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Hard Money / Private Lender: Best Referral Sources

Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for private lenders and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.

Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.

Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need private lenders, who else gets a call that same week?

Private lenders sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when an investor or operator buys a commercial building. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.

What starts the work
  • Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  • Financing or refinancewhen somebody needs a loan closed
  • Death / probatewhen somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
  • Home salewhen somebody puts a house on the market
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.

  1. 01

    Business Banker

    Two-way
    77

    Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed

    You and business bankers both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  2. 02

    Real Estate Investor

    Two-way
    76

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and real estate investors both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  3. 03

    Commercial Real Estate Broker

    They send you work
    75

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    Commercial real estate brokers hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Commercial Lender

    Two-way
    73

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and commercial lenders both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  5. 05

    Attorney Real Estate

    Two-way
    69

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and real estate attorneys both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  6. 06

    CPA / Accountant

    They send you work
    69

    Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed

    CPAs hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Title Company

    Two-way
    67

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and title companies both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  8. 08

    Real Estate Appraiser

    Two-way
    63

    Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed

    You and appraisers both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  9. 09

    Equipment Financing

    Two-way
    62

    Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed

    You and equipment finance companies both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  10. 10

    Commercial Property Manager

    You send them work
    55

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, before commercial property managers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.

Block two

Where those people actually are

Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.

Start here

Your local Realtor board or association

Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys, title companies, and appraisers.

Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties.

Your partners' association Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
Find your local chapter →

Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.

  1. 01

    Your local Realtor board or association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys, title companies, and appraisers.

    Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Local mortgage bankers or brokers association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: commercial lenders, title companies, and appraisers.

    Loan officers know a house is selling 30 to 60 days before anyone else does.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Land title association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys, title companies, and appraisers.

    Title agents and closing lawyers. They touch every deal on its last day.

    Quarterly Under $500/yr ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: real estate investors and commercial real estate brokers.

    Developers, owners, and the money behind big projects. This is where a building exists before anyone digs.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: business bankers, real estate investors, and commercial real estate brokers.

    Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.

    Always on Free ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: business bankers, commercial real estate brokers, and commercial lenders.

    Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.

    People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    BNI

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~8 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →

Let us be straight with you. For private lenders, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.

Block three

Is your seat open?

Prime Time takes one hard money / private lender per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.

Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.

Get the dates

Have the next meetings sent to you

The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for private lenders, with the one page plan.

We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.

Take this with you

Your one-page action plan

Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.

Networking plan: Hard Money / Private Lender

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Business Banker (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
  2. Real Estate Investor (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  3. Commercial Real Estate Broker (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  4. Commercial Lender (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  5. Attorney Real Estate (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

The three rooms to be in

  1. Your local Realtor board or association: Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys, title companies, and appraisers.
  2. Local mortgage bankers or brokers association: Your partners are in this room: commercial lenders, title companies, and appraisers.
  3. Land title association: Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys, title companies, and appraisers.