All Forum Posts by: Jeremy Beland

@Abraham Berkowitz

Every market is drastically different and comparing them wouldn’t be that helpful. All marketing works but some marketing works better in different markets than others.  Have you started doing any marketing to generate leads yet?

If you're newer to real estate—or even if you've done a few deals—you’ve probably asked yourself:

“How do I know if a real estate deal is actually worth pursuing?”

It's a fair question. But too often, investors get stuck in a loop of overanalyzing. They run countless formulas, spend hours inside spreadsheets, or hesitate to move forward unless everything looks perfect on paper.

Here’s the truth:

You don’t need 37 formulas or expensive software to evaluate a deal. You need a repeatable system that gives you clarity and the confidence to act. That’s what this post offers.

According to IRS data, over 70% of U.S. millionaires hold real estate investments. Why? Because it offers something other asset classes can’t: control.

Unlike stocks or crypto, real estate allows you to: 

1. Improve the asset and increase its value
2. Buy below market (especially off-market
3. Adjust your exit strategy based on market shifts

When done right, real estate provides income, appreciation, tax advantages, and long-term wealth. But the most important part? Getting control of the deal upfront.

A Simple Framework for Evaluating Deals (No Fancy Math Required)

One of the biggest obstacles for new investors is “analysis paralysis.” The fear of making a mistake often leads to missed opportunities. Here’s a simplified evaluation system that removes the guesswork:

1. Determine the ARV (After Repair Value)
Start by asking: What will this property sell for once it’s fully fixed up?
Use comps in the area. Be conservative. ARV is the foundation for every other decision.

2. Apply the Baseline Percentage Strategy
Instead of getting bogged down in complex calculations, use these quick rules of thumb based on your intended strategy:

Wholesale, Rehab, BRRRR:
Lock up the deal at 50–60% of ARV. This provides enough margin for assignment fees, repairs, or financing.

Wholetail (Clean, financeable properties with little to no repairs):
Aim for 70–80% of ARV. These often just need a clean-out and can be listed on the MLS.

Creative Finance Deals:
When the numbers are tighter or the seller needs flexibility, structure deals using:

Seller financing
Novations
MLS wholesaling

The takeaway? Lock it up first at the right number. You can figure out your exit once you’re in control of the deal.

Structuring Offers to Minimize Risk

In fast-moving markets, speed matters—but so does protection. These are common contract terms that offer both flexibility and safety:

Inspection Contingency (10–15 Days):
Allows time to inspect, market, or evaluate without full commitment.

Access Clause:
Ensures you can show the property to buyers or partners without delay.

Partner Approval / Buyer Contingency:
Gives you the option to cancel or renegotiate if the numbers don’t work or buyer interest is lacking.

Important: Always act in good faith. If the deal won’t work, walk away respectfully and promptly.

Real Case Study: $83K Profit Without Renovations

Let’s walk through a recent example that demonstrates the power of strategy and simplicity.

The Situation:
A seller in Manchester, NH was facing foreclosure due to unpaid property taxes. The home was owned free-and-clear but needed the owner to relocate.

The Structure:
Purchased with private capital
Offered 60 days rent-free occupancy
Paid 80% upfront, held 20% in escrow to ensure vacating
Included daily financial penalties if the seller stayed beyond the agreed date

The Result:
The seller moved out on time. No renovations were made—just a deep clean and a listing on the MLS. The property sold quickly, netting an $83,000 profit.

Lesson: Sometimes, wholetailing beats rehabbing—less time, lower risk, and faster profit.

5 Common Mistakes First-Time Investors Make

Avoid these pitfalls:
1. Overanalyzing Before Getting the Contract
Secure control first. You can’t make decisions without it.

2. Overpaying
Stick to baseline percentage rules. Avoid emotional decisions.

3. Underestimating Repairs
Always leave room in your numbers for surprises. 

4. Missing Key Contract Clauses
Inspection periods and contingencies are essential tools—not optional.

5. Inflexibility
Successful investors adapt. Have multiple exit strategies ready.

Where to Find the Best Deals in 2025
Finding deals isn’t about luck. It’s about systems and consistency.

Here’s what’s working:

1. Direct-to-Seller Marketing:
Cold calling
Driving for dollars 
Direct mail

2. Strategic Networking:
Wholesalers
Agents
Contractors

3. Consistency Over Time:
A marketing campaign is not a one-time event. Build a steady pipeline so you’re always reviewing new opportunities.
__

If there’s one takeaway from this framework, it’s this:

Don’t overthink. Get control of the deal. Protect your downside. Stay flexible.

