Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Why Private Money Lending Wins (When It’s Let’s Go-Time)

Gritty Borrower Quotes: With a Splash of Humor

by Dan J. Harkey

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 Speed (No Time for Bank Theater)

  • “I didn’t need a ‘maybe.’ I needed keys.”
  • “The bank moved like molasses.  The seller didn’t.”
  • “Rate was cute.  Closing was the only thing that mattered.”
  • “I can’t close on ‘we’re working on it.’”
  • “If it can’t fund on time, it’s not a loan—it’s a rumor.”
  • “Private money didn’t ask for a bedtime story.  They asked, ‘When can you sign?’”

Certainty (Because Deadlines Don’t Care)

  • “My contract had a date.  The bank had excuses.”
  • “Cheap money is expensive when it costs you the deal.”
  • “I don’t pay extra for the rate—I pay extra for the certainty.”
  • “The bank was still ‘reviewing.’ Private money was wiring.”
  • “I’d rather pay points than beg for extensions.”

Flexibility (The Deal Isn’t a Spreadsheet)

  • “The bank wanted perfect.  The property was not.”
  • “My deal wasn’t broken—just not bank-friendly.”
  • “Banks underwrite paperwork.  Private lenders underwrite reality.”
  • “I wasn’t buying a postcard.  I was buying a project.”
  • “The house needed work.  The bank acted like that was a crime.”
  • “Private money looked at the asset, not my life story.”

Winning the Deal (Leverage and Discounts)

  • “Fast funding got me the price cut.  That paid for the points.”
  • “I didn’t win because I was the cheapest.  I won because I could close.”
  • “Sellers don’t fall in love with APR—they fall in love with certainty.”
  • “Private money turned my offer from ‘interesting’ into ‘accepted.’”
  • “I paid more to buy it right.  Then I refinanced it clean.”

Less Red Tape (Fewer Surprises, Less Back-and-Forth)

  • “The bank kept moving the goalposts.  Private money handed me a checklist.”
  • “I’m not scared of paperwork—I’m scared of last-minute conditions.”
  • “With the bank, it was ‘one more thing’ every week.”
  • “Private money didn’t Play ‘guess what the underwriter wants.’”
  • “I’d rather have tough terms up front than a ‘surprise no’ at the finish line.”

Bridge Strategy (Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Win)

  • “Private money is the tow truck—not the new car.”
  • “I used expensive money to stop the bleeding, then I refinanced.”
  • “I wasn’t shopping for a 30-year relationship.  I needed a 30-day solution.”
  • “Paying more for 90 days beats losing the whole deal forever.”
  • “Private money got me across the river.  Cheap money lives on the other side.”

Borrower Quotes

  • “A low rate won’t save a dead deal.”
  • “Speed is leverage.”
  • “Certainty beats cheap.”
  • “Close first.  Optimize later.”
  • “If it doesn’t fund, it doesn’t matter.”

Gritty Broker Quotes: Why Private Money Wins in the Real World

Execution > Rate (The Uncomfortable Truth)

  • “Nobody frames the interest rate.  They remember if you closed.”
  • “A low rate doesn’t mean a thing if it shows up after the contract dies.”
  • “Rate shoppers love banks—until the deadline starts eating them alive.”
  • “The cheapest loan is the one that funds.  Everything else is marketing.”
  • “I don’t sell money—I sell outcomes.  Funding is the outcome.”

Deadlines + Pressure (Where Banks Tap Out)

  • “The contract doesn’t care about your underwriter’s vacation.”
  • “Banks close when it’s convenient.  Private money closes when it’s necessary.”
  • “If the seller’s holding a backup offer, you don’t have 60 days—you have minutes.”
  • “Extensions aren’t a strategy.  They’re a symptom.”
  • “A closing date is a guillotine—either you beat it, or you lose your head.”

