These 10 Markets Are Printing Money for Wholesalers in 2026

High-level summary

• Video presents the creator’s top 10 U.S. markets for “virtual wholesaling” real estate in 2026, ranked #10 → #1.
• Rankings are based on the speaker’s personal deal performance (2025–early 2026) and deal flow from students/community (wholesaling.com).
• Core thesis: target mid-size / secondary counties with strong buyer demand but low wholesaler competition (sweet spot: population ≈ 70k–200k; median home prices ideally < $300k; acceptable up to < $400k). Military-base towns and counties between larger metros are especially reliable.
• Tactical emphasis: virtual outreach (cold calling, texting, direct mail), joint-ventures (JVs) with local partners, robust closing/title workflows, and using local agents or attorneys where laws are ambiguous.

Selection framework / playbook

Two-factor selection basis

1. Markets where the presenter and community have produced the most profit recently.
2. Markets with high buyer demand and low wholesaler competition.

Quantitative screening rules

• Population target: ~70k–200k (mid-size counties preferred; some effective exceptions larger).
• Price bands:
  • Prefer median home price < $300k.
  • “Sexy” tiers: < $250k or < $200k.
  • Acceptable up to ~$400k where buyer demand is strong.
• Look for stable demand drivers (e.g., military bases, proximity to major metros) and low local wholesaler saturation.

Execution playbook

• Virtual lead generation: cold calling, texting, direct mail.
• Convert and scale: JV deals, use community leads, CRM and call recordings to reproduce processes.
• Title/closing compliance: consult closing attorneys and title companies; use local agents where required by law to submit offers.

Legal & compliance playbook

• If laws or local practice appear to restrict wholesaling:
  • Consult a closing attorney or title company for local legal interpretation.
  • Use a licensed real estate agent to submit offers or facilitate closings when needed.
  • Close for cash or use attorney-approved structures to avoid regulatory headaches.
• Repeated recommendation: do not take legal advice from non-lawyer influencers — verify with title/closing counsel.

Marketing, sales, and operations tactics

• High-ROI channels (per presenter): cold calling, texting, direct mail.
• Operations tools & processes:
  • CRM for lead management.
  • Recorded calls and systematic note-taking to reproduce workflows.
  • JV partnerships with local wholesalers or buyers (developers, investors) for execution and scale.
• Buyer targeting:
  • In gentrifying areas: target developers who will pay premiums.
  • In military towns: target investors servicing rental demand.

Key metrics, KPIs, and deal examples

Market screening metrics

• Population bands: 70k–200k recommended (some counties larger acceptable).
• Median home prices: target < $300k; often < $250k is best; acceptable up to ~$395k in high-demand examples.

Deal-level KPI examples and reported outcomes

• Cook County (Chicago): recent deal profit cited = $30,000.
• Henrico County (Richmond, VA): median home price cited ≈ $395,000; typical wholesale profit cited $25k–$30k per deal.
• Escambia County (Pensacola, FL): upcoming flip profit estimate ≈ $90,000.
• Monroe County, PA (Poconos): ~12 deals in prior year; many $50k–$60k double-closings.
• Marysville, OH: speaker did ~7 deals in the past year.
• Clark County, OH: median home price ~ $190,000 (attractive for buy-low wholesaling).

Operational outputs to track

• Deals per month
• Average margin per deal
• ROI by marketing channel (calls/text/mail)
• Legal/closing costs
• Time-to-close

Concrete recommendations & tactical takeaways

• Target mid-size / tertiary counties (70k–200k population) to avoid saturated wholesaler competition and capture higher ROIs.
• Prioritize markets with stable demand drivers: military bases, proximity to major metros, growing buyer demand but limited local wholesaling.
• Where wholesaling is “rumored illegal” (examples given: SC, IL, VA), work with title companies/closing attorneys and local real estate agents to construct compliant transaction flows rather than abandoning the market.
• Use virtual outreach at scale (calling, texting, direct mail) paired with CRM and recorded processes to systematize replication and JV handoffs.
• Consider selling to developers in gentrifying neighborhoods if exit buyers can pay premiums.
• Use community & course networks (JV leads, buyer pools) to accelerate deal flow.

Top 10 markets (ranked)

1. Clark County, Ohio (Springfield / between Columbus & Dayton)

   • Median home price ≈ $190k; strong ROI for cold-calling/direct mail; local wins (Mechanicsburg).

2. Greene County / Springfield, Missouri

   • City population ≈ 170k; county ≈ 300k; median ≈ $247k; under-the-radar, low competition.

3. Muscogee County / Columbus, Georgia

   • Population ≈ 203k; large military base provides steady consumer/investor demand.

4. Cumberland County / Fayetteville, North Carolina

   • Major military base; county population cited ≈ 337k; steady demand and low competition.

5. South Carolina (statewide recommended cities)

   • Cities: Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg.
   • Speaker pushes back on belief that wholesaling is “dead/illegal”; recommends using proper closing counsel and structure.

6. Cook County / Chicago, Illinois

   • Large opportunities despite perceived legal complexity; example: $30k profit deal; strategy includes selling to developers (gentrification flips).

7. Monroe County, Pennsylvania (Poconos: Stroudsburg / East Stroudsburg)

   • Area population ≈ 168k; speaker referenced ~12 deals last year, many $50k–$60k double-closings.

8. Norfolk / Hampton Roads, Virginia

   • Massive naval presence; median home price ≈ $300k; high metro buyer demand (Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News).

9. Escambia County / Pensacola, Florida

   • Underrated Florida market near Alabama; speaker working a ≈ $90k flip; low competition, emerging demand.

10. Richmond, Virginia (Henrico County)

    • Henrico population ≈ 336k; median home price cited ≈ $395k but high buyer demand; typical wholesale profits $25k–$30k; presenter’s top pick for 2026.

Sources / presenter

• Presenter: Zach (creator behind wholesaling.com).
• References: presenter’s students/community and a conversation with Alex Hormozi (as mentioned by the speaker).