Evaluating Wholesalers in Orange County, California

[Anit Parikh]

Hi - I'm looking to diversity my assets and increase my real estate portfolio.  I have no time or interest in finding motivated sellers directly, and would rather work with a wholesaler or real estate professional to do the legwork and find qualified leads.  I have been approached by a couple of wholesalers that I found on Craigslist in Southern California.

A few questions:
1. What is the best approach to finding high-quality wholesalers in this region?
2. What do you look for in working with a wholesaler?
3. Would you pay anyone a deposit to execute a search for you in advance of finding a property?  Two of the wholesalers asked for this and that didn't sound right, so I passed on the deal.  Seemed very professional and lots of data/property listings, but why would I provide a refundable deposit before anything has transpired.