All Forum Posts by: Stevan Stojakovic

💰 Flippers and wholesalers love to chase big ARVs - but lenders don’t care what you think a property will be worth. They care what they can actually liquidate it for.

In this week’s video, we dive deep into why lenders haircut ARVs, how the 70% rule really works, and what kind of proof actually gets your deal funded.

📽️ Watch the full breakdown here: 

💬 Here’s the reality - inflated ARVs are the #1 loan killer.
You can’t fake data. You can only support it.
The pros who consistently get 75%+ leverage aren’t better at flipping - they’re better at presenting.

If you're tired of your "$500K ARV" getting chopped down to $430K, this is your wake-up call.
We’re showing how lenders calculate true value, what internal data they use, and how to position your deal so the numbers stick.

📩 DM us your ARV and comp set - we'll tell you what lenders will actually use.

#FixAndFlip #PrivateLending #HardMoneyLoans #BRRRR #ARV #BridgeLoan #RealEstateFinance #PhoenixFunded #BiggerPockets #RealEstateInvesting #InvestorEducation #FundingDeals

🌪️ Ever had a deal fall apart after you thought you were clear to close?
Chances are, the killer wasn’t the appraisal, title, or credit - it was insurance.

Here’s what most investors don’t realize:
Lenders won’t fund a single dollar until the property is fully insured.
If you can’t bind coverage, the lender can’t wire.
And in disaster-prone or coastal markets like Florida, Texas, and California, that’s becoming a daily problem.

Carriers are pulling out of entire regions, premiums are doubling, and underwriters are tightening risk rules.
We’ve watched investors lose closings over missing binders, mismatched policy names, or “unrated” insurers.
The deal doesn’t die because of a lack of equity - it dies because no one caught the insurance gap in time.

At Phoenix Funded, we help investors prepare before underwriting even begins.
We show them how to confirm carrier ratings, match the entity name to the loan docs, and verify coverage limits that satisfy lenders before the binder is issued.

If you’re flipping or refinancing in a high-risk zone, this is your wake-up call - insurance isn’t paperwork, it’s protection for your funding.

📩 DM us for our Investor Insurance Prep Checklist.
It’s the same checklist our clients use to keep their deals from collapsing hours before closing.

#realestateinvesting #fixandflip #insurance #phoenixfunded #realestatefinance #coastalmarkets #privateLending #investortips #dscr #rentalproperties #funding

🌍 If you’re an international investor trying to buy real estate in the U.S., you already know how frustrating it is.
You’ve got the funds, the plan, and the property - but every bank keeps saying “no credit, no income, no loan.” ❌

Here’s the truth:
🏦 U.S. banks are built for domestic borrowers. Their systems can’t read foreign income or credit data.
💡 That’s why so many qualified foreign nationals get denied, even with millions in liquidity.

At Phoenix Funded, we work with private and DSCR lenders who specialize in funding foreign nationals - lenders who focus on the deal, not your passport.

Here’s how we help 🌍
✅ Structure your purchase through a lender-approved LLC or entity
✅ Prepare clean international bank documentation
✅ Prove solvency and experience using non-U.S. records
✅ Build U.S. lending credibility for cheaper refis later

We have a video about it: 

📩 DM us “FOREIGN” and we’ll send you our private list of investor-friendly lenders who actually close for non-U.S. citizens.

Once you understand how lenders really think, you stop hearing “no” - and start building your portfolio across borders. 🌎

🏠 PhoenixFunded.com | #PrivateLending #DSCR #ForeignNationalLoans #RealEstateInvesting #PhoenixFunded

📉 Leverage is the investor’s favorite word - until it isn’t.

On paper, borrowing more always looks like a win. You pull equity out, redeploy it, and scale your portfolio faster. But there’s a point where leverage stops working for you and starts working against you.

Here’s the part most borrowers miss:
When you push to 80% or 85% LTV, you're not just taking on more debt - you're raising your monthly payments and lowering your DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio).

