3 Proven Ways Beginner Wholesalers Can Compete with the Pros

[Cornelius Garland]

I know what it feels like just starting your wholesaling journey. You look around and feel overwhelmed. You see the “We Buy Houses” billboards on the interstate and hear radio ads from big flipping companies. And you start asking yourself:

“What’s the point? How can I compete with these guys? Why would a seller ever choose me over them?”

Here’s the truth: while those companies may have more resources and experience, they also operate very conventionally. That’s where your opportunity lies—by doing what they overlook.

When I first started, I didn’t have deep pockets, but I had two things those bigger companies didn’t: hunger and urgency. I was working as an intelligence contractor at Fort Bragg while launching my wholesaling business. What I didn’t know when I took the job was that they planned to deploy me. One deployment with the Army was already enough for me—I knew I couldn’t go through it again. That reality lit a fire under me. I had to make this business work before they shipped me out, and that motivation gave me an edge many established investors simply didn’t have.

And that’s what I want you to understand: if you want it badly enough, you can make this happen. The first year in wholesaling comes with a lot of growing pains—buyers snaking deals behind your back, losing money on marketing, sellers backing out last minute. It happens to everyone. It’s a rite of passage. But each setback teaches you how to become sharper, stronger, and more resilient.

So how do you gain an unfair advantage over bigger competitors? Here are three ways that worked for me:

Tip 1: Get Your Hands Dirty
Back in 2016, I contracted a deal in downtown Charleston that dozens of people were chasing. I ordered a manual skip-trace report with over 100 phone numbers of relatives and associates. My partner and I called every single one—multiple times—until we finally reached the seller’s son. By coincidence, he was stationed at Fort Bragg, where I worked. I met him during my lunch break, built rapport, and he introduced me to his mother, the actual seller.

She was going through foreclosure and couldn’t even bring herself to enter the house after her husband’s passing. We helped her clear out personal belongings, comforted her through an emotional process, and stalled the foreclosure process by getting a Power of Attorney to communicate with the foreclosure attorney and bank until we found a buyer. That deal paid us $15,000—our biggest assignment at the time—but more importantly, it saved her from foreclosure and gave her peace of mind.

Now ask yourself: would a big company with acquisitions managers and VAs “punching the clock” have gone through all that? Probably not. That’s where being willing to get your hands dirty gives you the advantage.

Tip 2: Go Where Others Won’t
When I started, I focused heavily on a neighborhood in North Charleston called Union Heights—a place most investors avoided and labeled a “war zone.” Instead of competing in crowded areas, I flooded Union Heights with direct mail. Nearly every property had title issues, but our attorney specialized in cleaning them up. We averaged $3k assignments per lot, and many sellers owned multiple lots. We averaged 2 - 3 closings per week over a 2-year period. This neighborhood, alone, sustained my wholesaling company for years and we had ZERO competition.

Over time, we wholesaled about 1/6th of the neighborhood to one developer. He accumulated nearly 100 lots, mostly from us, and transformed the community with new construction. That area, once written off as blight, is now one of Charleston’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods.

Would a large “We Buy Houses” company fight through 100 title issues and heirs property disputes? Maybe once or twice, but not at scale. That’s where smaller wholesalers can shine.

Tip 3: Market on Weekends
Here's a strategy I used early on that made a huge difference: I marketed on Saturdays and Sundays. Most big investment companies only call or text Monday through Friday. Same with lead-gen services and VA companies.

But weekends are when sellers are home, relaxed, and near their phones. Yes, I worried about being an annoyance, but the trade-off was clear: I could reach people no one else was reaching. For the first three years, weekend marketing gave me higher connection rates and more leads than sticking to weekdays alone.

In Summary
Yes, you can compete with larger operations, even in big markets. But you can’t do it by copying their playbook as they’ll always have more resources and systems. Your advantage is in being unconventional, staying hungry, and doing the work others won’t.

Stay motivated. Stay persistent. Your breakthrough is coming. The only way you fail is if you quit.