How To Hire a Real Estate Acquisitions Manager

We recently spoke with Kevin Kern on the DealMachine REI Podcast, and one piece of his advice kept coming up in follow-up research across investor forums and communities: hire an acquisitions manager before you feel ready. After looking at how successful real estate investors build their teams, a clear pattern emerged. The investors who scale fastest are the ones who let go of the deal floor sooner rather than later.

If you are managing leads, running seller calls, overseeing rehabs, and trying to grow your pipeline at the same time, something is going to slip. That something is usually your next deal.

When Is The Right Time To Hire An Acquisitions Manager?

Most investors wait too long. They tell themselves they will hire once things slow down or once the system is running smoothly. The problem is that a growing business rarely slows down.

Kevin Kern described his tipping point clearly. Leads were coming in faster than he could manage them while rehab projects and follow-ups were stacking up at the same time. He did not wait for another missed deal or a slower week. He acted right then.

"I had so many leads coming in I can't manage them all... I need to follow up the right way, manage rehabs going on... my time is just limited."

That is not a sign of failure. That is a sign of a business that has outgrown a one-person operation. The investors who recognize that signal early are the ones who build real teams.

3 Signs You Are Waiting Too Long To Hire

• Follow-ups are getting pushed to "later" and later never comes
• Seller calls and rehab check-ins are competing for the same hour in your calendar
• Your lead volume is growing, but your response time is getting slower

If any of those feel familiar, the time to act is now. Not after one more deal. Now.

What Does A Real Estate Acquisitions Manager Actually Do?

An acquisitions manager is not an assistant and not a task manager. This is someone who handles revenue-generating work so you can focus on the things that only you can do, such as building relationships, finding new deals, and expanding your buyer and lender network.

Kevin Kern described the role in straightforward terms: this person should be able to run the full deal cycle from first contact with a seller to a signed contract. His phrase for it was simple: "pretty much be me in my place."

Core Responsibilities Of An Acquisitions Manager

• Answer incoming leads and respond fast before interest goes cold
• Run seller appointments and build genuine rapport with motivated sellers
• Estimate rehab costs on walkthroughs with reasonable accuracy
• Negotiate purchase prices and lock up contracts
• Manage follow-up sequences so no lead sits untouched

"I teach them how to go on the appointments, estimate rehab costs... deal with the sellers and just close up the deals when I can't."

When those tasks move off your plate, you get your time back. That time goes toward bigger-picture work: building your buyer list, talking to lenders, finding off-market sources, and networking. That is the work that compounds over time.

About Kevin Kern

Kevin Kern is an active real estate investor and a regular voice on the DealMachine REI Podcast. He has built his investing operation through high-volume lead management and a focus on scalable team structures. His perspective on team building comes from direct experience managing a growing pipeline of deals across multiple active projects simultaneously.

How To Structure Pay For An Acquisitions Manager

One of the most common questions investors have is how to pay this type of hire. Kevin Kern's approach is practical and backed by real-world results: start with performance-based pay tied to deals closed, not hours worked.

He outlined a sliding scale that adjusts based on deal quality and the margin involved. The structure rewards results, not just activity. It also ties your labor cost directly to revenue you have already earned, which matters when you are building a team for the first time.

Flat Fee vs. Sliding Scale: A Compensation Comparison

A sliding scale does a few things well. It filters out people who want a steady paycheck without putting in the work. It keeps your acquisitions manager focused on quality deals, not just volume. And it makes your cost structure predictable because you only pay more when you earn more.

As the business grows and the hire proves themselves, compensation can evolve into a base plus bonus structure or a more traditional salary. But for the first phase, tying pay to performance is a smart way to test fit and protect your margins at the same time.

How To Train An Acquisitions Manager Quickly

Training does not have to be a long or complicated process. Kevin Kern's plan was straightforward: walk the hire through the core skills fast and then step back. The goal is to get them running independently as soon as possible.

Think of training in four focused areas. Each one connects directly to a specific part of the deal cycle, and all four can be covered in two to three weeks of active ride-alongs.

