Wholesaling Got Crowded, Here Is How the Pros Are Surviving It

Two bald guys in a bow tie talking shop. Dain Laverty of Property Pals returns to The Bow Tie Edge Real Estate Unraveled for a brutally honest look at running a Chicago wholesaling operation in 2025 and what is changing in 2026.Dain unpacks why his return on ad spend dropped from 5x to 3x, the people and training lessons that finally clicked in his sixth year of business, and how stacked lead lists and disciplined follow up beat shiny new marketing channels every time. We get into his shift toward commercial real estate, why strip malls, office buildings, and senior housing conversions are on his radar, and how he plans to use commercial holdings as a treasury that pays for the wholesaling business.The legal side gets real too. We talk about deals where wholesalers got cut out, a breach of contract case where a property got resold mid contract, a second position foreclosure auction buyer who got blindsided, title companies trying to defend only part of a case, and the addendum that almost killed a commercial deal. Plus a hard truth about the wave of new wholesalers entering the market without the paperwork, the partners, or the experience to survive.This episode is for wholesalers, investors, agents, lenders, fellow attorneys, and anyone who wants to understand how the wholesale side of real estate really operates behind the scenes.Real strategy. Real numbers. Real talk. Welcome to The Bow Tie Edge.