How I Run a Lean, Profitable Wholesaling Business in 2025

How I Run a Lean, Profitable Wholesaling Business in 2025

Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes

Wholesaling in 2025 looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Having been in this business since 2015, I’ve seen the industry evolve through multiple phases—from the direct mail era, to the rise of cold calling and texting, and now into the AI-driven, compliance-heavy environment we face today.

This post breaks down how my wholesaling operation is structured in 2025, what’s changed, and what systems I use to consistently close deals in today’s market.

A Brief History of My Wholesaling Journey (2015–2022)

  • 2015–2018: Direct Mail Dominance: Back when I started wholesaling in 2015, the primary way to generate deals was through direct mail. SEO and PPC were options, but skip tracing in bulk didn’t yet exist. For years, I closed deals exclusively through mail—over 100 deals in one neighborhood (Union Heights in North Charleston). Eventually, low inventory and high direct mail costs pushed me to explore other strategies.

  • 2019–2021: I Began Cold Calling & Virtually Wholesaling: When skip tracing became more affordable, I scaled into several virtual markets and leaned heavily on cold calling. This was also when large VA teams became the norm—at one point, I managed 50+ cold callers.

  • 2022: Texting Boom and Bust: Text blasting became the next big channel until saturation, lawsuits, and regulation (A2P 10DLC compliance) took hold. By late-2022, mass texting lost much of its effectiveness, and I stopped texting at this time because the costs did not justify the marginal results.

What Wholesaling Looks Like in 2025

Marketing First: Texting at Scale

The core of my operation today is 10,000 outbound text messages daily, sent across five virtual markets that I rotate quarterly. For instance, this quarter, I am targeting Cleveland, Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, and Kansas City. These markets are strategically chosen based on:

  • Median home prices between $250K–$350K
    (too low, and sellers don’t have enough equity; too high, and motivation is low).

  • Midwest-focused markets, where prices are affordable and seller motivation is higher.

We don’t waste time chasing unqualified responses. About 90% of inbound texts are ignored; we only engage with sellers who explicitly show interest (e.g., “yes, I’d sell” or they provide a price point).

Team Structure: Lean and Effective

Instead of managing massive teams like in years past, I’ve consolidated operations into a small, specialized structure:

  • 1 VA Lead Manager / Marketing Specialist

    • Sends all outbound texts (10K/day).

    • Qualifies inbound leads.

    • Acts as appointment setter assists with transactions coordination.

    • Maintains thousands of leads in CRM follow-up. Most are on long-term follow up through drip campaigns.

  • 1 Acquisitions Manager (U.S.-based)

    • Handles motivated seller calls and negotiations.

    • Covers all five virtual markets.

    • Works directly with JV partners when needed.

  • 1 Operations Manager

    • Oversees systems, troubleshooting, and process flow.

    • Coordinates with acquisitions manager and VA to ensure deals close smoothly.

  • Strategic Realtor Partnerships

    • Realtors in each market handle MLS listings.

    • Dispositions simplified: instead of a full-time Dispo manager, we leverage agents + our contracts.

    • VA supports transactions by communicating with title companies, buyers, and sellers.

Volume & Results

With this streamlined model, my company consistently closes 5–7 deals per month across multiple markets. I could very-well close more deals, but I have a lifestyle business. This structure works for me because:

  • We rely on automation + specialization instead of bloated teams. After learning a lot about myself over the last decade, I realize that I prefer working with exceptional talent and squeezing the most out of every team member. I'll pay one A-player $18 an hour instead of paying 3 marginal people $6 an hour.

  • Realtors provide built-in Dispo leverage, removing the need to hire a sole dispo manager. We move over 80% of our deals on the MLS.

  • The VA is trained to wear multiple hats (marketing, lead management, follow-up, Dispo, and transactions coordination). Because our systems are so dialed in and we've optimized them over 10 years, the VA is not overwhelmed. Additionally, we are texting as our primary deal source, so this reduces the need to have dozens of cold calling VAs on staff, which makes day-to-day management easier.

