How are you moving deals faster in 2026?

Question

I'm currently working on an off-market flip in Florida with a solid spread, and I'm curious how others are moving deals quickly right now.

In this market, I'm seeing:

· Buyers being more selective

· Longer due diligence periods

· More negotiation on assignment fees

For those who are actively wholesaling:

· What's working for you right now to find cash buyers fast?

· Are you seeing more deals fall through, or is the market still moving?

· How are you adjusting your buyer outreach in 2026?

Always looking to learn from others who are in the trenches.

Best,

Bishop (Treasure)

Igor Ganapolsky · Answer

Thanks Lydia - the three-scenario framing is the clearest answer I've seen to my margin question, and it changed how I'm underwriting. For anyone else working through this, what's helped me: before offering, decide which of the three exits the house actually is (as-is investor sale, light cosmetic to buy-and-hold/handy retail, or near-retail wholetail), then price backward from that buyer instead of from one blanket spread. On the wholetail side I now underwrite carrying cost per day - taxes, insurance, utilities, loan interest divided by expected DOM for that price band, pulled from comps in the same condition tier, not the whole ZIP - and treat it as a line item. That's what makes "a little less money faster" pencil, and it also flags when a deal only works if you hold it forever. Two things I'd add for others: get a contractor walk before you commit to the cosmetic scenario, because that's where my early numbers slipped, and price at or just under the lowest comparable so you get multiple offers instead of one negotiation. Lydia, when you factor time in, do you set a hard DOM ceiling where you cut price, or reprice based on showing traffic in the first couple weeks?

Lydia R. · Answer

In this market, flippers are being more selective but also so are lenders. More hard money loans are going bad which is making lenders tighten their criteria which is making investors tighten theirs. Whats working now is growing your pool of investors. Stop focusing on flippers. They need the deepest discount. Look at the strategies that are working right now. Buy and hold. Padsplit. Mid term rentals. BRRRR. Find those investors and sell them your deals. There is a much larger pool of sellers with homes in decent condition but still need to sell.

Ive also found that more deals are moving via wholetail. Buy the house and resell it on MLS. There is an entire segment of investors who dont know what an off market deal is. And so the only place they know to look is on the MLS. If you price your wholetail deal well, it will sell. If you price it really well, you'll get multiple offers and it will sell for more than you asked for.

Lydia R. · Answer

The wholetail angle really works. Especially in an area where you can be the lowest priced property on the market. Some properties make sense for a retail buyer who cannot afford to buy a fully renovated house but is willing to put in some sweat equity in order to get a house at a price they can afford in the neighborhood that they want. You have to underwrite these deals and look at DOM. DOM should always be a consideration but when you are planning to purchase the property and resell it, DOM needs to be looked at and factored into your offer, financing and exit.

I dont necessarily aim for the same profit margin as a flip. Because there are 3 scenarios. 1) the as is, poor condition property that you price low and put on MLS with no improvements. This is always purchased by an investor. You will get a bunch of lowball wholesale offers in the process so make sure to avoid them. 2) the house that needs some basic cosmetics and can be sold to either a buy and hold investor OR a handy retail buyer. 3) the house that needs little to no work and can be sold for a retail price to a retail buyer.

I aim for making more than I could have with an assignment. I factor time into the equation. Id rather make a little less money if I can make it faster. Instead of waiting longer to make slightly more.

Igor Ganapolsky · Answer

The fastest cash-buyer list I have ever built came from the county recorder, not from marketing: pull cash deeds (no mortgage recorded) from the last 6-12 months in your target zips, sort by who repeats, and call those names. Repeat cash buyers are already proven closers, and 30 real conversations beats 3,000 blast emails. When you call, ask three things and write the answers down: price range, condition they will accept, and how they fund. Then only send deals that match - buyers reply fast when they stop getting noise. On the diligence dragging, most delays are document delays, not decision delays: open title the day you get the contract, get access confirmed in writing, and send the buyer the contract, comps, photos and a repair range in one message so nobody has to ask a follow-up. If you are still building that list, working as a bird dog for one or two active buyers in your market is the fastest way in - you learn their exact buy box while getting paid for the finds, and it turns into your dispo list later.

Okechukwu Treasure C · Answer

I've seen the same shift in my markets. Buy-and-hold investors and BRRRR buyers are becoming more active because they're less sensitive to the rehab margin than flippers are right now. They care more about the long-term cash flow, which makes them more flexible on price.

The wholesale angle you mentioned is interesting too. I've been working with a partner on the contract side, and we've been exploring that route – getting the property under contract, doing the light rehab, and flipping it on the MLS to a retail buyer who doesn't even know what an off-market deal is. It feels like a bigger opportunity than most people realize.

One question: when you price a wholesale deal for the MLS, do you generally aim for the same margin you would on a flip, or do you price it more aggressively to attract multiple offers?

Thanks for sharing your perspective – it's helpful to hear from someone who's watching the market from a different angle.

Michael K Gallagher · Answer

FL is a pretty nuanced market from what I understand, and likely the details matter, but our market is needing more and more perceived value as compared to other assets on the market. keeping an eye on current listings and pending and that velocity as it happens has been more important than every recently.

Lydia R. · Answer

Glad I could assist. Yes when I factor in time I give a hard deadline based on holding costs (including the financing) however I price very aggressively. My goal is always to under price and get multiple offers that I can negotiate upwards instead of coming in too high and thinking people will negotiate you down. When you have multiple offers you have all the leverage. Buyers cant say take this or nothing, because you have other options. If they want the deal then they have to play ball with you instead of the other way around. When I underwrite the deal I look at what is currently active, how long its been active and what is the lowest price active listing in similar condition and can I come in under that. If I cannot then I dont consider the deal for wholetail. Or if the financing is what will kill the deal I see if there is a creative option I can work with the seller that will net more.

How are you moving deals faster in 2026?

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