Underwriting Reality (Box vs. Brain)

  • “Banks underwrite rules.  Private lenders underwrite risk.”
  • “If your deal doesn’t fit the box, the bank won’t build a new box.”
  • “Private money isn’t ‘easy’—it’s just honest about what matters: collateral and exit.”
  • “Banks want perfect paperwork.  Private lenders want a clean story.”
  • “Hard deals aren’t bad deals.  They’re not bank deals.”

Property Condition / Value-Add (Where Private Money Lives)

  • “Ugly houses don’t scare private lenders.  They scare bank committees.”
  • “A bank sees peeling paint and panics.  A private lender sees margin.”
  • “If it needs rehab, the bank acts like it’s radioactive.”
  • “Private money was built for ‘as-is.’ Banks were built for ‘as-if.’”
  • “Private lenders can price a mess.  Banks decline it.”

Borrower Profiles (Non-W2, Self-Employed, Complex)

  • “The bank wants you to fill out the form.  Private money wants you to fit the plan.”
  • “Self-employed borrowers don’t fail—bank forms fail them.”
  • “If the Borrower’s strong but the docs are weird, private money can still move.”
  • “Banks can’t explain nuance.  Private lenders live in nuance.”

Straight Talk on Cost (Why Paying More Can Be Smarter)

  • “Points are expensive.  Losing the deal is catastrophic.”
  • “You’re not paying for money—you’re paying for speed and certainty.”
  • “Private money is the ambulance.  Stop arguing about the bill while you’re bleeding out.”
  • “Paying more for 90 days beats begging for 90 days.”
  • “Cost matters—until it costs you the asset.”

Bridge Strategy (Close Now, Refi Later)

  • “Private money is the bridge.  Cheap money is the destination.”
  • “We close it hard, stabilize it, then refinance it clean.”
  • “If the exit is solid, private money is just a short-term tool—like a crowbar.”
  • “You don’t marry private money.  You use it, then move on.”
  • “Close first.  Optimize later.  That’s how pros win.”

Broker Quotes

  • “If it doesn’t fund, it doesn’t matter.”
  • “Certainty beats cheap.”
  • “Speed is leverage.”
  • “The deal dies in underwriting.”
  • “Close it hard.  Refi it soft.”

Gritty Commercial Borrower Quotes (Real-World Deal Talk)

Speed + Certainty (Commercial Deadlines Bite Hard)

  • “In commercial, the rate is trivia.  The close is the headline.”
  • “My seller didn’t want a story—he wanted a wire.”
  • “If your lender needs a committee meeting, you’re already late.”
  • “A ‘soft yes’ in commercial is just a slow no.”
  • “The LOI is signed.  The clock’s running.  Fund it or get out of the way.”

Asset-First Underwriting (NOI > Feelings)

  • “The bank underwrote my personality.  Private money underwrote the building.”
  • “This deal isn’t about my W-2.  It’s about NOI and an exit.”
  • “Private lenders don’t panic over complexity—they price it.”
  • “I don’t need romance.  I need a lender who can count.”

Tenant & Lease Reality (Rollover, Vacancy, Estoppels)

  • “The rent roll changes fast.  Bank underwriting moves slowly.”
  • “My anchor’s solid, but the small suites churn—banks hate that.”
  • “Estoppels take time. Private money doesn’t pretend the calendar is negotiable.”
  • “The bank wanted perfection.  Commercial lives in rollover.”
  • “Vacancy isn’t a crime.  It’s an opportunity—if your lender can breathe.”

Value-Add / Stabilization (Bridge-to-Perm Strategy)

  • “I’m buying the problem to earn the upside.  Banks don’t finance ‘upside.’”
  • “Stabilize first, refinance later.  That’s the whole Play.”
  • “I don’t need 10 years today.  I need 12 months to fix the mess.”
  • “Private money is the wrench.  Permanent debt is the paint job.”
  • “I’m not paying for a rate—I’m paying for time to execute.”

Capex, TI/LC, and Real Costs (Where Banks Tighten Up)

  • “The bank saw TI and ran.  Private money asked, ‘How fast can you lease it?’”
  • “If you can’t fund capex, you don’t own a building—you own a headache.”
  • “Commercial isn’t ‘set it and forget it.’ It’s repairs, tenants, and timing.”
  • “I needed a lender who understands a roof doesn’t care about underwriting.”

