Max Maxwell says it starts with truly focusing on getting that one deal. Not looking past it and trying to jump straight to 10 deals a month, but actually going, “How do I just get one?” And then, after that, there’s so many real estate gurus, so much information online. Ya gotta narrow it down to one or two people that you vibe with the most, and just go all in on their content and ignore everything and everyone else.
After that, Max likes to go out and drive around in the communities he’s considering. “Reason why I do that is, one, you start to learn the DNA and the footprint and how the community works,” he explains. “You’re gonna see what the good areas are, what the bad areas are, and then you’re gonna jump outta the car and talk to people, talk to contractors, network. You may even meet a coupla flippers yourself, which is gonna be your end buyer. And it doesn’t take a long time. A few weekends is all.”
But it starts with that understanding. Because once you have that, the business is pretty simple. You find discounted properties and sell ’em to somebody else for more money, right? So now you need to pick that one tool or that one software that you like best, and actually master it. Learn how to use it, inside and out. Seeing a trend here? It really comes down to knowing your stuff. Being a student of the game and getting involved and learning everything you can and just putting yourself out there.
“And then, here’s another thing,” Max rants. “I’m jumping ahead a little bit but when you do get on the phone with a seller, stop acting like you’re the savviest investor in the country. It’s okay to let ’em know, ‘Look, this is my first or second rental property that I’m looking to buy or my first or second flip I’m looking to do.’ Just get back to the basics. Drive the neighborhoods, talk to people, and just really try to understand what you’re getting yourself into.”
“The truth is, you only need like one deal a month to change your entire life,” Max says. “One, that’s it. Before inflation and all this stuff that’s been going on, our typical deal was worth about $13,500. In the last little bit, our average deal has almost tripled. Why? Because we’re selling to different buyers. We know the market. But here’s another thing, don’t think you can’t do this in your own backyard. You can always dominate your city easier than you can do these virtual deals. You wanna be on the ground.”
“Because what you can do is, you can use your lunch breaks, use your weekends, you can go to local events. You can’t do that if you’re in San Antonio, trying to flip in Phoenix. Also, don’t be so one-dimensional. You can’t just be a wholesaler. Me, there’s not a strategy I don’t do. When you start to diversify what’s in your tool belt, you really don’t run across anything you can’t handle. Like if a seller wants to sell, I can buy it. I can buy it subto, seller finance, I can do a lease back, you name it.”
Max says these days, instead of assigning most deals, he’s taking ’em down himself. Because he’s just put in the time, the work, he’s developed so many relationships, why not source his own deals? Forget the $20,000 contract; he’s doing $50-, $60,000 flips, ya know? This makes him a dynamic, powerful real estate investor. But I thought Max’s advice was so refreshing. None of this shiny stuff, no hacks or shortcuts, just using some common sense and not being afraid to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty.
