Clay Sparkman
With the decline of real estate prices and concern about the global economy, there is a lot of speculation regarding the timeline of this recession. In conversations with brokers, investors, and developers throughout the country, the topic often turns to one common question: what’s going on out there? I’ve heard what the experts say, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘real estate investing’
What’s Going On Out There?
Friday, February 3rd, 2012Calculating LTVs for rehab, development, and construction loans
Friday, January 20th, 2012Clay Sparkman
We thought a quick primer on LTV calculation for projects involving construction would be of use to most of those who utilize or broker private money.
You really need to use two LTVs. We use a Front End LTV (F-LTV) as well as an After Repair Value (ARV) or Final LTV (LTV), when evaluating loans. [...]
Everything you wanted to know about private money but were afraid to ask
Friday, January 6th, 2012Clay Sparkman
Private money is often misunderstood. Many industry professionals know very little about it, and fallacies and misconceptions tend to dominate the collective wisdom. As you know, as a subscriber to this list, I have made it my mission to try to educate professionals regarding the realities of private money. In this capacity, I spend [...]
Private money and the question of value
Friday, November 18th, 2011Clay Sparkman
When it comes to private money, the rules–as you may know them–generally don’t apply. Certainly, with regard to the matter of valuing a property, most of you would do well to throw away what you’ve already learned and start over. To help you along these lines, I would like to share an article written [...]
Top Ten Ways you know it might be time to consider private money
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011Clay Sparkman
This has been a tough four years for many of us, so in celebration of the anniversary of the sub-prime collapse, I thought it would be nice to start off by having a little fun. With that in mind, I have prepared a top ten list, Top Ten Ways you Know it Might be [...]
On the art of handcrafting loans
Thursday, October 20th, 2011Clay Sparkman
As I pointed out in a previous mailing, our private money lending programs tend to be fairly rigid with regard to LTV requirements, but quite forgiving with regard to other issues. One of the nice things about private money is that it allows for creative problems solving. I have put many transactions together that [...]
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear About Private Money
Monday, September 12th, 2011Clay Sparkman
This week I’d like to address some myths about private money, and hopefully correct some common misconceptions that seem to exist with regard to private money lending as an alternative mechanism for funding the refinance and acquisition of real estate.
Myth: As a broker, I should first try to use conventional bank financing, and if [...]
Getting Unstuck with Private Money
Friday, August 26th, 2011It is often quite difficult for professionals to get a sense of what hard money is all about and to know when it is the best option for putting a transaction together. I have found that the best way to teach is by example. So to that end I will profile several loans here that [...]
As goes Miami …?
Saturday, July 30th, 2011Sorry to be so long away from you. I guess the lazy days of summer have been calling. I would like to share an article that I read recently in the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/business/affluent-buyers-reviving-market-for-miami-homes.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
It seems that the Miami market, one of the worst hit during the real estate turn down, is on the mend, and [...]
Keeping your loans in motion
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011S. Clay Sparkman
The most important thing about working a pipeline–as you well know–is to keep your loans in motion. They must not stagnate. Always move forward or bail out (gracefully of course). This is a critical secret to success, particularly in the challenging market we face now.
If you have a file that you have been [...]
Example private money loan – turn of century coastal view home remodeling project
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011Clay Sparkman
Because I have found that one of the best ways to learn is by way of example, I like to give frequent examples of actual loans that we have funded. The following loan was funded quite some time ago, but is quite typical of the sort of thing that we are looking to do [...]
Won’t somebody please call a plumber … the banks are clogged
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011Clay Sparkman
This article was originally posted on my lender blog in January of 2010. Now, some 15 months later, it still seems pretty much timely, That worries me. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this matter. You brokers are the real experts. Please give voice.
One of my dear good readers sent the following e-mail [...]
Resources – show me the good stuff!
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011Clay Sparkman
I have long searched for resources that might be useful to those who wish to learn more about private money and hard money loans, and in the process I have become increasingly convinced that our particular niche field is somewhat of an intellectual/informational wasteland. Every time I stumble upon an article or site that [...]
Don’t get mad, get going
Thursday, March 10th, 2011Clay Sparkman
It is often quite difficult for professionals to get a sense of what hard money is all about and to know when it is the best option for putting a transaction together. I have found that the best way to teach is by example. So to that end I will profile some sample loans [...]
How to broker private money loans when real estate markets are uncertain
Sunday, March 6th, 2011Clay Sparkman
We’ve been through nearly 3 ½ rough years in the real estate market—and projections seem to indicate that we will finally see clear up-turn in the second half of this year, but no one really knows for sure. We have managed to survive this down-time (all who are still present please take a moment [...]
Fairfield broker promotion – free iPad
Thursday, February 10th, 2011Clay Sparkman
We at Fairfield Financial Services (FFS) are pleased to announce that we will once again be running our free iPad bonus promotional program.
Starting Friday, February 11, we are offering a free promotional iPad to any broker or borrower who submits a loan through FFS that we actually close.
The conditions are as follows:
(1) You must [...]
The private money lending business: likes and gripes (part III)
Friday, February 4th, 2011Clay Sparkman
I finished Part II with a brief mention of something I quite like about the trust deed system: that is, the option (generally available) to foreclose judicially.
Before moving on, I’d like to offer you a crude little decision tree which shows how investors might go about making the decision whether to foreclose a given [...]
The private money lending business: likes and gripes (part II)
Thursday, January 13th, 2011Clay Sparkman
In Part I, I began a discussion of my gripes and likes regarding the private money lending business and various industry related matters, items, and issues. I allowed myself to amble a bit far afield and concluded by mentioning a book about the legal profession which I personally found to be informing and entertaining. [...]
The private money lending business: likes and gripes (part I)
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011Clay Sparkman
Awhile back I published a 3-part post on my Private Money Investor blog regarding my personal likes and gripes as a purveyor in of private money. This has been my sole job for the past 20 years. Who wouldn’t want to go rant and rave publicly about their job? I guess I could have [...]
Fairfield broker promotion – free iPad UPDATE
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010Clay Sparkman
We are sending out this update to amend the rules for he iPad giveaway. We accidentally left two items out.
We at Fairfield Financial Services (FFS) are pleased to announce our free iPad bonus promotional program AND that we now have sources available to lend with no maximum on commercial loans in all 14 of [...]
