If you are just delving into real estate wholesaling and have no idea where to start and/or how to get going, you came to the right source. Before we discuss the ins and outs of wholesale real estate contract assignment, you should understand that wholesaling is a bit tricky and can be somewhat challenging, especially for beginner investors. But nevertheless, if you are short on cash right now, wholesaling might be the way to get started in real estate investing.
It goes without saying that real estate investing is a great way to make money and accumulate wealth in the long haul. The perks definitely outweigh the cons if investors acquire the right knowledge and expertise to speed their earning potential and tap into lucrative investment opportunities to grow their real estate business on a big scale. Because real estate wholesaling is a short term strategy, the biggest challenge investors face is selling properties in the quickest way possible.
Related: Real Estate: How to Invest with Little Money
What Is Wholesaling?
To put it in simple terminology, real estate wholesalers are just the mediators between buyers and sellers; the wholesaler contracts with a property seller, markets the home to potential buyers, and then assigns the contract to a buyer. That is why wholesaling is also called ‘contract assignment’; essentially, wholesalers hand over the baton to the buyer and they do not pay out of their own pocket. Wholesalers are only responsible for assigning the contract to a buyer within a short time frame. Home repairs are the responsibility of the buyer, not the wholesaler.
So, how do wholesalers make a profit? The difference between the contracted price with the seller and the amount paid by the buyer is the wholesaler’s profit from closing in on a deal. The bigger the difference, the fatter the pay check. The trick is to find a seller willing to sell significantly below the fair market value and to then resell to a buyer at a much higher price. Remember, in real estate wholesaling, time is money, and if you wait too long to find a buyer, you might end up paying out of your own pocket, as per the terms of the agreement.
Another type of wholesaling, called reverse wholesaling, is also worth mentioning. It is very similar to the real estate wholesaling business, but the order of the agreement is ‘reversed’, so that the wholesaler finds a buyer before a seller. In this way, finding the buyer first gives wholesalers a better idea of what to look for (and more time) when locating a good property to match the buyer’s preference. The beauty of it all is that you do not need to spend your own money in real estate wholesaling and/or reverse wholesaling, and it is up to you to choose which strategy works best for you.
Related: Learn All You Need to Know About Wholesaling Houses in the US
Passing the Baton in a Wholesale Real Estate Contract
Let us break it down in a simple scenario; there are three players in a wholesale real estate contract:
- Buyer A: the wholesaler, aka, the mediator
- Seller
- Buyer B
- When the wholesaler (Buyer A) locates a good property, he/she signs a Purchase Agreement with the Seller.
- With a Purchase Agreement, the wholesaler is fully entitled to ‘assign’ or sell the agreement to another buyer (Buyer B).
- To sell the agreement to the new buyer, the wholesaler (Buyer A) finalizes an Assignment Agreement to legally transfer his/her rights to Buyer B.
- Handing over the baton to the new buyer eliminates the wholesaler’s legal liability and/or obligation towards the seller.
- Now, Buyer B can purchase the property directly from the Seller as per the original terms of the Purchase Agreement.
Wholesale Real Estate Contract: Step by Step
1. Find a seller
The first step in a wholesale real estate contract is finding a motivated seller, who is willing to sell under market value. It goes without saying that the lower the price you negotiate with the seller, the larger the lump sum profit for you.
2. Finalize the first part of the wholesale real estate contract with the seller
Make sure to involve a real estate attorney in finalizing the contract to ensure the terms of the agreement are legally sound for all parties. The Purchase Agreement with the seller must include an Assignment Clause, which allows the wholesaler, or Buyer A, to transfer the rights to a new buyer (Buyer B). There are many wholesale real estate contract templates on the web, but nevertheless, don’t discount an attorney to look things over. The real estate attorney is an independent third party hired to make sure the deal is fair and the property’s records are in check as agreed upon in the contract.
3. Before you market the property, know it inside and out
Make sure you get an overall idea about the state and the shape of the real estate property before you start marketing it to your potential buyers’ list. You should know relevant information about the property in order to sell it to the right buyer within the short time frame you have. You also need to estimate the repair costs on the house, as getting the wrong estimation might hurt your credibility leading to buyers not trust working with you again.
4. Find your buyer and assign the contract assignment
The hardest part of real estate wholesaling is finding a cash buyer who has a real interest in buying the house under question. To guarantee your profit from closing the deal, request an earnest money deposit from the buyer. If the buyer is serious, he/she will be willing to give the deposit and seal the deal. The deposit could be a small amount or a large sum, it is up to the wholesaler to decide. You profit comes from assigning the agreement and passing the baton to the end buyer. For example, let us say you agree with the seller to buy the house for $100,000, and you assign the agreement for $150,000, then you receive a profit of $50,000 for legally transferring the wholesale real estate contract to a new end buyer.
Related: Is Real Estate Wholesaling a Good Idea for Beginner Investors
To learn more about how to wholesale real estate step by step, watch our video available below:
Conclusion
Wholesale real estate contracting is an ideal investment strategy for anyone with little capital to start with. If buying a rental property is not feasible right now, we highly recommend wholesaling as an opportunity to get the ball rolling in real estate investing. It won’t be easy, but try to focus your attention on finding the right sellers, contracting under market value, and assigning the contract to prospective buyers in the quickest way possible. It sounds so easy when you put it in words, but there is a lot that goes in a wholesale real estate contract ,and you have to hustle to make it in this business.
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