RJ Bates III

Wholesaling doesn’t have a complexity problem…

It has a shortcut problem.


At its core, this business is simple:
Find a motivated seller
Get the property under contract at a discount
Assign it to an end buyer who can profit


But every year, new “simplified” methods get pushed to people who don’t yet know what questions to ask.


And in 2025 going into 2026, one of those shortcuts is a redefined version of bird dogging.


Back when I got started, bird dogging meant lead generation.
Spot a distressed property
Send the address to a wholesaler
The wholesaler does the deal and pays the person who found the property it a finder’s fee


Today? That’s not what’s being taught.


Now it looks like this:
You ask buyers what they want
You go hunt down wholesale deals for them
They buy directly from the wholesaler
You get paid on the back end


That’s not simplifying wholesaling.
That’s stepping into buyer representation without realizing it.
And that’s where the problem starts.
When you’re paid for “bringing a buyer a deal” without equitable interest…
When there’s no contract, no JV agreement, no ownership in the transaction…
You’re not wholesaling...
You’re brokering.
Unlicensed.


And in an industry already under a microscope from agents, attorneys, and organizations like the National Association of Realtors…that matters more than people want to admit.
Here’s the part most new wholesalers don’t realize:
Bird dogging doesn’t build skills.
It delays them.


You never learn how to comp
You never talk to sellers
You never control a contract
You never truly understand how buyers make decisions
Sending 25–30 properties to get one yes isn’t experience, it’s confusion disguised as hustle.


There is a legal and ethical way to do what people are trying to accomplish.
It’s called a joint venture.


If you have a buyer and find a wholesaler with a deal:
You get equitable interest
You sign a JV agreement
You define terms, timelines, and compensation upfront
Now you’re protected. Now the wholesaler is protected.
Now the deal isn’t being blasted, daisy-chained, or stigmatized.
But protection alone isn’t the end goal.


If you want real control, real income, and real longevity in this business, you have to build the core skills.


Shortcuts feel good early. They’re expensive later.


And if you’re serious about wholesaling as a business, ask yourself why you’d avoid learning the skills that actually make it one.


If you want to see this broken down fully, step by step, then check out the video pinned in the comments.

20 hours ago | [YT] | 14

RJ Bates III

“All sellers are liars.”


You’ve heard it.


You’ve probably said it.


And if you’ve been in this business long enough… you’ve probably believed it.


“Multiple cash offers way higher than yours.”
“The property’s in great condition.”
“I don’t really need to sell.”
“Never had any issues with the tenants.”
“We can close in a week.”
“This is the best offer you’re gonna get.”


Sound familiar?
Here’s the uncomfortable part 👇
Most of those lies aren’t even the real problem.
Because when you really break it down…
The industry loves calling sellers liars while quietly ignoring the fact that wholesalers lie constantly.
We lie about being the end buyer.
We lie about proof of funds.
We lie about timelines.
We lie about closing certainty.
We lie about buying “as-is” with no renegotiation.
And then we act shocked when sellers stretch the truth about condition or tenants.


The irony is….
Yes, sellers exaggerate.
Yes, sometimes they bluff.
But more often than not, they’re speaking from their frame of reference, not an investor’s.


The bigger issue?
As wholesalers, we were taught that lying was just “part of the game.”
That worked 10 years ago.
It doesn’t work anymore.
Markets change.
Buyers get smarter.
Trust becomes the currency.


And when you stop playing games and start having real conversations, something interesting happens:
Sellers volunteer the truth.
They stop you mid-call to say:
“Oh, I forgot to mention the roof…”
“There’s also an issue with the plumbing…”
“The tenant situation is worse than I first said…”
Not because you trapped them,
But because they felt safe telling you.
That shift is why this conversation matters.


If you’re still operating off old wholesaling rules…
Then check out the video linked in the comments!
It will challenge the way you think about seller calls, credibility, and long-term business.
Watch it.
Then come back and tell me what you think. 👇👇👇

2 days ago | [YT] | 23

RJ Bates III

This call is a perfect example of something most wholesalers say they do…
…but almost never do when it actually matters


They remember there’s a real person on the other end of the line.


Because this wasn’t a “lead.”


This was a 62-year-old woman sitting in a house with no electricity, trying to hold it together after:
losing her grandmother (who she cared for 9 years)


losing her mom


getting stuck with a property she couldn’t maintain


no car


no job


no real support system


and a phone that was literally dying because she couldn’t charge it




And you can hear it in her voice.
She’s not negotiating.
She’s trying to survive.