Why This Model Works in 2025

The biggest mistake many wholesalers make today is holding onto outdated models—bloated VA teams, reliance on cold calling that has a long conversion cycle, or chasing saturated markets. Much of the wholesaling advice here on BP is outdated and incorrect. The 2025 wholesaling landscape requires:

  • Lean operations that reduce overhead.

  • Compliance-friendly marketing (no cutting corners on texting regulations). You can text legally as long as your account is compliant.

  • Strategic partnerships with local agents instead of building massive internal teams.

  • Focused markets where median prices and seller motivation align.

The result: a business that’s both sustainable and scalable in the current environment.

Final Thoughts

Wholesaling is still alive and well in 2025—but only if you adapt. The “spray-and-pray” days of massive direct mail drops or unregulated texting blasts are over. Success today comes from precision, lean operations, and leveraging the right people and tools.

By consolidating my team, leaning on AI and compliance-friendly texting, and building strong realtor partnerships, I’ve been able to consistently close deals while keeping my operation nimble.

If you’re running your wholesaling business like it’s still 2019, it’s time to update your playbook.

12Reply
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Most Popular Reply

Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y

Nice set up, which markets are you in?

See this reply in the discussion

22 Replies

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  • Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    Nice set up, which markets are you in?

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Caleb Brown:

      Nice set up, which markets are you in?


      Thanks Caleb. This quarter, I'm in Cleveland, Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, and Kansas City. This year, I've done deals in St. Louis, Charlotte, Greensboro NC, Dallas, Houston, and Little Rock. All great markets.

  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    1y

    Thanks for sharing.

    Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Drew Sygit:

      Thanks for sharing.

      Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?


      My apologies for the confusion. I'll clarify, Drew. I started texting around 2019; however, it wasn't my primary marketing channel and I wasn't doing a ton of volume until early-2022. Due to market saturation, I stopped in late-2022. 

      I started again in October 2023 after the 10 DLC regulations went into effect. It essentially gave us a blank slate to work with as it eliminated all foreign marketing companies from texting because you need an American LLC to become compliant. At the same time, most domestic investors were lost on how to get their accounts compliant, so this eliminated over 90% of the investors who were texting sellers.

      After a year break, I started back again and now it's my primary marketing channel. Please let me know if you want me to elaborate.

    • Investor · Hendersonville, NC · Member since 2016 · 498 posts · 285 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Cornelius Garland:
      Quote from @Drew Sygit:

      Thanks for sharing.

      Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?


      My apologies for the confusion. I'll clarify, Drew. I started texting around 2019; however, it wasn't my primary marketing channel and I wasn't doing a ton of volume until early-2022. Due to market saturation, I stopped in late-2022. 

      I started again in October 2023 after the 10 DLC regulations went into effect. It essentially gave us a blank slate to work with as it eliminated all foreign marketing companies from texting because you need an American LLC to become compliant. At the same time, most domestic investors were lost on how to get their accounts compliant, so this eliminated over 90% of the investors who were texting sellers.

      After a year break, I started back again and now it's my primary marketing channel. Please let me know if you want me to elaborate.


      Thanks for clarifying. I was wondering that too. Mind if I ask which sms service you use? 

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Dominic Mazzarella:
      Quote from @Cornelius Garland:
      Quote from @Drew Sygit:

      Thanks for sharing.

      Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?


      My apologies for the confusion. I'll clarify, Drew. I started texting around 2019; however, it wasn't my primary marketing channel and I wasn't doing a ton of volume until early-2022. Due to market saturation, I stopped in late-2022. 

      I started again in October 2023 after the 10 DLC regulations went into effect. It essentially gave us a blank slate to work with as it eliminated all foreign marketing companies from texting because you need an American LLC to become compliant. At the same time, most domestic investors were lost on how to get their accounts compliant, so this eliminated over 90% of the investors who were texting sellers.

      After a year break, I started back again and now it's my primary marketing channel. Please let me know if you want me to elaborate.


      Thanks for clarifying. I was wondering that too. Mind if I ask which sms service you use? 


