Overview of The Ultimate Guide to Buying Off-Market Properties (As a Complete Beginner)
This BiggerPockets Real Estate Rookie episode follows investor Janelle Carlson as she breaks down her off-market deal-finding playbook for beginners. She explains why off-market properties are a major advantage in competitive markets, how she sources deals remotely across California, Indiana, and Ohio, and the exact seller conversation and systems she uses to turn leads into closed deals.
Key Takeaways
- Off-market means not listed on the MLS/Zillow, though it can still involve a real estate agent or wholesaler.
- Janelle was pushed off market after losing $35,000 on her first flip and realizing on-market competition left too little margin.
- She now closes 30+ off-market deals per year across multiple states.
- The biggest off-market advantages are:
- less competition
- more negotiation room
- access to motivated sellers
- flexibility across flip, wholesale, rental, and Airbnb strategies
- Beginners can start with little to no money, but they need time, consistency, and follow-up.
How Janelle Finds Off-Market Deals
Main lead sources
Janelle’s lead generation has evolved over time:
-
Direct mail
- Her original core strategy
- Best for warmer inbound leads because sellers call you back
- Works best with consistent mailing over time
-
Wholesalers / JV partnerships
- Wholesalers bring her deals they can’t close
- Good option for rookies with limited capital
-
Realtor relationships
- Agents sometimes have fixer-uppers they don’t want to list on the MLS
- Also useful for finding sellers who prefer not to go public
-
Past sellers / referrals
- She stays in touch with prior clients who may have another property to sell
-
Pay-per-lead / paper-lead platforms
- She’s testing this newer channel
- She prefers manually choosing leads rather than buying them in bulk
-
Auction opportunities
- Mentioned as a newer area she’s exploring
Lists she targets
- Absentee owner lists: owners who do not live in the property
- Lien lists: have performed especially well for her
- Other targeted lists like probate or multiple-property owners, depending on market performance
Tools and systems
- ReSimply: CRM, list pulling, follow-up tracking, and now AI features
- PropStream: used heavily before switching more fully to ReSimply
- Ballpoint Marketing: direct mail provider
- Dedicated phone numbers: used to track which marketing source produced each lead
- Drip campaigns: used to automate follow-up until the seller responds
How Janelle Tracks and Follows Up
Follow-up is everything
- It usually takes 5–7 touches to turn a contact into a lead
- Then 3–5 more touches to convert a lead into a deal
- She emphasizes that follow-up is where most rookies fail
Her mail cadence
- Sends two letter rounds
- Then three rounds of postcards
- If a list underperforms, she may switch to cheaper postcards sooner
Tracking method
- Every campaign has a unique phone number
- Lists are tagged by:
- month/year mailed
- marketing source
- property characteristics
- owner type or list type
This lets her compare which lists are producing the best response rates and adjust her marketing accordingly.
How the Seller Conversation Works
Janelle does not try to one-call close. Her goal is to book a property walkthrough and then make the offer after seeing the house.
The “four pillars” she asks about
-
Motivation
- Why do they want to sell?
-
Condition
- What shape is the property in?
- Has the roof, kitchen, or bathrooms been updated recently?
-
Price
- What number do they have in mind?
-
Timeline
- How fast do they need to sell?
She wants at least two solid answers before moving forward, so she doesn’t waste time on tire-kickers.
Best practice on the call
- Be respectful and conversational
- Ask enough questions to gather key info
- End with a specific appointment option:
- “Does Thursday at 10 work, or Friday afternoon?”
What Makes Off-Market Deals Work
Scarier properties often have the best spread
Janelle shared examples of deals with:
- foundation damage
- liens
- roof issues
- other “scary” repairs
Her point: many of these issues are fixable if you budget correctly, and the fear keeps other buyers away. That creates opportunity.
Example deal
- Bought for $110,000
- Rehab budget around $250,000
- Appraised around $550,000
- Large spread because the property had major foundation issues that scared off other buyers
Remote Investing and Team Structure
Janelle buys remotely without seeing most properties in person first.
Her boots-on-the-ground team
- Real estate agent
- Contractor
- Property walker / wholesaler partner
- Occasionally a hired helper from places like Facebook groups or TaskRabbit
How she verifies properties
- Team members do FaceTime walkthroughs
- They send photos and video
- She relies on them as her eyes and ears in the market
What matters most in a remote team
- communication
- reliability
- speed
- trust
If someone can’t communicate well, they can’t represent her business effectively.
Beginner Advice: How to Start With Little or No Money
If you’re a rookie with a tight budget, Janelle suggests:
- Partner with wholesalers
- Build relationships with realtors
- Target FSBOs on Zillow
- Look at rental listings and pitch sellers who may be tired landlords
- Focus on consistent outreach instead of waiting for the perfect deal
Realistic Expectations for Rookies
- You can get a deal quickly, but only if you work hard and stay consistent
- A realistic starting commitment is 10–15 hours per week
- With less time, it will take longer
- Off-market success is usually a tradeoff of time over money
Notable Insight
“The biggest mistake rookies make is not sending enough mail or not staying consistent.”
Janelle’s message throughout the episode is simple: off-market investing is learnable, but it rewards persistence, follow-up, and systems more than hype.
Where Janelle Is Active
- Instagram:
@janelleinvest - TikTok:
@janelleinvest