Wholesaling in the Houston area?

[Luke Moses]

Hello all. This is my first BP post. I've been a real estate investor for a while (buy & hold) but I'm trying really hard to get my wholesaling business off the ground. I've been at it for over 3 months full time but I haven't snagged my first deal yet. I've advertised on craigslist, bandit signs, direct mail (post cards) and the Greensheet. I networked with a local wholesaler who said he'll walk me through deals and we'll split the profits 50/50 but I have to spend all the $ and time advertising and bring him the leads. We've looked at about a dozen properties but the sellers are never motivated enough or the properties are not work getting under contract.

I've been marketing to sellers with direct mail (post cards) from leads generated from a local company "Real Aquisitions." I've increased my mailings to 1000 per week several weeks ago and have only received a hand full of calls as of yet. I keep listening to podcasts and reading on forums about pushing through and keeping at it but I feel like I'm near my tipping point. I'm thinking about getting my real estate license and giving that a go. I don't want to chase every new opportunity that comes along but getting people to agree to sell their house for dirt cheap has thus far been quite daunting.

Any ideas, tips, advice, etc would greatly be appreciated from this newbie!