The DealMachine Real Estate Investing Podcast

Hosted by David Lecko, Ryan Haywood

Business Investing Education

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567

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the DealMachine Podcast, where we help you get more out of your wholesaling business by showing you what’s working around the country. We talk to real estate investors who are actively closing deals right now. You’ll hear how they generate leads, what their marketing costs look like, how they comp properties, and what their assignment fees actually are. Cold calling. Direct mail. SMS marketing. Dispositions. Hiring. Scaling. We focus on what’s producing revenue in today’s market — and what isn’t. If you’re already wholesaling, this will help you tighten your process, improve your margins, and make smarter decisions. If you’re newer, this gives you visibility into what the business looks like once it’s working. You’ll understand the numbers, the systems, and the mistakes to avoid before you scale. The goal is simple: more predictable deals and a stronger operation. Subscribe and leave us a review! Start a free trial of DealMachine: https://www.dealmachine.com/pod

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60 recent

June 15, 202633 min

549: 45+ Deals Per Year By Getting Deals From Agents

Most wholesalers miss the profit potential hiding in wholetail real estate, but one entrepreneur cracked the code by closing 45 deals before turning 24. David sits down with Ben Busha, a real estate wholesaler who has scaled to over 60 deals annually, to break down his proven strategies on this episode. They explore the B2B agent model versus traditional wholesaling, the specific profit breakdown per deal, why balance sheet thinking matters, how to tier agents using MLS data, building offshore teams efficiently, and the critical differences between direct-to-seller and agent-focused approaches. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:29 - The B2B Agent Model 2:03 - Wholesale vs Wholetail and Profit Per Deal 5:16 - Why It's a Balance Sheet Business 6:05 - From Corporate Job to His First Deal at 18 8:26 - How He Calls Agents (Why Text Blasting No Longer Works) 10:08 - Tiering Agents and Disposing Deals 13:56 - Pricing Strategy and Advice for New Wholesalers 17:04 - Why B2B Beats Direct-to-Seller 18:19 - Building the Team 19:41 - Competing With Franchises 20:46 - Mentorship, Plasma Donations, and Biggest Losses 23:19 - Operations: Contractors, Offshore Team, Construction Costs 28:42 - A Deal That Taught Him Motivation 30:49 - Scaling to 60+ Deals and Agent Data Tools 33:06 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Ben Busha https://www.instagram.com/benbusha/ Website: Neway REI https://www.newayrei.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/

June 12, 202619 min

548: 50+ Deals Per Year With Direct Mail & Cold Calling

Real estate direct mail is one of the most consistent deal sources for investors who want to control their own pipeline, and Ryan Saldanha has proof. Ryan does 50+ deals a year in the Tampa market using a direct mail and cold calling system he built after relying on wholesalers left his deal flow inconsistent. His direct mail marketing for real estate runs on the same list he cold calls, and going direct to seller gets him $15 to $20K deeper on every deal. In this episode, he breaks down how he runs a flip-heavy business in a single market and what he's learned about scaling when your fixed costs don't move. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:22 - Why They Went Direct-to-Seller 1:41 - Buying Deeper on Deals 2:49 - Marketing Channels They Use 4:30 - Scaling Around Fixed Costs 6:11 - Going Deep vs Going National 8:05 - Premium Pricing Program Explained 9:34 - A Deal That Taught a Lesson 11:56 - Managing Flips and Systems 13:09 - Finding Great Contractors 14:21 - Raising Private Capital 17:08 - Advice for the Next Generation 19:09 - Where to Find Ryan 19:34 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Ryan Saldanha https://www.instagram.com/realryansal/ Website: Sell Quick Tampa https://www.sellquicktampa.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/

