smile on my face. Sometimes in when you play in a gray world like wholesaling gray things happen to you. Personally, I think being a real estate agent in the most expensive market (reading your title) would make you way more money than being a wholesaler. I'm sure most wholesalers will chime in here, but if work hard at being an agent (not wholesale agent) in your city you have way more potential. Good luck!
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  • Josh C.Pro Member
    Property Manager · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y
    Wholesale agent? That put a smile on my face. Sometimes in when you play in a gray world like wholesaling gray things happen to you. Personally, I think being a real estate agent in the most expensive market (reading your title) would make you way more money than being a wholesaler. I'm sure most wholesalers will chime in here, but if work hard at being an agent (not wholesale agent) in your city you have way more potential. Good luck!
  • Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2015 · 379 posts · 330 votes
    9y
    Simple. If you truly have a good deal, that contract should not expire without you finding a cash buyer, if not multiple. In South Florida good deals do not last 1, maybe 2 days on the market. Even properties in the retail market are under contract in a week or two. If you have a good deal an experienced investor will not try to go around you for 5k less at risk of losing the opportunity altogether. Of course this is assuming you are investing in areas where price and location are in demand by your investors. Here properties with ARV's under $300,000 are typically on and off the market in under 30 days so those are the properties we specifically aim for. Hope this makes sense. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions!
  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    Nothing I am sure this happens often.

  • Real Estate Agent · Long Branch, NJ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 2 votes
    9y

    Thanks guys!  Helpful stuff all around.  I appreciate it!  

    Being at the beginning stages of the learning curve is overwhelming but exciting, and having a community like this is really helpful.  Thanks again!

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    also there is nothing wrong with offering the seller a back up contract... at anytime in the process..

    if for some reason the wholesaler does not close you are second in line before someone else can snag it.

    you would be surprised how many back up offers coming into first position in these scenarios.

  • Real Estate Agent · Long Branch, NJ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 2 votes
    9y

    Gotcha.  I guess the wholesaler should write into the contract certain provisions that would give him more time.  Thanks Jay!

  • Specialist · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 611 votes
    9y
    Jay Hinrichs I normally agree with you Jay but while I respect the opinion I don't agree. If the buyer does not even know that the property owner was even interested in selling in first place then I think its a bit slimy to undercut the wholesaler. With that being said I think if you just wait to see if it does close and followup after then I have no problem with that. To me it's very similar to providing someone advice and getting them to sell only for them to give the sale to a "friend" or someone willing to cut commission. The truly believe in the old adage that what goes around comes around and depending on your market good luck finding a wholesaler that will add you to your list knowing your are undercutting them. I have actually seen this happen where sellers actually got turned off from people seeing dollar signs and tryed to get out of contract and not deal with investors in general.
  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    @Charles Kao I guess In the world of wholesaling however in the world of selling real estate this happens all the time we even have a status on MLS called bumpable.. meaning you can tie up a property with due diligence and it can be listed as bumpable.. if another offer comes in with no due diligence the original buyer has 3 days to perform or go hard on EM or they are bumped.. don't see the issue here. its incumbent on the wholesaler if they can't flip the contract to close.. if the wholesalers ONLY way to close is flip a contract.. then in my mind they are selling real estate without a license the contract is null and void anyway and they should not be doing this.. bad bad business to tie up property when you have no money and can't close is my thought on it.. of course I understand I am in the minority and wholesalers don't like that thought process.. but we are entitled to do business however we see fit. and I guess since I don't buy from wholesalers I really could care less what one thought of me :)

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Springfield, MA · Member since 2017 · 106 posts · 51 votes
    9y
    Jay Hinrichs you don't buy from wholesalers at all ? Or just from the ones that flip contracts ?
  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    @Pablo Ottenwalder Jr.  I personally don't at all.. I know a bunch of course. and I can't say I never have maybe 3 or 4 over a 40 year period.. but I simply don't have the time to chase down the deals for them..

    We buy at auction.. auction sites MLS and sellers that contact us direct because of reputation.

    now having been in the HML business many of my clients do.. but that's their business I don't care how they get them as long as I have something to fund and the numbers or equity as the lender work for me.

    I just had one wholesaler call me and try to sell me my own lots that were listed.. I promptly filed a complaint with the Oregon department of real estate and turned that person in..  I let them hang them selves then told them you realize I own the lots your talking about and I never gave you permission to go market them and even if I did its totally illegal in our state to sell something you don't own..

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    @Pablo Ottenwalder Jr.  plus I get probably 3 to 5 yellow letters PER DAY since we own property in 15 states and a lot of it .

    I also get 1 to 5 a week I want to add you to my buyers list.. I simply don't have the time for these people.

    I tried a few times.. they either NEVER responded. or the deals were so poor as to be a total waste of my time. So I just choose not to deal with anyone who is not direct ... and or has a valid listing so I know the deal will actually close.

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Springfield, MA · Member since 2017 · 106 posts · 51 votes
    9y

    @Jay Hinrichs It seems like you've had negative experiences with wholesalers so you don't bother anymore so that's understandable. I was only asking because I wanted to know how people feel about them but I just recently spoke to some investors in my area and they said they wished a wholesaler would throw them some deals. So I guess it all depends but thanks for your input.

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    9y

    @Pablo Ottenwalder Jr.  for darn sure I am not your average buyer by a long shot.. so my SOP is not like those that buy a couple rentals or flips a year.. and most of the bigger investors.. don't have time to dink around with newbie wholesalers .. but it really depends on the market.. and the bigger buyers may have an Ack person that its there job to deal with these folks.. I simply won't .. 

    and I was just commenting that its totally accepable to put backup offers in on real estate.. happens every day. 

    its a risk for wholesalers who are really acting as brokers and have no ability to close of course.. 

    but wholesalers that can and do close its no threat to them.. they just close like they promised up front.. not like many wholesalers that blatantly lie to sellers to get into contract and then hope to assign.

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Springfield, MA · Member since 2017 · 106 posts · 51 votes
    9y

    @Jay Hinrichs Okay good that's what I was trying to understand when I said if you bought from wholesalers that actually do the marketing to find the property then close on it and then resell it to a rehabber but I got it now thanks again

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