By Adam Lambert, founder of Deal Run · February 16, 2026 · Updated October 29, 2026

SMS Outreach and TCPA Compliance

Deal Run lets you email and text blast your buyers: deal emails go from your own Gmail, and texts go out from your own number, or from a texting tool you already use through Zapier. That makes you the sender, so following the TCPA and Do Not Call rules for texts is your responsibility, in whatever phone or tool sends them. This page explains what Deal Run shows you before you text and the practical rules to follow.

This is general information, not legal advice. Texting rules change and vary by state; talk to a lawyer about your own outreach.

How texting works with Deal Run

Text from your phone. On a buyer's card or in your outreach list, tap Text. Deal Run opens your phone's messaging app with a drafted message (you can generate and edit the draft first; see AI message generation). Nothing is sent until you press send in your own app.
Text through your own tool. Push contacts to your CRM or texting platform through Zapier, and send from there. That platform's opt-out handling, sending hours and carrier registration are what apply. The integrations guide covers common phone and texting tools.
Email from your Gmail. Deal blasts go out from your own Gmail account after you connect your email. Email falls under different rules (CAN-SPAM), not the TCPA. See sending your first email blast.

Deal Run doesn't add opt-out language to your texts, receive STOP replies, or hold texts until a legal hour. Your phone and most texting tools don't do all of that for you either, so the checklist below matters.

What Deal Run shows you before you text

When buyers are skip-traced, the contact data can include flags. Deal Run shows them on the buyer so you can decide before you reach out:

DNC tag. The number is marked as on the National Do Not Call Registry.
Known Litigator tag. The number is linked to someone with a history of filing telemarketing lawsuits. In your outreach list, tapping Call or Text on one of these buyers asks you to confirm first.
Phone type. Mobile, landline or VoIP where the data has it. In the outreach list, the Text button is turned off for landlines, since they can't receive texts.

These flags come from the data and can be missing, stale or wrong. A number with no DNC tag is not proof the number is clear to text. Treat the tags as a warning, not as a compliance check. Our guide to verifying skip trace data covers how to check numbers before you use them.

The rules that apply to your texts

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the FCC's rules under it cover texts as well as calls. The FCC defines a "telephone solicitation" as a call or message meant to encourage the purchase or rental of, or investment in, property, goods or services. Texting a buyer about a house you have under contract generally fits. The main federal rules (47 CFR 64.1200):

Do Not Call applies to texts. Paragraph (e) applies the national and company-specific Do Not Call rules to telemarketing calls or text messages sent to wireless numbers. That's true when you type the text by hand on your own phone.
The national registry. Registrations never expire, and cell phones can be registered. One part of the FCC's safe harbor for mistakes is using a version of the registry obtained no more than 31 days before the call or text.
Your own do-not-contact list. If you text for marketing, you need a written policy for keeping a do-not-call list, must record requests when they're made, honor them within 10 business days, and keep honoring them for 5 years.
Opt-outs by any reasonable means. People can revoke consent with any reasonable method that clearly says they don't want more calls or texts, not just "STOP." Honor it within 10 business days at most; in practice, stop right away.
Quiet hours. No telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
Identify yourself. Give your name, the business you're contacting them for, and a phone number or address where you can be reached.
Automated texts need consent. Texts sent with an autodialer or automated system generally need prior express consent, and prior express written consent for marketing. Sending one-to-one from your own phone is different from blasting through a platform, so know which one you're doing.

What violations cost

The TCPA lets people sue. For texts sent in violation of the automated-call rules, damages are $500 per violation or actual losses, whichever is greater (47 U.S.C. 227(b)(3)). For Do Not Call violations, a person who gets more than one call or text within 12 months from the same sender in violation of the rules can recover up to $500 per violation (47 U.S.C. 227(c)(5)). In both cases a court can triple the amount for willful or knowing violations. Every text is counted separately, so a blast to a bad list adds up fast.

