Industry Insights

The Deal Flow You Were Never Meant to See

10 min readBy Rick Melero, CEO

For decades, a private club has existed in the world of real estate finance. The members weren't listed on any roster, but they were easy to spot: institutional funds, large banks, and ultra-high-net-worth family offices. They had exclusive access to the best, most resilient real estate opportunities—the kind that never hit the open market.

They created a system where they controlled the flow of capital, and by doing so, they controlled the returns. Individual accredited investors, even those with significant wealth, were left on the outside looking in, directed towards retail products like REITs or high-fee "blind pool" funds.

You were never meant to see the actual deals. You were meant to buy the packaged product.

We know this because we were on the other side of the table. As we grew HIS Capital and began doing larger and more sophisticated deals, we started selling our portfolios of performing loans to these very institutions. We saw firsthand the quality of assets they demanded and the returns they were generating. And we asked a simple, disruptive question: "Why can't we offer this same institutional-grade deal flow directly to individual accredited investors?"

What is "Institutional-Grade" Deal Flow?

It's not just about the size of the deal. It's about the quality of the underwriting and the structure of the investment.

Rigorous, Data-Driven Underwriting

Institutions don't invest based on a gut feeling. They build a data-driven case. They analyze demographic trends, economic forecasts, and hyper-local market data. Our team, with its 110+ years of combined experience, built an underwriting process that mirrors this institutional discipline.

Off-Market Access

The best opportunities are often sourced through relationships, not public listings. Our reputation in markets like Florida and across the country brings us a steady stream of deals from experienced borrowers who need a reliable, fast-moving capital partner.

Focus on Risk-Adjusted Returns

Institutions are not just chasing the highest possible return; they are looking for the best return for a given level of risk. They are masters of capital preservation. This is why many of them love first-lien real estate debt: it offers predictable, equity-like returns with the security of a debt instrument.

The Institutional Playbook: How They Really Invest

Let me pull back the curtain on how institutions actually approach real estate debt investing, based on our direct experience selling to them:

The Due Diligence Process

What They Demand:

  • • Independent, third-party appraisals (never broker price opinions)
  • • Comprehensive borrower background checks and financial analysis
  • • Detailed market studies and comparable sales analysis
  • • Environmental assessments for commercial properties
  • • Title insurance and legal opinion letters
  • • Stress-tested cash flow projections

What They Reject:

  • • Deals based on "optimistic" valuations
  • • Borrowers without proven track records
  • • Properties in declining or unstable markets
  • • Loans with insufficient equity cushions
  • • Any deal they can't fully understand and verify

The Portfolio Construction Strategy

Institutions don't just buy individual loans—they build portfolios with specific characteristics:

Geographic Diversification

They spread risk across multiple markets, avoiding concentration in any single region.

Borrower Diversification

No single borrower represents more than 5-10% of the portfolio.

Property Type Mix

They balance between different asset classes (residential, commercial, industrial) based on market conditions.

Term Laddering

They structure portfolios so loans mature at different times, providing regular capital returns for reinvestment.

Risk Layering

They combine conservative bridge loans with slightly higher-yield fix-and-flip opportunities.

The Return Expectations

Here's what institutions were actually paying for our loan portfolios:

  • Conservative Bridge Loans:7-9% annual returns
  • Fix-and-Flip Loans:9-12% annual returns
  • Commercial Loans:8-11% annual returns
  • Development Loans:11-15% annual returns

These returns were after our origination fees and servicing costs. The institutions were happy to pay these rates because they understood the value of:

  • Asset-backed security
  • Predictable cash flows
  • Professional underwriting and servicing
  • Legal protections and remedies

Pulling Back the Curtain: From Institution to Individual

Creating the Verified Investor Fund was our way of prying open the doors to this private club. We took the exact same type of asset we were selling to institutions and built a platform to fractionalize it, allowing you to participate directly.

Think about what this means:

Before:

A $20 million portfolio of our loans would be sold in a single transaction to one large fund. You would have no way to access it.

Today:

That same $20 million portfolio is broken down into individual loans. You can log onto the platform, review the underwriting on a $350,000 loan in Tampa or a $500,000 loan in Dallas, and choose to invest directly in the asset you select.

You are getting access to the same deal flow, the same underwriting, and the same asset class as the institutions. The only difference is we've cut out the middleman—the fund manager—and given you their seat at the table.