So I did what I always tell my students to do… but most people won’t do when they’re uncomfortable:
I got present.
I didn’t jump to comps.
I didn’t rush past the emotion.
I didn’t try to “handle objections.”
I listened.


Then I made a promise that instantly changed the temperature of the call:
“Once you let me buy your house… I’ll turn your electricity back on.”
But here’s the important part:
I can have compassion without making bad business decisions.
She wanted 80–85.
I told her straight: I can’t do 80.
Not because I’m trying to “win” a negotiation…
…but because I have to feed my kids, and I have to buy properties intelligently.
So I anchored at 60.
She pushed back.
We met at 70.


But I framed it clearly:
“I’m okay sending a contract at 70… just don’t be surprised if we come out there and need to be at 60 after inspection.”


No fake certainty.
Just clean expectations.


Then I did the part that most people talk about… but don’t actually execute:
I got the contract signed on the phone.


Because sellers in real distress don’t need “follow up.”
They need a reset button.


And follow-up is useless when:
your phone is dying


your house is freezing


it’s about to get dark


and life is happening louder than your text messages




So after she signed…
I literally called the electric company and got her power turned back on that night.
Not tomorrow.
Not “when we get to it.”
That night.
Because later doesn’t work when someone’s at 45% battery and praying for help.


And what hit me the hardest on this call was simple:
A lot of wholesalers get frustrated when distressed sellers don’t answer.
They take it personally.
But they’re not ignoring you.
They’re surviving something you can’t see.


That’s why I tell people all the time:
Put yourself in the seller’s shoes.
Sometimes the reason they’re not responding isn’t “motivation”…
…it’s that they literally can’t charge their phone.


If you want to see exactly how I walk the line between doing the right thing and still protecting my business…
Go watch the full call on YouTube linked in the comments.


It’s one of those rare ones where you don’t just learn how to close a deal…
You learn how to show up when a seller is at the bottom.

3 days ago | [YT] | 37

RJ Bates III

Here’s the reality most people don’t want to sit with 👇
Wholesaling is hard.
But it’s never been better.
The tech is better.
The data is better.
Access to sellers and buyers is better than it’s ever been.
Which means if you’re struggling in 2026…
It’s probably not the market.
It’s how you’re operating inside of it.
Let’s talk about the 10 truths that actually move the needle.
Truth #1: This business is simple - but it is not easy.
Truth #2: Nobody is coming to save you. Not a course. Not a lead source. Not a scholarship.
Truth #3: If you’re not talking to sellers every day, you’re not really in this business.
Truth #4: It's almost NEVER the leads that are your problem...
Truth #5: If your deals don’t move, that’s an underwriting problem - not dispo.
Truth #6: No amount of AI can replace your ability to understand motivation and solve problems.
Truth #7: You’re allowed to make real money in this business - stop capping yourself.
Truth #8: Cash buyers are your real long-term assets. Treat them like it.
Truth #9: Consistency alone beats 90% of your competition.
Truth #10: Shortcuts are quietly killing more wholesalers than bad markets ever could.
What stood out to me most when I sat to think about this topic was how unchanged the fundamentals are.
The people winning in 2026 aren’t smarter.
They’re not luckier.
They’re not chasing shiny objects.
They’re doing the boring work:
Calling sellers.
Asking better questions.
Building buyer relationships.
Showing up when others disappear.
I broke all 10 of these truths down in detail
With real examples, real mistakes, and real perspective from doing this at scale.
If you want context, not motivation…
If you want to understand why things break, not just what to do…
Go watch the full video linked in the comments!
This is the kind of clarity that can change how you operate in 2026.

4 days ago | [YT] | 27

RJ Bates III

Transparency Matters to Buyers
Every wholesaler should value transparency…

But here’s what it looks like when you don’t - from the end buyer’s perspective.

A wholesaler brought a deal to one of our OG Titanium University members, J.W., a serious end buyer in Amarillo, Texas.

Numbers look decent. JW asks to walk the property.

The wholesaler says: “You can go see it… just tell the sellers you’re my partner.”

JW walks in and immediately gets put in a bad spot.

They start asking him questions about price, timing, and next steps.

Now he’s scrambling, not to steal the deal — but to cover for a lie he didn’t create.

Here’s the part that matters...

JW said he was relieved this deal wasn’t in his home market.

Why?

Because in Amarillo, everyone knows him.

If that deal went sideways, his brand would take the hit.

That’s the reality most wholesalers never think about.

When you ask an end buyer to lie for you, you’re not just risking the deal - you’re risking the relationship.

