How Private Money Transformed Jay Conner’s Real Estate Business

***Guest Appearance

Credits to:

https://www.youtube.com/@creativefinanceplaybook 

"Private Money Mastery: How Jay Conner Transformed Real Estate Investing"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9yBCTSMkZU 

If you’re a real estate investor (or striving to become one), the challenge isn’t always about finding the right property. More often, it’s about finding the money to fund your deals, especially when traditional financing decides to turn off the tap, and that can happen faster than you think.

On a recent podcast episode, seasoned investor Jay Conner sat down with Jenn and Joe Delle Fave to peel back the curtain on the game-changing role private money played in his real estate business—an approach that not only rescued his investing career but tripled his business during one of the most trying economic times in recent history.

The Moment Everything Changed

Jay Conner, along with his wife Carol Joy, had been successfully investing in single-family homes in Morehead City, North Carolina, since 2003. Like many, he relied on the steady comfort of a bank line of credit to fund his deals. That all changed in January 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. Without warning, his bank (and trusted banker, Steve) pulled the plug: his line of credit was closed, and new loans to real estate investors dried up overnight.

Faced with two lucrative deals under contract and no way to close them, Jay’s back was against the wall. But rather than seeing an insurmountable problem, he asked the transformative question: “Who do I know that can help me with this problem?” That question led him to an introduction to private money—and ultimately, to financial freedom.

What Is Private Money Lending?

Private money in real estate refers to funds lent by individuals (not institutions) to investors, typically secured by real estate. These individuals often don’t even know they want to be lenders until someone shows them what’s possible, like using their retirement accounts (self-directed IRAs) to earn outsized, secure returns.

For Jay, learning about private money meant a total mindset shift. Instead of begging the bank, he became the one offering an opportunity. He began teaching people in his network—friends, church members, business contacts—about private lending. No hard selling, no desperate asks. Just education and a willingness to be transparent about how the process worked and the secure, solid returns they could earn.

The Power of Private Money: How It Changed the Game

When Jay started implementing private money strategies, the results were immediate and dramatic. He raised over $2 million in new funding in under 90 days. Within a year, his business had tripled, even as many other real estate investors were leaving the business entirely due to a lack of financing.

Jay explained that private money brought several advantages:

• Flexibility: The investor sets the terms, not the bank. That includes interest rates, payment schedules, and what deals get funded.
• No Limits: Unlike bank lines of credit, private lenders are only limited by their comfort and resources, not an arbitrary ceiling.
• Speed: Jay has closed deals in as little as five days, a feat impossible with institutional lenders.
• Profitability: In his market, he achieved average profits of $82,000 per deal, doing only two to three deals a month, thanks largely to the reliability and ease of private funding.

Teaching, Not Selling

Jay’s secret sauce is in his approach: separate the teaching about private money from pitching a specific deal. He positions himself as a guide and trusted resource, only calling interested lenders when he has an actual investment for their funds. “Desperation has a s