Philadelphia, Nov. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Philadelphia-based i Fund Cities, a renegade startup disrupting the traditional “behind-the-curtain” real estate investment lending system, is making their KICK-A$$ loans available in 27 additional U.S. Cities.
Unlike other lenders, the company offers wide-open insight into their lending process, rates, and terms, while standing as shoulder-to-shoulder lending partners with their investors.
In addition, i Fund Cities’ curated, broad base of funding sources allows them to use creativity and flexibility to structure their investor loans. This diversity of funds propelled i Fund Cities forward during the global pandemic, while other lenders sat it out or went out of business.
The company’s motto, “built for investors, by investors,” reflects the key factor in the company’s thriving success. Explains Co-Founder Ryan Herting, “As an investor, I wanted a lender I could relate to, lean on, and learn from. That lender would need to be entrepreneurial, real estate savvy, and have my back when I sourced a good deal. Unfortunately, that company just wasn’t out there. Now it is!”
Visit https://www.ifundcities.com/ to get your quote.
Company Co-Founders Ryan Herting, Chris Tereo, and Bryan Ziegenfuse formed i Fund Cities in 2018. They combined their decades of real estate, sales, and construction industry experience to bring about their new vision for lending—a company that was more hustle and grit than suit and tie. They formed a team to give investors an experienced and personalized service—the reverse of the “pencil-pushing-sit-behind-a-desk” lender that has, up to now, defined the industry.
The group had the vision and the expertise. Next, they needed funding. Recalls Herting, “For over a year, we kicked in every capital door possible to help us with startup capital. We were told things like, ‘You can’t do volume to scale,’ ‘You don’t have the lending experience,’ ‘We’ll let you work for pennies,’ and ‘If it works out, we’ll discuss a new structure.”
Finally, a bank loaned them a million dollars. Recalls Herting, “We just needed customers! We thought that would be the easy part, but we were wrong. All of our real estate buddies already had major lending relationships.”
That was the case, anyway, until Covid came along.
“We were baffled,” explains Herting. “We had just started to gain traction in the business—and the capital markets froze, stopping liquidity overnight in the market. But our team was determined to support our investors and grow the company. We found a large capital source, not tied to institutional money, that allowed us to continue funding.
We rolled the dice and signed our lives away for the funding. And then … as other lenders stopped lending because their capital sources had dried up, we took market share. That is when we saw that our lending platform was totally unique and sustainable, something we intend to grow upon to weather any additional storms that are coming.”
In a few years, i Fund Cities has become one of the fastest growing private lending companies in the country, supporting thousands of investors. From an untold number of first-time investors, to small investor-owned businesses to a major developer carving out a growing piece of the Delray, Fla. real estate market, the company’s format allows it to support aspirations of investors at every level.
Bottom line, says Herting, “Investors recognize the value of having a lender that gives a damn about their success.” This translates into investors being able to do more deals annually and scale their portfolios exponentially faster.
That is why i Fund Cities is on fire, and why the company is now changing the lending game in 27 additional cities in all the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. (Loans are also available in other states on a case-by-case basis.)
ABOUT: i Fund Cities is an “alternative” lending platform offering custom real estate funding options for every level of investor, across a full range of lending products. As investors ourselves, we are just like our investors: hustle and grit, not suit and tie.
We offer speed, transparency, knowledge, and a personalized investing partnership that investors are just not going to find anywhere else.
