If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that question I would have an extra million dollars just lying around and would be able to give it to someone to buy their house. Financing is really the key to opening up your investing business right now.

Over the last eighteen months or so the financing picture has changed drastically. In February of 2007 you could get a 100% LTV non-owner occupied loan with a mediocre credit score, no proof of income or assets and just a signature. Now if you can get funding at all, you have to have a great credit score, fully documented assets and income and a large down payment. Not only that but you need to have seasoned money for the down payment and reserves. The pendulum has swung back the other way almost to the extreme.

If you or your buyers are going to use conventional funding sources, you need to make sure to have your act together. Ensure that everything is documented perfectly. This is the main reason why it is much tougher to sell your rehabbed properties. Buyers are not prepared.  The good news is that if you buy the house right, you are sitting pretty to sell your properties creatively and to make a great profit.

This brings me back to financing, it is more important than ever to use private lending in your business. Learning the ins and outs of Private Lending can be the difference between thriving in this economy or shutting your doors and missing the best opportunity for wealth creation in our lifetimes.

Unfortunately most people don’t understand how to find Private Lenders, or how to be one for that matter. Investors are afraid to talk to people about what they do and ask them if they are happy with their investments. It is amazing what happens when you talk to people. You can find money coming out of the wood work. The other night I was flying home from St. Louis and chatting with a college professor about our lives and jobs. At the end of the 3 hour flight I had a potential new private lender and had sold one of my new courses about how to be a private lender.

Most people are in a position where they just lost some significant money in the stock market. Their mutual funds are stagnant or have gone down as well. People are afraid, very afraid. They don’t see any options available to them except a T-Bill that earns less than 3% annually.

I show them how they can earn a safe and secure return by lending me money that will be secured by real estate. I talk with them to find out their goals and determine if what I do will fit their criteria or not. I never try to force anyone into an investment. It will never work for either of us if I do. I am careful to stay well within the SEC and State department of securities guidelines.

I am careful to only approach people when I have a relationship with them rather than hitting someone up when I first meet them. I get to know them and their goals. I am not a financial planner. I do not present myself as one on TV or through what I say to people. By building a relationship you understand their needs better. You also stay well within the law, which is always a big thing for me. I really don’t look good in stripes.

Your assignment this week is to talk to people about your investing business and discover if they are happy with their investments. Find out what they earning from their investments. Don’t push them to reveal everything to you immediately; you can follow up with them later. Next week I will talk about what to say to get them to open up to you.

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