Want to learn how to start in real estate before you turn 25?
Donovan Camarotti did just that. At 18, he flipped his first house while still in college. Now, at 22, he’s running a full-time wholesale real estate business in Florida, closing around 10 deals a month.
In this blog, you’ll see how he made smart moves, learned from mistakes, and built a career in real estate investing, all before most people land their first job.
Watch this short video to see Donovan break down his real estate journey and share tips for beginners looking to get started in wholesaling or flipping.
Donovan’s journey began with inspiration from a family friend who flipped houses. Using savings from his high school car detailing business, he bought his first property during his first week of college.
He used a hard money loan to finance the deal and never looked back.
His first property was a condo he purchased for $200,000. He spent $26,000 on renovations and later sold it for $295,000.
After all expenses, he made about $27,000. This success gave him the confidence to keep going.
In the beginning, Donovan focused on fixing and flipping homes. His company handled 8-10 renovations each month and only did 2-4 wholesale deals. But the market started to shift, and so did Donovan’s strategy.
He noticed that managing many flip projects at once was risky. At one point, he had 42 renovation projects happening at the same time. If the market dropped just 10%, the losses would be massive, especially since each home averaged around $600,000.
To reduce risk, Donovan decided to focus more on real estate wholesaling. This meant finding good deals on houses, then selling the contract to another buyer without fixing the home himself. It was faster, less risky, and often just as profitable.
He also learned some tough lessons. For example, he lost money on condos in Miami after the Surfside building collapse. Insurance issues and buyer fear made selling condos difficult.
These experiences helped him shape a smarter investment strategy.
Donovan studies the market closely before buying. He spent months looking at "comps", comparable home sales in the area, before making his first offer. He also confirms values with real estate agents and creates detailed renovation budgets.
Instead of using general square footage estimates, he breaks down renovation costs line by line.
In Florida, homes often need major repairs like new roofs or AC systems, so being specific helps avoid surprise costs.
Today, Donovan finds most of his deals through online marketing. About 70% come from Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram). These ads cost about $38 per lead and feature Donovan talking directly to homeowners.
Another 20% come from Google pay-per-click ads, which cost approximately $248 per lead, but these leads are usually more serious. People searching for "how to sell your house without a realtor" or "selling your home fast" often want quick solutions.
The rest, around 10%, come from referrals. When Donovan focused more on flipping, referrals made up 60-70% of his business. Now, with wholesaling, most leads come from digital marketing.
As Donovan’s strategy shifted, so did his team. He used to have 3-4 project managers. Now, he runs a leaner operation:
He plans to add another acquisition specialist soon to help reach his 2025 goal: 200 wholesale and novation deals by the end of the year.
While wholesaling is the main focus, Donovan still takes on special renovation projects, only the ones with high returns. For example, he recently bought a 5,000-square-foot house for $700,000. It was later appraised at $1.7 million.
Projects like this are worth the time and effort.
One of his biggest challenges right now is closing wholesale deals smoothly. It’s important to work closely with buyers so deposits and paperwork happen on time.
To fix this, he’s switching from an in-house transaction coordinator to a professional third-party service that specializes in real estate wholesale closings.
Donovan’s story proves that you don’t need to be rich or have years of experience to succeed in real estate. With smart planning, good research, and the right team, even a teenager can flip houses or close wholesale deals.
If you’re looking to start your own real estate journey, follow Donovan’s example: study the market, build your network, and take action. Real estate investing isn’t just for experts, it’s for anyone willing to learn and work hard.
Start small, think big, and who knows, you could be the next young investor to build a real estate empire.