What Is Disposition in Real Estate? The Complete Guide
Disposition is the process of selling or otherwise transferring a real estate asset. In the context of wholesaling, disposition specifically refers to finding a buyer for a property you have under contract — the "sell side" of the wholesale transaction.
While acquisition (finding deals) gets most of the attention in real estate education, disposition is where the money is actually made. You can find the best deal in the world, but if you can't sell it, you don't get paid.
Types of Disposition
1. Assignment
The most common wholesale disposition method. You assign your purchase contract to an end buyer for a fee. Simple, fast, and requires no capital to close.
2. Double Close
You close on the property yourself and immediately resell it. Two separate transactions, same day or within days. Used when you want to keep your assignment fee private or when the fee is large relative to the purchase price.
3. Retail Sale
After renovating a property, you sell it on the open market through a real estate agent (or FSBO). This is the standard disposition for fix-and-flip investors.
4. Portfolio Sale
Selling multiple properties as a package to a single buyer, typically an institutional investor or fund. Portfolio sales are common for landlords exiting the business or large-scale flippers liquidating inventory.
5. 1031 Exchange Disposition
Selling an investment property and deferring capital gains by purchasing a replacement property through a 1031 exchange.
The Disposition Process for Wholesalers
- Get the property under contract with assignable terms
- Create a deal package — photos, property details, ARV, repair estimate, comparable sales
- Blast your buyers list — email and text your deal to qualified cash buyers
- Schedule showings — let serious buyers inspect the property
- Collect offers and select the best buyer (highest price + ability to close)
- Execute the assignment agreement and collect a non-refundable deposit
- Coordinate closing with the title company
- Get paid — your assignment fee is disbursed at closing
What Does a Disposition Manager Do?
In larger wholesale operations, the disposition manager (or "dispo manager") is responsible for selling every deal the acquisition team puts under contract. Their responsibilities include:
- Maintaining and growing the buyers list
- Creating marketing materials for each deal (photos, specs, comps)
- Sending deal blasts via email, text, and social media
- Fielding buyer inquiries and qualifying interest
- Negotiating assignment fees
- Coordinating with title companies for closing
- Tracking deals through the pipeline
A good dispo manager can sell deals in 24-48 hours with a well-maintained buyers list and effective marketing.
Disposition Tools and Software
The right tools make disposition dramatically faster:
- Buyers list / CRM — organize your buyers by criteria, track interactions, and segment for targeted blasts
- Email marketing — send professional deal packages to your entire list in one click
- Deal marketing pages — shareable web pages with photos, specs, and offer submission forms
- Buyer identification — find new cash buyers near any deal using property data that identifies recent purchasers
- Skip tracing — get contact information for investors you've identified through data
Deal Run was built specifically for the disposition workflow — combining buyer identification, skip tracing, deal marketing, and outreach in a single platform at a fraction of what enterprise disposition tools charge.
Keys to Fast Disposition
- Build your buyers list before you need it — the worst time to build a list is when you have a contract deadline approaching
- Know your buyers' criteria — sending a rental deal to a flipper wastes everyone's time
- Price deals fairly — if your assignment fee makes the deal unworkable for the end buyer, it won't sell
- Professional marketing — clear photos, accurate numbers, and a clean deal package close deals faster than a text message with an address
- Speed to market — the first deal blast after signing the contract should go out within hours, not days
Related Articles
- How to Build a Cash Buyers List
- Assignment of Contract Explained
- Wholesale Real Estate for Beginners
- PropStream Pricing Breakdown