All Forum Posts by: Ericka Williams

Hello! I'm new to real estate investing, and obviously I hear a lot about wholesaling being a good and cheap way to start/break into rei. Is this true?

Also, I plan to do it exclusively in my area(Metro Detroit). I think the wholesale game overall is saturated with people sitting at their computer mass cold calling and emailing potential sellers. I think taking a local "better the community" approach is more appealing for sellers and buyers. I'm guessing a lot of people are taking this approach. Thoughts? 

Let’s be honest—most of what you see online about wholesaling is the highlight reel.
“Locked it up in 2 days!”
“$40K assignment, no money down!”
“Closed this one in my sleep!”

And hey, that’s great. We all love a win.
But if you’re trying to build an actual business around this, you need to know what really goes on behind the scenes.

Follow-Up (Every. Single. Day.)
The deals don’t just fall into your lap. They come from following up... again and again.
Most sellers don’t say yes on the first call. Sometimes they won’t even remember who you are until the third or fourth conversation. That’s normal.
If you’re not following up daily, you’re leaving money on the table. Simple as that.

Rejections and Ghosting
Sellers flake. Some change their minds. Some just stop responding altogether.
You’ll get told “no” more times than you can count. You’ll have deals that feel like a sure thing… until they’re not. And yeah, sometimes it stings.
But the truth? That’s part of the game. Rejection is baked into the job description.

Pivots Happen — a Lot
Even when you get the contract, don’t pop the champagne just yet.
Buyers back out. Title issues pop up. Sellers go missing.
This is why being flexible matters. You’ve got to be able to pivot—sometimes fast. Creative solutions, backup buyers, timeline adjustments… that’s the real work.

Patience Is a Skill
Wholesaling gets pitched like a quick-cash hustle, but if you want consistent income, you’ve got to treat it like a real business.

That means:

Following a process even when it’s slow

Sticking with deals that take weeks (or months)

And showing up every day whether you’re closing or not

It’s not always flashy, but it works.

Final Thoughts
Here’s the truth most people skip over:
It’s follow-up.
It’s rejection.
It’s getting ghosted.
It’s constant pivots.
And it’s a whole lot of patience.

If you’re dealing with all of that and wondering if you’re doing something wrong — you’re not.
You’re just doing it for real.

Wholesaling in 2025 looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Having been in this business since 2015, I’ve seen the industry evolve through multiple phases—from the direct mail era, to the rise of cold calling and texting, and now into the AI-driven, compliance-heavy environment we face today.

This post breaks down how my wholesaling operation is structured in 2025, what’s changed, and what systems I use to consistently close deals in today’s market.

A Brief History of My Wholesaling Journey (2015–2022)

• 2015–2018: Direct Mail Dominance: Back when I started wholesaling in 2015, the primary way to generate deals was through direct mail. SEO and PPC were options, but skip tracing in bulk didn’t yet exist. For years, I closed deals exclusively through mail—over 100 deals in one neighborhood (Union Heights in North Charleston). Eventually, low inventory and high direct mail costs pushed me to explore other strategies.

• 2019–2021: I Began Cold Calling & Virtually Wholesaling: When skip tracing became more affordable, I scaled into several virtual markets and leaned heavily on cold calling. This was also when large VA teams became the norm—at one point, I managed 50+ cold callers.

• 2022: Texting Boom and Bust: Text blasting became the next big channel until saturation, lawsuits, and regulation (A2P 10DLC compliance) took hold. By late-2022, mass texting lost much of its effectiveness, and I stopped texting at this time because the costs did not justify the marginal results.

What Wholesaling Looks Like in 2025

Marketing First: Texting at Scale

The core of my operation today is 10,000 outbound text messages daily, sent across five virtual markets that I rotate quarterly. For instance, this quarter, I am targeting Cleveland, Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, and Kansas City. These markets are strategically chosen based on:

• Median home prices between $250K–$350K
  (too low, and sellers don’t have enough equity; too high, and motivation is low).

• Midwest-focused markets, where prices are affordable and seller motivation is higher.

We don’t waste time chasing unqualified responses. About 90% of inbound texts are ignored; we only engage with sellers who explicitly show interest (e.g., “yes, I’d sell” or they provide a price point).

Team Structure: Lean and Effective

Instead of managing massive teams like in years past, I’ve consolidated operations into a small, specialized structure:

• 1 VA Lead Manager / Marketing Specialist

  • Sends all outbound texts (10K/day).

  • Qualifies inbound leads.

  • Acts as appointment setter assists with transactions coordination.

  • Maintains thousands of leads in CRM follow-up. Most are on long-term follow up through drip campaigns.

• 1 Acquisitions Manager (U.S.-based)

  • Handles motivated seller calls and negotiations.

  • Covers all five virtual markets.

  • Works directly with JV partners when needed.

• 1 Operations Manager

  • Oversees systems, troubleshooting, and process flow.

