Bookkeeping Expert - Zach Pasquariello

How do hard money lenders decide which real estate deals are worth funding?

In this video, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how I underwrite hard money loans inside ZIP Capital. This week, we funded 4 real estate loans in 3 days for a total of $457,000, generating $30,680 in origination, processing, and underwriting fees. But the most important part of private lending is not the potential return. It’s risk management.

Click here to learn more about ZIP Capital https://www.zipcapitalfund.com/investment-offering

Hard money lending can be a powerful real estate investing strategy, but only if you know how to evaluate the borrower, the property, the scope of work, title insurance, property insurance, and the numbers behind the deal. In this video, I’ll walk through what I look for before funding a real estate loan and the red flags that make me say no.

In this video, you’ll learn:

• How I underwrite hard money loans  
• How private money lending works  
• What hard money lenders look for before funding a deal  
• How to review the borrower, property, and scope of work  
• Why risk mitigation matters more than ROI  
• Why title insurance, property insurance, a mortgage, note, and personal guarantee matter  
• Red flags that make a loan too risky  
• How ZIP Capital reviews real estate loan requests in Pennsylvania  
• Why disciplined underwriting protects investor capital  

I’ll also share a simple example deal with a $100,000 purchase price, $40,000 rehab budget, $140,000 total project cost, and $200,000 ARV to show how I think through real estate loan underwriting.

ZIP Capital reviews loan requests every week, and I’m currently averaging more than 2 loan requests per day. We are not trying to fund every deal. The goal is to pick the best loans, protect investor capital, and stay disciplined with underwriting.

If you want to try private lending yourself, go for it. If you want a more passive option, you can learn more about ZIP Capital.


#HardMoneyLending #PrivateMoneyLending #RealEstateInvesting

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

How do you start real estate private money lending with only $50,000? In this video, I break down exactly how I made my first private money loan and how I eventually grew from lending $50,000 to millions of dollars in real estate loans.

Learn more about ZIP Capital: https://www.zipcapitalfund.com/investment-offering

00:00 How to Start Private Money Lending With $50,000
00:29 How I Discovered Private Money Lending
02:07 Why I Chose Lending Over Rental Properties
03:19 My First $50,000 Real Estate Loan
04:13 How Much I Made on My First Loan
04:51 Direct Lender vs. Mortgage Broker
07:52 How to Find Your First Borrower
09:53 How Private Money Lenders Make Money
12:53 Why Investors Use Private Money Lenders
15:03 Why I Only Want First-Position Mortgages
16:00 Lending Yourself vs. Investing in a Fund
17:51 How to Protect Yourself as a Private Lender
18:16 Promissory Notes, Mortgages & Personal Guarantees
18:53 Property Insurance & Title Insurance
20:14 How I Underwrite Real Estate Loans
21:20 My 70% ARV Rule
21:29 Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Private money lending is a completely different way to invest in real estate. Instead of flipping houses or owning rental properties, you become the lender. You provide capital to real estate investors and secure the loan with real estate.

I walk through my experience starting with $50,000, how I find borrowers, how private money lenders make money through interest and fees, why I focus on short-term real estate loans, and how I think about protecting principal and managing risk.

I also cover some of the most important parts of real estate lending, including first-position mortgages, promissory notes, personal guarantees, property insurance, lender's title insurance, borrower underwriting, ARV, comparable sales, rehab budgets, and loan-to-value considerations.

If you're interested in private money lending, hard money lending, real estate investing, real estate loans, or becoming a private lender, this video gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how I personally got started.

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

How I Made $26,000 in 2 Months Real Estate Lending

In this video, I break down a real real estate lending deal where I made $26,092 in total income in just 59 days on a $186,000 loan. The loan was secured by three investment properties, and I walk through exactly where the income came from, including $22,485 in fees and $3,607 in interest.

I also explain my real estate lending business from start to finish: how borrowers find me, how I underwrite both the borrower and property, how I structure loan terms, what happens at closing, how rehab draws work, how I collect interest and fees, and how the capital gets redeployed after the borrower sells or refinances the property.

I also cover three important concepts that have shaped the way I approach private and hard money lending: small-balance loans, capital velocity, and why interest is only one part of the economics of a real estate loan.

