Scale Your Real Estate Portfolio With Nationwide Investor Lending

Dante Burt (00:00)
I talk to you about everything other than the deal. When you call, it’s “Hey Joseph, how you doing? Glad you called me. What made you call me today?” “Well, I’m looking at a property, and…” “Okay, great. I’d like to get to that. How long have you been investing or how did you hear about me?” I lead the conversation on something other than the deal because every lender you talk to is going to tell you they have the best rates. They close the fastest and they’ll answer the phones. I don’t want to say the same thing that everybody else will say.

Joseph Crooms (02:05)
Hey everyone, welcome to Investor Fuel Real Estate Pros Podcast. Today we have Dante, and he is going to get into what he does. He is an investor, but I’m not going to give it all away. So first of all, I’m Joseph Crooms and I’m your host today. So welcome. So Dante, glad to have you here. Tell me, say hello to everyone.

Dante Burt (02:29)
Hello everyone, and it’s my pleasure of being here. I appreciate the opportunity. I am actually a lender that helps investors scale their portfolio, expand and grow.

Joseph Crooms (02:41)
All right. So you can see Dante’s all into it. So before I can even ask the question, so Dante, let me ask you this question. How long have you been an investor?

Dante Burt (02:51)
Two and a half years.

Joseph Crooms (02:52)
Good. And what were you in real estate prior, or you just went that niche?

Dante Burt (02:59)
So what actually happened, I’m from Wisconsin. I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I moved out to Arizona. I was working jobs. I’ve had a couple of businesses in my time. And none of that was actually working for me and giving me the freedom that I needed. I got into the investing sector and connected with a couple of my capital partners, and we started lending. And that’s been the field since.

Joseph Crooms (03:26)
Dante, what markets are you operating in primarily?

Dante Burt (03:29)
We have a nationwide footprint. So as long as it’s not rural or remote—and you know, I would have to say “but” because it’s not absolute—but as long as it’s not rural and remote, for the most part, we can most definitely or most likely get that deal funded in that area. So markets is open.

Joseph Crooms (03:49)
When you say not remote, can you explain what do you mean by that exactly?

Dante Burt (03:53)
So remote areas like where there’s not a per capita right by there, it’s not tied to a big city, we can’t get a count or comps on the area, that’s—that’s really remote.

Joseph Crooms (04:07)
Mm-hmm. Okay. And in that, in your first year, where was your volume or revenue at? And second part of the question, where’s it at now?

Dante Burt (04:17)
So in my first year, volume was very scary because I—I was getting my feet wet. But after that, now I am trailing very well. I have a—I have a portfolio of probably, or Rolodex, I’ll call it, of probably 700 investors that I talk to or I try to talk to throughout the weeks as I’m calling or accepting calls, sending out emails. So it’s—it’s expanded greatly.

Joseph Crooms (05:35)
How would you convert that to your monthly? What—what—what is your—what is your monthly volume or revenue now?

Dante Burt (05:41)
Monthly volume of revenue. So last month we’ve cleared over three hundred million in revenue for real estate investors. And that’s—that’s a great milestone to be a part of.

Joseph Crooms (05:52)
How—how was—how does that translate to you?

Dante Burt (05:54)
Well, how that translates to me is however many people I help, then it gets me to probably, you know, seventy or eighty thousand a month, you know, in personal revenue.

Joseph Crooms (06:06)
And how long have you been at that level?

Dante Burt (06:08)
The last eight or nine months, I’ll say.

Joseph Crooms (06:11)
So—so for people who may not be familiar with the world, when you—what’s your main focus these days and—and what other markets are you operating in as well that you got your footprint in now?

Dante Burt (06:22)
So, I mean, I keep it pretty—pretty comfortable. You know, I—again, we have a nationwide footprint. I stay close to my strike zone, which is lending, you know, and—and we just try to build more relationships, touch more people, help more investors either get started or help experienced investors, you know, build on what they already have.