1. Lead response: How to handle inbound leads within minutes, not hours, and set the tone from the first contact
2. Appointment flow: How to run a seller meeting, ask the right questions, and build trust quickly
3. Rehab estimating: How to evaluate a property's condition on-site and arrive at a defensible cost estimate
4. Closing conversations: How to negotiate with motivated sellers and guide a deal to a signed contract

Run ride-alongs for the first several deals. Let your acquisitions manager take the lead while you observe. Give feedback in real time, then step back. The faster you hand off the day-to-day deal work, the faster you can focus on growth.

Acquisitions Manager Interview Scorecard

Use this framework to evaluate candidates in a structured way before you hire. Consistency in your process leads to better outcomes.

 

The "Ready To Hire" Self-Audit

Before posting a job listing, it helps to do a quick check on where you actually stand. This five-point audit is a straightforward way to confirm you are at the right stage for this hire.

• Your pipeline produces consistent lead volume, not just occasional bursts
• You have missed or delayed follow-ups in the past 30 days due to being stretched too thin
• You have a clear process for lead intake, appointments, and contracts that can be taught
• You have defined what this hire will be paid and how deals will be tracked
• You are prepared to invest two to three weeks in active training and ride-alongs

If you can check all five, you are ready. If you are missing one or two, you probably still need to hire, and the gaps are exactly what to work on in the first week after the hire starts.

What Happens After You Hire

Once your acquisitions manager is running deals, your role shifts. You move from operator to strategist. Kevin Kern described his plan after bringing on a hire clearly: more time for networking, more conversations, and more deals coming into the pipeline.

"Oh no, I'm gonna focus more on networking... talk to people, find more deals."

That is the real payoff. You stop being the bottleneck. Your pipeline grows because two people are working it. Leads that would have gone cold now get followed up. Deals that used to slip through get locked up.

Tools like DealMachine can support this transition well. When your acquisitions manager needs quick access to property data, owner contact information, and lead tracking, having everything organized in one place keeps your team moving fast and working from the same source of truth. That kind of infrastructure is what separates a solo investor from a real operation.

The Real Cost Of Waiting

Every week you delay is a week of leads going cold, follow-ups being skipped, and deals moving to a faster competitor. Kevin Kern was direct about it.

"Talk to as many people as you can... and hire an acquisitions manager as fast as possible. Right now I have too much going on, I'm losing out on deals."

The hesitation usually comes from three places: concern about the cost of a new hire, uncertainty about how to train someone, or the belief that no one can do it as well as you. All three are understandable. But none of them hold up when you measure them against the deals you are losing right now.

Growth rewards speed and punishes hesitation. Owners who protect every task end up protecting their bottlenecks. Owners who hand off acquisitions create space for bigger moves, better buyers, better lenders, and a better pipeline.

The pattern is clear from Kevin Kern's experience and from how successful investor teams are built. If your lead volume is outpacing your capacity, the answer is not to work harder. It is to build a team. Hire sooner than feels comfortable, pay for performance, train on the essentials, and then get back to the relationships and deal flow that only you can build. That is how a solo investing business becomes a scalable operation.

FAQs

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When should I hire an acquisitions manager? The right time is when leads are coming in faster than you can respond, follow-ups are slipping, or deals are stalling because you are stretched too thin. A growing, busy pipeline is the signal to hire, not a reason to wait. Delay usually means more missed opportunities, not fewer.

How should I structure pay for an acquisitions manager? Starting with performance-based pay tied to deals closed is the most practical approach for small teams. A sliding scale tied to deal quality keeps your cost structure aligned with revenue you have already earned. As the role proves out, you can layer in a base component or move to a more traditional compensation model.

What is the most important skill to look for in an acquisitions hire? Communication with sellers is the most critical skill, followed closely by coachability. You can teach rehab estimating and your specific follow-up process. What is harder to teach is the ability to build trust with a motivated seller quickly and earn a signed contract. Look for people who are naturally curious and calm under pressure.

How long does it take to train an acquisitions manager? Most investors can get a new hire running independently within two to three weeks if training is focused and hands-on. Start with lead response, appointment flow, and estimating. Run ride-alongs on early deals, give direct feedback, and then step back. The goal is to hand off the role as fast as possible so you can focus on growth.

How does DealMachine help an acquisitions team work more efficiently? DealMachine gives your team a single place to access property data, owner contact information, and lead management tools. When your acquisitions manager needs to research a property or move quickly on a follow-up, having everything in one organized platform keeps deals moving and reduces the risk of anything slipping through the cracks.