#328: Digging Into Our Acquisitions Process + How We’re Finding DTS Deals with our Acquisitions Manager, Justin Dragone

In another in-person episode, Axel sits down with Justin Dragone — Acquisitions Manager at Aligned Real Estate Partners — for a deep, behind-the-curtain look at how Aligned actually finds deals. Justin brings a unique perspective on the operator side and spending the last three years building and running Aligned's direct-to-seller acquisitions engine.

The conversation covers the full acquisition process from first touch to signed contract. Justin and Axel also share their honest take on how the direct-to-seller landscape is evolving in 2026 — more competition, harder to reach people, and why hyper-local credibility is the last remaining moat.

This episode is essential listening for any investor who wants to build a real deal-finding machine — not just send some mail and hope — and understand what professional, high-volume, direct-to-seller acquisitions actually looks like day to day.

Join us as we dive into:

• Justin's journey from putting out open house signs as a high schooler to running acquisitions for a multifamily investment firm
• The five-point outreach sequence Aligned uses to reach every seller: cold call, voicemail, text, email, and direct mail
• Why Aligned sends direct mail quarterly and calls back every two to three months — and why more frequent contact often backfires
• Why Aligned skips asking sellers for expense schedules — and why you should know your market well enough not to need them
• How Justin presents offers over the phone, always tries to get a counter, and sends a real purchase and sale agreement the same day
• The seller motivation signals Justin listens for on every call: willingness to talk, volunteering information, age and retirement plans, and dissolving partnerships
• How to educate an over-priced seller using inarguable, factual data — not opinions — to bridge the gap between their expectations and market reality
• The 72-unit Barrington deal that took five years of follow-up from first mail piece to signed contract — and why that timeline is normal for large deals
• How Aligned stays omnipresent with sellers through a monthly acquisitions newsletter sent to every broker, seller, lender, and vendor in their market
• Why the direct-to-seller landscape is getting harder — more competition, lower answer rates, more spam — and why hyper-local credibility is the last remaining edge

Connect with Justin Dragone:

Follow him on Instagram
Email him through: acquisitions@alignedrep.com

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