Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here
Pick markets, find deals, analyze and manage properties. Try BiggerPockets PRO.
x
All Forum Categories
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

All Forum Posts by: Leonard McIntosh

Leonard McIntosh has started 1 posts and replied 9 times.

Post: Cold calling with Virtual assistants

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @Bob Lachance:

Hey @Marlon Jackson, I have had a lot of success using VAs for cold calling and lead generation in general. Will pm you some more info!


 Me as well. seeking info on VAs

Quote from @Tanner Williamson:

Hello everyone!

As you can certainly tell, I am new here. My name is Tanner, i'm from the Baltimore area and i'm interested in getting a start in wholesaling. 

I currently work full time as a Firefighter/ Paramedic and although I do not plan to leave my career, it does afford me ample amount of time to commit to learning real estate because I work 8 days a month on average. As I get older i'm less interested in "the grind" - my body is starting to tell me it's time to work smarter rather than "harder".

I am interested in getting a start in wholesaling, I have been scouting out information on the internet and doing a lot of reading over the past 3-4 months. I think the selling point for me in wholesaling is the ...relatively low risk and capital needed to begin. I don't have piles of cash to fund my ventures yet, maybe one day.

My goals in real estate are, initially, to provide some financial stabilization in the current moment, and ultimately to be able to have assets and security to pass on to my daughter. 

Currently I am deployed with the Army (National Guard), but I have a decent amount of time to invest and decent internet connection =). I am really hoping to connect with some folks who are well versed in remote wholesale deals, so that I can try to get a start while i'm on deployment (Army pay doesn't begin to touch my civilian salary and i'll be in a bind before too long).

Regardless of how this turns out, I'm excited to be here, and I look forward to learning and growing through the information I gather on BP. Most importantly, thank you for reading my 1st post! haha. 
 


 Hey Tanner, I'm new to wholesaling as well. If you are serious about learning let me know. 

Post: AI for lead generation...

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @Jerryll Noorden:
Quote from @Max Yuan:

@Joe Homs @Chris Seveney @Matthew Morrow, I'm the founder of GoliathData, a platform that uses AI for lead generation so I feel uniquely qualified to give my $0.02. - The benefit of AI comes down to the ability to automate proven processes.

For example, everyone is targeting the same probate / preforeclosure leads, so how do you get an advantage? You can have a tool that monitors the same data sources as you do today, but use the newest techniques in engineering to automatically extract names, addresses and cross reference that information with county databases before streaming that information to your CRM. Likely finishing the process before anyone else has the chance to even see the original data source, giving your the first mover advantage.

There is a lot of hype around AI and I have seen my fair share of BS. But AI powered tools is a mega-trend and those who use it to their advantage and knows its limitations will have a huge leg up on everyone else. End of the day, RE is a relationship game, the tools are just there to help you focus on building relationships more efficiently.

Dude I HATE to do this but...  I am a former NASA robotics scientist, so I too am uniquely qualified to answer any topic on technology, and data. Sorry, my dude, I have to oppose you (strongly). I will say upfront, that I am not your enemy. I too offer products so I know you must be passionate about yours, but this is something that has to be said.

There is an inherent flaw in this way of thinking no one seems to understand.

Why does everyone simply ignore the fact that you can not target motivated sellers? This is not an opinion, this is not arguable, and this is just DATA. This is a fact.  So, start from this fact, and then let's analyze why AI can't help you with lead generation, at least it can't help you improve the currently low efficiency of lead gen.

If you can't target them, it truly doesn't matter what advanced methods you use to try to target them right?

Imagine you have a fish in the ocean that doesn't eat. It doesn't even have a mouth.

So the entire world is using worms to try to bait it. But worms are so difficult to put on a hook, so here comes a clever dude who invents a machine that easily grabs a worm and hooks it within 1 tenth of a second.

That is great, BUT you CAN'T catch this fish with worms. So this machine for that purpose is useless no matter how cool or advanced.

Now this is exactly what is happening here.

YOU CAN NOT TAEGET MOTIVATED SELLERS no matter what gadget you use.

Now look at your data. Look at data period.

How many probate people do you need to reach out to to find one motivated seller in the mix? THOUSANDS. Isn't this data? Isn't this proof that people in probate, foreclosures, etc. etc are absolutely not motivated?

So here you explain that everyone is using lists, probate, and foreclosures (that aren't motivated sellers) and talk about how to differentiate yourself because everyone is using these lists. Isn't this the exact same thing as the fish example I just listed? You have a new way to reach these (non-motivated) people, but the fact is they remain not motivated people, no matter how much better your way is to contact these (non-motivated) people.

So you talk about data here. So let's talk about data.

3000 mailers to these lists to get one deal (if lucky). That is a 0.033% success rate. That means that 99.96% of the people you are targeting through lists, AI, however, are not motivated. So again,  the concept inherently doesn't work. It doesn't matter what you do to target the WRONG people. They are STILL the wrong people.

