One page. Your name, your market focus, your target deal criteria, your annual volume goal, and your capital requirements. If you are presenting to private money lenders, this is the page they read first — it must be specific, credible, and grounded in real market data. Vague statements about opportunities in real estate belong in infomercials, not business plans.
Document your specific buy box: target purchase price range, maximum ARV threshold, minimum required spread above MAO before you sign a contract, acceptable neighborhoods and zip codes, maximum rehab scope you will take on, and required minimum net profit per deal. This section is your decision framework — when a deal meets all criteria, you move. When it does not, you pass.
Show exactly how you will fund your deals: current liquid capital, existing credit lines, private money relationships confirmed and potential, and hard money lender relationships. Show the math for your first 3 deals — purchase, rehab, carrying costs, selling costs, and projected net return. Private money lenders want to see that you have thought through the capital cycle, not just the profit potential.
Describe how you will find deals: wholesaler relationships, direct mail campaigns, MLS monitoring, agent relationships, and online lead channels. Show monthly marketing budget and expected deals per source. Lenders who see a documented lead generation strategy feel more confident than those who see a plan that depends entirely on deals showing up on their own.
Dan White is a licensed Virginia real estate agent at Pearson Smith Realty and founder of FreeDealCalc.com. He has been investing in Northern Virginia real estate for 20+ years.