How Do You Start Virtual Wholesaling Real Estate With No Money in 2025?
Are you looking to break into real estate investing but don’t have capital to put down? In this comprehensive guide from The Real Estate Investing Club podcast, host Gabe Petersen sits down with Chris Logan from Virtual Wholesaling Made Simple to reveal exactly how to start wholesaling houses virtually without using your own money or credit.
The Quick Answer: How to Start Virtual Wholesaling With No Money
You can start virtual wholesaling with no money by finding distressed property sellers through free or low-cost marketing channels like cold calling and texting, getting properties under contract using an assignment clause, then flipping those contracts to cash buyers for a wholesale fee—all conducted remotely over the phone without ever meeting sellers in person or investing your own capital into the properties.
What Makes Virtual Wholesaling Different From Traditional Wholesaling?
Is virtual wholesaling actually easier than in-person wholesaling?
Virtual wholesaling eliminates many barriers that make traditional wholesaling intimidating for beginners. You don’t need to worry about your appearance, body language, or driving to distressed properties. Sellers only care about one thing: can you solve their problem?
As Chris Logan explains from his 13 years of experience: “When you’re in person and you’re driving to the seller’s house, they’re looking at everything. They’re looking at the car you pull up in. They’re looking at your clothes. They’re looking at your body language… But when you’re doing this over the phone what makes it easier is all they care about is can you solve their problem?”
The virtual model proved so effective that Chris and his team had their best year during the pandemic when most investors struggled. In their third month of going fully virtual, they secured 22 deals under contract—a testament to the model’s effectiveness when executed properly.
What technology and tools do you need for virtual wholesaling?
Starting virtual wholesaling requires minimal technology: a phone system, CRM software, and basic marketing tools. You can begin with free options like Google Voice and upgrade as you scale.
Chris emphasizes keeping it simple initially: “You don’t need fancy tools. Start with what you have—a phone and determination. As you close deals, reinvest in better systems.” The key is having a system to track leads, manage follow-ups, and organize your buyer’s list.
Essential tools for virtual wholesaling include:
- Phone system (can start with Google Voice)
- CRM for lead management
- Skip tracing service for finding seller phone numbers
- Contract templates and DocuSign for remote signing
- Basic website or landing page (optional initially)
How Do You Find Motivated Sellers Without Driving for Dollars?
What are the most effective marketing channels for virtual wholesaling?
The four primary marketing channels for virtual wholesaling are cold calling, text message campaigns, cold emails, and pay-per-click advertising. Each channel has different cost structures and conversion rates.
Chris breaks down the marketing hierarchy: “Cold calling is free marketing. It costs you nothing but your time, so you can literally do it right now… Text campaigns might cost you like 20 cents per text, which is still not that much, but it does cost something… Cold emails might be 10 cents or less… Then the most expensive but most effective is pay per click advertising.”
The beauty of virtual wholesaling is that you can start with completely free methods. Cold calling remains the most accessible entry point for beginners with no marketing budget. As Chris notes: “You can literally pull a list right now, skip trace it for 10 to 15 cents a number, pick up the phone and start calling people and you can get a deal.”
How do you build rapport with sellers over the phone?
Building rapport virtually requires practicing active listening—listening twice as much as you talk. Forget outdated rapport-building tactics and focus on understanding the seller’s actual problem.
“People want to feel heard. And if sellers feel heard, they’re going to trust you,” Chris emphasizes. “You don’t have to build a bunch of fake rapport like, ‘Hey, you like fishing, I like fishing’… That stuff is gone from the eighties and nineties.”
The virtual wholesaling conversation framework follows these key steps:
- Ask open-ended questions about their situation
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Repeat back what you heard to confirm understanding
- Present your solution based on their specific needs
- Handle objections with empathy and facts
What’s the Step-by-Step Process for Your First Virtual Wholesale Deal?
How do you structure contracts for virtual wholesaling?
Virtual wholesale contracts must include an assignment clause allowing you to transfer your rights to another buyer. This single clause enables the entire wholesaling business model without requiring your own capital.
Chris shares his evolution: “We started doing double closes because we didn’t understand assignments initially. But assignments are simpler—you’re just selling your contractual rights to buy the property to another investor.”
Critical contract elements include:
- Assignment clause (“and/or assigns”)
- Inspection period (typically 7-15 days)
- Clear contingencies for your protection
- Electronic signature capability for remote execution
- Proper earnest money terms (often $100 or less)
How long does it take to close your first virtual wholesale deal?
Most beginners close their first virtual wholesale deal within 3-6 months of consistent effort. Success speed depends on daily activity levels and following proven systems.
Chris’s own journey reflects this timeline: “It took me about six months to land my first deal. And then after I landed my first deal, we hired a coach. We started to understand how to become more focused in our business. And then from there, things really took off.”
The key is maintaining consistent daily activities:
- Make 50-100 calls per day when starting
- Follow up with leads every 30 days
- Build relationships with 5-10 active cash buyers
- Submit 10-20 offers per week
- Track all metrics to identify what’s working
How Do You Find Cash Buyers for Virtual Wholesale Deals?
What’s the fastest way to build a cash buyers list?
