Clay Sparkman I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight a loan that we were able to get into escrow 1 week from the time the borrower submitted his scenario. This is not something we can do every time, but very possible for a proven borrower that knows the dance. I’ll refer to this borrower […]
General perspective
What's Going On Out There?
Friday, February 3rd, 2012Clay 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 […]
Private Money – 5 DONT's and 5 DOs
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011Clay Sparkman I would say that as much as 75% of our loans are initiated by third-party loan brokers. We rely heavily on our wholesale broker relationships and dearly value the strong working relationships that we have. As much as we love our relationships with brokers, it is an ongoing challenge to develop new relationships. […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
