How Do I Get Paid Back? When I lend on a deal—private or hard money—I’m not thinking about the return first. My first question is simple: How do I get paid back? And once that’s answered… I ask it again. What if that doesn’t work—how do I get paid back? And then again. If that doesn’t work… how do I get paid back? That’s the mindset. Not fear. Not negativity. Just reality. Because deals don’t always go as planned. And the lenders who get burned… are usually the ones who assumed everything would go right. Let me simplify this. The deal matters more than anything else. Before I ever look at the borrower… I look at the property. Would I buy it myself if I had to? Because if things go sideways… I might. If I don’t want the property… I don’t want the loan. Next, I look at the borrower. Do they have experience? Are they realistic? Or are they overly optimistic? Optimism sounds good… but it doesn’t protect the lender. Reality does. I’ve done a lot of deals. I can usually tell pretty quickly if someone is seeing things clearly… or if they’re stretching to make the deal work. And here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear: If the deal is tight… the money gets tight. But if the deal is strong… the money gets easy. I’ve said this for years—A great deal solves almost everything. Let me give you an extreme example. If someone is buying a $1,000,000 property for $100,000… and wants to borrow $100,000… My question is already answered. How do I get paid back? Almost any way. That kind of margin covers mistakes. It covers bad exits. It covers a lot of things that go wrong. Now most deals aren’t that good. But the principle holds. The less margin there is… the more risk there is. And that’s where most new borrowers—and new lenders—get into trouble. Borrowers: If you want money to be easy… bring a real deal. Not a hope. Not a stretch. A deal. Lenders: Don’t fall in love with the return. Fall in love with the protection.

Reminder: Lunch with Steve is coming up... Don’t come just to listen. Come with something. A question. A situation. Something you’ve been trying to figure out. That’s where the value is. Join live here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CDDmzHBpk/ Who’s showing up live?

What would you rather have? a) 20 single family homes b) 20 unit apartment building c) 20 pad mobile home park d) 20 self storage units e) other As a bonus, tell us why you prefer that?

I am a real estate investor fairly new to the Knoxville region. I have learned that when someone says a lot is flat that it means you don’t have to hire an engineer to design your foundation. I’m coming up with a new term “Knoxville flat”

God told us to rest. Not suggested it. Not recommended it. Commanded it. So what does it say… when we choose not to? Is your schedule too full… or is your trust too small?