This approach helps investors move with clarity and speed—without gambling or guessing. Real estate favors the bold—but not the reckless. With a repeatable system and the right mindset, you can structure deals that are profitable, ethical, and scalable.

Whether you’re just getting started or ready to expand your portfolio, keep it simple. Lock it up. Run your numbers. And pivot when needed. That’s how professionals build long-term wealth in real estate—one solid deal at a time.

 Hey @Brad Couch. Shoot me a message and we can chat. Let me see how I can help. 

@Jayson Vincent hey man! Thanks for the nice comment.  I’m actually over in NH and buy/wholesale in Massachusetts too. Just sold a house in Gardner last week.  If you need any help getting up and running, let me know. I teach people all the time how to hit the ground running. 

@Dennis Bamford thanks my friend 

Ever felt like you’re running in circles in your real estate business—working nonstop, but never really moving forward? You're not alone.

Most investors start by doing everything themselves: finding leads, negotiating, handling repairs, chasing paperwork, and wondering why they feel stuck or burnt out. I’ve been there. And after working through hundreds of off-market deals over the years, here’s one hard truth that became impossible to ignore:

Hustle doesn’t scale. Systems do.

Whether you're wholesaling, flipping, or building rentals, having the right systems in place is what allows you to grow and breathe.

Early on, hustle can get you your first few wins. But at some point, the same things that helped you get started—grinding harder, saying yes to everything, doing all the work yourself—start holding you back.

Here’s what that usually looks like: 

 You’re constantly chasing unorganized lead

Deals fall through the cracks due to missed follow-ups

You rely on gut feelings instead of clear numbers

You feel like you're losing money, but can't track where

You're always “busy” but never feel truly in control

Sound familiar? That’s a sign it’s time to step back and build real systems.

The 4 Core Systems Every Real Estate Investor Needs
You don’t need 20 tools or fancy platforms. Just get these four systems right, and everything changes.

1. Lead Flow System

This is where it all starts. If your leads aren’t organized, nothing else works.

Ask yourself:

• Where do my leads come from?

• Are they tracked in a consistent, visible way?

• What happens the moment a new lead comes in?

What helps:

• A simple CRM with clear pipeline stages

• A lead manager or VA to manage follow-ups

• Defined speed-to-lead response (especially for wholesale deals)

Tip: Speed matters. If you’re the only one checking voicemails while juggling 10 other things, good leads are slipping away.

2. Deal Evaluation + Dispo System

Stop flying blind. Every deal needs a repeatable process for evaluating and exiting.

What to lock in:

• Evaluation templates (for wholesale, flip, novation, etc.)

• Exit decision tree: what’s your plan A, B, and C?

• Clear roles: who locks up the deal? Who markets it? Who manages the close?

A lot of deals fall apart simply because no one owns each step. Build the flow. Assign the people.

3. Marketing + Follow-Up System

Deals rarely close on the first touch. The fortune really is in the follow-up. Instead of changing your strategy every 30 days, build a machine that runs consistently.

Solid systems include:

• Automated text, email, and voicemail follow-ups

• Monthly or quarterly direct mail

• VA-led cold call or SMS outreach

• Drip sequences for older leads

Tip: Set it up once. Then let it run.

4. Cash Flow + Project Tracking System

Even great lead flow and dispo won’t save you if your finances are a mess.

What to track:

• Incoming and outgoing money weekly

• Flip budgets, draws, and burn rate

• Marketing spend vs. ROI

• Estimated vs. actual profit per deal

Simple tools like Google Sheets work. What matters is visibility. Don’t wait until you’re overdrawn to realize a project went sideways.

Building a Team (Without Breaking the Bank)

Once your systems are dialed in, you don’t need to do everything yourself. You start replacing yourself—intelligently.

Start with these key roles:

• Lead Manager/VA – Manages the CRM, keeps pipeline moving

• Acquisitions Rep – Talks to sellers, gets contracts signed

• Dispo Rep – Sells the deal and manages buyer relationships

• Project Manager – Oversees renovations or inspections

• Transaction Coordinator – Manages title and closing

You don’t need full-time hires from day one. Start with part-time help or trained VAs. Record your process once using screen-sharing tools, and create a simple training library for new hires.

Tip: Culture still matters, even with remote VAs. When your team understands your mission, they care more. And that shows in your results.

