***Guest Appearance

Credits to:

https://www.youtube.com/@passiveincomeadventures 

"Tax-Free Ultimate Private Money Challenge! Jay Conner"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cHECcNUl8I 

In a recent episode of the Raising Private Money podcast, renowned real estate investors Jay Conner and Emma Powell delved deep into the world of passive income and investment strategies. The conversation traversed through practical advice on private money lending, the intricacies of networking for investment opportunities, and personal experiences that shaped their journey to financial autonomy. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just dipping your toes into real estate, the insights shared in this episode can serve as powerful tools for your investment toolkit.

Investment Strategies for Smart Returns

Emma Powell opened the discussion with a compelling observation on investment returns, highlighting how wealthier individuals often witness lower proportional returns due to their chosen investment vehicles. She advocated for the straightforward nature of hard money lending, where typical returns range from 10-12%. According to Powell, adding hard money lending to one's portfolio can fill a crucial gap in diversification, ensuring that investors don't overlook simpler, high-yield opportunities. This strategy aims to balance out portfolios and hedge against market volatilities.

Understanding Private Lenders

Jay Conner shared his extensive experience working with private lenders, stressing that these lenders are often regular people—teachers, retirees, and even minors with inherited funds. He illustrated this with an example of his pool of 47 diverse private lenders, indicating that you don't necessarily need to target "accredited investors" to secure substantial investments. This democratization of investment opportunities underscores the importance of building trust and educating potential lenders about the benefits of private money lending.

The Power of Networking

Networking emerged as a cornerstone theme in the episode. Jay Conner and Emma Powell both underscored the significance of being actively engaged in organizations like Business Networking International (BNI) and attending high-value conferences. Powell suggested seeking out wealthy individuals through expensive hobbies or clubs that resonate with one's interests. For those attending self-directed IRA conferences, there was an acknowledgment of the competitive environment, with Conner preferring to position himself as a speaker rather than an attendee to stand out. Both hosts agreed that feeling like you don't know wealthy individuals is a barrier best overcome by diverse event participation.

Best Practices in Private Lending

Diving into the mechanics of private lending, the conversation pivoted to the importance of protecting and optimizing investments. Both hosts warned against unsecured loans and emphasized the necessity of collateralizing promissory notes with real estate. They advised maintaining a conservative loan-to-value ratio, around 75% of the after-repaired value, and ensuring lenders are named as mortgagees on insurance policies and title policies as additional insureds. This creates a robust security net, giving lenders peace of mind and solidifying the operator-lender relationship built on trust.

Handling Funds with Care

On the subject of fund management, Emma and Jay advised that wired funds should be directed to a closing agent’s trust account rather than to the borrower, ensuring transparency and security in the transaction. They highlighted the pitfalls of desperation in securing investments and advocated for having funds lined up or a solid relationship with a hard money lender before soliciting deals. Thi