You should be a lead generator for the business, not the other way around.

Like most new agents, I thought success would come by building my “ROLODEX” of investors (buyers), obtaining as many listings as I could by chasing listing “leads”, and trying to “service” the buyers and sellers I represented.  

If you’re exploring private equity for real estate, lead with credibility, not the ask: share a simple one‑pager with your buy box, a recent sample deal’s numbers, your plan to protect capital (promissory note, lien or pledge, insurance, clear exit), and your communication rhythm.

This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.

A shared Google Sheet or Airtable works great for tracking contacts, leads, and deal notes when you’re starting out. 

For bird‑dogging across Ontario and Georgia, keep it simple and legal-first: avoid “referral fee” language where licensing laws restrict it, and instead use a written “marketing/lead assignment” or “consulting” agreement that clearly states you’re paid for delivering verified lead info, not negotiating or practicing real estate; get a local attorney in each jurisdiction to sanity‑check the template.

My background is in technical consulting, where I built and automated systems for large manufacturing companies.I’d like to connect with other investors, agents, and wholesalers who are:Actively buying or selling through wholesale channelsLooking for ways to speed up or simplify deal analysisOpen to sharing insights on how they manage the volume of leads coming inIf you buy from wholesalers or manage lists yourself, I’d love to connect and exchange ideas.

By eliminating the separate, "service fee" line item at guest checkout, the "all-in" pricing model aligns better with modern travelers and hotels.I personally believe this helps everyone in our industry attract more guest demand.Guests see the final price up front, reducing the "sticker shock" that often leads to cart abandonment.

Obviously, if you can find something that works at a lower price point it is going to tie up less money.For an investment property I just assume I am going to need 25% down.You can structure your offers to have the seller pay some of your closing costs to cut down on the down payment.I know you said you don't want to go the house hack route, but that would help in two ways.  1 - the down payment on the 1st deal could be much lower, and 2 - you could get a HELOC on your primary residence for the down payments on subsequent deals. 

@Sushil Gupta,US Space Command is permanently relocating there which is set to bring in 1500+ jobs to the area and subsequently increased housing demand.