Investing from His Dorm to Owning 500+ Units with Derrick Barker, Ep. 742

Derrick Barker is the co-founder and CEO of Nectar, a flexible capital platform for experienced real estate operators. He began buying property from his Harvard dorm room, later traded structured bonds at Goldman Sachs while scaling to 500+ units, and now oversees thousands of units while helping operators unlock growth with portfolio-backed capital.

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Key Takeaways

• Think portfolio, not “one deal”—build proof of concept and a differentiated pitch to attract capital.

• Scaling exposes new constraints: you may outgrow property managers, contractors, and partners as you level up.

• Nectar provides flexible capital (mezz/pref-style) backed by low‑leverage, cash‑flowing assets to bridge gaps without full refis or capital calls.

• Flexible capital can be faster and cheaper (all‑in) than recapitalizing the entire first mortgage just to plug a small shortfall.

• Business is continuous problem‑solving—focus on which fires to put out, which ones to let burn, and don’t quit.

Topics

From Harvard Dorm Room to 500+ Units

• Started with a $40K house in southwest Atlanta and raised small checks by offering higher cash yields vs. NYC cap rates.

• Used early wins as proof of concept to expand into small multis and portfolios.

Scaling Pains and People Problems

• Outgrew managers and construction partners mid‑project; learned to replace teams to match new scale.

• On‑site staffing quality and leadership turnover can make or break results.

What Nectar Does

• Portfolio‑backed, flexible capital for seasoned operators (often 10+ years experience, $50–$100M+ AUM).

• Typically structured as mezzanine capital or preferred equity attached to stabilized assets.

• Use cases: finish an over‑budget reno, buy out a partner, plug a small gap without a full refinance.

Flexible Capital vs. Refinancing

• Rather than refinance a $10M first to $10.5M (fees, timing, higher rate), place a targeted $500K slice behind the first.

• Often cheaper all‑in than rescue capital or capital calls—and much faster.

Case Study Snapshot

• Northeast owner stabilized at home market; ran over budget on a Southeast value‑add.

• Nectar capital, secured by the stabilized NE portfolio, finished the work; repayment came from cash flow.

Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here.

Round of Insights

Failure that set Derrick up for success: A land‑plus‑construction deal died during the pandemic; selling the land at a loss taught him to only place debt on cash‑flowing assets.

Digital or mobile resource: ChatGPT — loaded with core docs to act as a context‑aware thought partner.

Book recommendation: Principles by Ray Dalio.

Daily habit: Weekly written priorities to define what makes the week a success.

#1 insight for scaling in business: Don’t quit—decide which fires to put out and which to let burn so you can keep moving.

Favorite restaurant in Atlanta, GA: Muchacho.

Next Steps

• Explore Nectar’s flexible capital solutions for experienced operators: usenectar.com 

• Audit your current partners (management, construction, lenders) and upgrade where your scale demands it

• Document weekly priorities to keep focus as you grow

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