      For sure. I use REI Reply. You can get Twilio pricing with no mark up. Was $.0075 per outbound text and they recently increased it to 1 cent per text, which is still a great price. Let me know if you have any other questions.

    • Specialist · Member since 2026 · 17 posts · 8 votes
      7mo
      Quote from @Cornelius Garland:
      Quote from @Drew Sygit:

      Thanks for sharing.

      Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?


      My apologies for the confusion. I'll clarify, Drew. I started texting around 2019; however, it wasn't my primary marketing channel and I wasn't doing a ton of volume until early-2022. Due to market saturation, I stopped in late-2022. 

      I started again in October 2023 after the 10 DLC regulations went into effect. It essentially gave us a blank slate to work with as it eliminated all foreign marketing companies from texting because you need an American LLC to become compliant. At the same time, most domestic investors were lost on how to get their accounts compliant, so this eliminated over 90% of the investors who were texting sellers.

      After a year break, I started back again and now it's my primary marketing channel. Please let me know if you want me to elaborate.


       Agreed. Texting is a great channel if you want consistent seller appointments as compare to Cold Calling.

  • Member since 2023 · 6 posts · 1 vote
    1y

    Awesome model!  What type of lists do you text and where do you get them? 

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Andrew Rivera:

      Awesome model!  What type of lists do you text and where do you get them? 

      Thanks, Andrew. I target a combination of distressed owner occupants and absentee records. I have targeted filters on them and try to stick to homes that were purchased for less than $100,000 and with over 10 years of ownership. I also eliminate homes sitting on over a half an acre lot since these are usually in the rural part of town or affluent properties on a golf course, lake, etc.

      I use IDI data primarily and have a contract with them. I've been rocking with them since 2019 and it's the best data on the market, in my opinion. Feel free to ask me any other questions on here. I love talking about data and marketing!

  • Member since 2023 · 6 posts · 1 vote
    1y

    Thanks for the in depth run down! I'll have to look into IDI, this is the first time iv'e heard of it.

    Do / have you expirimented with meta ads targeting the lists from IDI?  I've been educating myself on meta ads recently regarding the use of lists as seed audiences since meta cross references them with existing accounts and targets them.

    Also, do you have specific venders that you use for boots on the ground operation such as site visits / photagraphy?

  • Rental Property Investor · Elk Grove, CA · Member since 2024 · 23 posts · 6 votes
    1y

    Very interesting stuff. What softwares do you use for your team if you don't mind me asking? 

  • Member since 2025 · 1 post · 0 votes
    1y

    Really enjoyed reading this — super practical take on running a lean, profitable wholesaling business today. What stood out most to me was how much focus you put on eliminating waste, keeping overhead low, and maintaining clear systems — those are the kind of moves that separate successful operations from ones that just squeak by. Also liked how you emphasized service and relationships; getting repeat customers or referrals often matters more than just closing the next deal.

    By the way, speaking of business strategy, I saw something interesting over at PUNIN GROUP— looks like they’re expanding and seem serious about growth and structure. If you’re into business models and seeing how companies scale, might be worth peeking there too.

  • Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2012 · 68 posts · 19 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Cornelius Garland:

    Wholesaling in 2025 looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Having been in this business since 2015, I’ve seen the industry evolve through multiple phases—from the direct mail era, to the rise of cold calling and texting, and now into the AI-driven, compliance-heavy environment we face today.

    This post breaks down how my wholesaling operation is structured in 2025, what’s changed, and what systems I use to consistently close deals in today’s market.

    A Brief History of My Wholesaling Journey (2015–2022)

    • 2015–2018: Direct Mail Dominance: Back when I started wholesaling in 2015, the primary way to generate deals was through direct mail. SEO and PPC were options, but skip tracing in bulk didn’t yet exist. For years, I closed deals exclusively through mail—over 100 deals in one neighborhood (Union Heights in North Charleston). Eventually, low inventory and high direct mail costs pushed me to explore other strategies.

    • 2019–2021: I Began Cold Calling & Virtually Wholesaling: When skip tracing became more affordable, I scaled into several virtual markets and leaned heavily on cold calling. This was also when large VA teams became the norm—at one point, I managed 50+ cold callers.

