They Made $300K Without Calling the Seller
Sage and Morgan, a couple in the land investing business for about two years, return to the Real Estate Investing Podcast to discuss their evolution from wholesale-heavy land flipping to including subdivides, highlighted by a $300,000 profit deal on a six-acre parcel in South Carolina. They reflect on business growth, relationship dynamics, mental health, and the importance of finding fulfillment beyond monetary milestones. The conversation covers their business model, use of text-based seller communication, and philosophical approach to entrepreneurship.
Summary
Sage and Morgan, a couple who transitioned from holistic health businesses into land investing roughly two years prior to the interview, return to the podcast to discuss their progress since the last appearance. At that time, they were about six to seven months in, primarily doing wholesale assignments and double closes. Over the following year, they expanded into subdivides while maintaining their core model of text-based seller communication and off-market deal sourcing.
Their landmark deal was a six-acre parcel in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, which they acquired off-market directly from a seller entirely through text messages — never speaking on the phone. They subdivided the property into four parcels, leveraging double road frontage and a strong local market where smaller parcels commanded similar prices per acre to the whole. A custom builder purchased all four lots, and the deal netted approximately $300,000 in profit. Combined with a 40-acre flip that same month, their total profit for that period reached the mid-$300,000s. For their first full year in business (2025), they estimate total profits in the $500,000–$600,000 range.
Sage and Morgan discuss how they balance their complementary skill sets: Sage handles seller relationships and phone/text sales with an emotionally intelligent, heart-centered approach, while Morgan manages systems, organization, dispositions, and contract work as a licensed real estate agent. They credit this division of labor and clear role boundaries as a key factor in their successful business partnership and relationship.
The couple reflects heavily on the psychological and emotional dimensions of entrepreneurship. Sage, who got sober at 21 after playing college football, describes experiencing only 24–48 hours of dopamine satisfaction after major financial wins before returning to a restless state. They both argue that benchmarking success purely on deal income is dangerous, and instead advocate for celebrating personal growth, maintaining outside activities, and keeping all areas of life fulfilled — what Morgan describes as filling 'all spokes of the wheel.'
They discuss resisting shiny object syndrome despite exposure to various strategies in real estate communities, choosing instead to deepen expertise in their core model. They acknowledge dabbling in other asset classes like commercial and multifamily but found the added complexity diluted their focus. They also discuss the role of AI and technology changes in the industry, noting that blocking out noise and staying focused on fundamentals has been their most effective strategy.
Looking ahead to 2026, they are already in the six figures on the year, are exploring private equity and bringing in outside investors (including Morgan's father), and are attempting to thoughtfully scale while maintaining quality of life. Sage continues to train clients and teach breathwork twice a week to stay grounded outside the business.
Key Insights
- Sage and Morgan closed a $300,000 profit land deal entirely over text message without ever speaking to the seller by phone, arguing that accommodating the seller's preferred communication style — rather than pushing for a call — was key to building trust.
- The couple identified a subdivide opportunity on a six-acre parcel when they noticed that three-acre parcels in the same Spartanburg County market were selling for the same price as six-acre parcels, making the split a near-obvious arbitrage.
- Sage argues that the dopamine hit from large real estate checks lasts only 24–48 hours for him, and that chasing that feeling rather than falling in love with the process is a trap that leads to unhappiness in a business with inconsistent monthly income.
- Morgan contends that the couple's success is largely attributable to recognizing and not overlapping their complementary strengths — Sage excels at emotionally intelligent seller communication, while Morgan handles systems, organization, and the technical/contract side as a licensed agent.
- Sage claims their best-performing months came after periods where they stopped focusing on numbers and instead focused purely on the work, suggesting that detachment from outcome improved both performance and results.
- The couple argues that real estate investors who try to scale too quickly by handing off offer-making and sales to others risk losing the nuanced judgment developed through direct experience, calling it a 'delicate process.'
- Sage maintains that being priced close to market value — rather than trying to lowball aggressively — is what enables trust with motivated sellers and results in deals closing, even over text, because sellers feel they're being treated fairly.
- Morgan argues that entrepreneurship is 'largely a decision,' and that joining mentorship communities and studying others' mistakes — rather than waiting for certainty — was the primary accelerant in their learning curve and business growth.
Topics
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