Real Examples: The Deals Institutions Love

Let me show you three actual loan types that institutions consistently purchased from us, and how they're now available to you:

Example 1: The Triple-Net Commercial Loan

What Institutions Bought:

  • • Property: Single-tenant retail building
  • • Tenant: Dollar General (15-year lease)
  • • Property Value: $850,000
  • • Loan Amount: $595,000 (70% LTV)
  • • Interest Rate: 8.5% annually
  • • Term: 24 months

Why Institutions Loved It:

  • • Investment-grade tenant with long-term lease
  • • Predictable cash flow from rent
  • • Conservative loan-to-value ratio
  • • Clear exit strategy (refinance with conventional lender)

What You Get Today:

The exact same loan structure, underwriting standards, and return profile, but you can invest as little as $50,000 instead of needing $20 million to buy an entire portfolio.

Example 2: The Experienced Flipper Portfolio

What Institutions Bought:

  • • Borrower: 15-year veteran with 200+ successful flips
  • • Geographic Focus: Central Florida markets
  • • Average Loan Size: $275,000
  • • Average LTV: 65% of ARV
  • • Interest Rate: 10% annually
  • • Average Term: 12 months

Why Institutions Loved It:

  • • Proven borrower with extensive track record
  • • Conservative underwriting with substantial equity cushions
  • • Strong local market knowledge
  • • Diversification across multiple properties

What You Get Today:

Access to individual loans from this same borrower and others like him, with the same conservative underwriting and attractive returns.

Example 3: The Bridge Loan Portfolio

What Institutions Bought:

  • • Property Types: Small multifamily and commercial
  • • Average Property Value: $1.2 million
  • • Average Loan Amount: $840,000 (70% LTV)
  • • Interest Rate: 9% annually
  • • Average Term: 18 months

Why Institutions Loved It:

  • • Income-producing properties with stable cash flows
  • • Experienced commercial real estate borrowers
  • • Clear refinancing path with conventional lenders
  • • Conservative leverage ratios

What You Get Today:

The opportunity to participate in individual bridge loans with the same quality standards and return profiles.

The Technology Revolution: Making the Complex Simple

One of the biggest barriers to individual participation in institutional-grade deals was the complexity and paperwork involved. Institutions have teams of analysts and lawyers to review deals. Individual investors typically don't.

We solved this by building technology that makes institutional-grade investing accessible:

Streamlined Due Diligence

We do the heavy lifting of underwriting and present you with a clear, comprehensive summary of each opportunity.

Digital Documentation

All loan documents, appraisals, and due diligence files are available online, eliminating the need for physical document review.

Real-Time Monitoring

You get updates on loan performance, property progress, and market conditions through our platform.

Automated Compliance

The platform handles all regulatory requirements, tax reporting, and investor communications.

Your Path to Institutional-Level Investing

The transition from retail investor to institutional-level participant doesn't happen overnight, but it can begin today:

Step 1: Change Your Mindset

Stop thinking of yourself as a retail investor. As an accredited investor, you have the capital and sophistication to move beyond retail products. Start demanding institutional-level transparency and access.

Step 2: Leverage Expert Networks

You don't have to build a nationwide network of borrowers yourself. Partner with a group that has already done the work. Our platform is the conduit for the deal flow we've spent over a decade cultivating.

Step 3: Focus on the Underwriting

The key to institutional investing is trusting the data. When you look at a deal on our platform, don't just look at the pretty pictures. Dive into the due diligence files. Scrutinize the appraisal. Review the borrower's track record. This is what the pros do, and now you can too.

Step 4: Build Your Portfolio Systematically

Don't try to hit home runs with every investment. Build a diversified portfolio of high-quality loans across different borrowers, geographies, and property types. This is how institutions approach it, and it's how you should too.

Step 5: Think Long-Term

Institutional investors don't chase the latest hot trend. They build portfolios designed to generate consistent returns over multiple market cycles. Adopt this same long-term perspective.

The Bottom Line: Your Invitation to the Club

The wall between institutional and individual investing has been breached. The deal flow you were never meant to see is now waiting for your review. The returns that were once reserved for the ultra-wealthy are now accessible to any accredited investor with the knowledge and tools to participate.

This isn't about getting lucky or timing the market. It's about accessing a proven asset class that institutions have used for decades to generate consistent, risk-adjusted returns.

The private club is no longer private. The question is: Are you ready to join?

"We didn't set out to disrupt the institutional investing world—we set out to democratize it. Every individual investor deserves access to the same high-quality opportunities that institutions have enjoyed for decades. Technology has made this possible, and we've made it accessible."

— Rick Melero, CEO, HIS Capital Group

Your seat at the institutional table is waiting. The deal flow is real, the returns are attractive, and the barriers have been removed. All that's left is for you to take your place.

Ready to Access Institutional-Grade Deal Flow?

Your free Verified Investor Fund account is your access pass to the opportunities that were once reserved for institutions. See what you've been missing.

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