Hi Reader, Before we jump into today's topic, I'm excited to share the new Be the Bank site. I ventured into coding this year and developed the site from scratch with Ruby/Rails and TailwindUI. It's pretty simple for now, but I have some fun features planned for the upcoming year. For now, you can revisit older editions of the Be the Bank newsletter. Earlier this year, I wrote about why we're funding more new construction projects, highlighting the surge in such ventures we've financed. This...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Back in 2007, my foray into retirement investing began with the government's Thrift Savings Plan. By the time I left the service in 2011, I had accumulated a modest portfolio of about $20k — not too shabby considering what they paid us. Since then, I've consistently maxed out my retirement contributions, often taking advantage of company matches to boost growth. My strategy? Predominantly growth stocks, capitalizing on my long investment horizon. This approach has served me well...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I'm excited to announce that we've finally migrated from our original, in-house-built origination and servicing system to a comprehensive, all-in-one SaaS solution. This marks a new era of efficiency and capability for us. The Power of No-Code Solutions Our initial system, a patchwork of no-code solutions, was nothing short of remarkable. For over three years, it supported us through more than 400 loans, a testament to the capabilities of no-code technologies. (I can code now, but...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, As our community of readers and investors at Longleaf Lending has grown, I wanted to revisit and share the highlights from an article I wrote at this time last year - the insights are more pertinent than ever in today's real estate landscape. I recently spoke at a Texas real estate event that my company Longleaf sponsored. With the decades-long bull run in real estate showing some cracks, few of our borrowers have experienced the uncertainty of the current market. Despite rising...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, At Longleaf, connecting with the right clients is as crucial as providing top-notch lending services. I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we generate most of our leads, ranked by the quality and conversion rate. A recent real estate networking event we sponsored - these always generate several high-quality leads 1. Ground game: the personal touch Our most effective leads often come from the good old-fashioned groundwork. There’s something irreplaceable about...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Every loan has its own story, and sometimes, the tales behind the oldest ones on our books are the most intriguing. Today, I'd like to share the saga of our latest pay-off — a testament to perseverance, collaboration, and the advantages of being a local lender. The stage was set for an ambitious endeavor. Our seasoned borrower had secured an infill, well-located property below market value at $200k, but it came with the catch — a massive rehab project with costs projected north of...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I'm keeping it short today as I just returned from a guy's fishing retreat aboard a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. The picture below was my office for the last few days - I'm fortunate to get out sailing a couple of times per year. You can check out the Yacht Warriors if you are interested in learning more about how we do it. Our Lagoon 46 catamaran, anchored at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke OK, back to business. Did you know that some lenders use low-leverage note financing...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, The traditional approach to loan servicing might remind one of an old, creaky machine – functional but antiquated. For years, the industry norm has been to onboard loans to third-party servicers, a process often mired in outdated methodologies and inefficiencies. With the advent of no-code tools and modern software solutions for the private lending industry, in-house loan servicing has become not just feasible but advantageous. As early adopters, we integrated this approach when we...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, We broker and use table funding partners for deals in other states, but for our own hard money balance sheet and investor capital, we lend only in Texas. While many other private lenders spread their nets wide, we go deep. Here's why. Local expertise & market differentiation There’s magic in specialization. Being deeply rooted in Texas, we've formed bonds, heard stories, and partnered in countless ventures. Every handshake, deal, success, and yes, even every hiccup, has taught us...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read