  • Coordinates with acquisitions manager and VA to ensure deals close smoothly.

• Strategic Realtor Partnerships

  • Realtors in each market handle MLS listings.

  • Dispositions simplified: instead of a full-time Dispo manager, we leverage agents + our contracts.

  • VA supports transactions by communicating with title companies, buyers, and sellers.

Volume & Results

With this streamlined model, my company consistently closes 5–7 deals per month across multiple markets. I could very-well close more deals, but I have a lifestyle business. This structure works for me because:

• We rely on automation + specialization instead of bloated teams. After learning a lot about myself over the last decade, I realize that I prefer working with exceptional talent and squeezing the most out of every team member. I'll pay one A-player $18 an hour instead of paying 3 marginal people $6 an hour.

• Realtors provide built-in Dispo leverage, removing the need to hire a sole dispo manager. We move over 80% of our deals on the MLS.

• The VA is trained to wear multiple hats (marketing, lead management, follow-up, Dispo, and transactions coordination). Because our systems are so dialed in and we've optimized them over 10 years, the VA is not overwhelmed. Additionally, we are texting as our primary deal source, so this reduces the need to have dozens of cold calling VAs on staff, which makes day-to-day management easier.

Why This Model Works in 2025

The biggest mistake many wholesalers make today is holding onto outdated models—bloated VA teams, reliance on cold calling that has a long conversion cycle, or chasing saturated markets. Much of the wholesaling advice here on BP is outdated and incorrect. The 2025 wholesaling landscape requires:

• Lean operations that reduce overhead.

• Compliance-friendly marketing (no cutting corners on texting regulations). You can text legally as long as your account is compliant.

• Strategic partnerships with local agents instead of building massive internal teams.

• Focused markets where median prices and seller motivation align.

The result: a business that’s both sustainable and scalable in the current environment.

Final Thoughts

Wholesaling is still alive and well in 2025—but only if you adapt. The “spray-and-pray” days of massive direct mail drops or unregulated texting blasts are over. Success today comes from precision, lean operations, and leveraging the right people and tools.

By consolidating my team, leaning on AI and compliance-friendly texting, and building strong realtor partnerships, I’ve been able to consistently close deals while keeping my operation nimble.

If you’re running your wholesaling business like it’s still 2019, it’s time to update your playbook.

I’ve been putting a lot of work into sourcing opportunities lately, and one thing I’ve noticed is that every investor seems to want something slightly different — some care most about spreads, others about location, and some about condition. From your perspective as a buyer, what’s the #1 thing that makes you say yes to a deal? I ask because I’m in the trenches every day working to line up properties, and I want to make sure I understand what serious investors actually need right now.

I am looking at some land in the Cumberland or Harnett County area and am wondering who is a good builder in this area and what type of zoning is allowed for possibly two duplexes? The size of the lots range anywhere 1.5 acres to 3 acres. 

Quote from @Thomas Magill:

Quote from @Angie Castro:

Hey Thomas, Why are you looking specifically for infill lots? Would you be open to other type of lots ready to build?  I get some in Gastonia and in Monroe. Shoot me a message to see if I can help you find what you are looking for. 

 I’m looking for infill lots because they typically have water and sewer. But, you are correct, they don’t have to be infill lots. But, I do need to have water and sewer tap connections 

Whenever I look for a specific type of property, I like to take a direct approach
Identify likely properties from available public information and records.  You can do automated searches in May locales for vacant land by square footage; a say 20,000 square foot parcel is more likely to be an infill situation than a 200,000 sq ft lot.  The the ownership records can be accessed; in Texas and Arizona contact information is readily available.  Most of the time a mailing address is provided, further Google search or private data bases may uncover phone or email. 
All this can be done with hired help, either for a limited time or ongoing.  

You could also join real estate groups, virtually or in person.  Many members of these groups have acquired odd parcels that they’d love to turn in cash.  Just let the groups know what you’re looking for, and the offers to sell will come in.  

We’ve recently scaled our private lending business.  We upgraded our website at a cost of about $2,000; we initiated a SEO program cost of which is $300 or so monthly, and we initiated an email campaign cost of $275 monthly.  The results are that we doubled our annual loan volume from $15 million to $33 million.  

Hey Thomas, Why are you looking specifically for infill lots? Would you be open to other type of lots ready to build?  I get some in Gastonia and in Monroe. Shoot me a message to see if I can help you find what you are looking for. 

Quote from @Robert Jackson:

Did you GC the project yourself? How did you obtain financing? Did you buy the lot outright? 

Hi There! I am a California based investor and have heard good things about Detroit.

I am looking into Single Family Homes and Duplexes and am curious for those who have experience, where you would recommend looking in Michigan?

I am looking for LTR (preferably turnkey, but can be a fixer upper as well). Price Point is around 100K - 200K.

Thanks for the help!