Joseph Crooms (06:43)
How do you find those—those interested parties that you just mentioned?

Dante Burt (06:47)
Relationship building. Relationship building, Joseph. That’s the biggest key to anything. I liken it to driving down the street. In Arizona, we have a bunch of Circle K’s and Q quick stops, QTs. And so, you know, if you’re driving down the street and you see Circle K or you see QT, you have to decide which one you want to go to. Most people choose one or the other. And the reason why is based on the relationship over the years they’ve developed, whether it’s the gas, whether, you know, because nobody’s beating anybody on gas prices too much. It’s a couple pennies here or there. So that’s how I liken it with building my—building my—my relationships with people. It’s I want them to come to me because we built the relationship. No one is, you know, beating anybody by points or rates. It’s about relationship. You grab the relationship, you hold it, you make it feel secure, and they will return back to you.

Joseph Crooms (07:50)
That’s not easy, especially in this climate. What’s been the—what’s been the key keeping your machine running smoothly?

Dante Burt (07:56)
Picking up the phone, answering the email, being consistent.

Joseph Crooms (08:00)
And give—can you run me through a conversation, like say if I called you? How—how—how do you make that personal connection with me?

Dante Burt (08:09)
I talk to you about everything other than the deal. When you call, it’s “Hey Joseph, how you doing? Glad you called me. What made you call me today?” “Well, I’m looking at a property, and…” “Okay, great. I’d like to get to that. How long have you been investing or how did you hear about me?” I lead the conversation on something other than the deal because every lender you talk to is going to tell you they have the best rates. They close the fastest and they’ll answer the phones. I don’t want to say the same thing that everybody else will say.

Joseph Crooms (09:17)
Hmm. Thank you for answering that. Now, you’re welcome. Yeah, every operator I know has a moment when things got real. Maybe that went sideways or time that you got to pivot. And the fact that you’ve been two years or in this thing for—year one getting your feet wet and now you’re—you’re—you’re—you’re a shaker and mover. Share one of those moments with us, Dante.

Dante Burt (09:41)
So I—I call it a teachable moment. So it was a fix and flip that I was lending on. And because I didn’t extract all of the information on the first phone call, I kind of lost that he—he lost the passion in—in wanting to do the deal. So that’s when I pivoted to find the relationship first, and then you’ll get all the answers. If I can have a—a long, friendly conversation with you, then I’ll get you comfortable enough where you want to give me all the information. A key trick is every time you talk to someone, the first conversation is the most important. People don’t care about what you can do for them. They care about how you made them feel. So that was the teachable moment for me. I don’t think he felt like I cared enough because I was rushing. I was still trying to get my feet wet. And he moved on to another lender who can get his job done. And I understand that now. So that was the pivoting point for me. That was the teaching lesson. That cost me about a nice penny.

Joseph Crooms (10:51)
So you had the mechanics down, but you found that the relationship building is a skill all by itself.

Dante Burt (11:01)
Relationship building is the best skill. You know, no one wants to deal with someone who doesn’t pick up the phone. I’ve got friends, personal friends, that, you know, if—if I call them, I know they’re going to pick up the phone, some more than others. Right? And those are the relationships that people in general like. They like to know—everybody wants to feel important. So them as investors, you have to know you’re dealing with a multitude of people, you have to treat everybody the same way. And if I have an incoming call or text, it’s immediate response. Text them back. Let them know I—I will be right back after I get done with this call. Right? So that’s the thing that I try to implement in every relationship.

Joseph Crooms (11:45)
Dante, can I go back to—to that—that moment? What are some of the key questions that you—what were some of the key points of that—your—that process and that info—what information did you not get?

