The Real Estate Investing Club 50/50 Flip: How Dedric & Crystal Polite Built Their Real Estate Empire
In this episode of The Real Estate Investing Club, I sit down with Dedric and Crystal Polite, the dynamic husband-and-wife team behind the hit Hulu show "50/50 Flip." Their journey from corporate employees living paycheck to paycheck to successful real estate investors with their own TV show is nothing short of inspiring.
Dedric shares how his real estate journey began in 2007 with a $48,000 triplex in Boston that he purchased with 100% financing. Despite this early start, he didn't fully commit to real estate investing until meeting Crystal. Just two months into their relationship, they launched an Airbnb business with Crystal's apartment—a move that would foreshadow their future success as a powerhouse real estate couple.
When they relocated to North Carolina, they went all-in on real estate, focusing initially on wholesaling to build capital for their true passion: building a rental portfolio. What's particularly valuable about their story is their emphasis on education and mentorship. Despite limited funds, they invested over $10,000 in a mastermind group filled with seven-figure investors. This decision proved pivotal, giving them the systems and processes needed to scale a seven-figure business before they even had seven-figure results.
Crystal found their first wholesale deal on Facebook Marketplace (proving deals can come from anywhere!), which they flipped for an $11,000 profit. Their second deal netted $5,000, but it was their third—a virtual wholesale in Boston while they were in North Carolina—that truly changed everything. The $105,000 profit from that single deal was their lightbulb moment, showing them they could legitimately leave their corporate careers.
What's fascinating about their approach is how strategically they moved. After those first three deals generated $121,000, they immediately began building their rental portfolio, acquiring 16 units within just three months. Dedric even kept his six-figure corporate job strategically to qualify for bank loans, using his W-2 income to secure financing while putting 25% down on rental properties.
The Polites share some incredible insights into their marketing evolution. After struggling with cold calling, they pivoted to text messaging, then realized through demographic analysis that their market had a predominantly older population (65+). This led them to focus on direct mail and targeted phone calls—a strategy that dramatically improved their results. Today, they use a "conveyor belt" approach: calling first, then adding non-responders to a year-long mailer campaign with follow-up calls.
One of the most valuable takeaways from our conversation is how they landed their TV show. In their early mastermind group, they were advised to document their journey on social media. By consistently sharing their property walkthroughs, contractor meetings, and renovation progress on Facebook and Instagram, they not only attracted private money investors but eventually caught the attention of A&E Network. Their show "50/50 Flip" is now one of the top programs on A&E and was recently selected as one of just three shows from a pool of fifty to stream on Hulu with its 45 million subscribers.
For those interested in driving for dollars (which Crystal highlighted as her favorite lead generation method), they recommend an app called Deal Machine (getdealmachine.com). This tool allows you to pin distressed properties while driving, instantly access owner information, and immediately reach out via call, text, or mail—all from your phone.
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