"Sam" Sarkis Chivitchian is the founder and CEO of Secured Capital Lending, a direct private lending firm specializing in private money and hard money loan products — including fix and flip, construction loans, DSCR, commercial bridge, land loans, and asset-based financing.
With over 20 years of experience in real estate and finance and more than 1,200+ transactions closed, Sam has become a recognized voice in the private lending industry. He frequently shares his expertise as a guest speaker at national conferences, podcasts, and industry events.
Beyond lending, Sam is a real estate broker, fund manager, and active developer. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and coaching professional MMA fighters. Surprisingly Sam is a former UFC fighter and National Judo Champion, he brings the same discipline and focus to helping investors succeed.
Bullet Points:
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:01:05] Sam's introduction and early lending background.
[00:02:15] Discovering private lending through a short sale flip.
[00:03:25] Working at LBC and founding Secured Capital Lending.
[00:05:34] How the industry changed from hard money to institutional lending.
[00:07:54] The growing divide between residential and commercial lending shops.
[00:08:57] Sam's one-stop-shop approach: hard money vs. private money.
[00:10:45] Institutionalization's impact on loan structure and underwriting.
[00:11:32] Early experience selling loans and market shifts in 2020.
[00:13:15] Thriving during COVID through investor-based lending.
[00:15:18] Value of asset-based lending during periods of market dislocation.
[00:16:06] Addressing gaps in institutional credit boxes with common-sense loans.
[00:17:30] Launching Secured Capital from scratch.
[00:18:13] Lessons in leadership and scaling slowly.
[00:20:47] Keeping the team small, focusing on efficiency and quality.
[00:22:40] Balancing origination, funding, and development ventures.
[00:23:45] Learning from the 2008 crash and growing organically.
[00:25:56] Sam's martial arts background and transition from UFC to lending.
[00:28:57] Retiring from professional MMA and starting a real estate career.
[00:30:45] How martial arts training shaped Sam's business mindset.
[00:32:43] Why discipline, resilience, and team dynamics matter in lending.
[00:34:31] Business parallels between sports competition and lending.
[00:36:32] Importance of networking, humility, and playing the long game.
[00:38:57] Advice for new market entrants and why passion is essential.
[00:40:55] The risk of 100% financing models and chasing yield.
[00:42:33] Transitioning to balance sheet lending and fund management.
[00:45:42] Choosing an LPGP fund structure to expand investor access.
[00:48:27] Using capital variety to match each loan to the right strategy.
[00:50:34] Thoughts on the current market: volatility, corrections, and inflation.
[00:53:35] Why short-term market pain could be healthy for the industry.
[00:54:38] Commercial real estate's comeback and new opportunities.
[00:56:17] Shifting to more commercial loans at Secured Capital Lending.
[00:57:48] Concerns about oversaturation and new entrants in California.
[01:00:16] Why quality execution will define success over the next five years.
[01:03:11] Caution against extreme lending models and risky strategies.
[01:04:22] Sam's closing thoughts on building the right way and long-term vision.
Links:
Learn more about Secured Capital Lending at https://securedcaplending.com/
Learn more about Geraci Law Firm at https://www.geracilawfirm.com
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