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What is Real Estate Wholesaling

Real estate wholesaling can be an easy way to profit from a home investment. Take an in-depth look into the world of wholesale real estate.

Written by Zoe Z Littlejohn
Updated over 3 years ago

If you’re looking to start investing in real estate but aren’t sure where to begin, you may want to consider real estate wholesaling. In short, wholesaling real estate is a process where a wholesaler gets a contract on a property from a seller and sells that contract to an investor. But what is wholesale real estate, and how does it work? Our guide below will outline the process of wholesaling real estate for beginners, so you can determine whether this investment strategy is right for you.

How Does Real Estate Wholesaling Work

What is wholesaling real estate? Real estate wholesaling is a short-term investment strategy that involves a seller, wholesaler, and buyer. Wholesalers will often search for distressed properties that need extensive repairs, as these properties often sell below market value. The owners of these properties are typically motivated to sell their homes. They might work with a wholesaler because they don’t want the stress of negotiating with buyers and real estate agents or believe their property is in such poor condition that it won’t sell.

Once a wholesaler gains the contract to the property, they will look for investors seeking to buy and flip a home. After the wholesaler finds a buyer, the contract will be sold, and the wholesaler will receive a percentage of the selling price. In most cases, the wholesaler’s fee will be between 5% and 15% of the selling price. By acting as a middleman, the wholesaler can work with buyers and sellers to make a real estate transaction without spending any money during the process. Wholesaling real estate is entirely legal and can be a great way to start investing in real estate.

Example Of Real Estate Wholesaling

If you want to know how to start wholesaling real estate, let’s look at an example of real estate wholesaling to understand how the process works. Let’s say you’re a wholesaler and find a motivated seller with a distressed home needing extensive repairs. Due to its condition, the seller continues to live in the house, thinking they will never be able to sell it at a reasonable price. You contact the seller and agree to get the contract for the property and work with them to find a buyer and put the house under contract for $100,000.

After searching through your network, you find a real estate investor who focuses on fixing and flipping homes. You then sell the contract to the investor for $130,000. In this example, the wholesaler will earn $30,000 in profit without having to purchase the home.

How to Wholesale Real Estate

Now that you understand real estate wholesaling, you may wonder how to get started. With confidence in negotiating deals and knowing how to find homes below market value, wholesaling real estate can be a lucrative investment strategy. Here are the steps on how to wholesale real estate:

  1. Search for properties below market value

    The first step in wholesaling real estate for beginners is searching for properties below market value or finding a motivated seller. In many cases, the owners of these properties are looking to sell their homes fast and avoid having to work with real estate agents, home inspectors, and mortgage lenders, which means you’ll need to find a cash buyer who can close quickly on the property.

    To find these properties, there are several routes you can take. One of the easiest ways to start is by driving around your local area and searching for distressed homes. If you come across any, you can door-knock and speak with the owner to see if they’re interested in selling their property. Another avenue you can take is email marketing and social media marketing. By growing your audience, you can connect with a larger pool of potential sellers and grow your brand through word of mouth.

  2. Negotiate with the seller

    Once you find a seller, negotiating is the next step in the real estate wholesaling process. This is a key step in the process, as you must bid with the seller and get the perfect price. By bidding too low, you can risk the seller rejecting your offer, while bidding too high can make it more challenging to sell, resulting in a small or no profit.

    To negotiate effectively, always remain professional and showcase your expertise. If possible, walk through the property, note any damage and the home’s condition, and use that to negotiate a fair deal. It’s important to note that the lower the bid you can make, the more profit you can earn, so make sure to do your research beforehand to create an effective bidding strategy.

  3. Sign the contract

    After negotiating a price, you need to get that written under contract. To create a wholesaler contract, you can work with a real estate attorney or agent or draft a contract yourself. However, creating a contract yourself can be risky if you’re not well-versed in the legal implications of this process, so working with an attorney may be a wiser choice.