When the Property Is ‘Not Bank Clean’ (Older Assets, Mixed Use, Weird Stuff)

  • “It’s not ugly—it’s mismanaged.  That’s why it’s cheap.”
  • “Mixed-use makes banks nervous.  It makes investors money.”
  • “The bank wanted a trophy.  I bought a turnaround.”
  • “Private money didn’t flinch at the weirdness—just priced it and moved.”

Gritty Commercial Broker Quotes (From the Trenches)

Execution Over Everything

  • “In commercial, execution is the product.”
  • “A low rate doesn’t save a dead timeline.”
  • “I can’t deposit ‘best intentions’ into escrow.”
  • “The deal dies in due diligence, not on the term sheet.”
  • “If it can’t close, it’s not financing—it’s entertainment.”

Bank Process vs. Private Process (Committee vs. Decision-Maker)

  • “Banks have layers.  Private money has a decision-maker.”
  • “Committee lending is great—until your LOI has teeth.”
  • “The bank’s answer is ‘maybe.’ The seller’s answer is ‘next buyer.’”
  • “Private money doesn’t need three departments to agree that time is real.”

Commercial Underwriting Truth (Risk Is Priced, Not Prayed Away)

  • “Banks underwrite rules.  Private lenders underwrite risk and exits.”
  • “If the story makes sense and the collateral is real, we can work.”
  • “Commercial isn’t perfect files—it’s imperfect assets with a plan.”
  • “Private capital doesn’t need it to be pretty.  It needs to be fixable.”

Tenant/Lease Complexity (Where Deals Actually Break)

  • “The rent roll is the heartbeat.  If it’s changing, banks get cold feet.”
  • “Estoppels, SNDAs, and surveys don’t care about your lender’s backlog.”
  • “Lease rollover isn’t a deal-killer—slow underwriting is.”
  • “Banks want to be stabilized yesterday.  Investors buy the path to stability.”

Bridge-to-Perm Positioning

  • “Private money is the bridge that gets you to permanent debt.”
  • “Close it fast, stabilize it hard, refinance it clean.”
  • “You don’t marry bridge debt—you use it to get the asset right.”
  • “The goal isn’t ‘cheap today.’ The goal is ‘bankable later.’”

Hard Truths on Cost

  • “Points are expensive.  Missing the acquisition is fatal.”
  • “If private money costs you 2 points but saves you a 10% discount, do the math.”
  • “People obsess over rate and ignore the cost of delay—until it hits them.”
  • “The cheapest lender is the one who funds on the day you need.”

Commercial Loans Quotes

  • “Commercial doesn’t close on hope.”
  • “A soft yes is a slow no.”
  • “Execution is the product.”
  • “Stabilize first.  Refinance later.”
  • “If it can’t fund, it can’t win.”
  • “Rate is trivia.  Timing is everything.”

Gritty Multifamily Borrower Quotes (Apartment Deals)

Speed + Certainty (Because Sellers Don’t Wait)

  • “In multifamily, the seller doesn’t care about your spreadsheet.  They care about your wire.”
  • “The bank loved the deal—right up until the deadline showed up.”
  • “A 45-day close isn’t ‘aggressive’—it’s survival when there are backup offers.”
  • “If your lender needs another week, you’re already losing the deal.”
  • “I didn’t need ‘approved pending conditions.’ I needed to be funded.”

Value-Add Reality (Stabilize First, Refi Later)

  • “The property wasn’t ‘distressed’—it was mismanaged.  That’s why I bought it.”
  • “I’m not buying today’s NOI.  I’m buying what NOI becomes after I fix it.”
  • “Private money let me buy the mess.  Permanent debt comes after I clean it.”
  • “I don’t need 10-year money for a building that needs 10 months of work.”
  • “I paid for bridge speed so I could earn permanent pricing later.”

