Camron Cathcart
Camron Cathcart has been a guest on Collecting Keys, the real estate investing podcast hosted by Mike DeHaan, Dan Austin and Dylan Koch, 2 times.
Making 6-Figures with Zero Marketing w/ Cam Cathcart
Cam Cathcart, who has been buying around 100 houses a year in St. Louis, explains why he shut off all direct-to-seller marketing after his direct mail response rate collapsed to 0.16% with zero closings and a cost per qualified lead of $1,300. The hosts compare their own numbers (roughly 0.5% response, $316 per qualified lead, and 7x+ return on ad spend) and argue the gap comes from pulling their own data, running a consistent multi-touch mail sequence for five straight years, and having real follow-up. The conversation also covers Cam's shift from connector-based acquisitions to building a team, and how Mike and Dan's partnership has stayed intact.
Key takeaways
- Cam's November mail: 24,000 pieces, 39 inbound leads, 19 qualified, 0.16% response, zero closings, and $1,300 per qualified lead — versus the hosts' ~0.5% response and $316 per qualified lead.
- The hosts credit their results to pulling and stacking their own data instead of buying a mail vendor's list, plus a deliberate postcard/letter sequence that builds a story over multiple touches.
- Consistency matters: Mike says they have mailed every single month since January 2020, which compounds brand recognition in a market.
- Cam's non-contingent, full-earnest-money cash offers lose to wholesalers and novation buyers who offer higher and renegotiate later — sellers often just pick the bigger number.
New Investment Strategy to Turn Non-Cash Flow Properties Into Long-Term Wealth w/ Camron Cathcart
Camron Cathcart, a former pastor turned St. Louis investor now running his business from Maui, walks through how he went from BRRRR deals in 2020 to flipping and wholesaling roughly 60 houses a year with a 16-person team. He explains the "connector lead" model he used to source most of his early deals through wholesalers and a mastermind he ran, how he structures capital and contractor management, and a new unleveraged cash-purchase rental fund he created to keep buying long-term holds that no longer cash flow with debt.
Key takeaways
- Camron's first year of volume came from "connector leads": he ran a mastermind for 10-15 new wholesalers, walked and analyzed their leads, negotiated the deals for them, and cut them in on assignments, spending nothing on marketing himself.
- Reputation compounds. After a $150K flip win, he paid the wholesaler an extra $30K via a consulting agreement, and says he's already made $300-400K from that relationship in six months.
- Real marketing costs are around $4,000 per deal for serious operators. Camron, Mike and Dan all cite roughly $4,000-$4,800, and treat claims of $1,200 per deal as a red flag.
- His team makes offers with no contingencies, which means every house gets walked in person, and they've never backed out of a non-contingent contract. That's their main edge with sellers and wholesalers.