Deal Stages Explained

Every deal in Deal Run moves through five stages that mirror the real-world lifecycle of a wholesale transaction. Understanding what each stage represents, what should happen during it, and when to advance a deal to the next stage is essential for keeping your pipeline organized and your deals moving toward closing.

Stage 1: Active Marketing

A deal enters the Active Marketing stage the moment you create it and begin promoting it to potential buyers. This is where the majority of your work happens as a wholesaler -- building a compelling marketing package, identifying the right buyers, and getting eyeballs on your deal.

What should be happening

• Your marketing package is published with photos, property specs, asking price, and deal financials (ARV, repair estimate, potential profit margins)
• You have run an investor search to identify landlords and flippers in the area who are likely buyers for this type of property
• Email and/or SMS blasts have been sent to your buyer list with the marketing page link
• You are monitoring marketing page views, link clicks, and any inbound interest
• Your asking price is set and your buy-side contract (the agreement between you and the deal source or seller) is in place

Typical time in this stage

Most deals spend 3 to 14 days in Active Marketing. Well-priced deals in active markets with strong buyer lists can generate walkthrough requests within the first 48 hours. If a deal sits in Active Marketing for more than two weeks without interest, that is a signal to revisit your pricing, expand your buyer search radius, refresh your marketing package with better photos, or consider whether the deal has enough margin to attract buyers.

Stage gate: advancing to Walkthroughs

Before moving a deal to Walkthroughs, Deal Run checks that:

• A marketing package has been created (does not need to be published, but should exist)
• At least one photo has been uploaded
• An asking price has been set

If any of these are missing, you will see a soft warning. You can still force the stage change -- the warnings are advisory, not mandatory. But they serve as a checklist to make sure you are not advancing a deal before it is truly ready for buyer engagement.

Stage 2: Walkthroughs

The Walkthroughs stage means one or more buyers have expressed interest in the property and are scheduling or conducting in-person visits. This is a critical stage because it represents the transition from passive marketing to active buyer engagement. A buyer who visits the property is significantly more likely to make an offer than one who only viewed the marketing page.

What should be happening

• You are coordinating schedules between interested buyers and the property access point (lockbox code, seller availability, vacant property key)
• You are tracking which buyers have visited and their feedback -- this informs your negotiation position when offers come in
• You continue marketing to additional buyers to maintain competitive pressure. Never stop marketing just because one buyer showed up.
• If a buyer raises concerns during a walkthrough (roof condition, foundation issues, neighborhood), you are noting these for when negotiation begins
• Activity timeline entries are being logged for each walkthrough, including buyer name, date, and any notes

Typical time in this stage

Walkthroughs typically take 3 to 7 days. Some buyers want to visit the same day they see the marketing package. Others need to schedule around their contractor's availability. If walkthroughs are happening but no offers are materializing after a week, buyers may be seeing issues with the property that your marketing did not address, or your asking price may be above what the numbers justify after an in-person inspection.

Stage gate: advancing to Offers

Before moving to the Offers stage, Deal Run checks that at least one walkthrough or buyer interaction has been logged in the activity timeline. This is a soft check -- you might receive an offer from a buyer who does not need to visit the property (experienced investors often buy sight-unseen based on photos and numbers alone), and that is perfectly valid.

Stage 3: Offers

The Offers stage is where you receive, compare, and negotiate purchase offers from interested buyers. This is the most active negotiation phase of the deal. Your goal is to secure the highest possible assignment fee while maintaining a price that works for the buyer's exit strategy.

What should be happening

• Offers are coming in through the marketing page submission form and/or through direct communication with buyers
• You are recording each offer in Deal Run with the amount, buyer name, contact information, and any conditions or notes
• You are comparing offers side by side to evaluate which buyer offers the best combination of price, speed of closing, and reliability
• Counter-offers are being communicated to buyers who are close but not quite at your target price
• You are maintaining communication with multiple buyers to preserve competitive tension, even if one buyer is currently the front-runner

Typical time in this stage

The Offers stage usually lasts 2 to 5 days. Quick-moving investors may submit offers the same day as a walkthrough. Others take a few days to run their numbers and consult with partners or contractors. Setting a deadline for offers (such as "best and final by Friday at 5 PM") is a common tactic to compress this timeline and create urgency.

Stage gate: advancing to Under Contract

Before moving to Under Contract, Deal Run checks that:

• At least one offer has been recorded in the system
• An offer has been marked as accepted

These checks ensure you are not moving to the contract stage without a documented buyer commitment.

Stage 4: Under Contract

Under Contract means you have accepted an offer and an assignment contract has been signed (or is being drafted) between you and the end buyer. The deal is now on a path to closing, and the focus shifts from sales to coordination and compliance.

What should be happening

• The assignment contract is signed by both parties (you assigning your purchase right to the buyer for an agreed fee)
• Earnest money has been deposited with the title company or escrow agent
• The title company has been selected and engaged to handle closing
• You are coordinating between the original seller (or deal source), the title company, and the end buyer to ensure all parties have the documents they need
• If your buy-side contract has an option or inspection period, you are tracking that deadline to ensure it does not lapse
• You are monitoring for any issues that could derail closing -- title defects, financing contingencies on the buyer's side, or seller cold feet

Typical time in this stage

Under Contract typically lasts 7 to 21 days, depending on how quickly the title company can clear title, whether the buyer needs financing (cash deals close faster), and whether any issues arise during the title search. Some cash deals in markets with efficient title companies can close in as few as 5 business days. Deals involving financing on the buyer's end can take 30 to 45 days.

Stage gate: advancing to Closed

Before marking a deal as Closed, Deal Run checks that an assignment fee amount has been recorded. This ensures your financial records are complete and your track record accurately reflects your earnings.

Stage 5: Closed

Closed is the final stage. The deal has closed at the title company, ownership has transferred, and your assignment fee has been collected. Congratulations -- this is what all the work was for.

What happens when you close a deal

• The deal card moves to the Closed column on your board, where it remains as part of your permanent track record
• Your assignment fee is recorded and added to your total closed volume, which you can view on your dashboard
• The marketing page for this deal is automatically unpublished (since the property is no longer available)
• If the buyer who purchased the deal is in your buyer list, their deals_closed count increments automatically, helping you track your most reliable repeat buyers
• A final activity timeline entry is logged with the closing date and fee amount

After closing

Closed deals stay on your board indefinitely unless you archive them. Many wholesalers keep the last few months of closed deals visible as a motivational reminder and for quick reference. Older closed deals can be archived to keep the board clean without deleting any data.

Moving deals backward

Deals do not always progress forward in a straight line. Sometimes you need to move a deal backward:

• An accepted offer falls through and you need to move the deal back from Under Contract to Offers or even Active Marketing
• A buyer who scheduled a walkthrough cancels and you need to return to Active Marketing to find new interest
• A deal under contract encounters a title issue that causes the buyer to back out

Deal Run allows you to move deals in any direction. There are no restrictions on backward movement. Each stage change -- forward or backward -- is logged in the activity timeline with a timestamp, so you always have a complete history of how a deal progressed (or regressed) through your pipeline.

Custom stages

The five default stages cover the standard wholesale transaction lifecycle. Deal Run currently does not support custom stages, but the existing five are broad enough to accommodate variations in workflow. For example, if you do a due diligence step between Offers and Under Contract, you can keep the deal in the Offers stage until due diligence is complete, using the activity timeline to note where you are in your internal process.