Occupancy, Collections, and T-12 Drama

  • “Banks worship the T-12.  My property lives in the T-minus.”
  • “Occupancy dipped for renovations, and the bank acted like the building was on fire.”
  • “Collections were messy under the last owner.  I’m fixing it—banks don’t finance ‘fixing.’”
  • “It’s hard to stabilize a building when your lender needs it stabilized to lend.”
  • “The story made sense.  The bank couldn’t print it into their checklist.”

Capex and Deferred Maintenance (The Unsexy Truth)

  • “The roof didn’t care about my rate lock.”
  • “I needed capital for repairs.  The bank wanted the repairs done first.”
  • “Deferred maintenance is where the upside lives—and where banks get nervous.”
  • “My pro forma didn’t fail—my capex surprises did.”
  • “Private money didn’t flinch at the punch list.  They just priced it and moved.”

Insurance, Taxes, and Expenses (Where NOI Gets Smoked)

  • “Insurance jumped, and the bank treated it like I caused the weather.”
  • “Expenses moved.  The lender acted like numbers are supposed to stay still.”
  • “Taxes reset, NOI shifted, and the bank suddenly got religion.”
  • “I can manage expenses.  I can’t manage bank panic.”

Tenant Issues and Operational Fixes

  • “Bad tenants don’t scare me—slow money does.”
  • “I needed time to clean house, raise standards, and raise rents.”
  • “The building wasn’t broken.  The management was.”
  • “I’m buying the turnaround.  Banks only like turnarounds after they’re turned.”

Gritty Multifamily Broker Quotes (From the Deal Trenches)

Execution > Pricing (Every Single Time on a Deadline)

  • “In apartments, the biggest risk isn’t rate—it’s time.”
  • “A low rate is useless if it arrives after the PSA expires.”
  • “The Borrower doesn’t lose deals to pricing.  They lose deals to delay.”
  • “If your lender can’t perform, your offer is fiction.”
  • “The cheapest lender is the one who actually closes.”

Bank Box vs. Value-Add Truth

  • “Agency and banks love stability.  Investors buy the path to stability.”
  • “If it’s value-add, it’s usually ‘not bankable yet’—that’s the point.”
  • “Banks want clean financials from messy assets.  That’s not how value-add works.”
  • “Private money underwrites the business plan.  Banks underwrite the History.”
  • “If the T-12 is ugly, bank underwriting gets religion fast.”

NOI, DSCR, and Underwriting Whiplash

  • “One expense spike and the DSCR falls apart—banks don’t forgive math.”
  • “Banks underwrite today’s NOI like tomorrow doesn’t exist.”
  • “Value-add is future cash flow.  Banks are allergic to the future tense.”
  • “Private money prices the risk.  Banks reject the uncertainty.”

Capex + Renovation Windows

  • “Renovations hurt occupancy before they help NOI—banks hate that dip.”
  • “You can’t renovate units with a lender who demands perfect occupancy.”
  • “Bridge capital is what lets you take the units down and do it right.”
  • “If you can’t fund capex, you don’t own an apartment building—you own a liability.”

Due Diligence Reality (Inspections, PPMs, and Surprises)

  • “Multifamily isn’t complicated until the plumbing, electrical, and roofs start talking.”
  • “The building always has a surprise.  The question is whether your lender can handle it.”
  • “Private money expects imperfections.  Banks pretend they don’t exist.”
  • “Every day underwriting stalls is a day the seller shops your deal.”

Bridge-to-Perm, Done Like a Pro

  • “Bridge debt is a tool—use it, stabilize, refinance, move on.”
  • “Close it fast, execute the rehab, season the NOI, then go permanent.”
  • “Private money buys you time to make the asset qualify for cheap money.”
  • “You don’t marry the bride.  You cross it.”

Multifamily Quotes

  • “Stabilize first.  Refi later.”
  • “If it can’t close, it can’t win.”
  • “Apartments are operations, not paperwork.”
  • “Banks fund History.  Private money funds transitions.”
  • “The T-12 is a snapshot.  The plan is the movie.”
  • “Speed is leverage in multifamily.”