The fastest way to build a buyers list is attending local REIA meetings, joining real estate Facebook groups, and calling “We Buy Houses” signs in your target market—even if you’re operating virtually from another state.
Chris reveals his current buyer-finding strategy: “I still will drive around when I see bandit signs, I’ll call them up… Most people are putting bandit signs up for sellers, but as a wholesaler, you should be thinking they’re actually your buyers.”
Proven buyer-finding methods ranked by effectiveness:
- Other wholesalers’ buyers (joint venture deals)
- Cash sales records from public records
- Real estate investment Facebook groups
- Bandit signs and “We Buy Houses” advertisements
- REIA meetings and networking events (can attend virtually)
- Hard money lender referrals
- Property management company connections
Should you focus on one market or wholesale nationwide?
Start with one market maximum 2-3 hours from your location for easier buyer relationships, then expand gradually. Virtual doesn’t mean you should immediately go nationwide.
“I would pick somewhere like maximum three hours away from you so that if you’re doing virtual and you decide, hey, I want to go check this house out or I want to go drive the neighborhood, you can drive two, three hours there, drive neighborhoods, and drive back,” Chris advises.
Market selection criteria for virtual wholesaling:
- Population over 100,000 for sufficient deal flow
- Active investor presence (check Facebook group sizes)
- Reasonable price points ($50,000-$300,000 median)
- Landlord-friendly regulations
- Growing or stable population trends
What Are the Biggest Mistakes Beginners Make in Virtual Wholesaling?
How do you avoid losing money on wholesale deals?
The biggest mistake is stepping outside your buying criteria when deals are slow. Stick to your standards even during dry spells—one bad deal can wipe out months of profits.
Chris shares his painful lesson: “We bought this wood frame property… we thought we were going to make around a hundred to $150,000 on it. Long story short, we ended up losing a hundred thousand dollars.” The property needed foundation work, floor leveling, kitchen relocation, and was the only two-bedroom in a neighborhood of three and four-bedrooms.
His mentor’s wisdom rings true: “Don’t be a deal creator, be a deal finder.”
Red flags to avoid in virtual wholesaling:
- Properties with foundation issues
- Unusual layouts or bedroom counts for the area
- Deals requiring extensive renovation knowledge
- Sellers unwilling to provide interior photos/video
- Properties in declining neighborhoods
- Contracts with unrealistic timelines
How much money can you realistically make virtual wholesaling?
Virtual wholesalers typically make $5,000-$15,000 per deal, with experienced wholesalers occasionally hitting $25,000-$50,000 on exceptional deals. Volume matters more than individual deal size.
Chris’s first deal netted $4,000, which he describes as “bananas” due to the challenges: “I had to get two extensions with the seller… We had a bunch of buyers come through the house wearing tank tops and flip-flops.”
His best single deal illustrates the potential: “We made our first $29,000… We got the deal under contract and we flipped that contract to a builder… By the time we closed within three weeks, we had a check for 29,000 bucks.”
Realistic income expectations:
- Months 1-3: Learning phase, likely no deals
- Months 4-6: First 1-2 deals, $5,000-$10,000 total
- Months 7-12: 1-2 deals monthly, $10,000-$30,000/month
- Year 2+: 3-5 deals monthly, $30,000-$75,000/month
- Scaled operation: 10+ deals monthly, $100,000+/month
How Do You Scale From Your First Deal to Seven Figures?
What systems enable scaling virtual wholesaling?
Scaling requires three core systems: lead generation automation, team delegation, and conversion optimization. Focus on one system at a time, starting with consistent lead generation.
Chris and his team scaled to seven figures by going completely virtual: “We grew our business to over seven figures, wholesaling houses virtually from home and left our corporate jobs after just three years.”
The scaling progression typically follows this path:
- Months 1-6: Do everything yourself, learn the business
- Months 7-12: Hire a virtual assistant for cold calling
- Year 2: Add an acquisitions manager and transaction coordinator
- Year 2-3: Implement marketing automation and CRM systems
- Year 3+: Build full team with specialized roles
Key performance indicators (KPIs) for scaling:
- Cost per contract signed
- Conversion rate from lead to contract
- Average wholesale fee
- Days to close from contract
- Marketing return on investment (ROI)
When should you transition from part-time to full-time wholesaling?
Transition to full-time when you’re consistently closing 2-3 deals monthly for at least six months and have six months of living expenses saved.
Chris spent three years building the business while working corporate before making the leap: “We grew our business to over seven figures, wholesaling houses virtually from home and left our corporate jobs after just three years.”
The virtual model makes part-time wholesaling more feasible since you can make calls during lunch breaks, evenings, and weekends without driving to appointments. This flexibility allows for a smoother transition from employee to full-time entrepreneur.
Virtual wholesaling represents the most accessible entry point into real estate investing for beginners without capital. By leveraging phone communication, digital marketing, and systematic follow-up, anyone can build a profitable wholesaling business from their home. The key is starting with free marketing methods like cold calling, building strong phone rapport skills, and maintaining consistent daily activities until that first deal closes.
As Chris Logan’s journey shows, that first $4,000 wholesale check can eventually lead to a seven-figure business—but only if you stick to your criteria, continuously improve your systems, and never stop learning from each deal, whether it nets you $4,000 or $29,000.
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