Most investors are spending time & money on inbound leads without realizing how much money they’re leaving on the table by not making the most of each one. James Hartquist, investor and one of the brains behind Property Leads, has seen what works — and what doesn’t — across thousands of real estate investors' businesses nationwide. In this conversation with Carrot’s Brady Winder, James breaks down exactly how to maximize ROI from every lead source, how long to stick with a marketing channel before calling it quits, and the follow-up systems top investors use to turn 92% of unresponsive leads into real conversations. You’ll also learn how to stay out of “spam-likely” purgatory, the right budget to actually get a deal, and why integrity and speed-to-lead are the ultimate sales advantages. Listen in!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Find Property Leads in the Carrot Marketplace: https://marketplace.carrot.com/services/property-leads-pay-per-lead/

Free Caller Registry: https://freecallerregistry.com

Get the free follow-up sequence: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VYTWkSxNIuDjCD4pi1sRDMvCK6xtBLl8pwvbn8fWgb8/edit?usp=sharing

Key Quotes:

“If you’re going to wholesale it, just tell them. Make offers with integrity and fully intend to do what you say.”

“The investors that win call within 30 seconds. Be the person that’s hard to beat to the deal.”

“Every lead source works — if you work it long enough to fix the bottlenecks.”

“You can’t save your way to your first deal. You’ve got to fund your marketing and go all in.”

“People think honesty kills deals, but it actually builds more trust and gets you more contracts.”

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF

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You’ve heard the myth that there are no deals left on the MLS — or that you need a giant budget to compete. But what if the real opportunity is playing both sides of the deal? Today, we hear how Ryan Zolan turned on‑market listings into dual‑paying transactions, leveraging his real estate license to represent himself and collect both agent commission and a wholesale margin. You’ll walk away with the exact filters, pitch scripts, and mindset shifts he used to scale 3–5 deals per month (and sometimes more). If you're ready to stop chasing deals and start structuring win‑win offers the others can’t see, this is a must‑listen.

Mentioned in this episode:

Agent/Investors: https://www.agentinvestors.com/

Ryan's Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/agentinvestors

Traction by Gino Wickman

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleaan Hill

Outwitting the Devil by Napoleaan Hill

One to Many by Jason Fried

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

➨Our CEO, Trevor Mauch's Entrepreneur Freedom Formula Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF

➨ Facebook Group for Evergreen Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity ➨Subscribe to our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GetCarrot

➨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcarrot/

➨Take a demo of Carrot.com: https://carrot.ly/GQ8I

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Most people want to go FT in RE in 6 months, but real, sustainable wholesaling success takes time, consistent effort, and mastering a few skills. After spending years cold‑calling, testing outbound channels, and messing with ads, Lisa built a wholesaling business in Houston, averaging 80 high‑quality inbound leads per month, mostly from SEO, while keeping marketing spend low. She shares how she did it, from making her website credible, getting serious about content, leveraging backlinks, and setting expectations right so she wouldn’t burn out. We also talk about her wild story of leaving real estate and giving it a second shot! Enjoy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Lisa's Carrot site: https://www.txcashhomebuyers.com/

Rhino Rank — link‑building company Lisa used for backlink insertions and guest posts. http://rhinorank.com

AHrefs — SEO tool Lisa used for keyword research & finding related terms. https://ahrefs.com - or use Carrot's built-in keyword explorer!

Google My Business — used as part of local SEO strategy. https://www.google.com/business/

Books: Traction by Gino Wickman — a book that changed Lisa’s mindset around business systems.

Key Quotes

“Most people they put like a short time frame on themselves … but it takes time … give yourself five, seven, you know, even ten years.”

“My team is pretty small … all our leads are inbound through SEO.”

“It was scary … I did want to quit a lot of times throughout this whole process, but now it’s like … I already know so many things that I didn’t before.”

***Join us live, Thursdays at 11 AM Pacific for the Evergreen Marketing Live Q&A: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity/

***Need to grow as a leader? Check out Trevor’s podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF

***Learn more at Carrot.com/shows - Carrot, a 5x Inc 5000 company, with millions of motivated leads generated over 10+ years.

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Carrot Summit 2025 REPLAY: If you missed Carrot Summit, here’s your chance to catch what might’ve been the best session—for free! Steve Trang, one of the top sales coaches in real estate investing, joined us live to break down two real seller calls from rookie investors. No scripts. No theory. Just real conversations and highly practical coaching moments.If you’re struggling to convert leads, stumbling through objections, or just not closing as many deals as you should be… listen in & take notes.

You’ll learn:

The subtle things that kill trust early in the call

Why most investors ask the wrong questions—and what to say instead

What to say when a seller pushes back, without being salesy

👉 Watch the full YouTube video with subtitles here: https://youtu.be/q2Itdq7oDAE

***Join us live, Thursdays at 11 AM Pacific for the Evergreen Marketing Live Q&A: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity/

***Need to grow as a leader? Check out Trevor’s podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF

***Learn more at Carrot.com/shows - Carrot, a 5x Inc 5000 company, with millions of motivated leads generated over 10+ years.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After building a rental portfolio of 300 houses and selling 500 turnkey rentals, Xander made a bold move: he downsized his business—on purpose. Most investors are focused on scaling, but Xander saw the writing on the wall—tightening margins, rising rates, and burnout—and chose to pivot. We talked about what signals told him it was time to shift, how he sold off his property management company, and why he’s now focused on lean operations and hard money lending. If you want to know how to stay ahead of a shifting market or you’ve ever wondered whether all the growth is worth it, this is a r conversation you’ll want to hear.

Mentioned in this episode:

Think and Grow Rich – https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/…/think-and-grow-rich/

Investor Fuel Mastermind – https://investorfuel.com

Wize Hire – https://www.wizehire.com)

Xander's Carrot Site – https://crofmaryland.com/

Key Quotes:

“You’ve got to look at revenue per employee… Bare minimum should be $300,000 per employee.”

“Instead of buying rentals ourselves, we began buying houses, renovating them, and selling them as turnkey rental properties.”

“Every business owner on this call… knows everyone wants to make more money. Inflation is real… all these forces hitting at once... There’s nothing wrong with scaling back.”

“Hard money lending allows us to spend less than 10 hours per deal—and still make solid returns.”

About Xander: Alexander Cruz is a Baltimore native, a real estate expert, and the owner of CR of Maryland. Since 2012, he has led the purchase, renovation, and resale of over 1,600 homes across the Baltimore metro area and surrounding counties. With deep local knowledge and a commitment to improving communities, Alexander has built CR of Maryland into one of the most trusted home-buying companies in Maryland. Under his leadership, CR of Maryland helps homeowners sell their homes quickly and easily, offering fair cash offers with no fees, no repairs, and no hassle. Alexander takes pride in offering real solutions to sellers, whether they are facing foreclosure, going through probate, dealing with a vacant property, or simply ready to move on. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Lauren, and their two children. Outside of real estate, he’s a dedicated family man who enjoys time on the water, cheering on Baltimore sports, and supporting local service projects.

***Join us live, Thursdays at 11 AM Pacific for the Evergreen Marketing Live Q&A: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcarrotcommunity/

***Need to grow as a leader? Check out Trevor’s podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/EFF

***Learn more at Carrot.com/shows - Carrot, a 5x Inc 5000 company, with millions of motivated leads generated over 10+ years.

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