Dante Burt (11:59)
So what I didn’t get from that was the ARV on the very first call. I didn’t get the ARV, and that’s important. That’s the after repair value for the fix and flip. I didn’t get that. And that was important because I needed to know that as we priced his loan. I also didn’t get his experience. His experience was important because he had been an experienced invest—I mean investor. And so having that, you know, gets him a better leverage in most cases. So I didn’t get the experience and I didn’t get the ARV. I had to call back and ask that. I didn’t get an answer for a few days. Once I finally got the answer, you know, he was telling me that, you know, he’s already going on because he has to close in this time frame.

Joseph Crooms (12:48)
How long does it normally take you to close a deal? You got every—so you got everything right. You built the relationship, conversation. How soon—is it thirty days or I’m—can you share with that with—

Dante Burt (12:59)
Le—less than thirty days. On DSCRs I’ve—I’ve—the fastest I’ve closed a DSCR was in fifteen days. The fastest I’ve closed a fix and flip has been a week. But what’s average is a fix and flip is normally two weeks. You get me all the information, all the docs. DSCRs typically twenty-one days. I can get close.

Joseph Crooms (13:21)
So you’re throwing a lot of acronyms at me, Dante. Yes. DSAR—the D—DSCR—

Dante Burt (13:27)
DSCR. Okay. Debt service coverage ratio. It makes—it makes sure that the—the more—I mean the rent can cover the mortgage. Right? So that’s what the DSCR [does]. And typically banks want to see the DSCR at 1.25 or 1.15. Right. So that’s just ensures that the—the property is protected if they foreclosed or anything.

Joseph Crooms (14:35)
So you’re—you’re—you’re a master investor. Which one of those niches, flipping homes or the DS—which one of you think your—your—your forte is really in? Or both?

Dante Burt (14:46)
Both. I think—I think both because if it’s—if it’s fix and flip, I know, you know, it’s probably a ninety-day—a ninety-day loan. They—they typically keep it, you know, I’ll—I’ll give a—a year or two loan and, you know, they’ll have—they’ll pay it back off in ninety days. A good flipper with a good GC, a general contractor, they’ll be done with their job in—in ninety days, typically. With DSCRs, that’s—that’s pretty more streamlined. It’s just—it’s an easy transition. It’s not as hands-on for me as a fix and flip.

Joseph Crooms (15:23)
So you’re talking about a contractor. Do you, like say if I—say I’m an investor, s—sort of in the game a little bit, but I don’t have a contractor or I don’t have a property manager. Do you advise them in that as well if from the relationships you—

Dante Burt (15:39)
Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I have general contractors that I talk to because they also help me gain relationships with new investors. So if they don’t have one, then that’s when I step in and offer, you know, “Here, here’s—here’s a referral. You know, this guy, you know, I know he does good business.” So yes, I definitely do that.

Joseph Crooms (16:00)
Okay. And in Arizona where you’re at now, which is dominating or is it the—the flips and s—and the flipping homes or both?

Dante Burt (16:09)
So Arizona is saturated with lenders and investors, and it’s a great market. It’s a great market. It’s a lot of multifamilies going up. It’s a lot of apartment buildings going up, like, you know, all over the place. There is a lot of fix and flips. The thing is you also have SubTo division out here, they’re doing creative financing and transition financing, which is a great community. It’s just—it’s just not traditional for us in most cases. But it’s a lot going on. And it’s not really one—one—one—one style of investing that’s taken over. Like fixing flips is everywhere. They’re building a lot of multifamilies. There’s a lot of ground-up constructions out here because they’re growing—Arizona is growing so fast.

Joseph Crooms (16:58)
All right, let’s sort of shift this for a moment. First of all, that’s the kind of stuff people don’t talk about. Building strong relationship, thank you for sharing it with our audience. Conversations what really excites our—our people. And honestly, it also separates folks who are just dabbling from the ones that stay in the game a long time. First question: How did you know this is my job?