Where to Start This Week?

Don't try to build it all overnight. But do start somewhere.

Here’s a simple 4-step action plan:

1. Write down how you handle new leads today

2. Outline how you currently follow up (or don’t)

3. Record your screen walking through one deal start to finish

4. Choose one system to improve this month

Building a real business isn’t about doing more. It’s about making better decisions, more consistently, with less stress.

@Dennis Bamford. Thanks so much man!  Always trying to keep it real so people truly know the truth. 💯💪

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.

Here’s what our 2025 year-to-date numbers look like from our direct-to-seller marketing in NH and MA:
✅ 31 properties under contract
❌ 4 that didn’t work out
🕒 8 pending or assigned, waiting to close
🏁 19 closed—either bought or sold on our end

What I’m most proud of isn’t just the volume.
It’s the low fallout rate and high revenue per deal 💰
That’s what really moves the needle.

We learned this lesson the hard way.
In the early days, we used to get excited about how many contracts we had…
But we quickly realized a contract means nothing until it actually closes.

A deal isn’t a deal until it hits the closing table.

So we stopped chasing contract volume and started focusing on how many deals actually closed—and how much each deal actually made.

That shift required us to level up every part of our business.
🗣 Better acquisition conversations
🎯 Stronger training
🔧 Tighter systems
📈 And a ton of reps

It’s taken years of learning, testing, adjusting, and building the right systems.
And most importantly—a rock solid team that makes it all work 🙌

We’re not perfect, but we’ve worked hard to get here.
And what we do in our own business is exactly what I coach others to do every day.

If you’re in this game too, I’ll say this:
It’s not about how many contracts you get.
It’s about how many close—and how profitable they are 💯
Sometimes less really is more.

One of the most overlooked (and honestly, avoided) deal sources in real estate is foreclosures.

I'm not just talking about MLS auctions or courthouse steps—I mean direct-to-seller conversations with homeowners who are in pre-foreclosure and don’t know what to do next.

It’s not for everyone. These deals aren’t “easy.” But they can be some of the most rewarding—both financially and personally—if you understand how to navigate them the right way.

Here’s what I’ve learned from being in a lot of these conversations over the years:

1. Most Sellers in Foreclosure Don’t Know the Timeline

It’s easy to assume people understand what’s happening when they get that default notice, but 9 times out of 10, they don’t. They’re overwhelmed, stressed, and confused.

Knowing your state’s process—inside and out—matters.
Whether it’s judicial or non-judicial, whether they have 21 days or 9 months, you need to be the one who calmly explains it in plain English.

If you can do that better than other investors (or even their attorney or loan servicer), they’ll see you as someone they can actually trust.

2. Pre-Foreclosure Is the Window—Don’t Wait for Auction

Once a home hits auction, your options shrink fast. But pre-foreclosure is where creative deals happen.

This is the window where you can:

•  - Help a seller avoid major credit damage

•  - Stop the foreclosure clock with a signed purchase agreement

•  - Offer a quick, clean solution without them having to list or show the property

Timing and follow-up are everything here. One day they won’t answer. The next day, they’ll be ready to talk.

3. Lead with Empathy, Not Offers

If you’re going into these conversations thinking “how do I get this deal?”—you’ve already lost.

Start with:

“Hey, I’m not here to pressure you. But I’ve helped folks in similar situations, and I’d be happy to walk you through your options. If one of those includes working with me—great. If not, no hard feelings.”

You’d be surprised how many people just need someone to slow things down and give them a clear view of the road ahead.

4. Don’t Ignore the Legal Side

Every state is different. Some are super aggressive. Some take months. Learn the difference between:

- Judicial vs. Non-Judicial

- Notice of Default vs. Lis Pendens

- Reinstatement rights, redemption periods, etc.

This isn’t legal advice territory—but you do need to know enough to not sound clueless.

5. Where to Find These Leads

No magic here. Just consistency:
County records (Notice of Default filings)
Door knocking or mail (when done respectfully)
Referrals from attorneys or agents
Follow-up systems (people aren’t ready until they are)

Some use PropStream, some go old school. What matters is knowing the list is just the start. It’s how you approach the conversation that makes the difference.

Final Thought?

Foreclosure deals are never cookie-cutter. Every homeowner’s situation is different.
But if you come in informed, patient, and with the mindset of solving problems, you’ll close deals that most other investors never even knew existed.

Happy to answer questions or trade notes with anyone doing this. It’s not always easy—but it’s worth it.