Private lending and consumer bridge loan expert with 30 years of experience in real estate finance

Private money lending combines two of my passions: creative problem-solving and helping borrowers and trust deed investors reach successful financial outcomes.

I got into the mortgage business as a residential mortgage broker in 1992. In 1994 I wrote the first edition of my popular, self-published book “Mortgages: The Insider’s Guide,” and I’ve been a subject-matter expert quoted in the WSJ, SF Chronicle, LA Times, Washington Post, and more. As a residential mortgage broker, I helped my clients through over 2000 transactions, funding more than $1 billion in mortgage loans over 25 years.

On the private money side I started investing in trust deeds and originating private money loans when I got into the mortgage business over 30 years ago. In 2009 I began building a network of trust deed investors, and that network continues to grow. For the last 7 years I have focused solely on private money: originating and underwriting a range of private real estate loans, participating in the rapidly growing consumer bridge loan space, and carefully matching trust deed investors with trust deed opportunities.

When I am not evangelizing about trust deed investing or consumer bridge loans, I love being the patriarch of a growing extended family and blazing new trails in the hills of West Marin or stand-up paddling on Tomales Bay. A couple of years spent in India in my 20s gave me a taste for both philosophy and Indian food, and I can still make killer chai* and a mean curry.

Ice-cream with a couple of the grandkids, Veda and Sienna.
Contact me

*Killer Chai

The key to great chai is great spices.
This recipe is a little labor intensive, but if you like chai
it’s well worth the trouble. 

Recipe
Richard is an expert in mortgages and financing. He is extremely knowledgeable about different financing options and is able to provide detailed information about what is available to his clients. He is very responsive by phone or email. He also provides a personal touch to the experience financing for a home.
Richard was instrumental in helping me purchase a house. He also came with me to do the signing at the close of the sale. I cant say enough about how passionate and experienced Richard is in his field.
Lisa H.
Nurse Practitioner, UCSF Medical Center
Richard is a rare find. His expertise regarding mortgages and real estate financing in general is super, as evidenced by his book and my personal experience. Combine that with his high level of professionalism and his style which includes humor, sensitivity and passion for delivering the best service and the best possible deals, and you have the kind of person that I truly value doing business with. I have consulted with Richard over many years on a wide variety of real estate transactions and his insights have been invaluable, while he is also an absolute pleasure to work with. I trust him absolutely to always have my back and cannot recommend him more highly.
Jon L.
B2B Marketing
Over ten years ago I got a large inheritance. Since that time I have made many investments, not all of them great. With Richard, I get transparency, good communication, a solid return, and I know my money is safe. I love that it is secured by real estate and that I can see the details on every deal I invest in.
Chris F.
Investor in Berkeley
I am a top agent in Marin County and have been working with Richard for over 15 years. Every real estate agent needs to have a good private money lender in the toolkit, and Richard is the best. It is amazing that in a time when mortgage lending can be such a hurdle that Richard can step in, save a transaction, and close in days not weeks.
Carol A.
Coldwell Banker agent in Marin
I have been investing with Richard since 2009, with between $1 million and $2 million invested at any given time, and I have had a great experience. Richard has been very good at carefully checking out lending opportunities that look more risky than they really are, so I get both safety and a high return. Especially now, with other markets looking volatile, I like investing in first trust deeds secured by real estate that I can actually go and look at.
Maureen S.
investor in Marin County
When I first met Richard I was a relatively new agent. I had gotten my first really big deal into contract – and it was REALLY big – and I was like the dog that had caught the car. At the last minute, when the transaction looked like it was going to blow up, Richard pulled an amazing rabbit out of his hard money hat and saved the day (and a very big commission). I have since learned that Richard’s reputation is built on doing what seems impossible, impossibly fast, and making it look impossibly easy.
Caroline P.
Real estate agent in Marin County
I unexpectedly found an amazing property, the kind of place I had been dreaming about. I got into contract and was told by a conventional mortgage broker that there would be no problems, even though I am self-employed and have numerous businesses and sources of income. He couldn’t come through, and after missing two contract deadlines I was about to lose the property. Richard stepped in, smoothed relationships with the agents involved, and got the deal closed in less than 10 days. Wow!
Amy B.
Borrower in Sonoma County
I first came to Richard in 2006 when my partner and I were struggling to find a way to finance the completion of a house that we were doing a complete gut remodel on. Richard came to the rescue, and we now have a home that is worth twice what it was when we came to him. My next great experience was when Richard helped us buy-out a partner in a vacation home in Mendocino. The kind of deal and the ridiculous lender requirements made a regular loan impossible, so Richard stepped in and made it so we didn’t have to sell our interest. I really like the positive way Richard worked with me as a borrower to help me find solutions when other people told me what I wanted to do was impossible.
Lori S.
Borrower in Marin County