That means your margin for error shrinks.
One missed rent payment. One vacancy. One unexpected repair.
Suddenly, the property that looked like a “cash cow” on the spreadsheet is barely breaking even in real life.

I’ve seen it happen too many times.
Investors chase every last dollar of equity, get their 80%+ leverage, and then spend the next year managing anxiety instead of cash flow.

Smart operators think differently.
They stress-test their DSCR before closing.
They ask, “What happens if rents drop 10%? What happens if rates rise?”
And they borrow just enough to stay liquid - without sacrificing breathing room.

At PhoenixFunded, we help investors find that balance.
We model your DSCR at multiple leverage levels, show you the tipping point where cash flow breaks, and structure loans that actually perform long-term.

🎥 Watch our full video: “How Leverage Can Wreck Your Cash Flow.”
It's a breakdown of why maximum leverage kills cash flow, how lenders think about DSCR risk, and how to keep your portfolio safe while still growing.

📩 DM us for our DSCR stress-test calculator.
It’ll show you exactly how far you can push leverage before it starts hurting your bottom line.

Because in this business, leverage builds wealth - but only if you respect what it can destroy. 🚀

🏡 You just finished a beautiful flip. The rehab is clean, the value jumped, and you’re ready to refinance and roll your profits into the next project.

Then the lender says: “We can’t use the new value yet.”

Welcome to the world of seasoning rules - where timing your refinance matters just as much as the construction itself.

Here’s what most investors miss:
Banks and even many DSCR lenders won't recognize your new appraisal until you've owned the property for at least six months. That’s title seasoning.
And if you’re planning to keep it as a rental, they’ll want to see a lease and rent deposits before they treat it as stabilized. That’s rental seasoning.

You might’ve just built $100K in equity - but if you try to refi too early, the lender ignores it and bases your loan on the original purchase price.
So instead of pulling cash, you’re stuck waiting.

Here’s how smart investors avoid that trap:
They plan the refinance timeline before demo day.
They coordinate rehab completion, tenant placement, and appraisal timing so the six-month mark and lease seasoning align perfectly.
That’s how you hit the lender’s boxes and cash out fast.

At PhoenixFunded, we specialize in this sequencing.
We know which lenders will use your improved value early, which require full seasoning, and how to bridge that gap without losing momentum.

🎥 Watch the full video: “Refinancing After a Flip - Why Timing Is Everything.”
You’ll see real investor examples, what lenders actually look for, and how to keep your capital in motion: 

📩 Send us your flip address - we’ll tell you the fastest refi route.

Because in real estate, it’s not just what you build.
It’s when you’re ready to pull your money back out. 🚀

🏦 Every investor wants to scale. You close one deal, then another, then another - and suddenly you’re a portfolio landlord or a serial flipper with serious volume. On paper, you look strong. But in the eyes of lenders, there’s a hidden problem: too many loans can make you “unlendable.”

Here’s why it happens:
⚠️ Banks hit you with DTI walls - your personal income no longer supports the size of your debt stack, even if every property is cash flowing.
📉 You run into exposure caps - lenders set internal limits on how much they’ll lend to a single borrower, regardless of performance.
🔒 Bridge lenders track active project counts - once you’re juggling too many flips, they pull back, worried about timelines dominoing.

The irony? You’re often denied because you succeeded. You borrowed, executed, and grew - but the system wasn’t built to let you scale endlessly.

The solution is knowing when to change playbooks:
💡 DSCR loans that ignore personal DTI and focus only on rental coverage
💡 Blanket loans that roll multiple properties into one structure and free up capacity
💡 Private capital that evaluates the deal and execution, not just your loan count

I just released a video: “When Too Many Loans Make You ‘Unlendable.’”
Inside, I explain how lender caps actually work, why they freeze out repeat borrowers, and the exact workarounds pros use to keep growing.

👉 Watch here: 

📩 DM us your current portfolio - we’ll map out your next fundable move.

Because the real risk isn’t having too many loans. The real risk is not knowing when the system will decide you do. 🚀

🌾 Investing in rural America has huge upside. Tenants stay longer, prices are stable, competition is low, and the cash flow can be boring in the best way. Yet when it comes to financing, most small-town investors hit the same wall: lenders saying no.

