Just Closed My 200th Deal in Louisiana – Ask Me Anything

[Stephen Keighery]

I just closed my 200th real estate deal in Louisiana today — most of them off-market, many in tough seller situations (succession, fire damage, foreclosure, etc.).

What started as a small operation in New Orleans has grown into a statewide business that now buys in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We do wholesaling, some flips, and rental holds (currently have 26 properties with 35 doors).

I know there are a lot of new (and experienced) investors here, so I figured I'd open the floor:

Ask me anything???

Drop your questions below and I’ll respond to every one. Hoping this sparks some good conversation.

[Stephen Keighery]

Quote from @David Kovalchuk:

Hello my name is david like you can tell from my profile. I'm 16, I study finances and chess in my free time. I heard chess helps you under pressure and recognizing patterns. I have 3 questions, and yes they are the basic ones, unfortunately. but everyone I ask never responds or never gives me a concrete awnsers because they want to swindle me into working with them. So im hoping you can give me some awnsers here today my first one and the most asked one ever how do you start? How do you find that right home? When I'm looking at realtors in my free time, I look at homes in my general location and I see that some homes sell good, whilst others not so much. for example a home freshly renovated is going for around 250k, and another home down the street in much worse condition is going for 240k. now guess which one sells first...? the 240k one. Well I guess I have 2 questions for this why do some homes sell like that whilst others don't? And my 2nd question to this is how do I find the one that will sell like that 240k one and not that 250k one? Basically how do I fins the right property? Now going into my second question why are people so stupid in the market? For example when looking at realtors and looking at developments i see homes priced at 600k with 1800 square footing homes selling like hot cakes. Meanwhile down the street there's a 2800 square foot home for 100k less and it's only like 5 years old with no damage and it's taking 100 days to sell. Another example is me and my brother we do couch flipping he gets the coaches and sells them I'm just the muscle okay in all seriousness we get these coaches for dirt cheap like 0-250. and we sell them at a 500-600 even 700 markups and what do we do? Just clean and sometimes sow them back together, takes less then 30 mins usually. so basically what I'm asking here is how do you understand people and there minds? how do you get them to buy your product?/ in this case homes? My last and final question is how do I take advantage of my time? I'm 16 after all it's like playing poker. When do i bet? When do i fold? When do i go all in? But in this case it time what do i study? When do i stop studying it? When do i go all in on my time? Once again sorry for the generic questions but everyone ive ever asked ignored me or tries taking advantage of me, thinking im stupid.

Hey David, first off—respect. You're 16, you're asking the right questions, and you're already flipping couches and studying patterns? You're miles ahead of where most people start. Don’t apologize for asking “basic” questions. The truth is, the fundamentals are where the real game is won.

Let me tackle your questions one by one:

1. How do you find the right property?

You're already noticing something most adults miss: value isn't just about price or condition—it’s about perception and demand.

Why does the rough $240K house sell faster than the $250K renovated one? Usually it’s because:

• Buyers want to add their own value (like investors or handy homeowners).

• That $10K price difference feels like a better deal, even if it’s not.

• Sometimes the cheaper house is just marketed better or listed by a better agent.

To find the “right” property, look for:

• Motivated sellers (divorce, inheritance, bad tenants, etc.)

• Undermarketed listings (bad photos, too many days on market)

• Properties with cosmetic issues but no major structural problems

You’re already seeing patterns. Keep watching listings and try to reverse engineer why certain ones sell and others don’t. That pattern recognition? It’s the same muscle you use in chess—and it’s gold in real estate.

2. Why do people make irrational buying decisions? How do I get them to buy?

People buy based on emotion, not logic. Always.

The 600K houses flying off the shelf? Maybe they’re in a neighborhood with a great school or they “feel” modern. The bigger, cheaper house sitting for 100 days? Maybe it feels awkward, or the layout is off, or buyers just aren’t emotionally connecting with it.

Same with your couch flipping—you’re not just selling couches. You’re selling clean, convenient, ready-to-go furniture at a discount. That’s a value story people can grab onto. And the fact that you do some cleaning and stitching? That’s you adding perceived value without much cost. That's real entrepreneurship.

In real estate, you sell a story:

• A great flip = "buy this and turn it into a dream home"

• A rental = "safe, clean, reliable place to live"

• A wholesale deal = "investor goldmine with meat on the bone"

If you understand what your buyer wants, you’ll always be one step ahead.

3. How do I use my time wisely at 16?

I love the poker analogy—when do you bet, when do you fold?

At 16, your biggest advantage is time and curiosity. Here’s what I’d focus on:

• Keep learning—podcasts, YouTube, books (Rich Dad Poor Dad and Think and Grow Rich are classics for a reason).

• Keep flipping—couches, bikes, anything. You’re learning how markets work.

• Build your network—hang around the right people (online and in real life).

• Don't rush into buying property—instead, get close to people who are doing it.

And most important: don’t let anyone take advantage of you or make you feel dumb for asking questions. The people worth learning from will respect your hustle, not try to sell you a course.

If you ever want to ask more, I’ll do my best to answer. You’re on the right path, and if you stay consistent, you’ll be dangerous in the best way.

Keep flipping—and keep thinking like a chess player.