If you're interested in real estate investing, private money lending, hard money lending, real estate finance, or becoming a real estate lender, this video gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how the business actually works.

https://www.zipcapitalfund.com/investment-offering

0:00 How I Made $26,000 in 2 Months
1:26 Breaking Down the Numbers
2:13 The $186,000 Real Estate Loan
2:50 How I Made $26,000
5:22 My ROI on the Loan
6:57 Important Disclaimer
7:38 3 Lessons From This Loan
8:42 Why Capital Velocity Matters
10:32 How Real Estate Lending Works
11:48 Step 1: Investor Finds a Property
12:41 Step 2: Loan Application
13:47 Step 3: Underwriting the Loan
17:04 Step 4: Setting the Loan Terms
18:14 Step 5: Pre-Closing Due Diligence
19:32 Step 6: Closing & Loan Management
21:20 Step 7: Renovating the Property
22:01 Step 8: Rehab Draws
22:49 Step 9: Interest & Fees
23:53 Step 10: Borrower Pays Back the Loan
25:07 Investing With ZIP Capital

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

0:00 Day in the Life of a Hard Money Lender
1:42 My Typical Morning Routine
2:36 My LinkedIn Investor Strategy
5:14 Emails and Daily Admin
5:55 Running My Bookkeeping Business
6:45 Processing 10 Real Estate Loans
7:47 Why I Funded Only 4 of 67 Loan Requests
8:21 Managing Cash Flow in a Short-Term Loan Fund
9:02 Inside ZIP Capital’s $8 Million Loan Portfolio
9:59 Raising $7 Million in 20 Months
10:49 My Content Marketing Strategy
12:07 How YouTube Has Generated Customers and Investors
13:26 Why I Chose ZIP Capital Over My Other Businesses
14:48 Should I Remain a Solo Entrepreneur?
17:04 Visiting Properties and Running Paid Ads
18:37 Spending $11,000 to Reach Investors
20:39 My Goal to Raise $10 Million
23:13 Final Thoughts and What Comes Next

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

00:00 Inside My $8 Million Real Estate Private Credit Fund
01:05 How I Raised Almost $7 Million
01:54 Minimum Investment and Average Investor Size
02:06 Paying Investors $56,000 in One Month
02:47 Monthly Distributions and Compounding Interest
04:00 How YouTube Helped Me Raise $1.5 Million
05:17 My 9:00 P.M. Investor Phone Call
05:50 Regulation D Rule 506(c) Explained
06:16 What I Do With Investor Capital
07:09 How I Diversify Across Properties and Borrowers
08:17 My Typical Real Estate Loan
09:32 Breaking Down a $140,000 Loan
10:42 Borrower Cash Reserve Requirements
11:11 How ZIP Capital Makes Money
12:03 How a First-Position Mortgage Protects Me
12:51 How I Underwrite Real Estate Loans
13:13 How I Calculate After-Repair Value
15:31 Real Examples of Inflated Property Values
16:41 Why I Review County Tax Records
18:10 How I Protect Investor Capital
18:39 My Portfolio’s 61% Loan-to-ARV
19:20 Why Borrowers Need Skin in the Game
21:12 Why Cash Reserves Matter
21:47 How Insurance Protected Me After a Fire
22:16 Why Title Insurance Is Critical
22:59 What Happens After I Fund a Loan
23:39 Setting Up Monthly Borrower Payments
24:11 Bookkeeping for a Private Credit Fund
24:44 Tracking Loans, Documents, and Rehab Draws
25:14 Monitoring Maturities and Exit Strategies
26:09 Reviewing Construction Draw Requests
26:43 The Reality of Managing a Private Credit Fund

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

0:00 Micro Urgency, Macro Patience
1:49 What Micro Urgency Looks Like
2:03 Why Speed Wins More Bookkeeping Clients
3:34 Finish Today to Create Opportunity Tomorrow
4:58 How Urgency Helps ZIP Capital Fund Loans
6:01 The Importance of Communication and Organization
6:59 Why I Create Marketing Content Before 8 AM
8:00 The 9 PM Call That Could Be Worth $500,000
9:47 What Macro Patience Looks Like
10:18 Why Entrepreneurs Cannot Overreact to Slow Months
11:43 From Almost No Views to 50,000 Subscribers
12:54 How YouTube Generated $1.5 Million From Two Investors
13:46 Why I Keep Spending Money on Ads
15:11 Raising $5 Million Took Longer Than It Looks
16:20 The Boring Work Behind Business Growth
17:34 The Truth Behind ZIP Capital’s Success
17:59 Why I Am Going All In on ZIP Capital
18:20 The Principle Every Entrepreneur Should Remember

