Diego Villarreal of AMX Realty Shares His Playbook for Off-Market Flips and Fearless Pricing

Every seller believes their house is worth more than the comps say. It is not arrogance; it is psychology. Sellers see the emotional value of a home they built a life in, and that number becomes their ceiling before a single showing ever happens.

I got into all of this and a lot more when I sat down with Diego Villarreal of AMX Realty on my podcast, Real Estate Success DFW. Diego works the greater Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex out of Plano, and he has built a career on residential sales, off-market investor deals, and a level of transparency that most agents talk about but few actually practice.

We covered a lot of ground in this conversation, from how his brokerage culture is built, to the exact tour strategy he uses to get sellers realistic, to how he finds flips that never touch the MLS. If you sell real estate in any market, there is something here for you.

Here’s a preview of that episode:

Why I Had This Conversation

I wanted to talk with Diego because he sits at an interesting intersection. He came out of corporate mortgage lending before he ever sold a house, and that background shows up in how he talks to clients about risk, pricing, and money.

Diego works alongside seasoned agents at AMX Realty, now operating under Seeto Realty, in a shop that has intentionally built a collaborative brokerage culture. He told me the number one red flag when a new agent joins is ego. Nobody there is measured by transaction count. They are measured by character and by how willing they are to share what they know.

That kind of environment is rare, and it is part of why I think Diego has been able to build the kind of real estate investor niche he has, without losing his base of everyday buyers and sellers along the way.

Watch the full episode here:

Getting Sellers to Price Realistically

The market has shifted, and Diego was honest that the strategy that worked three years ago—picking a number and putting it on MLS—does not work anymore. Sellers need to see the market with their own eyes before they will believe it.

Diego’s approach is what I would call a seller pricing strategy built entirely on proof, not persuasion. He physically takes his sellers on a short tour of three to five competing listings before he ever puts a number on paper.

“Well, you know, it’s kind of like a give and take, you know, Mr. Seller, these are the comps that I’m showing right now, you know, this is what I feel like your house would probably be best priced at, so that way we can get more, different types of, you know, buyers, you know, into the door.”

He shows them the homes they are competing against, the ones already priced right, and the ones still sitting because they are priced too high. By the time the tour is over, the seller has drawn their own conclusion instead of feeling talked into one. 

If you are looking to list a home in this kind of market, that same logic applies whether you are working with Diego directly or applying it with your own agent when selling a home.

How Diego Finds Off-Market Investor Deals

Diego works closely with real estate investors, and he was refreshingly candid that most of his best flip deals never show up on MLS at all.

He relies on three or four trusted real estate wholesalers who bring him numbers he can verify before he ever shares a deal with his short list of cash-ready investor clients. That vetting step matters, because not every wholesaler in this space operates the same way, and Diego said plainly that the good ones are focused on moving a solid contract quickly rather than squeezing out the biggest possible spread.

He also still works the old-school angle: farming neighborhoods, networking at industry events with an actual purpose, and occasionally knocking on doors. It is not glamorous, but it is how the best off-market inventory gets found before anyone else even knows it exists.

Building Real Estate Confidence and Trust

Diego and I also got into marketing, and specifically the discomfort a lot of agents feel about getting on camera. He told me it took him a long time and a lot of takes with a cheap tripod before he got comfortable.

His advice was simple: keep videos short (ten to twenty seconds), be informative enough to earn a call, and let your actual personality show up on screen instead of copying someone else’s tone. That authenticity is a big part of his camera confidence for agents approach, and it is also why he believes so strongly in choosing a niche rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

“I would just tell them, hey, you know, your biggest, your biggest, I guess you could say opponent is going to be you, the person that’s talking in your head, and that’s gonna be in your conscience, you know. Get comfortable with talking on camera, and be afraid, don’t be afraid about making mistakes, and just do it.”

Whether that niche is land, farm and ranch, foreclosures, or vacation rentals, Diego’s point was that riches really are in the niches. Ten people who feel like you are speaking directly to them will convert far better than a thousand who feel like you are speaking to no one in particular.

What Changed for Me After This Conversation

Talking with Diego reminded me how much a simple, repeatable process can outperform hustle alone. His seller tour strategy is not complicated, but it works because it replaces argument with evidence, and that is a lesson I am carrying into my own listing appointments.

“Anybody that’s looking to purchase their first house, and they feel like they can’t, don’t believe that. There are a lot of opportunities, there’s a lot of programs out there that you can purchase if you want to do that.”

I also walked away thinking harder about referrals. Seventy percent of Diego’s business comes from people who already trust him, and that number is not an accident. It is the natural result of the transparency he brings to every transaction, even when the truth is not what a client wants to hear.

If you want to hear how an agent, like Diego Villarreal of AMX Realty, built this kind of business from a mortgage background, off-market relationships, and total honesty with clients, this conversation is worth your time. 

And if you are an agent looking for a community that helps agents grow and succeed, that is exactly what we are building here every week.

Want to hear my full conversation with Diego on off-market investor deals, seller pricing strategy, and how he built a thriving niche in Dallas-Fort Worth real estate?

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Diego Villarreal help sellers price their homes realistically?

Diego takes sellers on a short tour of three to five actively competing listings before setting a price. Seeing the real competition firsthand helps sellers move past emotional pricing and toward a number that will actually attract offers.

How can real estate agents find off-market investor deals?

Diego builds relationships with a small group of trusted wholesalers who bring him verified numbers. He then shares those deals with a short list of vetted, cash-ready investor clients rather than blasting them to a broad buyer list.

What is the best way for agents to get comfortable on camera?

Start with short (ten-to-twenty-second) videos, focus on being informative and authentic rather than polished, and expect it to take practice. Diego said his own comfort on camera came only after many takes and a lot of repetition.

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Real estate is evolving, capital is shifting, and the agents who are willing to talk honestly about what is working and what isn’t are the ones building real influence in this industry.

If you are actively working in real estate, whether in brokerage, investing, lending, or new construction, and you have real insight to share, I would love to have you on my show!

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