@Account Closed 80% of my deals come from listed properties. I make 2-6 offers a day usually 6 days a week. Almost all my listed deals since the investor market has gotten much more competitive have been short sale deals where the seller accepted (and bank ultimately) approved a price that was much less (15-30% I'd say) than the list price. In other words, I make a ton of low ball offers and see what sticks :)
The other 20% are from direct marketing and relationships I've been able to start to build with some wholesalers, hard money lenders, and some agents I've done business with before.
I also wholesaled 8 houses that year- those were 100% from my direct marketing. I sent out 4,000 yellow letters/mo last year. This year bumped it to 6000 letters/mo.
@Drew Denham 2 main ways I'd recommend:
1- network with other investors, do your best to get them to like you, and ask them for contractor referrals. The problem is a lot of investors who have good contractors won't refer them out because they don't want them spread too thin, so it's going to be a bit of a numbers game here as well. You'd do this through WREIAs primarily
2- Another way, which is how I found 1 of my 2 main crews, is to call up rehab material suppliers. I called my cabinet supplier and asked him if he knew any good contractors and he gave me the name of the guy I work with now.