All Forum Posts by: Max Yuan

Greg, that’s a killer story — one phone call and 280 units? That’s the kind of leverage you earn after 5,000+ doors.

Most folks don’t have that kind of network or history, which is why I’ve been building a tool that helps level the playing field. It’s kind of like Bloomberg for real estate — pulls fresh distress data (violations, liens, etc.) directly from county sources before it hits PropStream or the usual lists.

Looks like you're more focused on passive plays right now, but curious — would it be valuable if your team or JV partners had access to earlier deal signals to feed into your network?

Say the word (yes) and I'll shoot over a quick recording if you’re even a little curious.

Most real estate investors and wholesalers are fighting over the same stale leads that have been sitting on PropStream, Dealmachine, etc for months. Meanwhile, the sophisticated players have figured out the secret: being first.

Here's what separates the pros from everyone else - they don't wait for leads to show up on the big platforms. They hire virtual assistants (usually $500-1,000/month) to scrape fresh data daily from code violations, tax delinquencies, and other motivated seller sources. While you're calling someone for the 30th time, they're making the first call.

It's like having Bloomberg for real estate. Wall Street traders pay thousands for Bloomberg terminals because they get market data seconds before everyone else - and those seconds make millions. The same principle applies here: you get the same information everyone else will have, just weeks or months earlier.

Think about it: When was the last time you refreshed your filters on PropStream and saw genuinely NEW leads? Most of what you're seeing came from 4-6 months ago. In some markets, there might only be 23 new code violations in an entire month across the whole city.

The best wholesalers know this. That's why they pay VAs to get the data before it hits the mainstream platforms. 

Here's the uncomfortable truth: If you're good at this business, being the first call means you win the deal. If you're the 15th person to call, what exactly sets you apart from the other 14?

The question isn't whether you need better data - it's whether you want to keep competing with 100 other people calling from the same outdated lists, or if you want the unfair advantage of being first.

Are you paying virtual assistants to scrape your data right now? If so, I'd love to hear about your setup and what's working (or not working) for you.

Once you’ve closed your first wholesale deal, the real challenge begins:

How do you make that process repeatable without burning out your VA—or yourself?

We’ve worked with a bunch of investors who’ve done 1–3 deals and then stall out—not because they lack hustle, but because they’re juggling:

• messy lists
• outdated CRMs
• random follow-ups
• VAs guessing what to prioritize

Here’s the workflow we use to help get past the chaos and start scaling deals with clarity:

1. Focus on High-Signal Lists Only

Once you’re serious, stop chasing “maybe” leads.

We doubled down on county-monitored data, like:

✅ Tax delinquents

✅ Probates

✅ Code violations

✅ Pre-foreclosures

Pull them weekly, directly from the source, and filter hard for motivation.

No more bloated $0.10/lead lists from generic vendors.

2. Make Your VA Sound Like a Real Person

Your VA's cold call script shouldn't sound like a bad robocall.

We found success switching to permission-based intros, like:

That small tweak improved pickup and conversation quality.

3. Build Confidence in Your Numbers (Especially Rehab Estimates)

At this stage, overpaying even $5–10K because of a bad rehab assumption kills your margins.

Rough pricing we use:

• $25/sqft = light
• $45/sqft = medium
• $70+/sqft = full gut

If you want a simple rehab calculator we use internally to estimate this quickly, drop a comment and I’ll send it over 👇

4. Tighten Your Follow-Up Cadence

The #1 reason we see deal flow stall after a few wins?

Follow-up inconsistency.

We use a lightweight cadence (7-day, 14-day, 30-day) that the VA follows without needing reminders.

You don’t need a fancy CRM—just a system that tells you what to do next.

---

Simply put, if you’re serious about making this business sustainable, the next deal isn’t about working harder—it’s about removing chaos.

Let me know if you want the Rehab Calculator—we’re happy to share the one we use internally.

Quote from @Feras Mansi:

Interested

Great sending you a message now!

Quote from @Adam Sciupac:

Hi @Max Yuan! I currently have a single family rental (room by room) and I house hack in my second property. I'm actively building out processes to begin the wholesaling venture and in doing research came across this post. I'm curious to learn more from your experiences and what you suggest with regards to automatically pulling data.

 Great sending you a message now! 

Let’s be real…

Most RE investors and wholesalers don’t have a (lack of) data problem.

They have a data chaos problem.

That was us.

We were running a lean operation across a few TN markets, and like a lot of operators, we had a VA managing list pulls from your typical vendors, another one scrubbing and skip tracing, and 10 tabs open trying to keep everything current.

What we really had?

A spaghetti system of CSVs, half-duplicated records, missed leads… and hours of manual work that frustruted the hell out of our team.

But here’s the move that changed everything:

We shifted from chasing lists to building a live monitoring system across high-signal data sources—stuff like tax delinquents, probates, and code violations.

Instead of waiting for overpriced third-party lists, we started pulling direct from the county—every week, automatically.

No more guessing. No more duplicated effort.

Here’s the big unlock most people miss:

👉 The best leads aren’t sitting on pre-bought lists.

They’re hiding in public data—if you know where to look and how to pull it consistently.

Here’s why I’m sharing this:

If you're still hand-scraping lists or relying on whatever your VA finds on most platforms, you're probably picking through scraps others have sifted through already.

Just want to set expectations right for you if you're just starting out or if you've already built out a team.

P.s Which data provider have you vowed to never use again because you never had success with their leads?

Great sending you a message now - looks like you're looking focusing on vacant land for wholesaling? 

Let’s be real… Most wholesalers don’t have a (lack of) data problem. They have a data chaos problem. That was us. We were running a lean operation across a few TN markets, and like a lot of operators, we had a VA managing list pulls from your typical vendors, another one scrubbing and skip tracing, and 10 tabs open trying to keep everything current. What we really had? A spaghetti system of CSVs, half-duplicated records, missed leads… and hours of manual work that frustruted the hell out of our team. But here’s the move that changed everything: We shifted from chasing lists to building a live monitoring system across high-signal data sources—stuff like tax delinquents, probates, and code violations. Instead of waiting for overpriced third-party lists, we started pulling direct from the county—every week, automatically. No more guessing. No more duplicated effort. Here’s the big unlock most people miss:👉  The best leads aren’t sitting on pre-bought lists. They’re hiding in public data—if you know where to look and how to pull it consistently. (comment if you're interested in getting this automated for your team) Here’s why I’m sharing this: If you’re still hand-scraping lists or relying on whatever your VA finds on most platforms, you’re probably picking through scraps others have sifted through already. Just want to set expectations right for you if you're just starting out or if you've already built out a team. P.s Which data provider have you vowed to never use again because you never had success with their leads?

I helped one of my buddies build out a custom data monitoring system.

He focuses on pre-foreclosure and probate leads out in FL. The workflow he wanted gets refreshed every 15 minutes. He's now crushing it since it helps to be the first one to reach out.

I am looking to work with others across the country to replicate our success. I'll focus on people with existing wholesaling teams, but happy to talk to anyone starting out too.

Comment below if you're interested in working together!

Let me know if you need help with this - We can help you find and process these delinquencies