Here’s why:
🚫 Major banks and institutions avoid rural markets because the comps are thin and the buyer pool is shallow.
📊 Appraisers stretch miles and months to find “comps,” which credit committees don’t accept.
💸 To the big lenders, rural deals look messy - so they’d rather pass than take the risk.

But here’s the truth: rural doesn’t mean unfundable. Private and regional lenders underwrite differently. They look at income, borrower strength, and conservative ARVs instead of cookie-cutter guidelines. With the right packaging - rent rolls, liquidity, exit plans, and sometimes cross-collateralization - rural deals can and do get funded.

I just released a video: “Funding Rural Deals - Why Small-Town Investors Struggle.”
Inside, I break down:
🌾 Why banks avoid rural markets
💡 How private lenders evaluate them instead
📈 Real examples of rural properties that still got funded

👉 Watch the full video here: 

👉 DM us your rural zip - we’ll run it against lenders who actually fund small-town deals.

Because rural America isn’t the problem. The wrong lender is. 🚀

🏠 Mixed-use buildings. Converted warehouses. Quirky residential layouts. Historic structures.

As investors, we love these deals because they stand out, have less competition, and often deliver higher margins. But banks? They hate them.

Here’s why:
– Cookie-cutter homes are easy - predictable comps, predictable exits, easy to sell on the secondary market.
– Unique properties don’t fit the box - appraisers stretch comps, values fluctuate, and underwriting gets messy.
– The result? Banks usually say “not bankable” before even looking at the upside.

I just released a video: “Why Banks Hate Unique Properties.”
Inside, I break down:
⚠️ Why banks avoid unusual assets
📊 How private lenders evaluate them differently
🏢 Real cases where “weird” properties still got funded - and turned into profitable investments

👉 Watch the full video here: 

👉 Send us your “weird” property - we’ll tell you if it’s still financeable.

Because banks love predictability. But unique deals often create the best opportunities. 🚀

💸 Most investors focus on rate and points. But here’s the truth: the real profit for many lenders doesn’t come at origination - it comes when you hit maturity and need more time.

Extension fees look harmless on a term sheet - “1 point per month” or “3% for 90 days.” But when your project runs long, those line items can wipe out your profit. And for some lenders, extensions aren’t just risk management… they’re a built-in profit center.

I just released a video: “Extension Fees - The Hidden Profit Center for Lenders.”
Inside, I cover:
⚠️ Why extensions cost so much once your project runs over
🕒 When they’re fair vs. when they’re abusive
📑 How to negotiate extension terms before you sign
📉 Real examples of borrowers who paid tens of thousands in surprise fees

👉 Watch the full video here: 

👉 DM us “EXTEND” for our lender negotiation cheat sheet.

Because in lending, the rate gets your attention. The extension empties your wallet. 🚀

💰 Every borrower loves to talk about net worth. “I’ve got $3M in property.” “My portfolio is worth seven figures.” On paper, it sounds impressive. But here’s the truth: lenders don’t fund net worth. They fund liquidity.

Net worth is paper. You can’t sell half a roof to cover interest payments. What actually matters is cash - seasoned funds in the bank, reserves you can show, liquidity that keeps a project alive when things go sideways.

This is where so many investors get denied. They present a fat balance sheet but can’t prove three months of payments in reserves. To a lender, that’s fragility. On the flip side, I’ve seen borrowers with modest net worth but strong liquidity get approvals in days because their file showed safety.

I just released a video: “Why Liquidity Matters More Than Net Worth to Lenders.”
Inside, I cover:
🏦 The difference between paper net worth and usable liquidity
📑 Why lenders scrutinize your bank statements
⚠️ Real examples of approvals vs. denials based on reserves
📈 How liquidity builds credibility and better loan terms

👉 Watch the full video here: 

👉 DM us your liquidity snapshot - we’ll show you how lenders really view your file.

Because in lending, net worth gets you bragging rights. Liquidity gets you funded. 🚀