    • 2022: Texting Boom and Bust: Text blasting became the next big channel until saturation, lawsuits, and regulation (A2P 10DLC compliance) took hold. By late-2022, mass texting lost much of its effectiveness, and I stopped texting at this time because the costs did not justify the marginal results.

    What Wholesaling Looks Like in 2025

    Marketing First: Texting at Scale

    The core of my operation today is 10,000 outbound text messages daily, sent across five virtual markets that I rotate quarterly. For instance, this quarter, I am targeting Cleveland, Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, and Kansas City. These markets are strategically chosen based on:

    • Median home prices between $250K–$350K
      (too low, and sellers don’t have enough equity; too high, and motivation is low).

    • Midwest-focused markets, where prices are affordable and seller motivation is higher.

    We don’t waste time chasing unqualified responses. About 90% of inbound texts are ignored; we only engage with sellers who explicitly show interest (e.g., “yes, I’d sell” or they provide a price point).

    Team Structure: Lean and Effective

    Instead of managing massive teams like in years past, I’ve consolidated operations into a small, specialized structure:

    • 1 VA Lead Manager / Marketing Specialist

      • Sends all outbound texts (10K/day).

      • Qualifies inbound leads.

      • Acts as appointment setter assists with transactions coordination.

      • Maintains thousands of leads in CRM follow-up. Most are on long-term follow up through drip campaigns.

    • 1 Acquisitions Manager (U.S.-based)

      • Handles motivated seller calls and negotiations.

      • Covers all five virtual markets.

      • Works directly with JV partners when needed.

    • 1 Operations Manager

      • Oversees systems, troubleshooting, and process flow.

      • Coordinates with acquisitions manager and VA to ensure deals close smoothly.

    • Strategic Realtor Partnerships

      • Realtors in each market handle MLS listings.

      • Dispositions simplified: instead of a full-time Dispo manager, we leverage agents + our contracts.

      • VA supports transactions by communicating with title companies, buyers, and sellers.

    Volume & Results

    With this streamlined model, my company consistently closes 5–7 deals per month across multiple markets. I could very-well close more deals, but I have a lifestyle business. This structure works for me because:

    • We rely on automation + specialization instead of bloated teams. After learning a lot about myself over the last decade, I realize that I prefer working with exceptional talent and squeezing the most out of every team member. I'll pay one A-player $18 an hour instead of paying 3 marginal people $6 an hour.

    • Realtors provide built-in Dispo leverage, removing the need to hire a sole dispo manager. We move over 80% of our deals on the MLS.

    • The VA is trained to wear multiple hats (marketing, lead management, follow-up, Dispo, and transactions coordination). Because our systems are so dialed in and we've optimized them over 10 years, the VA is not overwhelmed. Additionally, we are texting as our primary deal source, so this reduces the need to have dozens of cold calling VAs on staff, which makes day-to-day management easier.

    Why This Model Works in 2025

    The biggest mistake many wholesalers make today is holding onto outdated models—bloated VA teams, reliance on cold calling that has a long conversion cycle, or chasing saturated markets. Much of the wholesaling advice here on BP is outdated and incorrect. The 2025 wholesaling landscape requires:

    • Lean operations that reduce overhead.

    • Compliance-friendly marketing (no cutting corners on texting regulations). You can text legally as long as your account is compliant.

    • Strategic partnerships with local agents instead of building massive internal teams.

    • Focused markets where median prices and seller motivation align.

    The result: a business that’s both sustainable and scalable in the current environment.

    Final Thoughts

    Wholesaling is still alive and well in 2025—but only if you adapt. The “spray-and-pray” days of massive direct mail drops or unregulated texting blasts are over. Success today comes from precision, lean operations, and leveraging the right people and tools.

    By consolidating my team, leaning on AI and compliance-friendly texting, and building strong realtor partnerships, I’ve been able to consistently close deals while keeping my operation nimble.

