RE guru does not seem to understand the difference between a partner and a lender

[Dan H.]

I am not against paying for training but prior to pay for training, verify the qualifications of the guru/coach.    I have encountered RE gurus with questionable levels of success.  I have encountered gurus that do not seem to have sufficient knowledgeable of the subject they purport to have expertise,

I do not believe I have ever seen a purported RE guru that does not seem to understand the difference between a partner and a lender prior to guru Amy Mahjoory’s Instagram post (or she is pretending to not have this understanding so that is less obvious to her students that she is defaulting on a loan).   Just to make sure people understand the difference:

- partners: invest their money in the hopes that the effort results in significant return that they benefit from and share in per the partner agreement.   They have a large stake in both the upside and downside of the effort.  They should be aware if the project fails, they could lose all their investment regardless of the assets of the other partners.

- lenders lend money on certain agreed upon terms.  If the project is a grand slam and creates huge profit, the loan terms do not change.  Similar if the project flounders, the borrower is expected to abide by the loan conditions unless the courts provide protection via a bankruptcy.

Seems simple.   I suspect most investors understand the difference between a partner and a lender.  Apparently one RE coach seems to be deficient in this basic understanding.

Purported RE guru Amy Mahjoory seems to be under the belief that her lenders should share in her RE failure as though they are a partner in her investment.   She believes that lenders should accept her offer of paying the lender principal only (no interest paid for the use of the money) and considers this making the lender whole.   She seems to imply that it is not irregular for RE investors to default on the loans they commit to.  Let me be clear, there are many RE investors who have invested for decades without ever defaulting on a loan (including yours truly).

She claims 4 HMLs accepted her offer of principle only and one did not.   I suspect the 4 feared this guru may declare bankruptcy.  Why else would they accept principle only for use of their money and the associated risk?   People do not lend money without expecting to be compensated for the use of the money and the associated risks.

By the way, I am not the lender.  If I was, I would evaluate the risk of the borrower declaring bankruptcy.   I would include the likely impact on her RE coaching business if she declared bankruptcy.   I would further evaluate her assets to determine if bankruptcy is even an option for the borrower.

This is what an internet search returned about her likely assets:

“… she is a private real estate investor and coach …

She has an impressive business track record, highlighted by the following key milestones: 

• Capital Raised: Over the last 14 years, she has raised over $60 million in private money for real estate deals.
• Student Success: Her Raising Private Money community students have raised close to $300 million across multiple investment strategies.
• HGTV Star: She is well-known as a featured real estate investor and expert on HGTV's House Huntersand Wealthfit Expert Profile.
• Industry Authority: She commands significant speaking engagement fees and is the author of the best-selling book Networking with a Purpose”

I suspect much of this is self reported like many gurus.  Does she seem likely to declare bankruptcy?   Can you imagine doing this search and added to this list that she declared bankruptcy in 2026.   Not a good look.  Likely would effect her coaching business.

Research who you lend to and who you pay to coach you.  I would not pay $0.01 for an RE coach that does not appear to understand the difference between a lender and a partner.  I would not lend to someone who publicly announces that she did not meet her loan obligations.  I suspect she will remove her instagram post as it likely will affect her ability to obtain capital for as long as it is public (possibly longer than a bankruptcy if she leaves it posted).  

here is the surprising instagram post where she basically implies that she has a poor understanding of the difference between a partner and a lender.   She outright states that she did not meet her loan obligations.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaePPW4sXTc/

Be careful out there.  Anyone can claim great success, knowledge, expertise, experience, etc.  it is not hard to get a google search on you to return lofty accomplishments.   IRL they could be struggling financially and apparently unable to meet loan obligations.  They could be more successful in their coaching business than the subject they are coaching.

Take care and be cautious