I know many investors who wholesale real estate. I do it, too.

No, you don't need any money to wholesale real estate.

Stacey's answer is largely correct, except you don't need cash. And if you need cash, it doesn't have to be yours.

Example: You find a property with an ARV (After Repair Value) of $500,000. It needs $20,000 in repairs. The formula for your MAO (Maximum Allowable Offer) is (ARV*.65) minus repair costs. So in this case, the most you could offer on the property is $305,000 ($500,000*0.65 - $20,000). That's about what a rehabber would pay you for that. So let's say you get it under contract for $285,000. You would then assign the contract to a rehabber for $20,000. You'd make $20,000. The rehabber would have bought the property for a total of $305,000 and put in $20,000 of repairs. That brings the rehabber's investment to $325,000. Add in the rehabber's costs (hard money, holding costs, cost overruns, real estate commission when selling) and maybe the total cost would be $375,000. The rehabber prices it at $490,000 for a quick sale, and makes slightly over $100,000.

If you were rehabbing and had to buy the property, then you'd use hard money. Going cost for hard money now (where I am) is about 5 points and 15%. So, in the case above, the rehabber would pay about $17,000 plus interest. Very pricey, but it means the rehabber doesn't have to come up with any cash, either.

The average process from putting a property under contract to assigning the contract can be as short as a few days, or as long as a few months. It depends on how attractive your deal is and how good your marketing is.

There are some good real estate investment clubs down in Florida. Attend some of their meetings.

Hope that helps.

Amaryllis,

In the real estate investment world, I have always classified investors as "Wholesalers" or "Retailers". In my experience, the Retail Investors far out number the Wholesale Investors for one reason.... CASH! In simple terms, Wholesale Investing is buying property at a deep discount and then quickly selling, usually to a Retail Investor, for a quick profit. Retail Investors are usually the ones that put the most work into the property by cleaning it up, renovating it and then either leasing, lease optioning or selling it. The key for the wholesaler is leaving enough upside in the property to allow the retail investor to afford repairs, carry costs and still walk away with a profit. For a real life example of this type of transaction, read my "Finding a Foreclosure" in my Blog.

Cash is still king in the real estate business. However, if you have little, you may be able to get an option on a great buy and then wholesale your option to another investor or resident buyer.