The DealMachine Real Estate Investing Podcast

If deals are falling through the cracks, the answer isn’t always more leads. In this episode, Mark Stubler, founder of Joe Homebuyer, breaks down a simple way to see exactly what’s happening inside your pipeline — from first lead to closed deal. You’ll learn where deals actually get stuck, what to fix first, and how better visibility can unlock more revenue without increasing your marketing spend. Stick around to the end to get access to the free tracking tool shared in this episode. Get Joe Homebuyer's LOACC Tracker: https://thejoetracker.com/ KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:59 - You Need More Clarity, Not More Leads1:55 - What Is LOACC?2:39 - Defining Leads & Opportunities4:50 - Opportunities To Appointments5:50 - A Real Life Application Of LOACC11:34 - The LOACC Tracker15:10 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Mark Stublerhttps://www.instagram.com/markstubler/ Website: Joe Homebuyerhttps://www.joehomebuyer.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

David and Ryan sit down with Armando Banuelos, a 20-year courthouse auction veteran, to break down how he actually wins deals at the courthouse steps—and then, in the middle of the episode, he negotiates and locks up a $1.4M deal live on the podcast. Armando explains how preparation, patience, and understanding auction mechanics separate real buyers from spectators, why courthouse deals still work today, and what most investors completely misunderstand about buying this way. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:26 - An Overview Of Armando Banuelos’ Business1:12 - How He Got Started4:18 - Outsourcing The Work & Finding Contractors5:35 - How Much He Made From His First Deal6:51 - Getting Deals From The Courthouse Now8:50 - Bidding On A House Live & How Auctions Work16:09 - What He’s Going To Do Next18:13 - Closing Thoughts19:32 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Armando Banueloshttps://www.instagram.com/armandobanuelos.cig/ Website: Capitol Buys Houseshttps://www.capitolbuyshouses.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

In this episode, David Lecko sits down with Joshua Thompson, who runs a high-volume wholesaling operation in the Augusta market and closes over 100 deals a year. Joshua breaks down why his team intentionally walked away from flips and creative strategies, how shiny object syndrome holds wholesalers back, and what happens when you simplify and commit to one core strategy. They dive into sales psychology, negotiation, team structure, and what it actually takes to scale wholesaling without adding unnecessary risk or complexity. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:49 - An Overview Of Joshua Thompson’s Business2:25 - His Fire-Damaged Rental5:32 - His First Wholesale Deal8:53 - The Deals He’s Doing Now & Sales Tips14:58 - Music & Church17:47 - What His Team Looks Like Now19:19 - Being Profitable As A Wholesale Company20:32 - Where He Wants To Take His Business Next25:15 - The Marketing They’re Doing & Referrals30:18 - Who He’s Learned A Lot From32:48 - The Worst Advice He’s Ever Received34:59 - Hard To Get Data39:13 - Can You Catch On Fire As A Real Estate Investor?40:36 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?42:11 - Books He’s Reading Right Now44:53 - His Social Media46:08 - Extra Questions From Moustafa48:35 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Joshua Thompsonhttps://www.instagram.com/joshuaathompson107/ Website: SOS Home Offershttps://www.soshomeoffers.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

In this episode, Matt Porcaro breaks down one of the most overlooked real estate strategies investors can use today to make deals work in tough markets. Matt explains how combining renovation loans, housing density, and value-add thinking can unlock hidden income, increase buying power, and create real cash flow and equity when traditional strategies fall short. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - What Is The 203k Loan?1:53 - 203k Loans And ADUs4:30 - The Perfect Storm6:15 - The Caveats To This Approach8:42 - Driving For Dream Homes12:22 - Equity And Income Arbitrage14:50 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Matt Porcarohttps://www.instagram.com/the203kway Website: The 203k Way203kway.com/livetraining Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Brian Ferguson and Brayden Robertson from Fergmar Capital break down how they consistently close 100–200 deals per year while owning over 1,300 doors — all in a small market of just 66,000 people. They explain why small markets can be a strategic advantage, how their single-family business funds long-term plays like multifamily and shopping centers, and the discipline required to scale without chasing big-city competition. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro1:07 - An Overview Of Fergmar Capital3:38 - What They’ve Learned In The Past Year6:24 - Why They Hold Their Multi-Family Properties9:42 - Their First Shopping Center Deal & The Game Plan15:43 - Why They Don’t Focus Only On Shopping Centers18:45 - How They Find Their Wholesale Deals25:40 - Doing Novation Deals31:19 - Learning From CG & Data They Want35:17 - The Worst Advice They Ever Received37:03 - Making Multi-Family Deals Work In A Tough Market40:12 - The Books They’re Reading43:32 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?45:09 - Closing Thoughts & Their Social Media45:47 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Fergmar Capitalhttps://www.instagram.com/fergmarcapital/ Website: Fergmarhttps://fergmar.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Dakota Bailey has quietly built a seven-year real estate operation that put 350 deals under contract in a single year — all in a small Midwest market. In this episode, Dakota breaks down how he went from car sales to running a high-volume wholesaling business, why simplifying his operation was critical to scaling, and how hiring the right acquisitions manager led to 37 deals in one month. He also talks candidly about inventory risk, leadership mistakes, hard conversations, and the mindset required to stay calm while managing dozens of active deals at once. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:49 - An Overview Of Dakota Bailey’s Business3:06 - The Importance Of Focusing On One Strategy4:36 - The Story Of How He Got Into Business11:11 - Buying Out His Partners15:46 - Sales Tips18:33 - What His Team Looks Like Now20:17 - Personal Development23:25 - His Book & Early Struggles28:17 - The Biggest Thing He Learned Last Year31:07 - Losing Money On Deals & Stress Management36:05 - How They Find Their Deals39:51 - Data They’ve Been Looking For46:13 - The Dangers Of Investing48:54 - What He’s Excited For & His Other Businesses53:24 - Closing Thoughts And Dakota’s Social Media53:39 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Dakota Baileyhttps://www.instagram.com/dakotabailey.in Links: Dakota Baileyhttps://linktr.ee/DakotaBailey Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Trevor Mauch, founder of Carrot, breaks down the website mistakes that quietly cost real estate investors deals—even when you’re getting traffic. He walks through a practical framework for building pages that feel clear, trustworthy, and easy for sellers to take the next step, plus simple changes you can make to your layout, structure, and content so more motivated sellers actually call or fill out your form. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:42 - The 11-Part High Performing Web Pite Framework1:23 - Part 1: Design For Humans First, AI Will Follow7:09 - Part 2: Add Structure, Depth, Clarity9:53 - Part 3: Bake EEAT Into Your Page Layout14:56 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Trevor Mauchhttps://www.instagram.com/trevor.mauch/ Website: Carrothttps://carrot.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

