Why Novation Are Better Than Wholesaling

[Dawson Brewer]

Here’s why I’ve started using novations over wholesaling.

1. Sellers Get More Money

With wholesaling, sellers often need to take a low cash offer. With novations, I can offer closer to market value by selling to retail buyers, making it easier to get deals accepted.

2. Bigger Assignment Fees

Instead of selling to investors looking for steep discounts, I market to end buyers willing to pay market price. This means I make more per deal than a typical wholesale assignment.

3. No Double Closings or Hard Money

Since the seller stays on title, I don’t have to use hard money or worry about double closing fees. I just facilitate the sale and collect my fee at closing.

4. More Buyers, Less Competition

Wholesaling relies on a limited pool of cash buyers. Novations open up the MLS and conventional financing, bringing in a larger pool of buyers and reducing competition from other wholesalers.

5. Easier to Scale

With less reliance on deep-discount deals and cash buyers, I can scale novations faster than traditional wholesaling.

Final Thoughts

I’m not saying wholesaling is dead, but novations have helped me close deals I would’ve lost before. Anyone else using novations? What’s been your experience?

[Cornelius Garland]

I wouldn't argue one strategy is better than another. When you've been around for a while, you develop an exit strategy "tool belt" of sorts. I wholesale some properties, and others make sense to take down as rentals. Also, novations are nothing new. This is a catchphrase that people started using a few years back.

I was essentially doing "novations" way before it ever became a thing, with a limited durable power of attorney, back in 2016. One of the first deals I did was take down a 26-parcel deal in a highly distressed neighborhood and listed it on the MLS. The POA gave us the ability to list it. I'm not a fan of novations where you don't get the purchase agreement notarized and filed at the courthouse. It's too flimsy otherwise. If you're going to go that route with listing it, do it the right way or else you may find yourself in legal trouble, or a buyer may snake the deal from you.

Again, novations aren't anything new, and most experienced investors are shying away from them these days because they're operating in a legal "grey area". I never want to place a Realtor in a compromising situation, so I always get a notarized POA and file it at the courthouse. This helps the process move much quicker on my virtual deals. In Cleveland, I'm taking down duplexes as rentals and Cuyahoga county requires us to communicate with 3 - 5 departments just to get payoffs. If I had to wait on the seller to do this, it would drag out my closings for months, potentially. There are multiple benefits of using a POA to list the property rather than getting a purchase agreement e-signed with a "listing clause" in it.