And that’s why JW said this moving forward:

If a wholesaler isn’t transparent with the seller, he doesn’t want the deal.

The fix is simple.

Tell the truth.

Protect your end buyers.

Protect your brand.

Because here’s the truth most wholesalers don’t realize until it’s too late:

Your end buyers aren’t just buying the deal.

They’re buying into you.

They’re deciding whether you’re someone they can trust to represent a transaction cleanly - or someone who cuts corners when things get uncomfortable.

And once an end buyer feels exposed, embarrassed, or forced to cover for a lie…

They don’t argue.

They don’t complain.

They just stop answering your calls.

That’s why this story matters.

Not because the deal almost went sideways - but because it shows how easily a wholesaler can burn credibility without ever realizing it.

Check out the video in the comments if you want to hear this story broken down from an end buyer’s perspective!

6 days ago | [YT] | 30

RJ Bates III

I’m seeing a really dangerous trend on seller calls right now…


Wholesalers are defaulting to agreeing with everything the seller says.
“I don’t want to work with a wholesaler.”
“Okay, gotcha.”
“That’s just the price I want.”
“Alright, makes sense.”


And every time you do that, you’re killing your own leverage and wasting the best open-ended questions the seller will ever hand you.


Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear 👇


Sellers don’t ghost you because of your offer.


They ghost you because the conversation felt fake, shallow, or salesy - like you were trying to move past their concern instead of actually understanding it.


When a seller says something like “I don’t want to work with a wholesaler,” that’s not the end of the conversation - that’s the beginning.


Why not?
What happened?
Where did that belief come from?
What experience are you reacting to?


Those answers usually tell you more about the seller’s motivation than any script ever will.


If you just agree and move on, you never uncover the real motivation - and without that, you can’t actually solve the seller’s problem.


Inside one of our Titanium University implementation calls, we broke this down in real time because this exact mistake keeps showing up on seller calls - even with experienced wholesalers.


The fix is simple, but uncomfortable for a lot of people:
Stop trying to sound smart.
Stop rushing to the next question.
Live in the moment the seller just gave you.


Strong statements deserve follow-up, not agreement.


So if your seller calls feel flat…


If you’re constantly searching for the next question…


If deals keep stalling or disappearing…


Start by replacing “okay, gotcha” with
“Can you explain that to me a little more?”

Stop being a yes-man.




Start digging deeper.




And watch how fast your conversation and contracts change.

1 week ago | [YT] | 61

RJ Bates III

731 Days Straight.
Look at your life and ask yourself this:
What have you done every single day for 731 days straight?
Most people narrow it down to the basics — brushing teeth, eating, breathing, peeing, etc.
Two years ago, I decided that if I wanted to be the best in my industry, I had to eliminate excuses entirely. No gaps. No “off days.” No waiting for perfection.
So on January 1, 2024, I made a non-negotiable commitment to myself:
Post one long-form YouTube video every single day.
Today marks 731 days in a row of doing exactly that.
This process taught me more than content creation ever could.
It taught me the power of consistency.
The importance of being intentional with time.
The discipline of taking tactical action daily.
It forced me to become a better listener.
A better leader.
A better operator.
What started as a challenge is now a lifestyle.
Every day I wake up focused on one thing:
How can I better support people who want to Create Their Own Reality through wholesaling real estate?
Will this turn into millions of subscribers? Probably not.
But it does turn into millions of lives impacted.
Because every time someone like Jairo Rodriguez, Danielle Ellsworth, Joey Dertay, or Niccolò Fazio watches a video and implements it to close a deal, the ripple effect is massive — sellers helped, buyers served, lenders funded, title companies involved, families changed.
731 days straight.
I’m proud of this.
And we’re just getting started. 🦾🦾🦾

1 week ago | [YT] | 93

RJ Bates III

Stop f***** cold calling…

Let me save you months of pain and thousands in wasted dollars right now:

You DO NOT need to "pay your dues" by cold calling when starting your wholesaling business.

I know, I know.

Industry veterans like Steve Trang have long pushed the idea that new investors should "earn their stripes" by cold calling.

The theory is that it makes you a better closer and builds character.

It's complete BS.

Here's why cold calling in 2025 is a terrible strategy for new wholesalers:

1. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LOSING

When you cold call, you're programming yourself to expect rejection. 95% of your calls lead to "no" - or worse, angry homeowners questioning how you got their number. This constant rejection becomes your normal expectation.