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

 0:00 Why We Bought a Bigger House
 1:58 Coaching Youth Football and Building a Home Gym
 3:36 My Weekly Bookkeeping Meeting: Why I’m Losing Interest
 7:14 ZIP Capital August 2026 Update
 8:04 Paying $56,000 in Monthly Investor Distributions
 8:29 67 Loan Requests, but Only 4 Loans Funded
 10:23 Why I’m Scaling Down My Bookkeeping Business
 12:43 The Scary Reality of Entrepreneurship
 14:09 Why I’m Not Ready to Retire at 33 

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

00:00 ZIP Capital Receives Another $100,000
00:17 Can We Still Reach $10 Million?
00:35 Why Capital Raising Has Slowed Down
02:08 Why Current Investors Adding More Matters
03:31 Managing Millions of Dollars Responsibly
03:41 Your Best Marketing Strategy
05:27 Visiting a ZIP Capital-Funded Property
06:14 Finding a Long-Term Lending Partner
06:44 Meeting an Investor With 40 Rentals
07:36 Why I’m Walking More Properties
08:21 What to Do When Business Feels Slow
09:33 Finishing August Strong
10:01 Buying Our New Family Home
11:13 Why I’m Continuing to Run Paid Ads
12:14 Final Thoughts

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

0:00 How I Started Real Estate Lending
0:31 Five Ways to Invest Your Money
1:56 Investing in Real Estate Debt
2:12 How Bookkeeping Led Me to Lending
3:40 Discovering Private Money Lending by Accident
5:24 Saving My First $50,000
6:45 Why I Considered Buying Rentals
8:21 Why the Rental Numbers Didn’t Work
10:41 Why I Chose Lending Instead
11:57 Lending vs. Rental Property Returns
15:31 My First $50,000 Real Estate Loan
17:28 The Skills a Private Lender Needs
19:54 My Bookkeeping Skills Finally Made Sense
20:35 Build Around Your Strengths
21:21 Where My Lending Journey Started

This video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Any discussion of ZIP Capital is intended to share my personal experiences building and operating the business. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Any investment opportunities discussed are available only to investors who meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

00:00 I Made $784,000 From Three Businesses
00:08 Breaking Down My Three Income Streams
00:34 Why I Had to Choose One Business
00:52 Going All-In on ZIP Capital
00:59 Time Management as an Entrepreneur
02:06 Why Every Business Owner Should Understand Bookkeeping
03:00 Communication Skills for Entrepreneurs
03:55 How Marketing Skills Transfer Between Businesses
04:41 Why Your Next Business May Grow Faster
05:02 Discipline and Consistency in Business
05:40 Technology Every Entrepreneur Must Learn
06:30 Lessons From My Failed Trucking Company
06:38 Why Focus Becomes More Important as You Grow
06:57 Business Focus Explained With a 5K Analogy
09:38 Growing Real Estate Lending From $115K to $1 Million
10:17 What Squatting 500 Pounds Taught Me About Business
11:43 How Bookkeeping Led Me to Real Estate Lending
12:16 Learning Real Estate Investing and Loan Underwriting
12:49 Why Processing Real Estate Loans Is Complicated
13:36 How ZIP Capital Was Created
14:07 My Current Mission: Raising Capital
14:47 Identify the Most Important Goal in Your Business
15:30 Why Raising Capital Is Harder Than Finding Borrowers
15:42 How My Workday Has Completely Changed
16:13 Transitioning From Daily Tasks to Strategic Work
16:38 Breakfast With a Financial Advisor
16:45 Reviewing Documents for a Real Estate Loan Closing
16:53 What I Actually Do at ZIP Capital
17:32 Starting Over With Marketing Again
18:08 Documenting My Business Journey in Real Time