How creative thinking turned an “unsellable” property into a check

[Jay Boone]

A seller reached out because no one could sell her property.

It belonged to her late husband. She had no use for it. She had already contacted agents, wholesalers, and investors. Most wouldn’t touch it. The few who tried couldn’t move it.

For good reason.

The structure was ugly. Functionally obsolete. A teardown.

But real estate isn’t always about what’s built.

It’s about what’s underneath.

After walking her through the situation, we agreed the structure likely had little to no value. So instead of trying to “sell the house,” I asked her to get an assessment of the land.

That’s what we positioned.

Not the property.
The land.

Within 48 hours, a retired, first-time investor reached out. He signed immediately.

From initial seller contact to locking in the buyer: roughly five days.

The backend wasn’t simple. My usual title company wouldn’t handle it due to the transaction size, so I had to bring in an attorney and personally handle items title would normally manage—survey coordination, document retrieval, etc.

There were hiccups. At one point my buyer was hospitalized. Another attorney I contacted told me not to call back unless I had “something worth looking at.”

The attorney who ultimately closed it told me they’d never done a deal structured quite like this, and that they’re looking forward to the next one.

That’s the business.

The payout was smaller than some deals I’ve done. But it was larger than what I would’ve earned in a month at my previous job.

More importantly, it reinforced something I’ve come to understand:

Consistency in the early stages doesn’t always come from relying on traditional formulas.

My bread and butter is still single-family properties that meet very specific criteria. That focus pays the bills.

But continuity, the ability to generate income across cycles, comes from understanding value at a deeper level and being willing to step outside the standard "ARV minus repairs" playbook when the situation calls for it.

Most people tried to sell a structure.

We sold dirt.

And on the call where I guided the buyer through paying for the assignment, he mentioned he and his wife are building a trailer park and need help sourcing more land.

One deal turned into a dedicated buyer.

When I first started, I was introduced to the 1-1-1 method: one target market, one marketing strategy, one property type. It’s a powerful way to get your first deal.

But as inbound opportunities increase, I’m learning that the real advantage comes from pattern recognition—seeing what others overlook and structuring accordingly.

There’s a difference between chasing transactions and understanding real estate.

The former pays occasionally.

The latter compounds.

If you’re in this space and only looking at what’s built, you may be missing what actually holds the value.

Sometimes the “ugly” deal is simply misunderstood.