The 3 Biggest REI Challenges: Finding Deals, Funding, and Help
The 3 Biggest REI Challenges: Finding Deals, Funding, and Help (Spoiler Alert: “Help” Is the One That Solves the Other Two)
In nearly every conversation I have with real estate investors, I ask the same question:
“What are the top three challenges you’re facing right now?”
And almost without fail, they give the same three answers:
Finding deals
Finding funding
Finding help
Now, I want to start with the third one, finding help, because I believe it is the most important of the three. Why? Because getting the right kind of help can make finding deals and funding much easier.
When investors say they need help, they are not talking about hiring an assistant or screening resumes. They are talking about help from people who understand the REI world. Help that is strategic, specialized, and directly tied to their business growth.
Let’s take a closer look.
Problem #1: Most Realtors Are Useless to Investors
I’m sorry if that statement offends you. That’s truly not my intent. It’s not a statement of emotion or opinion. It’s just a plainly statet fact. Experienced investors already know how to find deals. The problem is they are juggling too much (tenant drama, rehab hiccups, surprise costs, negotiation fatigue) and deal hunting gets shoved to the back burner.
So they go looking for help. Specifically, they try to find a Realtor who can bring them good off-market opportunities. But this is where things break down.
Most Realtors do not think like investors.
They think like retail buyers and sellers.
They do not understand investor lingo.
I recently posted in a Realtor Facebook group, asking what strategies people use to find off-market deals. Only one Realtor responded. And the response was, “Do you mean homes that aren’t on MLS?” That reply made my point perfectly.
If a Realtor does not understand terms like ARV, BRRRR, DSCR, “off-market deals” or “assignment contract,” then they are not going to be any help an investor. In fact, they are going to waste that investor’s time.
Here is what baffles me: Why do so few Realtors learn this stuff? REI clients buy and sell multiple properties per year. Traditional clients might buy one property every decade.
Let’s do the math.
Would you rather:
Work with one client who buys and sells five homes a year?
Or work with one client who buys a house every ten years?
Some Realtors think investors are not worth it because the commissions are lower. But smart Realtors know that volume wins every time.
Now, let me give you a real-world example.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, investors account for 60 percent of residential transactions. That is right, more than half the market is investors. But in my deep dive, I only found five Realtors in greater Cincinnati who specialize in REI. Five. Five out of over 5000 realtors in the area. That is it.
Why? Because most Realtors are addicted to the MLS. They think that is where the good deals are. But the MLS is usually the last place you will find a true investment-worthy deal. Investors make their money when they buy, not when they sell, so they are looking for properties deeply discounted from retail.
So when a Realtor brings an investor a mildly discounted MLS listing and calls it a deal, that relationship is dead on arrival.
Realtors: Here’s How You Win with Investors
I am not a licensed Realtor, but I know over 40 ways to find off-market deals. Many of those methods can be automated right on your desktop. Set up the alerts, do the work, and you will have fresh leads every single day.
Here is my challenge to Realtors:
Learn those tools
Use them every day
Find two or three off-market deals daily
Bring those deals to your local REI meetup
Watch the investors flock to you like flies on a turd (gross visual, but you get it)
If you do that, investors will hire you again and again. It really is that simple.
Investors: Stop Hiring “Normal” Realtors
If you are a real estate investor, stop working with agents who treat you like a house-hunting newlywed couple. You need REI experts who:
Speak REI fluently
Know how to find off-market properties
Have connections to trustworthy funding sources
If you cannot find someone like that, take initiative. Ask a Realtor friend if they are willing to learn. Then send them my way. I train Realtors across the country to work with investors like you and I teach them for free. Why? Because they then bring me business.
Then when those Realtors bring me a client, that client is already prepared with a deal in hand, paperwork ready, and enough cash in the bank to make lenders smile. That means I can fund that deal quickly, and everyone wins.
Problem #2: Finding Funding You Can Actually Trust
The second big area where investors struggle to find help is in funding.
Here is the truth:
Hard and private money lenders do not lend to individuals. They only lend to legal business entities. That means fewer government regulations, because the assumption is that business owners understand risk better than consumers.
The good news?
There are fewer hoops to jump through.
The bad news?
There are more scammers, bait-and-switch marketers and creeps in this space than there should be.
So now, investors do not know who to trust. With all the bait-and-switch marketing, overpromising and underdelivering and outright liars, it’s like swimming through a septic tank to get a chocolate chip cookie for your efforts.
Let me be clear: most private and hard money lenders are good people. Smart business minds. Fair, professional, and ethical. But unfortunately, a few bad apples have made the whole barrel smell rotten.
That is why when investors meet me, they are often suspicious. I do not blame them.
So What Makes Me Different?
First, I tell the truth.
Even if it is hard to hear. Even if it costs me a deal. I believe honesty builds loyalty.
Second, I do not rely on ads.
I grow my business primarily through relationships with Realtors who specialize in REI. They bring me clients, and those clients get funded.
Third, I offer free consulting.
If a client agrees to fund their next deal through my company, I will coach them for six to twelve months at zero cost. Yes, there is a contract. But it is not a forever contract. It is simply a commitment to let me fund their next deal.
Why do I do this?
Because I know they will come back again and again.
My Words of Advice
For Investors:
If you do not want to use my company, that is fine. But do your due diligence. Only work with lenders who can prove their honesty, reputation, and service record. If they cannot, walk away.
For Realtors:
If you want to make more money, consider partnering with me. I will teach you how to find deals, how to prep clients for funding, and how to earn a commission every time you bring me a loan-ready investor.
No gimmicks. No tricks. Just real training and real results.
Final Thought
If you are struggling to find deals or funding, the answer may be simpler than you think.
Start by finding the right kind of help. Because the right help will open the door to every deal and every dollar you have been looking for.
If you are ready, reach out. I would love to help you find your next win.
