Remember that feeling when you’re standing in an empty building, staring at a pile of stuff you just want gone… and every offer that comes in makes you want to throw the whole pile in the dumpster?
Yeah. I was there.
A while back my partner and I had a 5,000 sq ft retail space leased to an immersive gallery on triple-net bases at $25/foot — $10,000 a month walking in the door. Six months later she filed bankruptcy. After court BS for a year we got the space back… and about $5,000 total. Not exactly a win.
When our new med-spa tenant was ready to move in, I had to clear out the old fixtures. There was 60+ chairs, tables, lighting etc. A dozen high-end projectors, all the mounts, remotes, cables, original boxes — the whole system. Brand new they were over $25,000. I figured I’d throw them on Facebook Marketplace for $500 apiece and be done with it.
For weeks? Lowball offers only. $100. $150. “Can I just buy one?” “Can you deliver?” People treating them like garage-sale junk. I was wasting hours messaging back and forth with the exact same crowd that buys broken Xbox consoles and old TVs.
Then one guy showed up — IT professional, family in real estate, looking for a projector for his golf simulator. We hit it off. He mentioned the word “golf simulator” and something clicked.
That night I asked Grok: “What kind of projectors do people use for golf simulators?”
Mine popped up in the top three recommendations.
So I changed ONE thing in the ad. Added two words to the title: “Golf Simulator Projectors – [model number]”
Next morning I woke up to 12+ messages. All from serious buyers. Golf nuts. Guys building basement setups, garage bays, even a couple putting them in their businesses. One walked in wearing a polo covered in tiny golf clubs and balls. Another said, “I need everything — cash today.”
Within 24 hours I had over $6,000 in my hand and the projectors were gone. Same product. Same platform(marketplace). Completely different results.
The only thing that changed was the target market.
I stopped talking to bargain hunters and started talking to people who were already spending $5k–$25k on golf simulators so their kids wouldn’t be on screens all winter, or so they could play year-round without $300 country-club rounds.
Sound familiar?
For years I was the guy flipping hundreds of single-family homes. Chasing the same $200-400k properties every other investor was chasing. Lowball offers, endless repairs, BS contractors., trying to be the buyer, seller, PM, rehabber, and accountant all at once. Hamster wheel. Running downhill with a barrel of water — by the time I got to the bottom there was nothing left.
Then I did the same thing I did with the projectors.
I changed the target.
I started buying larger multifamily and commercial assets. Different price point. Different buyers and sellers. Different partners. Suddenly the right investors, the right lenders, the right property managers, and the right vendors all showed up — because I was finally fishing where the fish actually live.
I tried for 10 years to hit 100k+ paydays on residential flips - When I made the switch to commercial and bought my first 3M+ apartment building, it made over 1M in just over a year. Same as buying and flipping dozens of SF deals, except these are under a couple roofs and only 2 closings. One you have to make decisions by noon or you lose, one you can take the year to renovate and lease. I don’t miss chasing houses.
Same “product” (real estate), completely different life.
Here’s what I want you to take away:
If you’re invisible, it’s probably not because your offer sucks.
It’s because you’re still talking to the wrong people.
The right market will pay full price, move fast, and treat you like a professional.
Free platforms (Marketplace, LinkedIn, Facebook groups) are more than enough — when you speak their language.
The moment you align the asset with the right audience, everything gets easier.
I’ve lived both versions of this game — the unbearable grind and the steady flow. And I now help other real estate entrepreneurs make the same pivot into commercial as I did
If you’re five years behind where I was — still flipping tons of houses, still exhausted, still wondering why the right money and the right people never seem to show up — let’s talk.
Get a extra set of Eyes on your business structure. This is for pros who are hitting a wall and want to expand just like I did.
I offer 1-on-1 consulting for entrepreneurs who are serious about moving from the hamster wheel into scalable, higher-margin real estate assets (multifamily, commercial, whatever fits your goals).
No sales pitch. No fluff. Just straight talk for 60 min about how to identify your real target market and start attracting the right deals and the right people.
Click below for further details and I’ll send you my calendar link. First 5 to book this strategy session get a free additional 30-minute strategy call. These calls are usually $700/hr.
Talk soon,
Steve Mills
Real Estate Operator & Consultant