Investor Training: How SAA Agents Invest in Real Estate

Key Takeaway: Smart Agent Alliance investor training, the Investor Army program created by Connor Steinbrook, teaches sponsored agents how to invest in real estate themselves. It covers funding deals, finding motivated sellers, running comps, negotiating, rehabbing, working with contractors, and selling, accessed through the SAA Agent Portal after primary sponsor designation.

TL;DR About Investor Training

• Investor Army program created by Connor Steinbrook
• Teaches agents to invest in real estate
• Covers funding deals and finding motivated sellers
• Includes comps, negotiation, and rehab process
• Covers working with contractors and selling
• Included with Smart Agent Alliance sponsorship
• Accessed inside the SAA Agent Portal

Investor training teaches sponsored Smart Agent Alliance agents how to buy, improve, and sell real estate as investors. The program is the Investor Army curriculum created by Connor Steinbrook.

Some agents assume investing is the same as listing and selling homes for clients. Investing uses different money, different sellers, and a rehab and resale process that a standard transaction does not involve.

This article explains how investor training fits into the practical tools inside the Smart Agent Alliance value stack built to help eXp agents organize their business, attract opportunities, and get more from their sponsorship relationship

The sections below cover how investors fund deals, how they find motivated sellers, how they evaluate and negotiate, how the rehab and contractor process works, and how investors sell the finished property:

How Investors Fund Their Deals

The training starts with money, because an investor needs funding before buying. It explains the common ways to fund a deal, including hard money loans, private lenders, and combinations of the two. It compares loan points and lender splits so agents can see what each option costs.

The program also covers the legal paperwork that secures a loan, including the promissory note and the deed of trust. These documents define how the money is borrowed and how the lender is protected. Agents learn what each document does before agreeing to terms.

This section teaches funding options, not financial advice. Loan terms and lending rules vary by state and lender, and agents remain responsible for verifying current terms before borrowing.

Finding Motivated Sellers and Deals

A motivated seller is an owner who needs to sell quickly, often below retail price. The training covers many ways to reach these sellers, including direct mail, bandit signs, online auction sites, probate attorney referrals, and buying from wholesalers.

It also covers the systems that support deal flow, including neighborhood canvassing, referral lead systems, building lead lists, skiptracing to find owner contact details, and using investor websites to capture inquiries. Each method is presented as a repeatable source of deals rather than a one-time tactic.

This section teaches lead sources, not assured deals. All outreach must follow do-not-contact rules and advertising standards documented by sources including the NAR internet advertising policy.

Evaluating Properties and Negotiating Offers

Before buying, an investor decides what a property is worth and what to pay. The training teaches how to run comparable sales, called comps, and walks through case studies that show how to value a property and set a maximum purchase price.

The negotiation lessons cover talking to motivated sellers, including a short opening pitch, earnest and option money, concessions, and the price range to target. The goal is a purchase price that leaves room for rehab costs and profit. Agents learn to base offers on numbers rather than emotion.

This section teaches evaluation and negotiation steps. Actual returns depend on the market, the purchase price, and the resale price, none of which the training controls. Investor activity in the residential market is tracked by sources including NAR research and statistics.

Running the Rehab and Working with Contractors

The largest part of the training is the rehab process, which is the work done to improve a property after purchase. Lessons cover keeping cash reserves, the rehab draw process, picking design materials, and a step-by-step rehab order. Technical lessons cover roofs, electrical panels, plumbing tests, slab leaks, lead-based paint, and when a structural engineer report is needed.

A full section covers working with contractors. It explains change orders, lien releases, paying contractors, lump sum versus daily pay, and how to find reliable crews. It also explains general rehab concepts like rental rehab versus retail rehab and carrying costs.

This section teaches the rehab and contractor process. Building codes, permits, and disclosure rules vary by state, and agents remain responsible for following local requirements.

Selling the Property and Accessing the Training

The final stage is selling the finished property. The training covers pre-sale cleaning, days on market, the number of active listings, flat-fee listings, and title company and title insurance basics. This is where an agent’s existing license and listing skills connect directly to the investing process.

Access activates after a sponsored agent’s eXp Realty application is approved and the primary sponsor designation is confirmed. The Investor Army training is one of several programs reachable through the SAA Agent Portal with a single set of credentials. It does not require a separate purchase or eXp tier upgrade.

The training does not change brokerage compliance, compensation, or commission processing, which remain with eXp Realty. For a full explanation of the broader eXp on-demand training catalog, see: On-Demand Training Programs Overview.

Why Investing Is Different From Representing Clients

Many agents assume their listing and buying experience transfers directly to investing. The transaction skills help but investing adds steps an agent normally never touches. The investor finds the money, buys at a discount, manages a rehab, and carries the risk until the property sells.

The investor is the buyer and the seller, not the representative. That shift changes the work, because the agent now owns the deal, the budget, and the timeline instead of advising a client through theirs. 

Why Reserves and Numbers Decide Investor Outcomes

A common mistake is buying a property without enough cash held back. The training stresses keeping reserves and tracking numbers, because unexpected repairs and longer hold times are normal in a rehab.

The lessons return to a simple idea: a deal is decided by the purchase price, the rehab budget, and the carrying costs. An investor who tracks these figures throughout the project avoids the surprises that turn a profitable deal into a loss, even when the rehab runs longer than planned.

What Agents Also Ask

Who created the SAA investor training program?

The investor training is the Investor Army program created by Connor Steinbrook. It teaches agents how to invest in real estate themselves, covering funding, finding deals, evaluation, rehab, and resale. Sponsored agents access it inside the SAA Agent Portal.

Does investor training teach agents how to fund their own deals?

The program covers funding before anything else. It explains hard money loans, private lenders, and the points and splits each involves. It also covers the promissory note and deed of trust that secure a loan, so agents understand the paperwork before borrowing.

How do real estate investors find motivated sellers?

The training covers direct mail, bandit signs, online auction sites, probate attorney referrals, wholesalers, and neighborhood canvassing. It also covers building lead lists and skiptracing to find owner contact details, presenting each method as a repeatable source of deals.

Does the investor training cover the rehab and contractor side?

The rehab process is the largest part of the program. It covers reserves, the draw process, design materials, and a step-by-step rehab order, plus working with contractors through change orders, lien releases, and payment structure.

Why This Matters Before You Join eXp Realty

Investor training teaches an agent to build a second income path by investing in real estate directly, which makes the sponsor an agent chooses part of how widely they can grow. At eXp Realty, all agents receive the same core brokerage platform, including compliance, compensation, and access to company divisions. What differs is the sponsor ecosystem an agent aligns with.

The sponsor an agent selects shapes which tools, training, and attraction systems they have access to, including whether they receive a full investor program covering funding, deal sourcing, rehab, and resale. Because sponsor selection happens during the eXp Join Us application and is generally permanent unless an agent leaves eXp for the required time period and later rejoins with a different sponsor, it is rarely revisited. 

Agents weighing that choice should consider the Smart Agent Alliance team value a sponsor brings, including practical tools like the investor training provided by Smart Agent Alliance.

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