Sports psychology teaches a key lesson: Playing against competition that's FAR superior doesn't develop skills - it demoralizes you. Same with cold calling as a beginner.

2. THE ACTUAL COST COMPARISON

"But cold calling is cheaper than buying leads!"

Let's do the math:

Cold calling costs:
- Data: $99/month (minimum)
- Skip tracing: $100-200/month
- Dialer software: $200/month
TOTAL: $400+ per month
PPL leads:
- $30 per lead x 10 leads = $300/month
- With a 10% close rate = 1 deal ($15,000+)
And here's the kicker - those 10 PPL leads take a few hours to work through.

How many hours of cold calling would you need for the same result?

3. UNNECESSARY COMPLEXITY

As a new wholesaler, you already need to learn:

- How to talk to motivated sellers
- How to comp properties
- How to write contracts
- How to find buyers
- How to close deals

Why add on learning:
- Which lists to pull
- How to skip trace
- Which dialer to use
- How to handle angry homeowners
- How to avoid litigators

4. THE OPPORTUNITY COST

The biggest cost isn't the money - it's your TIME.

Every hour spent making 100 cold calls to find 1 maybe-motivated seller is an hour you could have spent talking to 3-4 already-motivated sellers from PPL.

THE BETTER WAY:

Focus on leads where the seller has already raised their hand and said "I need to sell my house" - then you can spend your energy mastering the closing skills that actually matter.
I've done it all - direct mail, cold calling, texting, and now PPL.

Each time I focused on mastering ONE approach.

Right now, PPL is the absolute best opportunity in the market.

Don't message me saying "I'm cold calling until I can afford PPL leads."

That's backwards thinking.

Find $500-1000 (even if it means an interest-free credit card), get some quality leads, and close your first deal FAST.

Stop glorifying the struggle.

Cold calling doesn't make you tougher or better - it just makes you slower to profit.

Agree or disagree? LMK in the comments…

1 week ago | [YT] | 66

RJ Bates III

WHOLESALING RED FLAGS: WHEN BUYERS TRY TO CHANGE TERMS



You've finally got a deal under contract, did your recon, and found a buyer. Then they hit you with "Just one small change to the terms..."



Should you run for the hills or accommodate them? Here's how to spot legitimate requests versus major red flags



RED FLAG #1:

"I NEED AN INSPECTION PERIOD"

Most wholesale deals don't include inspection periods (due diligence happens BEFORE the contract). But some legitimate requests exist.

WHEN IT'S LEGIT:

• They follow a specific process (like Travis Wells who gets formal inspections on EVERY property)
• It's a buyer you've done multiple deals with before
• They can clearly explain what specific information they need to gather

THE RED FLAG:

Ask "why do you need this inspection period?" - If they stumble, give vague answers, or can't explain specifics, they might be trying to daisy-chain your deal to another wholesaler.

SMART PLAY:
I've given 3-day inspection periods to companies like New Western Acquisitions - keeping my other buyers "on ice" while they verify. When they perform, I make more money. When they don't, I move to my backup buyers.



RED FLAG #2:

"CAN I PUT DOWN LESS EARNEST MONEY?"
This could signal a buyer who may not have the funds to close.

WHEN IT'S LEGIT:

• It's someone you've closed multiple deals with
• They do high volume and don't want capital tied up in escrow

THE MASSIVE RED FLAG:

When they mention "using a transactional funder" or "gator lender" for earnest money. If they can't even fund the EMD, how can they fund the deal?



RED FLAG #3: "LET'S USE MY TITLE COMPANY INSTEAD"
Sometimes this makes perfect sense and sometimes it's very suspicious.

WHEN IT'S LEGIT:
• They pay closing costs and have negotiated lower fees elsewhere
• They close 10-15 deals weekly with their preferred title company
• They have legitimate relationships that make closing smoother

THE RED FLAG:

They want to change title companies because they have a history of last-minute terminations and their title company covers for them.

SMART PLAY:

Ask for a recent HUD-1/settlement statement from their title company and see if yours will match those fees. Often they will to keep the business.

Remember: End buyers are YOUR CUSTOMERS.



Your goal is to sell them 100+ deals, not just 1-2. Understanding their processes and concerns builds long-term relationships that generate consistent revenue.

What's the most ridiculous term change a buyer has tried to negotiate with you?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 34

RJ Bates III

This Black Friday I am giving the most ridiculous offer EVER!

You buy our product and you will receive $173 in profit in the form of leads...

You literally are getting paid in leads to buy the product.

Join the wait list in the comments! Don't be stupid.

1 month ago | [YT] | 25