From Washing Windows to Making Millions Wholesaling Real Estate

From Washing Windows to Making Millions Wholesaling Real Estate

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Zack Boothe went from washing windows for a living to making millions annually through real estate wholesaling. If you want to quit your job and start a business so you can live life on your own terms, this article will teach you how Zack scaled his business. Even if you don't have real estate experience, we'll break things down so you can get started.

Zack's Background

Zack started a window cleaning business when he was 17 and built it up over 10 years. At its peak, he had 3 trucks and 13 employees. From the outside, it looked successful. But the bigger the business got, the less Zack actually made.

He was hitting diminishing returns and didn't really know how to run a business. His employees wanted paychecks but didn't care about the business. Zack was bringing in $40k-60k per year but working 70-80 hours per week. He was burnt out.

Pivoting to Real Estate Investing

Zack knew there had to be a better way to earn income. He started listening to real estate podcasts and reading books. The real estate investing strategy of wholesaling - buying houses at a discount and selling for a higher price seemed too good to be true. But he decided to give it a shot.

The breakthrough came when Zack was washing the windows of a wealthy real estate investor named Stan. Stan offered Zack two rental properties on a seller finance deal. Zack resold them the next year for over $100k in profit. This was proof of concept - wholesaling actually worked.

Shortly after, Zack quit the window-washing business. He didn't even give two weeks' notice - he was done. Zack's former business partner told him wholesaling was a scam and he'd never succeed. But Zack proved him wrong - he now does 25+ wholesale deals per year at an average profit of $40k each.

Scaling the Business

Last year, Zack did 35-40 real estate deals and made just over $1 million in revenue. This year, he's on track to do over $2 million. How did he scale so quickly?

  • Added virtual land-flipping
  • Started monetizing retail leads from driving for dollars
  • Signed 6 listings from leads recently, including a $1 million listing
  • Grew team from 1 to 7 (sales reps, real estate agents, assistants)
  • Launched wholesaling in Florida after meeting a great real estate agent on a trip

Zack says the team he's built now can handle $2-3 million per year. He expects to hit $3 million next year without working many more hours himself.

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Lessons Learned

Zack has made some costly mistakes in real estate:

  • Attempted to flip a $1 million house during a hot market. After buying it for $135k, he invested in repairs but the contractor ripped him off. He ended up losing nearly $90k.
  • Tried to scale too fast by hiring virtual assistants before the culture was strong. It's harder to build culture remotely.

But he doesn't see these as failures - just learning experiences. The only true failure is when you give up completely. As long as you get up and keep pushing, you will eventually succeed.

The Power of Driving for Dollars

Even after scaling up, over half of Zack's deals still come from driving for dollars. He's optimized his systems to get a 10x return from his marketing budget by adding direct mail and texting to the driving.

Driving for dollars means you look for rundown homes, find the owners, and make them cash offers. It's a simple, repeatable process. Once you get proof of concept and complete your first deal this way, it becomes addictive. For Zack, driving for dollars deals are his highest average profit at 30%-40% margins.

Virtual Wholesaling from Brazil

Here's an example of the freedom Zack has built:

I was on vacation with my family in Brazil. My acquisition manager back in Florida called me about a solid lead needing a fast cash offer. While still in Brazil, I negotiated the deal virtually, got it under contract, and made a $50k wholesale fee.

Zack's Definition of Success

The increased income has allowed Zack and his wife Karen to upgrade their lifestyle tremendously:

  • Bought their dream home
  • Take expensive trips whenever they want
  • Zack was able to hunt over 100 days last year across 7 states

But success isn't just about stuff and trips. Zack says the best part is the freedom, peace of mind, and flexibility he has built. He can work and live how he wants.

Advice for New Investors

If you're looking to wholesale your first deal, Zack says the most important thing is believing you can do it. All the obstacles you think are in your way are just stories you tell yourself.

Watching Zack's 40-Day Challenge on YouTube is a great way to gain the confidence and belief you need. Seeing the process work in real-time helps you realize wholesaling is possible for anyone.

As Zack says:

"If that guy can do it, I can do it too!"

Don't give up right before you hit a breakthrough. Stay persistent and success will come. You can build a wholesaling business and achieve financial freedom just like Zack did.

Benjy Nichols

About Benjy Nichols

Benjy has been a media specialist at DealMachine for the last 2.5 years. He produces, writes, shoots, and edits our media content for our member's DealMachine and Real Estate education.