Part of our mission here at 7 Figure Flipping is to pass on our tools and systems so you can work smarter not harder. One of our methods we’ve talked a great deal about, is Driving for Dollars. There is an app called Deal Machine created by real estate investor/software engineer David Lecko, designed to make your driving for dollars process more effective and support you in easily scaling up to generate more leads.
Six years ago, David Lecko missed out on a great real estate deal. He had written the property address on a scrap of paper, and that scrap of paper got lost in his car. He wasn’t able to follow up with the seller and he lost the deal. David was also a software developer. He decided to build a simple app for himself that would let him quickly create lists of properties and follow up with sellers right from his phone. The app was clunky and ugly at first, but it got the job done. As a matter of fact, it worked so well another investor started asking David how she could get her hands on it. It was easier for David to just make the app available to her on the app store and soon enough random people started finding it using the keywords ‘driving for dollars’ and DealMachine was born! Today thousands of real estate investors across the nation are using DealMachine to find and buy discounted off-market properties by the truckload. We’re going to tell you how it works and how you can use it to scale and automate driving for dollars.
What is DealMachine?
DealMachine is a phone or desktop app with three main functions:
1. It’s an effective tool for you or someone you hire to do driving for dollars. The app allows you to pin a property, then it looks up the owner of that property, gives you their number and email, and sends a postcard out to the address for you.
2. It links you into real estate data beyond MLS with up to 700 filters. This means you can target properties and areas according to your specific needs and save yourself tons of time by cross-referencing data through the app.
3. It’s a comping tool. You can find out what properties are sold for in different areas even in non-disclosure states.
What does it look like to ‘scale’ up your driving for dollars?
As you are making more deals and flipping more houses, your time becomes valuable and hiring other people to do the leg work for you is important. As you are building your driving team out, DealMachine has software with solutions to help you hire, attract, and train drivers that will do the job well.
Let’s say you start on Indeed by putting out a job description. DealMachine has a funnel that allows you to filter out your applicants by ‘tasking’ them to download the app and add 10 properties through DealMachine. If that goes well, you set up an interview. This part of the funnel also includes training videos that teach the applicants how to find houses, and answers questions like: How many houses do you need to add to make money? What income is possible based on performance and commission rates?
The app itself tracks the locations and stops of the drivers so a) you know your driver’s are actually doing the work, and b) you can strategically send drivers to multiple areas and have them searching for different types of properties.
How Do People Typically Pay Drivers?
There are 3 methods commonly used:
1. Pay if the deal closes. Pros & Cons: This one seems great initially because paying no money unless you make money seems risk free, right? Wrong. This method really only works with your family and friends because there is a trust aspect that needs to be present for the person to be motivated by knowing you will actually pay them out when and if a deal closes.
2. Pay by the house. Pros & Cons: Paying per lead seems to have a great deal of merit, and it can. However, you have to do a lot of work to help someone see the potential in what they can make using this method. Most people do not have an entrepreneurial brain, and want to clearly know what kind of stable income they will make to ensure their bills are paid.
3. Pay by the hour. Pros & Cons: This method is ideal with a few caveats in place to protect yourself by making sure you are getting enough value.
- Set minimum hours you need them to work per week.You want to make sure they are taking the job seriously.
- Do a weekly check in call where you review the account looking at the properties added to review quality, as well as the hours they worked. Give feedback and allow them to adjust them accordingly.
- Make sure they add a certain number of properties per hour based on the neighborhood and adjust their hourly rate based on the expected amount of solid leads for the area.
Pro-Tip: Consider offering an incentive or bonus on top of the hourly when a deal closes. People are motivated by money so offer extra incentive for your drivers to bring in great leads!
Does it work?
The proof is in the pudding! There are quite a few great success stories, but the bottom line is if you double down on driving for dollars with a great tool like DealMachine, the sky's the limit! In one of these success stories an investor named Ryan Haywood went from landing his first deal to making 174 deals in one year!
And DealMachine is Always Improving…
Next up, DealMachine is adding photos to their MLS comps which will allow you to qualitatively judge if it is a strong comparison. They are also always improving according to David’s direct experience on what will make your life easier as a real estate investor.
Many of our systems and methods are geared toward creating a strong foundation for a lasting real estate business. We look at the long game and do our best to help you set yourself up strategically for long-term success. Incorporating DealMachine early on in your real estate investing strategy can set you up solidly for ongoing and sustainable growth!
