Get Ready First

If you start looking for deals without a plan, you’re wasting time. Before anything else, define your strategy and buy box. Are you flipping, holding rentals, or using BRRRR? A fix-and-flip investor needs undervalued properties in strong resale markets, while a BRRRR investor looks for distressed properties in rental-friendly areas. If you don’t know your strategy, you won’t know where to look.

Once you have a strategy, set clear criteria. What locations are you targeting? What’s your price range? Do you want cosmetic rehabs or full guts? Will you buy tenant-occupied properties? The clearer you are, the faster you’ll recognize a real deal. Too many investors chase properties without knowing the numbers. Understand local pricing, ARV, rental potential, and financing options before making offers—otherwise, you’ll waste time on deals you can’t close.

Finding the Deals

Once you have your strategy and buy box locked in, it’s time to start finding deals. The more sources you use, the more opportunities you’ll see. Relying on just one method—like MLS listings—won’t cut it. The best investors cast a wide net, using a mix of property data tools, online networks, and personal connections to uncover off-market deals before the competition.

Where to Find Deals:

• Data Platforms: PropStream, Privy, MLS—track pre-foreclosures, tax liens, and off-market properties.
• Social Networks: Facebook groups, investor forums, and meetups where deals get posted first.
• Personal Network: Build relationships with wholesalers, agents, and brokers so deals come to you.

Property data platforms like PropStream, Privy, PropWire, and MLS sites let you filter large datasets to match your buy box. You can track pre-foreclosures, tax liens, and distressed properties that signal motivated sellers. These tools provide volume, making them an essential part of any investor’s process. But deals aren’t just found through databases—real opportunities often come from social media groups, investor forums, and local meetups. Wholesalers and other investors frequently post deals with set pricing and known repairs, giving you a direct line to properties that never hit the open market.

The ultimate goal is to have deals come to you. When people in your network know you’re a serious buyer, you’ll start seeing off-market opportunities first. Build relationships with agents, brokers, and wholesalers. Be responsive, follow through, and close on deals when you commit. Investors who make the process easy for sellers and deal finders are the ones who get the best opportunities—over and over again.

Locking It Down

Finding a deal is just the beginning. The investors who actually close deals are the ones who move fast and execute with confidence. If you find a property that fits your buy box, chances are someone else is already on it. The moment you see a deal worth pursuing, reach out. Send the message, make the call, and ask the key questions. The faster you engage, the better your chances of getting it under contract before the competition.

How to Execute Quickly:

• Act Fast: Contact the seller or wholesaler immediately.
• Walk the Property: Schedule a same-day or next-day visit with your contractor.
• Secure Financing: Have your funding lined up so you can submit an offer immediately.

Once you’ve made contact, be ready to move. Schedule a same-day or next-day walk-through, preferably with your contractor. Have your financing lined up so you can make an offer immediately. The best deals go to investors who don’t hesitate. If you say, “I’ll take a look next week,” you’re already too late. Sellers and wholesalers want to work with buyers who can make quick decisions and follow through.

Closing the deal is what separates serious investors from tire-kickers. If you lock up a deal, get it to the finish line. Have your lender, title company, and insurance set up so there are no delays. When you consistently close, you build a reputation as someone who gets things done. And in this business, that reputation will bring even more deals your way.

Conclusion

Finding deals in 2025 comes down to having a clear strategy, using the right sources, and acting fast when the right opportunity appears. The investors who win are the ones who move decisively and close with confidence.

Need funding to secure your next deal? Apply with The Hard Money Co. today and get the capital you need to move fast.