Clay Sparkman There was November, 2007 and then there were the nearly 4 years now that followed. If you are an acting broker in this market it is because you are a survivor. Darwin’s theory—survival of the fittest—would have been more aptly named, survival of the most adaptable. If you are still here, then it […]
Rehab and constuction loans
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to communicate your deals
Monday, February 28th, 2011S. Clay Sparkman and Richard Sundvall There are certain key pieces of information that we need to know when we’re sizing up a deal. Having this information when you contact us can speed up the process considerably. Also, if you have these pieces in hand you can talk about your deal more clearly and present […]
A story of adaptation: or how to survive and succeed in a challenging real estate market
Sunday, November 7th, 2010Guest post by Matthew Whitaker, Managing Member of Magnolia Partners, LLC and Golden Key, LLC In December of 2007 we were faced with a decision. After three years of successfully flipping properties to low and moderate income buyers, we awoke one day with no buyers and no plan to find new ones. Our dilemma was […]
Calling all rehabbers, short sale buyers and quick flip artists
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010Kris Gillmore and Clay Sparkman Over the past three years we’ve all watched real estate prices come crashing down, in many cases forcing lenders to foreclose and take back the property. Although this is a sad misfortune for some, it is a tremendous opportunity for others. With regard to quick-flip investment property, I have always […]
When life gives you lemons …
Thursday, September 9th, 2010Clay Sparkman I recently posted this article on my investor blog, The Private Money Investor. Even though the article is targeted toward investors who put their money into private money loans, I think it is appropriate to post it here. After all … just look around you … this is where the game is. I […]
The ever elusive lender
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010Clay Sparkman If you don’t believe that lenders are getting hard to find, read this article from the New York Times: In Hard Times, One New Bank (Double-Wide). Kind of scary, huh? If you are having trouble finding the ever elusive lenders that you need for your particular client transactions and projects, a web based […]
The big stretch
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010Clay Sparkman In a prior posting, I pointed out that one of the primary advantages of private money is that it allows for creative problem solving due to the flexible nature of the beast. I went on to discuss some of the ways in which one can often make a private money transaction work, on […]
