“Confidence booster” was an understatement

[Jay Boone]

This was a challenge—and I wouldn’t change a thing.

The seller overpaid a few years ago and had to relocate for work. Not my market, but he reached out, and he was a real seller. So I took the swing.

Here’s the lesson: I got sold.

He responded to a text campaign, received initial contact with my AI, and we never actually spoke on the phone—not once. We only texted. He said he’d done structural and leveling work. What he didn’t say? A literal hole in the laundry room roof where you can see outside. 

Storm damage. Squatter-level condition. And the photos he sent? Old, professionally staged MLS pics from when he bought it.

I had zero idea what the house actually looked like… until I drove from DFW to Seguin, changed the locks, and installed a lockbox.

I thought I pulled up to the wrong house.

I almost walked away. Instead, I leaned in. Why? Because hard deals sharpen skill. What’s the worst that could happen?

I had 15–20 scheduled walkthroughs. Every single buyer left pissed. Some ghosted me completely. Agents and investors told me it would never sell:
• too close to the tracks
• too much work
• wrong buyer

I explored everything—partnering, flat-fee MLS, novation, creative exits.

I negotiated a contract extension. I adjusted price. Same result.

But here’s the part that matters:
We still sold it—faster than the average MLS time in that market.

The buyer? A neighbor down the street who saw long-term value. Seller financing. Better terms than a DSCR loan.

This is why most wholesalers quit within a year and most agents wash out within five. They learn one way to do deals. Deal makers learn many.

You can close 2–3 solid deals every 30–45 days with systems, marketing, and consistency.

Right now, I’m only competing with myself.

Part of my training is taking deals others won’t touch and moving them by any means necessary. Not for likes. Not for clout. For resilience and education.

I’m not sophisticated yet. I’m just relentless.

I came into real estate to become the person required to win at a high level.

Takeaways:
1. Always secure access before agreeing to sell
2. Multiple exit strategies or you’ll lose 90% of your leads
3. You don’t need a license to hustle
4. There’s always a way
5. Most opinions are recycled fear

Find a way.

[Ebonie Beaco]

What you described is exactly the kind of situation that separates people who actually do deals from those who only talk about them. I have been a mortgage loan officer and real estate investor for over 25 years, and one thing experience has taught me is that real estate rarely goes perfectly. The deals that challenge you are often the ones that build the most confidence and skill.

Your experience sounds like a true confidence builder, not a fluke.

You stepped into a situation where the seller was not fully transparent, the property condition did not match expectations, and the photos were outdated. Many people would have walked away, and sometimes that is the right decision. But instead of reacting emotionally, you worked through the issues and stayed focused on solutions.

You secured access before closing, evaluated your options, negotiated when needed, and found a way to bring the deal to the finish line. That is not luck. That is developing real-world deal experience.

From my perspective, both funding and investing in deals over the years, the tougher transactions often sharpen your negotiation skills, due diligence habits, and risk awareness much faster than easy deals. The easy deals do not test your systems or your discipline. The challenging ones do.

You are also right that many people leave this business early. Often it is because they expect smooth transactions, rely on one strategy, or do not know how to pivot when things change. Real estate rewards people who can adapt, think through multiple exit strategies, and stay calm under pressure.

If you keep approaching deals with this level of persistence and problem solving, your confidence will continue to grow in a very real way. That is how long-term investors are built.

As you move forward, it may help to ask yourself:

What did this deal teach me that I will apply to the next one

What systems or checks can I put in place to reduce surprises next time

Those answers will guide your growth more than any single deal ever will.