Wholesalers become flippers but can a flipper become a wholesaler

Boston, Massachusetts
Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Wholesalers become flippers but can a flipper become a wholesaler

Don Lekaj
Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 0 votes

i am a flipper based in MA , i live in Boston but buy houses and flip them right outside of Boston , mainly Northshore but i am open to anything within 1hour drive to Boston .
I been going over my last few deals and my main issue i need to work on is finding the right deals FASTER.
I know plenty wholesalers, I probably get about 10 listings a day combination of email from wholesalers phone calls or facebook groups . 90% don’t make sense and if one deal in 10 makes sense the chances for me getting it are still slim considering the amount of people going for the same house .
I have been thinking to start wholesaling myself ! Btw last deal i done wholesaler profit was 40k , it didn’t bother me because i made good profit myself and they do their part but it made me think that if i put to work and become a wholesaler i could have saved that and maybe instead of 4/5 deals a year i can be happy with 3 flips and few wholesale deals ( not looking for a 40k profit although that would be great lol).

My question is : how hard is to start wholesaling with 0 experience, i have experience in sales but never wholesaling real estate or worked for a real estate team . Also is anyone else in the same boat and what recommendations do you have .

Thank you

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James JonesPro Member
Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 710 votes
5d

Yes, and it works the other way too. I am on the buyer side of this in Memphis. I buy single-family BRRRR houses under $100K, rehab to an ARV of $180K-$265K, and rent 3BR+ homes on Section 8 for $1,395-$1,950. I look at a lot of wholesaler deals and about 9 out of 10 do not work at my numbers, so deal flow is my bottleneck, not money.

You already have the hard part: you know rehab costs, ARV, and what a real buyer will pay. Wholesaling is just finding sellers at a price that leaves room for that buyer. Start with the deals that do not fit your own buy box. If you try to wholesale everything, you will spend your time chasing sellers instead of closing flips.

What is your plan for finding sellers - are you short on deals, or short on buyers who can actually close?

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  • James JonesPro Member
    Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 710 votes
    5d

    Yes, and it works the other way too. I am on the buyer side of this in Memphis. I buy single-family BRRRR houses under $100K, rehab to an ARV of $180K-$265K, and rent 3BR+ homes on Section 8 for $1,395-$1,950. I look at a lot of wholesaler deals and about 9 out of 10 do not work at my numbers, so deal flow is my bottleneck, not money.

    You already have the hard part: you know rehab costs, ARV, and what a real buyer will pay. Wholesaling is just finding sellers at a price that leaves room for that buyer. Start with the deals that do not fit your own buy box. If you try to wholesale everything, you will spend your time chasing sellers instead of closing flips.

    What is your plan for finding sellers - are you short on deals, or short on buyers who can actually close?

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    • Don Lekaj
      OP
      Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 0 votes
      4d

      Hi James , cool stuff ! Glad you are able to put in practice brrrr method .
      My plan on finding sellers is investing on marketing, not sure yet what works best but i saw that i can either buy leads or send mailers that have a 2-5% return rate . Not sure yet what is the best way to approach but i guess without trying i would never know

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    • James JonesPro Member
      Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 710 votes
      3d

      Don, that is the right way to think about it — you will not know until you test it, but test it small and track it. Pick one area near your flips, set a fixed marketing budget, and track cost per closed deal, not just response rate. A 2 to 5% mailer response sounds good until you see what it costs per deal that actually closes. Underwrite every lead the same way a buyer will: in Memphis I buy under $100K, ARV $180K to $265K, 3BR+ on Section 8 for $1,395 to $1,950, and about 9 of 10 wholesaler deals do not work at my numbers. If a buyer cannot pay your price plus a fee and still make money, there is no wholesale deal. Start with the deals that do not fit your own buy box.

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  • Trevor Rice
    Investor · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2026 · 14 posts · 2 votes
    5d

    You can, but that $40k spread isn't $40k saved. You'll spend money finding sellers and time following up on leads that go nowhere. Track cost per closed deal, including the leads you don't buy.

    I'd test one small area near your current flips with a fixed marketing budget. Underwrite every lead at your normal rehab numbers and a supported ARV. If another buyer can't pay your contract price plus a fee and still make money, there's no wholesale deal. Have a Massachusetts real estate attorney check the contract and assignment requirements before you start.

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    • Don Lekaj
      OP
      Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 0 votes
      4d

      Good idea Trevor , thank you !

      0Reply
  • Kevin Rapport
    Real Estate Coach · Sacramento Area · Member since 2026 · 46 posts · 36 votes
    5d

    Don, a flipper can absolutely become a wholesaler. But being good at rehabbing doesn't automatically give you a way to find sellers.

    Wholesaling means building another business around sourcing deals and finding buyers. If most of the deals you're getting don't work, building your own sourcing channel could help your flipping business even if you never wholesale one.

    I bought 10 houses at auction this fall. That's one sourcing route, but it comes with its own problems. We bought without seeing the inside, and two recent purchases still have occupants who need to move out.

    I'd start with whether you want better deals for yourself or actually want to run a wholesaling business. Those aren't the same goal.

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    • Don Lekaj
      OP
      Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 0 votes
      4d

      Hi Kevin ! 10 houses is a solid number ,i hope you do well! Curious are you planning on flipping all of them? You must have a large crew if thats the plan . Did you find those houses at the auction dot com website or other way ?

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  • Redgy Saint-Germain
    Developer · Boston, MA · Member since 2017 · 257 posts · 136 votes
    3d

    I'm in Mass too. I'd separate wanting better deals for your own flips from wanting to run a wholesale business. Building a seller pipeline means paying for marketing and working dead leads before you get a contract, so that assignment fee isn't automatically money you'd save.

    I'd start in one small area you already know, set a marketing budget you can sustain, and track what you spend per signed deal. Buy the ones that fit your flip numbers and consider assigning the others. Have a Massachusetts real estate attorney review the paperwork and how you plan to market those contracts before you start

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    • Don Lekaj
      OP
      Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 0 votes
      1d

      Hi Redgy , good advice there are few towns i like more and feel more comfortable so i will focus on those to start . Curious to know your thoughts on whats going on with the real estate market in MA right now? I have couple friends that do what we do in other states and somehow whatever deals they get from wholesalers look to have bigger margins compared to what im seeing in MA . I used to flip in upstate NY and i do think there is a slight difference flipping in Mass

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  • Izaiah Barba
    Wholesaler · Portsmouth NH · Member since 2019 · 230 posts · 98 votes
    12h

    Absolutely! I’d argue you actually have a head start because you already understand how to analyze deals and know what investors are looking for.

    The biggest difference is that wholesaling is really a marketing and sales business. Your ability to consistently generate leads, negotiate with sellers, and find buyers is what makes it work.

    My recommendation would be to:

    1. Pick one market and one marketing channel.

    2. Focus on generating your own off-market leads.

    3. Flip the best deals yourself and wholesale the ones that don’t fit your buy box.

    The biggest challenge isn’t learning wholesaling. It’s building a repeatable system that consistently brings in opportunities.

    You already have the investor side figured out. Now it’s about mastering lead generation and acquisitions!

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