In this episode, David Lecko sits down with Joshua Thompson, who runs a high-volume wholesaling operation in the Augusta market and closes over 100 deals a year. Joshua breaks down why his team intentionally walked away from flips and creative strategies, how shiny object syndrome holds wholesalers back, and what happens when you simplify and commit to one core strategy. They dive into sales psychology, negotiation, team structure, and what it actually takes to scale wholesaling without adding unnecessary risk or complexity.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

0:49 - An Overview Of Joshua Thompson’s Business

2:25 - His Fire-Damaged Rental

5:32 - His First Wholesale Deal

8:53 - The Deals He’s Doing Now & Sales Tips

14:58 - Music & Church

17:47 - What His Team Looks Like Now

19:19 - Being Profitable As A Wholesale Company

20:32 - Where He Wants To Take His Business Next

25:15 - The Marketing They’re Doing & Referrals

30:18 - Who He’s Learned A Lot From

32:48 - The Worst Advice He’s Ever Received

34:59 - Hard To Get Data

39:13 - Can You Catch On Fire As A Real Estate Investor?

40:36 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?

42:11 - Books He’s Reading Right Now

44:53 - His Social Media

46:08 - Extra Questions From Moustafa

48:35 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Joshua Thompson

https://www.instagram.com/joshuaathompson107/

Website: SOS Home Offers

https://www.soshomeoffers.com/

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

In this episode, Matt Porcaro breaks down one of the most overlooked real estate strategies investors can use today to make deals work in tough markets. Matt explains how combining renovation loans, housing density, and value-add thinking can unlock hidden income, increase buying power, and create real cash flow and equity when traditional strategies fall short.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - What Is The 203k Loan?

1:53 - 203k Loans And ADUs

4:30 - The Perfect Storm

6:15 - The Caveats To This Approach

8:42 - Driving For Dream Homes

12:22 - Equity And Income Arbitrage

14:50 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Matt Porcaro

https://www.instagram.com/the203kway

Website: The 203k Way

203kway.com/livetraining

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Brian Ferguson and Brayden Robertson from Fergmar Capital break down how they consistently close 100–200 deals per year while owning over 1,300 doors — all in a small market of just 66,000 people. They explain why small markets can be a strategic advantage, how their single-family business funds long-term plays like multifamily and shopping centers, and the discipline required to scale without chasing big-city competition.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

1:07 - An Overview Of Fergmar Capital

3:38 - What They’ve Learned In The Past Year

6:24 - Why They Hold Their Multi-Family Properties

9:42 - Their First Shopping Center Deal & The Game Plan

15:43 - Why They Don’t Focus Only On Shopping Centers

18:45 - How They Find Their Wholesale Deals

25:40 - Doing Novation Deals

31:19 - Learning From CG & Data They Want

35:17 - The Worst Advice They Ever Received

37:03 - Making Multi-Family Deals Work In A Tough Market

40:12 - The Books They’re Reading

43:32 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?

45:09 - Closing Thoughts & Their Social Media

45:47 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Fergmar Capital

https://www.instagram.com/fergmarcapital/

Website: Fergmar

https://fergmar.com/

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Dakota Bailey has quietly built a seven-year real estate operation that put 350 deals under contract in a single year — all in a small Midwest market. In this episode, Dakota breaks down how he went from car sales to running a high-volume wholesaling business, why simplifying his operation was critical to scaling, and how hiring the right acquisitions manager led to 37 deals in one month. He also talks candidly about inventory risk, leadership mistakes, hard conversations, and the mindset required to stay calm while managing dozens of active deals at once.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

0:49 - An Overview Of Dakota Bailey’s Business

3:06 - The Importance Of Focusing On One Strategy

4:36 - The Story Of How He Got Into Business

11:11 - Buying Out His Partners

15:46 - Sales Tips

18:33 - What His Team Looks Like Now

20:17 - Personal Development

23:25 - His Book & Early Struggles

28:17 - The Biggest Thing He Learned Last Year

31:07 - Losing Money On Deals & Stress Management

36:05 - How They Find Their Deals

39:51 - Data They’ve Been Looking For

46:13 - The Dangers Of Investing

48:54 - What He’s Excited For & His Other Businesses

53:24 - Closing Thoughts And Dakota’s Social Media

53:39 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Dakota Bailey

https://www.instagram.com/dakotabailey.in

Links: Dakota Bailey

https://linktr.ee/DakotaBailey

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Trevor Mauch, founder of Carrot, breaks down the website mistakes that quietly cost real estate investors deals—even when you’re getting traffic. He walks through a practical framework for building pages that feel clear, trustworthy, and easy for sellers to take the next step, plus simple changes you can make to your layout, structure, and content so more motivated sellers actually call or fill out your form.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

