MB538: How to Build a Private Lending Fund After Flipping Houses and Investing in Syndications - with Will Harvey

In this episode, Michael Blank welcomes back Will Harvey, founder and managing partner of Harvey Capital, to explore his evolution from multifamily investor and mortgage professional into the private lending business. After leaving his W-2 job to pursue real estate full time, Will discovered that he enjoyed the finance side of investing far more than the operational side—and eventually built a private lending business focused on asset-backed loans. Will explains how the private lending model works, why he prefers lending against real estate rather than owning it, how he raises capital through a fund structure, and how he protects investor capital through conservative underwriting. The conversation also dives deep into how Will is using AI to transform everything from underwriting and Google Ads to lead generation and investor outreach, offering a fascinating look at how technology can dramatically increase the scale and efficiency of a real estate business. ### **Key Takeaways** - **Private Lending Can Provide Real Estate Exposure Without Owning the Property** - Will explains why he prefers lending against real estate rather than dealing with tenants, contractors, renovations, and property operations—and how lenders can earn attractive interest while maintaining a secured position. - **Protecting Capital Starts With Conservative Underwriting** - The goal isn't to take back properties when borrowers default. It's to structure loans with enough margin of safety that the investment remains protected even when something goes wrong. - **Fund Structures Can Reduce Concentration Risk** - Rather than putting all of an investor's money into a single loan, Will prefers a fund model that spreads capital across multiple loans and borrowers. - **AI Is Transforming Real Estate Underwriting** - Will uses Claude Code to analyze borrowers, verify their track records, review financial statements, research potential red flags, and produce detailed underwriting briefs—allowing his team to process significantly more volume. - **AI Can Turn Marketing Data Into Actionable Insights** - By feeding Google Ads reports into Claude, Will can quickly identify which campaigns, keywords, locations, and time periods are performing best, dramatically accelerating a process that previously took weeks of manual analysis. - **AI Is Opening New Doors for Capital Raising** - Will is using AI to identify potential investors through public property records, including people who own real estate through self-directed retirement accounts, creating targeted lists that would have previously required significant man ### **Connect with Will Harvey** - Website: Harvey Capital - Email: will@harvey-capital.com ### Connect with our Deal Maker Partners Check out all Partners here - **Attorney** - Swafford Law LLC - Asset Manager - Cyndee Harding, High Caliber Multifamily - CPA - James Bohan, Stonehan Accountancy - **Mentor** - Deal Maker Mentoring ### Resources Connect with Michael Blank TheFreedomPodcast.com Join the Deal Maker Mastermind Explore Michael’s Mentoring Program Review the Podcast on Apple Podcasts Get the Syndicated Deal Analyzer Get the Book, Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing by Michael Blank For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session538/