    If you’re running your wholesaling business like it’s still 2019, it’s time to update your playbook.


     great information thank you for sharing. trying to find teardowns, land lots in the concord NC, or Fayetteville NC for build to rent or spec homes. Thank you

  • Real Estate Investor · Hicksville, NY · Member since 2015 · 15 posts · 2 votes
    7mo

    Great breakdown on keeping the operation lean. Since you're pushing 10k texts/day, how are you handling the data hygiene? I found that pre-scrubbing my lists against Google Maps data cut my undeliverable rate by about 15% and kept my 'cost per lead' lower. Happy to let you run a batch for free if you want to test the difference.

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      7mo
      Quote from @Sumeet Vasu:

      Great breakdown on keeping the operation lean. Since you're pushing 10k texts/day, how are you handling the data hygiene? I found that pre-scrubbing my lists against Google Maps data cut my undeliverable rate by about 15% and kept my 'cost per lead' lower. Happy to let you run a batch for free if you want to test the difference.


       Thank you, Sumeet. I use credit-header data and I have a database that cross references social security numbers to determine their most-recent phone number. Your method sounds compelling; however, I really try to minimize my variables in marketing to ensure my KPIs stay consistent. For instance, if I constantly changed my skip tracing source then it may take me more leads to get a property under contract.

  • Bo SmithPro Member
    Hinton, WV · Member since 2026 · 1k+ posts · 373 votes
    7mo

    The compliance piece is huge now - what used to work in 2019 can literally get you shut down today. One thing I've noticed is that most wholesalers still focus too much on lead volume and not enough on lead quality scoring. Hot leads need same-day follow-up, warm leads can wait 24-48 hours, but cold leads? You're wasting time if you don't have a system to prioritize. How are you scoring your leads right now - gut feel or actual data?

    • Wholesaler · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2015 · 398 posts · 679 votes
      7mo
      Quote from @Bo Smith:

      The compliance piece is huge now - what used to work in 2019 can literally get you shut down today. One thing I've noticed is that most wholesalers still focus too much on lead volume and not enough on lead quality scoring. Hot leads need same-day follow-up, warm leads can wait 24-48 hours, but cold leads? You're wasting time if you don't have a system to prioritize. How are you scoring your leads right now - gut feel or actual data?

      Very true, Bo. Texting compliance is big, but once you're A2P approved, I found that given the benefit of the doubt when texting sellers, so we ensure we do not abuse it. I tend to only text sellers once per quarter and never text sellers after they opt-out. And regarding the lead scoring, yes, I do this. However, I require my team to call sellers within 5 minutes of texting back, regardless of what their motivation may be.
  • Member since 2026 · 21 posts · 7 votes
    7mo

    I prefer automaton myself. I developed an automatic lead-gen system to use with ads, modern looking and catchy. It shows the visitor an instant cash valuation based on the market value, automatically calculated repair costs based on property data, personalized ARV percentage based on market (slow, rural, standard, hot) and also on the property condition, and dynamic assignment fees. The visitor can also see his estimated repair costs and can submit a counter offer and upload pictures of the property (sort of a hidden qualification feature instead of just having them fill out a form with questions). His data plus the skip traced address are sent to google sheets/Telegram/Slack/Email/CRM along with a vacancy probability after the owner and phone numbers are passed through 2 DNC/TCPA checks, to make it as safe as possible. Then the system sends an automatic AI SMS and email (with delays and respecting safe hours). I can manage everything and control everything on my phone through Slack menus. And I only pay around $0.43/lead for all the integrated services.

    Nowadays you gotta keep up with the tech or be crushed by it.

  • Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    6mo

    Really interesting breakdown.
    Out of curiosity, what part of your process still feels the most manual or frustrating today?

  • Member since 2024 · 5 posts · 1 vote
    6mo

    Hi Cornelius,

    Thanks for sharing!

    Just curious—do you typically close your deals with cash and then list them on the MLS for resale? Do you use any financing or leverage loans? And what kind of profit margin do you usually target, percentage-wise?

  • New to Real Estate · Bozeman, MT · Member since 2024 · 38 posts · 7 votes
    6d

    Great response Mr. Garland,

    In your business which part you oversee and specialize in?

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