June 10, 202615 min

547: The Cold Email Blueprint for Real Estate Investors

Cold email is one of the most underrated lead generation strategies in real estate, and in this episode David Frizzell breaks down exactly how to build a compliant, scalable system from scratch. You'll learn how to set up your sending infrastructure, build a high-quality list using DealMachine data, and run automated email marketing campaigns that generate inbound seller leads while you're focused on everything else. Whether you're already cold calling or sending direct mail, this system is designed to amplify your existing real estate email marketing without adding hours to your day. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:23 - The Power Of Cold Email 1:28 - Is Cold Email Legal? 4:21 - Deliverability 7:52 - Step 1: Buy & Warm Up Your Inboxes 9:42 - Step 2: Get High-Quality Leads 10:46 - Step 3: Clean Your List 12:36 - Step 4: Handle Replies Like A Pro 14:24 - Total Cost 15:17 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: David Frizzell https://www.instagram.com/thewholesalerstoolbox/ Website: The Wholesalers Toolbox https://www.thewholesalerstoolbox.com/free-facebook-leads 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/

June 8, 202622 min

546: 16 Flips Through Direct Mail (Here's What It Takes)

If your direct mail marketing isn't producing deals, the problem is probably volume. Joseph Austin of Next Step Real Estate is sending over 7,000 real estate direct mail postcards a month across the greater Philadelphia area and currently has 16 fix-and-flip projects in motion. In this episode, Joe breaks down his direct mail real estate marketing approach, why mailing 500 pieces a month isn't enough, and how to pair your direct mail campaign with a follow-up call system that actually gets sellers on the phone. He also covers how he decides whether to wholesale or flip each deal and shares the exact call cadence his team uses from the moment a lead comes in. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:19 - Joseph Austin's Business 4:05 - Lessons From A Deal 6:27 - How He Finds His Deals & Skip Tracing 11:55 - His First & Second Deal 15:24 - Direct Mail Tips 18:35 - How To Get In Touch With Joe 19:38 - Call Cadence 21:06 - Closing Thoughts 22:48 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Joseph Austin https://www.instagram.com/phillyhomebuyer/ Website: Next Step Real Estate https://www.nextstepre.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/

June 5, 202637 min

545: $35K Per Deal With Novations (Step By Step Breakdown)

Most wholesalers skip over sellers who won't take a deep discount, but Rich Wonders built an entire nationwide novation real estate business out of exactly those leads. Rich is the Novation King, and he's got hundreds of wholesalers closing novation deals with an average fee around $35K using his step-by-step novation real estate process. In this episode he walks through his full three-phase novation in real estate strategy for getting sellers on board, finding the right listing agents, and avoiding the mistakes that blow deals up. If you've been wondering what is a novation in real estate or how novations real estate deals actually work, this is the episode. Ryan also brings a live novation deal to the table and Rich breaks down the numbers in real time. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:33 - How Rich Wonders Became The "Novation King" 2:01 - Novation Deals 5:40 - How He Was Almost Homeless 6:40 - Learning Novations & The Numbers 10:28 - Mini-Masterclass On Novations 18:03 - Interviewing Agents 20:32 - Novation Myths & More Tips 29:47 - Ryan's Current Deal 36:17 - Closing Thoughts 37:32 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Rich Wonders https://www.instagram.com/novationking/ Links: Rich Wonders https://linktr.ee/richwonders/ 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/

June 3, 202615 min

544: Why Wholesalers Who Aren't Using AI Are Falling Behind

Cost per lead is going up, sellers are harder to convert, and the wholesalers who aren't adapting are getting left behind. Steve Trang, founder of Objection Proof AI, breaks down the exact systems the top operators are running right now to stay ahead. You'll learn how AI is handling lead follow-up with zero burnout, why speed to lead under five seconds is the new standard, and how his clients are pulling deals out of CRMs their teams had already marked dead. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:35 - The Three Things You'll Walk Away With 0:57 - The New Market Reality 6:28 - The Three Levers 10:06 - What Makes AI Efficient In Real Estate 12:14 - AI Conversion & Follow-Ups 15:11 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Steve Trang https://www.instagram.com/steve.trang/ Website: Objection Proof AI https://www.objectionproof.ai/ 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/