State rules can be stricter

Several states have their own telemarketing laws. Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act, for example, counts a text message as a telephonic sales call, requires prior express written consent for automated sales texts, and gives the sender 15 days to stop after a recipient replies STOP before a lawsuit over texts can be filed (Fla. Stat. 501.059). Check the rules in the states you text into; our state wholesaling compliance pages cover the wholesaling side.

A practical checklist for texting buyers

Start warm when you can. Email first, then text buyers who replied, clicked your deal page, asked a question or gave you their number. Cold texts to skip-traced numbers carry the most risk.
Skip flagged numbers. Don't text numbers with a DNC or Known Litigator tag. Email those buyers instead, or call only if you've confirmed an exemption applies.
Scrub before you send. If you text numbers you have no relationship with, check them against the registry (or use a texting tool that does) no more than 31 days before sending.
Mind the clock. Send between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the buyer's time zone. Area codes don't always match where people live, so a narrower window, like 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., leaves room for error.
Say who you are and how to stop. Name, company, the property and a clear way to opt out: "Hi, this is Sam with Smith Properties. I have a 3/2 in Katy under contract. Want the details? Reply STOP to opt out."
Honor every opt-out everywhere. Any "stop," "remove me" or "don't text me" counts. Add the number to your texting tool's opt-out list and tag or remove the buyer in your Deal Run buyer list so you don't text them again from your phone.
Keep records. Save how you got consent, when you scrubbed against the registry, and every opt-out with its date. Do-not-call requests must be honored for 5 years, so keep them at least that long.
Don't over-text. One text about a deal, and at most one follow-up if they don't answer. More than that draws complaints and spam flags from carriers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I text blast buyers with Deal Run?

Yes, from your own number. When you tap Text on a buyer, Deal Run opens your phone's messaging app with a drafted message, and you send it yourself. You can also push contacts through Zapier into a texting tool you already use, and that tool sends the messages. Either way, you are the sender.

Is it legal to text cash buyers about a deal?

It can be, but federal and state rules apply. A text offering someone a property is generally treated as a sales message, so Do Not Call rules, quiet hours, identification and opt-out rules apply, and texts sent with automated systems usually need prior express written consent. This is not legal advice; check with a lawyer for your situation.

Do Do Not Call rules apply to text messages?

Yes. The FCC's rule at 47 CFR 64.1200(e) applies the national and company-specific Do Not Call rules to telemarketing calls or text messages sent to wireless numbers. That holds even when you type and send the text by hand from your own phone.

What hours can I text buyers?

Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time. Some states are stricter, and an area code doesn't always tell you where someone lives, so many wholesalers keep a narrower window.

Does Deal Run check the Do Not Call Registry for me?

Deal Run shows a DNC tag on a buyer when the contact data marks the number as on the National Do Not Call Registry, and a Known Litigator tag on numbers linked to telemarketing lawsuits. Those tags come from the data and can be incomplete or out of date, so treat them as a warning, not as a compliance check. Your own scrub, consent records and opt-out list are still your responsibility.

Sources and check dates

FCC rules, 47 CFR 64.1200, law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/64.1200: quiet hours (c)(1), national registry and 31-day safe harbor (c)(2), company-specific do-not-call list, 10 business days and 5 years (d), caller identification (d)(4), texts to wireless numbers (e), revocation by any reasonable means (a)(10), definition of telephone solicitation (f)(15). Checked October 29, 2026.
TCPA, 47 U.S.C. 227, law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227: $500 damages and trebling under (b)(3) and (c)(5), the more-than-one-call-in-12-months condition. Checked October 29, 2026.
FTC, National Do Not Call Registry FAQs: cell phones can be registered, registrations don't expire, the registry is for personal numbers. Checked October 29, 2026.
Florida Telephone Solicitation Act, Fla. Stat. 501.059: texts count as telephonic sales calls, written consent for automated sales calls, the STOP-and-15-days rule for texts. Checked October 29, 2026.