E18: Delegating Boots on the Ground In Any Real Estate Market with Steve Cohen

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Cohen, the founder of Investor Boots, to talk about solving one of the biggest pain points for real estate investors: reliable, nationwide boots on the ground. What started as a way to streamline Steve's own investing operations turned into a game-changing platform that lets investors operate virtually anywhere—without sacrificing speed, trust, or control.   Steve breaks down how Investor Boots helps clients reclaim their time, scale operations with confidence, and tap into over 330,000 certified reps nationwide. From creative services like squatter outreach to bundled asset delivery for buyers, you'll hear how Investor Boots is giving investors the tools—and the team—they need to scale like never before.   Episode Highlights [0:00] – Why investors shouldn't be doing their own lockboxes and photo shoots [1:30] – How Investor Boots was born from Steve's need for trustworthy, reliable help [2:13] – The weakest link problem: when random vendors threaten entire deals [3:44] – Over 330,000 reps nationwide: how the "boots force" breaks down location barriers [5:24] – Investor Boots vs. the DIY investor: the power drill vs. screwdriver analogy [6:08] – Lockbox installs, wellness checks, letter posting, notary services, drone photos, and more [8:25] – Who uses Investor Boots? Wholesalers, flippers, AirBnB hosts, property managers [9:13] – How the company manages such a large vendor pool efficiently [10:40] – The real bottleneck: investors who don't delegate fast enough [12:07] – Investor Boots is like Uber/DoorDash for real estate—minus the small talk [12:28] – Data-backed scaling: 63% see volume growth by month 3, 90% are repeat customers [13:20] – Speed as a competitive edge: from order to delivery in as fast as 92 minutes [14:07] – No subscriptions—pay-as-you-go with bundled media options for buyer confidence [15:13] – The "Investor Boots 360" bundle: walkthrough video, room measurements, exterior shots [16:18] – Listings with video sell 32% faster—why it's now a default for top performers [17:11] – Coming in 2026: CRM, lead gen, and listing platform integrations [17:53] – Every transaction still has a physical component—Investor Boots completes it [20:32] – Why Steve pivoted fully into operations and went all-in on Investor Boots [22:00] – His family no longer runs the reps—they're now long-time members and investors [23:05] – Steve's view on data: most investors don't leverage it correctly or consistently [24:32] – The guy doing 3 deals/month became a 10-orders-a-day client in 3 years [25:29] – 65% of investors only use 35% of their systems—why better data usage = more scale [26:29] – Why every investor needs a "data guy" for morning recaps and KPI clarity     5 Key Takeaways Speed wins – With services like 92-minute turnarounds, Steve's platform gives investors a serious edge. Delegation = growth – Most investors plateau because they don't outsource. Investor Boots removes that barrier. Scale beyond borders – 65% of users expand to new states by month four using Investor Boots. Creative, on-the-ground services close deals – From squatter cash-outs to AirBnB setups, they do what others can't. Data tells the real story – The most successful users are the ones who review and act on their KPIs consistently.   Links & Resources Learn more at: https://investorbootz.com/   Closing Remark If you're still juggling tasks a local rep could handle—or holding yourself back from doing deals across state lines—this is your call to level up. Visit Investor Boots, claim your time back, and scale your business with speed and precision. If you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share The PETE Podcast—and keep building smarter.