0:42 - The 11-Part High Performing Web Pite Framework

1:23 - Part 1: Design For Humans First, AI Will Follow

7:09 - Part 2: Add Structure, Depth, Clarity

9:53 - Part 3: Bake EEAT Into Your Page Layout

14:56 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Trevor Mauch

https://www.instagram.com/trevor.mauch/

Website: Carrot

https://carrot.com/

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

David sits down with Cory Miller and Ryan Weimer, two former engineers who now close 200+ real estate deals a year in a single market. They break down the hard lessons they learned scaling too fast, becoming illiquid, surviving a major market correction, and rebuilding the business with better systems, smarter hiring, and a stronger wholesaling model. From growing a 4,000-person buyers list to why outbound still drives a massive share of their revenue, this conversation is a realistic look at what it actually takes to scale without burning the business down.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

0:53 - Cory Miller And Ryan Weimer’s Partnership

6:06 - Wholesaling In Boise, ID

10:10 - Building A Buyers’ List

12:41 - What Their Team Looks Like

15:44 - How They Determine Where To Buy

17:25 - Marketing To Mobile Homes On Land

19:31 - Their Greatest Lesson

22:38 - What They Look For In An Acquisitions Manager

29:27 - The Worst Advice They’ve Ever Received

33:21 - The Hazards Of Real Estate

35:29 - What They’re Most Excited About In 2026

38:14 - Closing Thoughts & How To Get In Touch

38:41 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Cory Miller

https://www.instagram.com/coryoffernowid

Instagram: Ryan Weimer

https://www.instagram.com/realryanweimer

Website: Offer Now Idaho

https://www.OfferNowID.com

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Josh Berlin breaks down how he scaled from his first flip in 2023 to running a machine doing 100+ flips and 200+ total deals per year. David digs into the exact systems behind the volume—standardized rehabs, inventory management, marketing shifts, and how Josh avoids burnout while keeping margins intact.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

1:04 - An Overview Of Josh Berlin’s Business

2:14 - Managing Contractors With 100+ Flips

5:35 - How He Got Started & Building His Portfolio

11:06 - The Buyers For His Deals & Wholetailing

12:35 - ARVs In Northern Alabama & The Finishes

14:33 - Scaling To 100 Deals A Year

16:20 - Marketing & Funding Deals

18:24 - The Toughest Moment They’ve Had

20:16 - Presenting At CG & Sketchy Situations

23:33 - The Worst Advice He Ever Received

25:18 - Who He’s Learned A Lot From

26:34 - Lessons Learned As An Entrepreneur

28:09 - Can You Catch Fire As A Real Estate Investor?

28:39 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?

29:20 - Extra Questions From Moustafa

30:59 - Doing Business With Family

33:11 - Where They Want To Take The Business

34:40 - Feedback For DealMachine

36:42 - Closing Thoughts

37:01 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: North Alabama House Buyer

https://www.instagram.com/northalabamahousebuyer

Website: North Alabama House Buyer

https://www.NorthAlabamaHouseBuyer.com

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Ray Zhang breaks down his exact system for flipping infill land virtually—without a team, rehabs, or site visits. In this episode, Ray explains how he’s flipped 500+ lots, generated over $900k in a year, and built a repeatable 6-step process you can run in just a few hours a day. He also shares the simple safety checks he uses to protect deals and avoid costly mistakes.

KEY TALKING POINTS:

0:00 - Intro

0:42 - The 4 Reasons Why Ray Zhang Loves Land

4:53 - Ray’s 6 Step System

5:58 - Step 1: Market Selection

7:13 - Step 2: Make Offers

9:24 - Step 3: Value The Land

10:15 - Step 4: Renegotiate

11:18 - Steps 5 and 6: Realtor/Title Company & Selling The Land

13:56 - What He Spends The Most Time On

15:29 - Outro

LINKS:

Instagram: Ray Zhang

https://www.instagram.com/virtualflipland

Instagram: David Lecko

https://www.instagram.com/dlecko

Website: DealMachine

https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

Instagram: Ryan Haywood

https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments

Website: Heritage Home Investments

https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/