Investors: Where Are You Finding Deals and Trusted Resources?

Question

Investors! I am curious about 2 things and would love a great discussion and feedback. I am a Realtor, investor, and property manager in Michigan and would like to hear your thoughts on the below, as I am trying to grow and make more connections, find better resources, share resources, etc...

1. Where are you finding off market investment opportunities?

I occasionally come across investors who want to sell properties but aren't interested in publicly listing them. Sometimes I have a buyer match in my back pocket, but not all the time. This happens frequently because I am known as being the investment Realtor, but there has got to be a better way haha... It has me wondering where you go to find your investments. Are they always publicly listed? Do you stay off market? Where do you make those connections and find the opportunities? I am asking for investors that I know of but also for myself, as I invest too but sometimes it is dry out there! Where are you getting your deals, whether they be flips or holds (small multifamily for holding, more specifically...)?

I know there are FB groups in particular areas for off market deals but I never seem to have great success with those. Maybe I haven't found the right ones. Are your investments still being found publicly listed on the MLS?

2. Where do you go for trusted real estate investing resources and education? Other than BiggerPockets, of course!

I'm talking about books, guides, podcasts, online communities, educational materials, or even other investors you've connected with. Whether it's rental management, midterm rentals, analyzing deals, financing, or scaling a portfolio, where do you actually go when you want to learn something new? And how do you discover new resources you trust?

Anything and everything is helpful. Thank you in advance!

Muhammad Luqman · Answer

Amanda, since you're already known as an investment-focused Realtor, I think you have a strong starting point.

I'd build relationships with active cash buyers, local property managers, landlords, and investor-friendly agents, then organize buyers by location, price range, and property type.

That could make matching an off-market opportunity much easier.

One additional opportunity is online visibility. In my Local SEO work with real estate investment businesses, I've seen how important it is to have pages that clearly explain buying areas, property types, and the problems you help sellers solve.

Google Search can complement referrals and local networking by helping interested homeowners discover you.

Have you considered building a dedicated section on your website for investment properties and off-market opportunities in Michigan?

Amanda Rechsteiner · Answer

Thank you for sharing! I have found letters to be pretty successful too. 😁

Victoria Ajah · Answer

Amanda, since word of mouth, wholesalers and mailers are each working a little for you, the next step may be tracking them in one place before you add a new source. A simple sheet with the address, where the lead came from, the date of first contact and the next follow-up date will show you within a month which channel sends deals that fit your buy box. Before each mailer goes out, check the list against owners you have already contacted, so the same seller does not get two letters or a call from a second number. Letters often land on the second or third touch, so that follow-up date matters as much as the letter itself. Once the sheet exists, handing parts of the work to someone else gets much easier, because the system lives on paper and not in your head.

Matthew Morrow · Answer

Amanda, glad to hear letters are working for you too. In my experience it's the follow-up mailings that do it. Most of the calls come from the third or fourth touch, not the first.

Matthew Morrow · Answer

@Amanda Rechsteiner the buyer-match part is worth separating from finding another source of deals. When someone says they're looking for small multifamily, I'd ask what they last bought, what work they'll take on, and what would make them pass. That gives you something useful when an owner calls. My early purchases came from direct conversations with owners, letters and calls. For learning, I'd favor a local meetup where you can compare a finished project with the original budget, not just hear the success story.

Amanda Rechsteiner · Answer

Thanks for the response! If you don't mind me asking, how did you connect with or find the wholesalers in your area? I only have one that sends me potential deals and I don't know where the others are "hiding" haha. Since I am a Realtor, I obviously keep an eye on the market, but those numbers are tight and they never really are deals.

Out of my own curiosity, are these all long term rentals? Do you have any short term or mid term? Do you have a big property management company that runs them? I have always done my own property management for our small portfolio. As we decide to start buying more in the future, I obviously need to let go of some control to scale.

We paused our deals as we were working on a big flip and were offloading some of our rentals over the past few months. In the past though, I've just gotten deals from the market (not always great) or would have something presented to me just because people know what I do. That obviously is not great for long term growth and scaling. We are trying to decide what we want to do moving forward and build some systems and set goals.

Thanks for sharing!

James Jones · Answer

Amanda, deal flow is the whole game for me. I run 236 single-family rentals in Memphis, and I buy under $100K with an ARV of $180K to $265K, 3BR or more, Section 8 rent of $1,395 to $1,950. I get deals from wholesalers and from owners who know I buy in my ZIPs — 38109, 38111, 38112, 38114, 38116, 38117, 38118, 38122, 38128 — and I pass fast when the numbers do not work. About 9 of 10 wholesaler deals do not fit my buy box, so volume of leads matters more than any one source. On resources, the best education I have had is my own numbers: budget next to actual on every rehab, line by line. The actuals set the next budget. Where are most of your deals coming from right now?

Amanda Rechsteiner · Answer

Hi Uchendu,

It is definitely a people business! Thanks for sharing what you are interested in and what you are pursuing. I am known in my area for real estate, property management, and investing so people come to me here and there but the buy boxes, wants and needs, etc don't always align within my own sphere. I understand there's no perfect system or way to approach every investor, but I am wondering how others make those connections. It's seeming like it really is just word of mouth and knowing the right people. For example, I have an off market seller in my sphere that is local but the property he is trying to offload is in another market within my state. My circle and buyers are not interested in that market which makes helping this seller out difficult.

As an agent, I help my buyers find off market properties through mailers to homeowners but those generally are not investment opportunities. They are single family homes for my buyer clients. I may eventually start integrating that into my investment business.

Right now, I just take and pass along deals and have conversations as they come. I think I need to grow some systems or bring structure to make it a little better and more intentional, hence the post. But maybe it is just doing more of what I already do and more networking! Real estate is a people business.

Do you have a mailing list or are you a part of mailing lists or groups to help make connections and find your deals?

Uchendu Goodluck · Answer

Hi Amanda,

I think you're asking two important questions, especially because finding opportunities and building relationships with reliable people are two of the biggest challenges in growing a real estate investment business.

On off-market opportunities, I think the strongest approach is building relationships with people who consistently encounter potential sellers or know investors who are actively acquiring. That includes investor-friendly agents, property managers, contractors, landlords, probate and estate professionals, and other local operators.

I'm currently building my sourcing business around distressed and off-market single-family opportunities, with a primary focus on Memphis, particularly 38109, 38118, and 38127.

One thing I'm trying to do differently is avoid the usual approach of sending random properties to everyone. I prefer understanding a buyer's actual acquisition criteria first, then sourcing around that. I also want to make opportunities easier to screen by presenting the address, price, beds, baths, occupancy, and known major condition issues upfront, so investors can quickly decide whether something deserves further attention.

I think there's also a lot of value in building relationships between agents who encounter sellers without ready buyers and acquisition sources who already understand what active investors are looking for. There could be opportunities for both sides when the criteria and expectations are clear.

As for education and resources, I've found that conversations with people who are actively buying, managing, renovating, and operating properties can be just as valuable as formal educational material. Understanding what actually happens after a property is acquired is important, not just learning how to find deals.

I'm curious about something from your experience: since you're both an investor and a Realtor, do you find that most of your off-market opportunities come from your existing relationships, or are you actively building systems to identify potential sellers before they reach out?

I'd be glad to connect and exchange insights. Always interested in building relationships with people who are actively involved in the business.

Best,

Uchendu

Amanda Rechsteiner · Answer

Thanks for the response! So would you say you typically find opportunities through people you know and word of mouth?

Investors: Where Are You Finding Deals and Trusted Resources?

13 Replies