If you’re a real estate wholesaler, then you’re already aware that your success depends on the trust you build with potential sellers and buyers. Unfortunately, many scammers try to take advantage of people by misrepresenting their intentions or promising impossibly high profits.
As they’re on the way to the bank, the unfortunate wholesaler must deal with the fallout, which frequently involves unhappy clients and a ruined reputation. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to gain their trust, seal deals, and earn wholesale profits.
Here are 3 few things you can do to assure sellers and buyers that you’re a legitimate real estate wholesaler with their best interests at heart.
1. Know the common types of real estate scams.
Apart from posing as agents or homebuyers, some con artists go the extra mile by pretending to be home inspectors, lenders, or landlords. To protect your customers from fraud, familiarize yourself with common real estate wholesaling scams.
Besides protecting yourself and the people you’re working with, in-depth knowledge of common scams shows that you really know the ins-and-outs of the industry. Without a doubt, this will help build your reputation, where buyers and sellers will feel more confident partnering with an expert.
The Foreign Buyer Scam
In this real estate scam, the seller will usually receive an email from someone claiming to be a prospective buyer living abroad. Then they’ll say that they’re planning to move to the United States.
They’ll send a check for the down payment only to say that they accidentally paid too much and ask the seller to wire back the difference. Only later will the seller realize that the check is fake—they’ve received no money. By that time, the buyer will have vanished along with the cash that was “returned” to them.
The “Bait and Switch” Scam
This scam occurs when a prospective buyer makes an offer that’s above the property’s market value, its sale price, or both. The seller then excitedly accepts the deal, only to learn that the buyer isn’t signing the contract yet because of “delays”.
They eventually come back; although, this time with a much lower price and a list of demands. Unfortunately, the seller will have paid thousands in ongoing taxes, insurance, and utility bills by this time, and feel they have to honor the sale regardless.
The Duplicated Listing Scam
Scouring through websites like Craigslist may lead you to great properties with incredibly low prices—but be warned! Some scammers copy legitimate rental listings and re-publish them with altered contact details and price tags. Unfortunately, some innocent buyers are so excited to grab the deal that they immediately wire a down payment to secure the purchase.
Needless to say, the scammer disappears upon receiving the payment, leaving the poor buyer with thousands of dollars lost and no property to show for it. They can try approaching the authorities for help but sadly, they often never get their money back.
2. Cultivate a robust online presence.
On the flip side, you want to show buyers that you’re not like the scammers we listed already. So, as a seller, you should establish a strong online presence is to convince buyers that you’re legitimate. After all, real estate scammers use fake names and likely won’t be as active on social media platforms.
Here are two ways to have an online presence:
- Social Media: Create social media profiles on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more to help prove your credibility and trustworthiness.
- Website: Go the extra mile and build a website. Other than giving you a platform to display the properties you’re currently holding, you’ll also have a place to show past client testimonials, success stories, and positive reviews.
The more you cultivate your online presence, the more you can establish a strong brand and reputation. You also look more professional and differentiate yourself from scam websites that are often unorganized and hard to understand.
3. Avoid dominating the conversation.
As a real estate wholesaler, you’re probably aiming to grab all the opportunities you come across. There’s nothing wrong with this goal, but being too fixated on it could lead to being pushy or too eager when talking with buyers and sellers.
Instead, when speaking with buyers and sellers, stick to the basic facts—who you are, the name of your business, and how exactly you can help them. It’s completely alright to dig deeper and discuss their current situation and the property in more detail, but the key is to let them lead the conversation.
Constantly interrupting or talking over them will make you appear unprofessional and untrustworthy.
Build Trust, Land Sales, Earn Fortunes
Given how valuable an asset property is, buyers and sellers alike will only work with someone they trust. Therefore, if you want to land wholesale deals, you must focus on strengthening your brand and credibility. Only then will you find success in the real estate industry—one that’s largely built on trust.
Struggling to build trust with sellers and buyers? Our team of experts at Logical Property Management is ready to help!
We’ve been serving the Metro Detroit real estate market for more than two decades now and have everything you need to succeed in the area. We can help you with anything, from building an online presence to keeping track of your buyers and sellers.
