All Forum Posts by: Jake K.

I’ve had some success with bandit signs.  It’s a cheap way to get leads.  Usually lower end properties.  In my experience with direct mail Consistency is key. You can’t send out one round of mailers and expect to get deals. You need to hit the same list three or four times and have a system of following up with potential sellers. Like Ned said, whatever for remarketing you do you need to try it long enough to get results.

@Jake K. what works for someone else may not be the best for you. It depends on your skills and personal strengths. Are you outgoing or more reserved?  Do you really like dealing with people or are you more analytical?  Are you good at follow up?  Most of my recent wholesale deals have been from buying tax liens and foreclosing.  However it is not likely that is the best strategy for you.

There are tons of threads here on how to find deals. You just have to try some things and see what fits you best. 

Probably the most important tip I can give is be consistent. Most marketing takes while to show results. You have to keep up a strategy long enough to get results. 

Some cheap way to find deals, bandit signs, tracking down owners of vacant houses and simply networking.  

Creating you own lead website can be done cheaply if you do it yourself. However it takes work and a learning curve if you don't already have tech skill.  I knew nothing about website or coding when I built my website. 

Is he licensed in the state of Florida?

No, he isnt licensed 

@Jake K. My experience has been as a competitor buying for myself . I currently have 1 under contract (settle in 2 weeks )   I made an offer , the seller wanted some more offers so they called some bandit signs .    He called me back and we sat down and talked , he showed me their offers , both were about 15 grand higher than mine . He told me he didnt like the "feel" of the 2 other offers , and could I match them . 

I spent about an hour in person explaining to him the wholesaling process , and the fact that I am the end buyer not a wholesaler .  And told him simply I gave him my highest and best . Then I told him , ask for proof of funds , and ask for higher earnest money deposit like I was doing   $ 10K  .  And run all 3 contracts by his attorney .   I then told him , my feelings wont be hurt if he sells to one of them , its strictly a business transaction .   

  A week later we signed , He said that he picked mine because I didnt lie to him , or try to BS him . The other 2 wouldnt show proof of funds , and his attorney told him NOT to sign their contracts . Mine does not have any assignment language .

@Jake K., there is a great lesson in what @Matthew Paul & @Ned Carey posted. As a wholesaler it's a must that you find great deals that work for both the seller and buyer. I see many wholesalers in our area putting properties under contract, JUST to put a property under contract in the HOPES of selling the contract. They contract the property too high, then state too low repair costs, then wonder why the deal doesn't sell. I know this because I get many emails from wholesalers wanting to do JVs with me & when I see their deal I tell them I can't send this to my buyers - It won't sell!! In Matthew's example his offer and the offer of the other wholesalers should of been close, not a $15K difference. That doesn't even include their fee which they would add to the final offer price to their end buyer.

Started writing letters/direct mail?

Full Disclosure: I work at Carrot

I get the unique ability to see behind the scenes at Carrot. When you say "they claim to help with lead generation" this is true. Carrot members are able to generate seller, buyer, tenant, and a bunch of other leads through Carrot. 

But you do have to do some work to get people to your website. This could be SEO, PPC, Craigslist, etc. 

What Carrot really offers is a website that ranks well, gives you all the tools, resources, and capabilities to customize a site and drive traffic to it. 

Some of my favorite features at Carrot are the campaign tracking links (for Facebook and PPC ads), the keyword tracking (to see where I am in the SERPS) and the weekly coaching calls to get help with strategy. 

As for the $50/mo. I think it's all relative and the famous saying of "as compared to what". I know that a web developer would charge $2k+ to develop a personal website. 

I actually just ran into a HUGE issue with a private blog I manage (not a Carrot website) where it was infected with Malware and my hosting provider gave me 3 warnings and shut down my account. I spent the better part of last weekend trying to save my account before ultimately bundling up my WordPress install and moving hosting providers because I couldn't figure out how the malware was being placed on my server. Carrot handles all that type of security and backups so you don't have to. That $50 a month gets you the infrastructure AND the amazing support we offer + plus a website that has proven itself to convert well. 

Sorry if this comes off as a sales pitch (I just love Carrot). 

To sum up my thoughts in a quick sentence. Carrot is great, but you must come with an online marketing strategy and either put in the work or pay someone to do it. But the benefits from online lead generation can have a 100x ROI.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.