This is a convo and I’m glad someone brought it up.

As a wholesaler, I’ve seen both sides. Yeah, it’s tempting to push a deal with a big markup when you know the buyer’s fresh off a weekend seminar and doesn’t fully understand ARV or rehab costs. But let’s be real, that’s short-term thinking.

I’m in this to build a real business.

Do I think buyers should do their own due diligence? Absolutely. But if I knowingly market an overpriced deal and someone gets burned, that’s on me too. That reputation sticks and it spreads fast.

Instead, here’s what I try to focus on:

Run legit comps and price deals fairly
Be transparent with new buyers, even if it means they don’t buy yet
Play the long game and build trust

I’d rather have repeat buyers who know I bring real value than make a quick $30K and never hear from them again.

We all want to win but if we want this industry to last, we’ve gotta do better.

Curious how others handle this... 

Let’s be real — some folks are out here banking on newbies not knowing any better.
If your whole hustle depends on buyers who can’t comp or ask the right questions… is that really a business or just finessing?
We gotta do better.

We started Prestigious Acquisitions to help address some of the inconsistencies seen by both sellers and buyers from Wholesalers.  We continue to emphasize and try to set a new ethical standard for achieving win/win for all parties involved.  

Part of our approach is to work more exclusively with specific buyers who have been vetted.

​@darren.anderson I love that. It’s been a tough sell convincing some of my old friends and family, “no, I think some of these wholesalers are genuine, I think a lot of them really want to do good and make money at the same time.” The way some people talk about providing liquidity to people in bad circumstances, rebuilding communities, and doing legit business with the home owners and the investors really gives me hope, and I want to believe them.

I’m a huge softy, and the “ruthless salesman” archetype I see pushed a lot on Instagram and elsewhere really bums me out sometimes.

Good on you, I really really hope that the emphasis you put on respectful, ethical business makes you extremely successful.

Hello everyone,

After spending time in the market as both a real estate investor and construction professional, I’ve noticed a significant rise in wholesalers who lack a strong understanding of the housing market and renovation process. Unfortunately, this often leads to poor negotiation skills — accepting seller numbers without pushback and simply adding their own markup. Many of these numbers make little sense and are disconnected from the reality of how an experienced investor analyzes a deal to profit from a fix-and-flip or buy-and-hold strategy.

Lately, it seems that many wholesalers — especially newer ones — are more focused on building up a portfolio of properties to market, rather than understanding the fundamentals of the deals themselves. As a result, they're selling to desperate, eager, or inexperienced investors who may not yet know what to look for. This approach is hurting the market, including both serious investors and quality wholesalers who understand the business and do things the right way.

Personally, I’m exhausted from dealing with wholesalers who have no real background or field experience — many of whom have been influenced by YouTube or Instagram “gurus” promising $40–50K assignment fees and selling subscriptions or courses on how to get rich quick. Even seasoned wholesalers are being affected by the flood of these new players entering the market without real training or understanding.

As an investor, I’ve started to shift my strategy — working more closely with real estate agents, fellow investors, and even hunting down deals on my own, which often takes more time but gives me greater control and clarity.

I have no problem paying a wholesaler’s fee — and have done so many times — as long as the deal allows me to make a fair profit. But when wholesalers can’t negotiate properly and allow sellers to control the pricing, it’s the investor who ends up carrying all the risk: closing costs (both buying and selling), high hard money interest rates, and renovation execution.

In an off-market deal, negotiation is everything. It’s one of the most valuable skills a wholesaler can bring to the table. And believe me — when an investor sees that kind of value, they’ll happily pay for it, wholeheartedly.