I just seriously do not understand why everyone just keeps ignoring this fact.

Why is it so hard to grasp? Seriously I just don't get it.

I will repeat. The people your AI is targeting are the wrong people. Not motivated sellers, so no AI will ever work. Again, if it did, everything else would be out of business by now, right?

But I am not putting just AI under the bus here.  This fact goes FAR beyond AI. NOTHING can target motivated sellers.

PROPSTREAM:

also a data app.

Why do you STILL have to send 3000 mailers calls or texts to prospects Propstream is giving you, to get ONE deal?

Yup. There is absolutely no difference between using Propstream and your standard list. Why are you all paying for a Propstream subscription when you have the exact same results without it, when it comes to finding motivated sellers?!

But people ignore this and see what they want to see. They WANT to believe propstream works because it would make success easier.  It is absolutely stupid retarded moronic.

People, wake up, and smell the data!

No software, no AI, no Propstream, no Batchleads, no NOTHING can target motivated sellers. NOTHING CAN.

The ONLY way to consistently get in touch with motivated sellers is for you to make it extremely easy for them to find you.

Why?

Because only THEY know they are motivated. Only motivated sellers know they are motivated. And per definition, when someone becomes motivated they will take it upon themselves to find a solution to their problem, which is the entire premise behind motivation. Eagerness to solve their problem. "MOTIVATED to solve their issues".

FACEBOOK:

Now, take Facebook.  Facebook has ALL the data. If there is ANY platform that would know who is motivated and who is not, it would be Facebook. Facebook knows anyone better than they know themselves. Facebook knows what you had for lunch in 2011 on the third Monday of June. Do you? No, but Facebook does. Facebook knows your troubles, your favorite food, and music, your crush, who your friends are, who you hang out with, and who you will hang out with. Facebook knows everything.

YET not even Facebook can predict who is motivated.  That is why you still have to pay a lot of money on Facebook ads because even Facebook which is a platform that knows everyone better than they know themselves, can find them!

Honestly, I wish it would, but it can't. I know this is not what you want to hear Sorry.... 

Now what AI CAN do however is automate this horribly poor inefficient method for lead generation. Your conversion rate will still be 0.033% but at least it is automated. But then again all this means is you have an automated way to lose money faster with a chance to get lucky and make some money.

But like Chris Seveny said.  It is a business. People will exploit and monetize new shiny objects to make money. People take advantage of all the hype behind AI and because AI does look INCREDIBLY impressive and no one understands what AI truly is, people think more about it than what it really is and everyone is obsessing over it, and thus there is an opportunity to make money by selling AI products. 

AI is great for many things but NOT lead generation.


 Truly loved this. It was all facts. I'm a new wholesaler and looking for motivated sellers is extremely hard from my new perspective. We have to find a very less time-sensitive way to have them come to us. I have been really racking my head around how to do this without spending hours of my time calling them and have them call me. The whole purpose of getting into real estate for me is to stop trading time for money. There has to be a better way. When the right person figures it out please let me know. Thank you for this post. It was well said. 

Post: Finding a Wholesaler

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @Jake Baker:

Hi @LeeAnn Owens

Two great ways to get access to wholesalers quickly. 

1. Find an investor-friendly real estate agent. The often have connections to good wholesalers.

2. Go to local meetups. You can find wholesalers there and connect with them in person. 


 I'm a wholesaler and my business partner as well. I'm in Augusta Ga but maybe we can still work together. 

Post: NEW Wholesaler in GA

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @John McDonald:

Hi Leonard,

Welcome to BP. There's a ton of opportunity in GA with deals in nearly every price bracket. We're showing 767 deals in GA and seeing the best deals outside of Atlanta, where people are migrating and markets are going through a transition.

It sounds like you're on the right path. Good luck with your journey.


 Thanks, John, yea I'm looking for motivated sellers. Being a wholesaler I see is very different from those just buying houses that move in ready. Right now I'm starting with distressed homes and looking for those owners who want to sell as is. So if anyone runs into someone in my area send them my way so I can see if I make a deal. I know you all are very advanced in this than me.

Post: NEW Wholesaler in GA

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @Morgan Gutierrez:

Hey Leonard, I'm curious. What investment company did you partner with?


 We The People Economics

Post: NEW Wholesaler in GA

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3
Quote from @Garrett Hathaway:

Hey Leonard, 

Kudos to you for jumping into the game! What's going to be your strategy for getting your leads?


Do you have any other suggestions or tips?

Post: NEW Wholesaler in GA

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3

right now I'm using trials on Propwire, Propstream, and Deal Machine to get leads with cold calling. I'm looking to put together a team of individuals who want to learn but don't have to the investment funds. 

Post: NEW Wholesaler in GA

Leonard McIntoshPosted
  • Posts 9
  • Votes 3

Hello, I'm new to wholesaling. I'm only focusing on distressed homes for the start then will move to other markets. I have partnered with an investor company that teaches wholesaling for beginners.