  4. Find a buyer

    Now that you have a written contract, the next step of the wholesaling real estate process is finding a buyer. As you search for a buyer or investor, you want to ensure they can provide an all-cash offer, as the seller will often want to avoid working with real estate agents and mortgage lenders.

    To find a buyer, tap into your network, as you never know who knows someone looking to invest or buy a property. This means reaching out to friends, family, and coworkers. You can grow your audience and find potential buyers through social media marketing, email marketing, and your website.

  5. Negotiate with the buyer

    Now that you’ve found a buyer, it’s time to negotiate again. This is another crucial step of real estate wholesaling, as the selling price you can negotiate will impact how much money you earn in the transaction. During this step, you can arrange your wholesaler transaction fee, which might be a standard fee or based on a percentage of the purchase price.

  6. Sign the contract

    Once you’ve finished negotiating, your next step is getting it in writing. When signing the contract with the seller, consider working with a real estate attorney or agent, as they are often well-versed in real estate law. During this step, you will need to assign the contract you signed with the seller to the buyer, which can be done with an assignment of the contract agreement.

  7. Close the deal

    The final step of real estate wholesaling is closing the deal. Once the buyer signs the contract, they will agree to the transaction fee and the purchase price. The deed will then be given to the buyer, and you (and the seller) will forgo any rights to the home. As the wholesaler, you also won’t be required to pay any money, as the buyer will be in charge of closing costs and purchasing the home. You will then give the money to the seller and keep the agreed-upon wholesaler fee.

Pros and Cons of Wholesaling Real Estate

If you want to get into real estate wholesaling, it’s important to know the pros and cons:

Pros:

  • Limited money to get started: Getting into real estate wholesaling comes with limited risk compared to other real estate investing options, as real estate wholesaling doesn’t require as much personal funds to get started.

  • Wholesalers can make deals in various real estate markets regardless of location: If you’re a real estate wholesaler, making deals in different real estate markets is easier compared to other investment options, as you can search online, through county court records, and more, to find a potential property.

  • Potential to earn a significant profit: Because real estate wholesaling doesn’t require much upfront capital, it can be easy to earn a larger profit. After closing on a contract, you can typically expect to receive funds within 30 days.

Cons:

  • Lower profit margins: Compared to other real estate investments, real estate wholesaling offers lower profit margins.

  • Finding cash buyers may be difficult: Finding cash buyers can be challenging because real estate wholesaling often involves purchasing distressed properties.

  • Difficulty finding properties or investors: In some cases, it can take a long time to find a property worth investing in or an investor, so it’s important to have a pool of investors lined up beforehand.

Real Estate Wholesaling FAQs:

  • Is Wholesale Real Estate a Good Investment?

    In short, wholesale real estate can be a good investment if done correctly. When learning how to start wholesaling real estate, it’s important to know how to conduct the proper research to find properties to sell. From there, you can slowly build your skills and network to find properties and investors.

  • How to Prepare for Your First Wholesale Real Estate Purchase

    Being prepared is important if you’re looking to start real estate wholesaling. Here are some tips to get started:

    • Conduct market research.

    • Market yourself through social media, email, and word of mouth.

    • Stay in contact with investors.

    • Hone your negotiating skills.

    • Work with a mentor when getting started.

  • Is Wholesaling Real Estate Easy?

    Wholesaling real estate isn’t always easy. It requires a lot of upfront work to find the right property to sell and time to build your network to find buyers and investors who can purchase these properties with cash. That said, you can go months without finding a property or investor, which is not always easy. However, you can build your skills and network over time to make real estate wholesaling easier.

Conclusion

Real estate wholesaling can be a great way to get started with real estate investing. With limited capital needed to start, wholesaling real estate can be lucrative. In addition to real estate wholesaling, you can also look into real estate auctions, which feature foreclosure homes that often sell below market value. At ServiceLink Auction, we have a wide range of foreclosure, bank-owned, short-sale, and newly foreclosed homes up for auction.

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