Walking a property before making an offer is ideal. But it is not required. Virtual wholesalers make offers on houses they have never visited every day, and they close those deals. The key is not eliminating uncertainty. It is managing it with a structured process that gives you enough information to price the deal correctly and protect yourself when you cannot see everything.
Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Pull the Property Data
Before you talk to the seller about price, pull the public record data on the property. You need:
- Confirmed square footage (cross-reference the seller's claim with county assessor records)
- Year built
- Last sale date and price
- Any open permits
- Tax assessment and any delinquency
- Ownership history (multiple transfers in a short period can signal issues)
BatchLeads and Propstream pull most of this in one search. County assessor websites fill in anything that is missing. This step takes 5 minutes and gives you the factual foundation for everything that follows.
Step 2: Establish Your ARV
Pull 3 to 5 sold comparables within half a mile, sold within the last 6 months, similar square footage, and fully updated condition. Use the conservative midpoint of your comps as your ARV. Do not use the highest sale unless the property can clearly compete with it after repairs.
If the market is fast-moving, tighten your comp window to 3 months. If inventory is low and comparable sales are sparse, you may need to widen the radius slightly, but be conservative on the value you assign to outlier sales.
Your ARV should be defensible to a skeptical buyer. If your buyer's agent or lender pulls comps and comes back with a lower number, you look unreliable. Build your ARV conservatively so your deal package holds up to scrutiny.
Step 3: Get a Complete Photo Set from the Seller
This is the step that makes the difference between a guess and an informed offer. You need photos of every room and every major system before you commit to a number. Not six random shots from the living room. A complete documentation set.
Send the seller a SellerSubmit link immediately after your initial call. They complete a guided room-by-room flow in under 10 minutes. AI validates every photo. You get a complete, organized photo set in your dashboard covering the kitchen, bathrooms, all bedrooms, basement, HVAC, electrical panel, water heater, and roof. For the complete list of what that photo set should include, see what photos you need to wholesale a house. That is what you need to scope repairs without walking the property.
Step 4: Scope the Repairs
Review the photo set systematically. Identify whether this is a cosmetic flip or a full rehab. Note any visible system issues. Build your repair estimate in two categories: systems (roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing) and cosmetics (flooring, paint, kitchen and bath updates).
Apply cost-per-square-foot benchmarks for cosmetics and itemized estimates for systems. Add 15 to 20% buffer to account for what photos cannot show you. If photos reveal red flags that are not fully scoped (significant foundation cracking, suspected major water damage), either widen the buffer further or request targeted follow-up photos before committing.
Step 5: Apply Your Buyer's Formula
Most cash buyers in the wholesale market want to buy at 65 to 70% of ARV minus their repair costs. Know your buyer's criteria before you back into your MAO. The formula:
MAO = (ARV x buyer's target percentage) minus estimated repairs
If your ARV is $180,000 and repairs are $45,000, at 70% that is $126,000 minus $45,000 = $81,000 MAO. Build your offer at $75,000 to $78,000 to leave room to negotiate to $81,000 if needed.
Step 6: Make the Offer with the Right Protections
Because you have not walked the property, your contract should include:
- Inspection or due diligence period: typically 7 to 14 days. This gives you the right to conduct an inspection and renegotiate or exit if what you find is materially different from what you were told.
- Subject to clear and marketable title: standard in most wholesale contracts, protects you from title surprises.
- Contingency on financing if applicable: if you are assigning to a buyer who needs financing, make sure your exit is protected.
These protections are not signs of weakness. They are standard practice in wholesale contracts. A motivated seller who is serious about selling will accept them. A seller who refuses any due diligence period is a red flag worth paying attention to.
The inspection period is your safety net. If you underwrite correctly from photos and your buffer is appropriate, you will rarely need to use it. But having it protects you when photos missed something significant.
Step 7: Call Back with the Offer While the Seller Is Warm
The timing of your offer matters as much as the number. A seller who was highly motivated on Monday and has not heard from you by Thursday has had time to talk to other buyers, reconsider their timeline, or mentally move on. Make your offer the same day you receive the photos. That is almost always same day as your initial call if you are using a guided submission tool.
Present the offer over the phone. Frame it around speed and certainty. You are not competing on price with a retail buyer. You are competing on how fast and reliably you can close. Make that the conversation.