Dante Burt (17:06)
Thanks. Thank you. You’re welcome. When I start doing it, the appreciation I felt when I actually helped someone, when I help someone get to the finish line on their first property, when I help someone get a deal done that they couldn’t get done somewhere else, the appreciation and gratitude you get from those people when they return and when they refer someone to you, and—and they come and they say, “I heard a lot of good stuff about you,” and you repeat the process over again with them. And they have the same gratitude and appreciation. That’s how I knew it was for me.

Joseph Crooms (17:51)
Thanks for sharing that. So let me ask you this. What are you focused on solving next or scaling next? What’s the next real goal for you?

Dante Burt (17:59)
The next real goal for me is really getting off into multifamilies. I want to invest a lot of multifamily properties. I don’t care if it’s four units, eight units, six, twelve, twenty-four. I’m—my job again is to deploy capital and I want to help people scale in the ways of multifamily properties because it’s expanding.

Joseph Crooms (18:25)
Mm-hmm. That’s big. Especially when you’ve already sort of mastered the—the—the flipping game and the D—

Dante Burt (18:33)
The rentals. Yeah, j—yeah, just say—just say rentals.

Joseph Crooms (18:36)
Yeah, I got—I’m podcast, but I’m learning as I go along. The next move can either compound things or create chaos depending on how you play it. Now I know a lot of our listeners are early in the journey looking to level up and I think they’re going to benefit from this. When it comes to building relationships and growing your network, what’s made the difference for you?

Dante Burt (19:02)
Authenticity. I may—I just want to be trans—transparent with people. If you know—if you stumble over a word, be—be authentic enough, be real enough to tell a person if you can’t do something. A lot of—a lot of people I’ve heard of… they say, “Yes, I’ll get you this 90% LTV,” and they really can’t. They’ll never pick up the phone again. And I’m just willing up to have that uncomfortable conversation: “Hey, this is probably not going to work, but what do you—what else do you have cooking? Like, let’s keep it going. Let’s stay positive about it. Don’t get down on it. We can do another one.” Right? So it’s about… just being authentic, being your authentic and true self.

Joseph Crooms (19:51)
Well, Dante, I really want to thank you because you—you are truly authentic, and thank you for your graciousness because sometimes technical problems happen and so happened today. So thank you for your patience. So let me ask you this before we wrap up: You can’t fake relationships in this space, so—so here it is. If someone wanted to reach out to Dante, to reach out to connect with you, maybe collaborate, learn more about what you’re doing… what you doing? What’s the best way to reach it?

Dante Burt (20:22)
Call me: (602)901-5067.

Joseph Crooms (20:29)
All right, Dante. So I’m one of those guys that’s trying to find my pen. So I figure that there’s a—probably thirty thousand customers just like that. Give it to us one more time.

Dante Burt (20:38)
602-901-5067.

Joseph Crooms (20:43)
And give me your first and last name who they should be asking for.

Dante Burt (20:45)
Dante Burt, D-A-N-T-E B-U-R-T.

Joseph Crooms (20:51)
Do you have an email as well?

Dante Burt (20:52)
I do. And it’s my first name, [email protected]. I’ll spell that for you. It’s [email protected].

Joseph Crooms (21:04)
Perfect. Well listen, I appreciate your time, Dante, and your story, your perspective, and—and you’re bringing out being transparent. I’m hearing some of the top operators talk just as you are. And even though they have different niches, but they’re saying transparency, honesty is very important. So we need more people in the space who are doing it the right way. Thanks again for being here, my friend.

Dante Burt (21:26)
You are welcome. Thank you for having me. And I look forward to hearing from somebody.

Joseph Crooms (21:30)
All right. So for—for those of you tuning in, I know you got value from this. Make sure that you subscribe. We got more conversations coming from—on operators just like Dante, who out there building real business, but more so building communities and helping real people. We’ll see you at the next episode of Investor Fuel Real Estate Pros Podcast. And Dante, tell everybody we’ll talk to them later.

Dante Burt (21:55)
We’ll talk to you later. Have a great day.

Joseph Crooms (21:57)
Make sure y’all contact him, y’all. Talk to y’all soon.