What Questions Should I Be Asking Cash Buyers Before Bringing Them Deals?

Question

I’ve started reaching out to local investors and have already found at least two buyers who seem open to working with me if I can bring them the right deals.

So far, when I reach out, I usually introduce myself, let them know I’m local, and ask about their buy box. Things like:

What areas they buy in

What price ranges they typically look for

What property conditions they stay away from

What types of properties they prefer

Whether they buy assignments or prefer another closing structure

I feel like that’s a decent start, but I also feel like I’m probably missing some important questions.

My goal is to learn as much as I can about each buyer upfront so that if I do bring them a deal later, I’m not finding out at the last minute that there was something important I should have asked beforehand.

For those of you who have been wholesaling for a while or have made a career out of it, what questions do you normally ask a buyer before adding them to your buyers list?

For example, should I also be asking about things like:

Minimum profit or return they look for

How they calculate their maximum allowable offer

Whether they want rentals, flips, or both

How quickly they can close

Whether they use cash, hard money, or other financing

Whether they require inspections or certain contingencies

Whether they have proof of funds available

How much rehab they are comfortable taking on

Whether they buy occupied properties

How they prefer deals to be presented to them

I’m mainly trying to avoid wasting their time and make sure that when I send someone a property, it actually fits what they’re looking for.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who works with buyers regularly. What questions do you wish you had started asking earlier when you first got into wholesaling?

Igor Ganapolsky · Answer

Your list is already the right foundation. I’d add two things: first, ask for a recent closed deal or other credible evidence of funds and execution rather than relying only on a broad buy box. Second, agree on the exact review process—what they need in the first package, expected response time, assignment or closing requirements, and who handles title and inspections.

Keep a simple buyer sheet with target areas, asset types, price and rehab limits, occupancy preferences, funding, closing timeline, and deal-killers. Reconfirm it periodically; a stated buy box is not always the same as current liquidity.

One public-record example: 4253 SW 124 Terrace, Miramar (folio 514035141360) has a clerk sale set for Sep 22, 2026, and BCPA just value of $465,190; it is not under contract. That is paid-for information, not a closing-contingent fee.

Travis Goodwin · Answer

You are asking good questions, but I would not turn it into a 20 question interview.

I buy houses for a living, and what I really want someone bringing me deals to understand is pretty simple.

Where do I buy? What types of properties do I buy? What price range am I comfortable in? Am I looking to flip, wholetail, or hold? What kind of condition will I take on? How quickly can I close? Most importantly, what does a deal actually need to look like for me to say yes?

Then pay attention to what I actually buy. That will teach you more than my buy box will.

Crystal Smith · Answer

First off let me say that I do not define myself as a wholesaler.  I'm an investor & a real estate agent and over the years I have assigned a few deals.  In my opinion you are asking too many questions.  Here's what we ask investor buyers:

• What locations are they interested in
• What price points
• Type of properties (Single, multi, commercial...)
• Fix & Flip or Buy & hold or both
• Can  They provide Proof of funds or do they need a lender (We'll refer them to one of ours if they need a lender)

What locations are they interested in

What price points

Type of properties (Single, multi, commercial...)

Fix & Flip or Buy & hold or both

Can  They provide Proof of funds or do they need a lender (We'll refer them to one of ours if they need a lender)

We do not ask any other questions until they provide Proof of Funds or a lender pre-approval.  This proofs to us that they may be a serious buyer and will actually close. We then present to the buyer how we wll present deals to them (be they listed or off market deals) & how we work with clients.

Jack T. · Answer

If you're reaching out to them cold, most of them will not be open to too many probing questions from a newbie who doesn't have an actual deal to offer. Tell them you do marketing for off market deals and would they want you to keep them in mind for their criteria. If yes, ask them for their basic criteria. You don't need to know the small details up front, you just need to build as large a list as possible. When you actually have a deal to present is a better time to learn more

Josiah Garcia · Answer

That's a solid start—having buyers lined up before you lock in deals is actually the right sequence. The key now is understanding exactly what those buyers want: price range, property type, condition level, timeline, and their funding situation. Once you know their criteria cold, you can filter leads way more efficiently instead of chasing everything. What specific criteria have they given you so far?

What Questions Should I Be Asking Cash Buyers Before Bringing Them Deals?

What Questions Should I Be Asking Cash Buyers Before Bringing Them Deals?

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