How to Find Pre-Foreclosure Leads and Start Real Conversations

Seven days. Seven journal entries. A 90% quiz score. And a lead list with real conversations already happening. For someone operating at the Continuum level inside the Real Deal Network, this week was not about learning from scratch. It was about sharpening tools that were already in hand.

Nakita didn't wait until he felt ready. He got in the room, did the work, and let the community pull him forward. That room is open to you; and it costs nothing to walk in.

A Foundation Built Before the Challenge Began

Nakita brought something rare into Week 3: a reference point most investors spend years trying to build. As the founder of iKnoThatGuy Consulting, he scaled a short-term rental portfolio to 51 listings, navigating market shifts, pandemic disruptions, and regulatory changes with a precision he describes as his “Market Lens.” When occupancy rates dropped across the board for STR operators, Nakita rotated lower-performing units to mid-term rentals and pad splits, keeping his portfolio at 95% occupancy while competitors sat idle.

That same strategic thinking showed up in how he approached this week's content on finding deals and lead generation. He was not starting from zero. He was leveling up.

Worth noting: Nakita had already hand-delivered seven handwritten letters to pre-foreclosure leads before this week was over. One of those conversations is already in motion, and a second lead; a retired veteran facing pre-foreclosure; has his full attention and intention to help.

Wholesaling Through a Familiar Lens

One of the most compelling moments of Nakita's Week 3 journey came early. When the lesson turned to wholesaling, most participants are encountering the concept fresh. Nakita recognized it immediately as something he already does every day; just in a different industry.

That professional parallel gave him a framework others had to build from scratch. But what stood out was what he chose to focus on once he realized he was on familiar ground. Rather than gloss over the material, he leaned into the ethics of the process.

That standard; applying the same integrity he brings to payment solutions to every real estate transaction; is a signal of the kind of investor Nakita is building himself to be.

Analysis to Execution: The Shift That Mattered Most

If there is one theme that defined Nakita's Week 3, it is the movement from analysis to action. He had the knowledge. He had the tools. What the challenge gave him was the push and the accountability to deploy both.

Actions taken this week:

• Built a pre-foreclosure lead list with 30+ contacts using Zillow, Realtor.com, county websites, and RenatusIOS
• Hand-wrote and personally delivered 7 letters to distressed homeowners
• Connected with local agents, an estate attorney, and wholesalers through Facebook groups and networking
• Unlocked deeper filters and CRM features inside the network's software to build a direct mail campaign
• Began posting consistently on social media as a form of self-accountability

Nakita is not just completing daily lessons. He is building infrastructure. His plan to dedicate specific days to lead generation and separate days to in-person visits and deal evaluations reflects the operational discipline he developed while managing a 51-unit rental business.

The Seller Conversation: Knowing Your Own Tendencies

One of the more honest and self-aware moments in Nakita's journal came during the week's reflection on seller communication. He identified something that even experienced sales professionals struggle to manage in high-stakes, emotionally charged conversations.

Defining Moment: Self-awareness in sales is rare. Nakita's ability to name his own pattern and tie it directly to deal outcomes shows the kind of emotional intelligence that separates good investors from great ones. He already knows the fix: slow down, listen more, lead with help.

Technology as a Multiplier, Not a Shortcut

As Nakita's business grows, he knows that hand-written letters and manual outreach will not scale forever. Week 3 helped him see the tools already inside the Real Deal Network in a new light. Going deeper into the CRM features and deal filters gave him a clearer picture of how to leverage technology to do the repetitive work so he can focus his attention where it matters most.

A direct mail campaign is now in motion. The system is being built in real time.

What Week 3 Really Proved

Nakita Baker came into this challenge with experience, expertise, and a track record that most participants are still working toward. What Week 3 of the Flip It Challenge gave him was something even experienced operators need: a structured environment to sharpen focus, close knowledge gaps, and move with consistency.

The takeaway: Nakita is not just going through the motions of a challenge. He is actively building the systems, relationships, and habits that will support his first flip and the ones that follow. The lead list is growing. The conversations are starting. The infrastructure is taking shape.

Week 3 was not a turning point for Nakita. It was confirmation that he was already pointed in the right direction. Now, with cleaner tools, tighter systems, and a community behind him, he is ready to submit that first offer.

The deal is coming. The work has already been done.

Follow along to see where the lead list leads; and what happens when the first offer goes in.