David sits down with Cory Miller and Ryan Weimer, two former engineers who now close 200+ real estate deals a year in a single market. They break down the hard lessons they learned scaling too fast, becoming illiquid, surviving a major market correction, and rebuilding the business with better systems, smarter hiring, and a stronger wholesaling model. From growing a 4,000-person buyers list to why outbound still drives a massive share of their revenue, this conversation is a realistic look at what it actually takes to scale without burning the business down. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:53 - Cory Miller And Ryan Weimer’s Partnership6:06 - Wholesaling In Boise, ID10:10 - Building A Buyers’ List12:41 - What Their Team Looks Like15:44 - How They Determine Where To Buy17:25 - Marketing To Mobile Homes On Land19:31 - Their Greatest Lesson22:38 - What They Look For In An Acquisitions Manager29:27 - The Worst Advice They’ve Ever Received33:21 - The Hazards Of Real Estate35:29 - What They’re Most Excited About In 202638:14 - Closing Thoughts & How To Get In Touch38:41 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Cory Millerhttps://www.instagram.com/coryoffernowid Instagram: Ryan Weimerhttps://www.instagram.com/realryanweimer Website: Offer Now Idahohttps://www.OfferNowID.com Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Josh Berlin breaks down how he scaled from his first flip in 2023 to running a machine doing 100+ flips and 200+ total deals per year. David digs into the exact systems behind the volume—standardized rehabs, inventory management, marketing shifts, and how Josh avoids burnout while keeping margins intact. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro1:04 - An Overview Of Josh Berlin’s Business2:14 - Managing Contractors With 100+ Flips5:35 - How He Got Started & Building His Portfolio11:06 - The Buyers For His Deals & Wholetailing12:35 - ARVs In Northern Alabama & The Finishes14:33 - Scaling To 100 Deals A Year16:20 - Marketing & Funding Deals18:24 - The Toughest Moment They’ve Had20:16 - Presenting At CG & Sketchy Situations23:33 - The Worst Advice He Ever Received25:18 - Who He’s Learned A Lot From26:34 - Lessons Learned As An Entrepreneur28:09 - Can You Catch Fire As A Real Estate Investor?28:39 - Can You Die As A Real Estate Investor?29:20 - Extra Questions From Moustafa30:59 - Doing Business With Family33:11 - Where They Want To Take The Business34:40 - Feedback For DealMachine36:42 - Closing Thoughts37:01 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: North Alabama House Buyerhttps://www.instagram.com/northalabamahousebuyer Website: North Alabama House Buyerhttps://www.NorthAlabamaHouseBuyer.com Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Ray Zhang breaks down his exact system for flipping infill land virtually—without a team, rehabs, or site visits. In this episode, Ray explains how he’s flipped 500+ lots, generated over $900k in a year, and built a repeatable 6-step process you can run in just a few hours a day. He also shares the simple safety checks he uses to protect deals and avoid costly mistakes. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Intro0:42 - The 4 Reasons Why Ray Zhang Loves Land4:53 - Ray’s 6 Step System5:58 - Step 1: Market Selection7:13 - Step 2: Make Offers9:24 - Step 3: Value The Land10:15 - Step 4: Renegotiate11:18 -  Steps 5 and 6: Realtor/Title Company & Selling The Land13:56 - What He Spends The Most Time On15:29 - Outro LINKS:Instagram: Ray Zhanghttps://www.instagram.com/virtualflipland Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/