My name is Aurelius, I am a 19 year old community college student living in the Sandhills area. I'm working to one day become a real estate investor full time, and thought that at my age, wholesaling would be a strong entry point. I want to do work in the Raleigh/Triangle area in NC and eventually move to the area myself, if there are any wholesalers or investors that would be willing to answer some questions or meet to talk about the things surrounding the business, I'd love to connect! I want to learn through action, and I'm more than willing to put the hours in to make this happen. And if anyone has any advice or guidance about where I should begin or look first, it would be very appreciated! Thanks.
Real Estate Broker · Atlanta · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 606 votes
3mo
@Aurelius Ramirez Welcome to the BP community. It is great that you are getting started at such a young age. Wholesaling can be a good way to learn the business but focus on understanding valuations, negotiations and how investors analyze deals. The best way to find active investors in your market is to join a local REIA group and attend meetings regularly. You will build relationships, find mentors and learn much faster than trying to do it alone. Best of luck on your journey.
Wholesaler · Charleston WV · Member since 2026 · 234 posts · 126 votes
3mo
Welcome to the business. My biggest piece of advice is don't get stuck in learning mode. Learn enough to understand the basics, then start talking to sellers as quickly as possible. Most people spend months watching videos and never make an offer. The fastest way to learn is by having real conversations, analyzing real properties, and making real offers. You'll make mistakes, but you'll learn more from 30 days of action than 6 months of studying. Best of luck to you
The Sandhills area is a smaller market, so your buyer list is going to be the constraint faster than it would be in Charlotte or Raleigh. Start building relationships with local investors and landlords before you need them. The deal is easier to move when you already know who's buying in that zip code.
Coral Springs, FL · Member since 2018 · 468 posts · 101 votes
1mo
Aurelius — starting at 19 with a specific target market puts you ahead of most people. Carson nailed the key constraint: Sandhills buyer list is smaller than Charlotte or Raleigh. But here's the flip side — less competition for free county data.
If I were starting in the Sandhills/Raleigh area today, I'd pull three free county sources:
1. Cumberland County Tax Collector — tax delinquent list. Fayetteville and surrounding Sandhills communities have significant delinquency. Public, free, updated monthly. These are already motivated sellers.
2. City of Fayetteville Code Enforcement — property violation records with dollar-amount repair costs. When a code inspector documents "$8,000 in structural repairs" or "$5,500 for roof replacement," you have repair scope before driving the property.
3. Cumberland County Register of Deeds — probate filings, liens, pre-foreclosure notices. Legal complexity behind the distress.
When the same property shows up on all three — tax delinquent AND code violations AND probate — that's "converged distress." Three independent county confirmations of motivation at $0 cost.
Travis said start talking to sellers fast. County data makes those conversations dramatically more effective: when you call an owner whose property is tax delinquent AND has $12K in documented code violations AND a probate filing — that's not a cold call. You know their specific problem.
Your first action this week: pull Cumberland County tax delinquent list, cross-reference against Fayetteville code violations. That's your first converged distress list. Cost: $0.
In the Sandhills you might be the only person pulling this data. In Raleigh/Wake County you're competing with dozens on the same PropStream lists. Good luck.