June 1, 202631 min

543: 100+ Rentals, $40M Portfolio (Here's How He Did It)

Blake Yarborough started acquiring rentals in 2009 when everyone else was running from the market, and built his way to 100+ properties and $40 million in real estate. In this episode, he breaks down the leveraged financing strategy he used to scale fast, how he structured 15-year notes to protect himself against rate resets, and why he self-manages instead of handing things off to third-party property managers. He also shares a hard lesson about embezzlement that cost him $5 million and what he missed on the balance sheet that let it happen. If you're building a rental portfolio or thinking about getting back into acquisitions, this one is worth your time. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:34 - Blake Yarborough's Journey In Real Estate 11:08 - Losing Money & His Faith 13:31 - Financing Rental Properties 17:27 - His Deer Breeding Business 18:40 - The Real Estate He's Doing Now 21:24 - The Market Right Now & Property Managers 26:09 - Protecting Your Business 30:14 - Closing Thoughts 31:10 - Outro LINKS: Facebook: Blake Yarborough https://www.facebook.com/blake.yarborough Website: Capital Concepts https://www.4smartmoney.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/

May 29, 202627 min

542: 50+ Real Estate Deals Per Year, Giving Sellers 3 Options

GSP Homes is closing over 50 off-market deals a year plus 15 to 20 flips, and they're doing it with a system that converts in-person appointments at a 50% rate. Cannon Wilson is their acquisitions manager, and he walks through how they give every seller three options: a cash offer, a private listing to their network of 3,500 buyers, or a full MLS listing. He also covers how they use DealMachine to pull leads, how their cold caller is booking 15 to 16 appointments a week, and how their new 90-day sprint program gets investors to pay upfront for first look at deals. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:35 - Cannon Wilson's Real Estate Business 3:30 - Working With Wholesalers 5:08 - Doing Acquisitions & Commissions 7:49 - The Numbers & Cold Calling Tips 12:02 - Building Trust With Sellers 13:59 - 2 Recent Deals 16:07 - Presenting 3 Options 18:40 - What He's Looking Forward To 22:02 - Using DealMachine 24:03 - Direct Mail 25:57 - Closing Thoughts 27:14 - Outro LINKS: Facebook: Cannon Wilson https://www.facebook.com/davidcannon.wilson Website: GSP Homes https://www.gsp.homes/ 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/

May 27, 202614 min

541: 3 Things You NEED To Scale In Real Estate

Liz Faircloth scaled from a single duplex to close to 1,400 doors across multiple states, and the secret had nothing to do with finding more deals. In this episode, she breaks down the three things that actually make scaling work: leadership, systems, and team. She covers how to identify your core genius and stop wasting time on everything else, how to build a bookkeeping process that protects your business as it grows, and the four key roles every real estate business needs to fill. If you are trying to build something repeatable, this one is worth your time. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Scaling Your Real Estate Business 0:22 - 1: Leadership 3:07 - 2: Systems 10:26 - 3: Your Team 14:48 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Liz Faircloth https://www.instagram.com/therealestateinvesther/ Website: The Real Estate Investher https://linktr.ee/investher 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/

May 25, 202637 min

540: $23K On His First Real Estate Deal (Here's What Worked)

Tim Warner first appeared on the DealMachine Podcast as Timmy Triumphs, documenting his journey to his first wholesale deal on Instagram. Now he is back with a $23,000 assignment fee and the full story of how he got there. In this episode, Tim breaks down how he found the lead, how the deal almost fell apart the next day, and how four months of follow-up brought it back to life. KEY TALKING POINTS: 0:00 - Intro 0:28 - Tim Warner's Real Estate Journey 3:48 - His First Deal 15:40 - Follow-Up & The Numbers 21:33 - Finding A Buyer & Double Closing 26:29 - What He Learned 31:55 - What He's Going To Do Next 33:38 - Switching Markets & Posting On IG 35:44 - Deceased Data 37:39 - Outro LINKS: Instagram: Tim Warner https://www.instagram.com/timmytriumphs 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/