WS1500: Starting A Debt Fund | Ruben Izgelov

Real estate debt funds have grown in popularity since the 2008 financial crisis offering smaller investors an alternative source of funding apart from banks with more stringent loan requirements. Not only have debt funds risen in popularity among borrowers but they have also become a favored form of investment for investors with the steady returns that they provide. But, how does one start a private debt fund?

Ruben Izgelov of We Lend, LLC enlightens us about real estate debt funds in today’s episode. With decades of experience in real estate investing, Ruben saw the need to step up the private lending space and decided to put up his own private lending platform. Achieving major success funding a thousand loans worth $400 million in just a few years, Ruben has now shifted to debt funds. Find out what prompted the shift, what makes debt funds different from private lending, and why investors should take notice.

Key Points From This Episode: 

• How Ruben was introduced to real estate at the age of 10.
• How his family became a private lender for real estate developers and flippers.
• Dropping out of junior high school, how did Ruben manage to buy and flip houses?
• Why did Ruben eventually decide to go back to school?
• How has Ruben started and grown their private lending business?
• How does the debt fund operate differently from the loans they offer?
• Ruben compares the economic and market conditions of 2008 with that of today and how he plans to navigate uncertain periods.
• With the benefit of hindsight, what would Ruben do differently in his real estate career?
• Ruben’s predictions on the economy for the next six to twelve months and how he prepares for a downturn.
• How does Ruben find top talent and source new investors?
• The metrics that Ruben tracks and habits that have produced the highest return for him.
• The biggest contributor to Ruben’s success, his way of giving back, and his contact information.

Tweetables:

“One lesson that I would take back from my early real estate career is to learn how to bring investors together.”

"You can hit similar returns being a lender as you could being a landlord. The only difference is the fact that you don't have to work as hard."

"Just like there's a lot to learn in buying real estate, there's a lot to learn in lending against real estate."

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode

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