About Bayport Funding
The Direct Bridge Lender Built for Real Estate Investors
Bayport Funding is a direct bridge lender and a true balance sheet lender headquartered in Great Neck, New York. Since 2011, the firm has financed experienced fix and flip investors, ground-up builders, and multi-family developers across 36 states, originating more than $2.2 billion with 100% of draws managed in-house. As THE SMART MONEY LENDER®, Bayport originates every loan from its own balance sheet.
Every credit decision, draw, and workout is handled in-house, by the people with the authority to act on it.
We create wealth by building neighborhoods
Bayport’s mission extends beyond lending. The firm creates wealth by empowering investors while putting capital directly to work in local properties, adding value through thoughtful investment, supporting quality housing, and strengthening the neighborhoods and communities around them.
Every project the firm finances, from a fix and flip to a ground-up build, strengthens the surrounding neighborhood. Bayport’s team has acquired, rehabilitated, and sold real estate themselves, and they bring that experience to every borrower they back.
WHO Bayport IS
Bayport Funding LLC is owned and operated by mortgage bankers and real estate developers with decades in the business. Its borrowers acquire and improve residential, multi-family, condo, and mixed-use properties, then resell them or hold them in a portfolio. The firm serves developers and investors across the full project lifecycle, from acquisition and construction through bridge to stabilization and permanent financing.
The Balance Sheet Advantage
Why it matters on a construction site
On a live job, speed is the deciding factor. Because Bayport approves and funds change orders directly, developers work with the people who make the decision, not layers of approval in between.
What it means to hold its own loans
Holding its own loans gives Bayport control of its timeline and its credit standards. Decisions stay in-house, so the firm can adapt as a deal evolves. That control delivers the speed and certainty experienced developers depend on.
The Smart Money Lender®
In-House Underwriting and 72-Hour Funding
How Bayport closes in 72 hours
Bayport underwrites in-house, and the same team that approves a loan manages it through payoff. With the decision under one roof, the firm can commit and fund in as little as 72 hours.
In-house draw management
A dedicated internal team manages construction draws. On a rehabilitation or construction loan, every week a finished phase waits on a draw adds interest and holding costs that cut into the developer’s margin. Faster draws mean faster completions and more closed deals each year.
What Bayport Finances
Bayport finances the full life cycle of an investment project. Its core products are:
- Fix & flip lending for investors ready to act on an opportunity.
- Fix & flip with rehabilitation for heavier value-add projects.
- Ground-up construction loans for builders.
- Multi-family and development financing for middle market sponsors.
- Long-term financing for investors holding rental portfolios.
Through its Smart Money Loan Program, Bayport structures each bridge loan around the specific scope and exit strategy of the project. Its multi-family bridge loan platform deliberately serves the $1 million to $10 million range, a middle market segment that sits above what community lenders typically fund and below where institutional desks typically start.
The People Who Make the Call
Bayport’s leadership brings hands-on experience as mortgage bankers, real estate investors, and developers.
Marcia Kaufman, Chief Executive Officer
Marcia Kaufman brings more than 30 years in mortgage banking and real estate. She has held senior leadership roles at Bank of America, American Home Mortgage Ventures, Preferred Empire Mortgage Company, and Arbor National Mortgage. She also founded and owned Select Mortgage, a private real estate investment and licensed mortgage brokerage firm, giving her firsthand experience as both an entrepreneur and real estate investor.
After the 2008 financial crisis, she spent years acquiring distressed properties, rehabilitating them, and returning them to market as move-in ready homes. She has worked the borrower’s side of the table, and that is the lens she brings to every loan.
Bruce Lawner, Chief Operating Officer
Harris Lukashok, Head of Origination
Harris Lukashok holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University GSAPP and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Binghamton University. Over more than 15 years in commercial real estate finance, he originated deals from $2 million to $300 million at Bank of America and Ladder Capital. He is building Bayport’s middle market multi-family origination platform.
Sharon Nachman, Director of Business Development
Sharon Nachman is often the first person a prospective borrower speaks with at Bayport. As Director of Business Development, she manages relationships across borrowers, brokers, investors, and partners, and she moves deals from a first conversation to a closing.
Nachman came to real estate lending after six years as a marketing manager at Bosch, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, Israel. Her work rests on a single conviction: lasting business is built on relationships. In 2023, HousingWire named her a HousingWire Insider, and she has been profiled in The Elite Officer.
Bayport’s founding leadership and senior team
Principals Mira Bar-Mashiah, Jane Gol, and Amir Chaluts bring decades of combined experience in underwriting, development, and construction.
Joseph Cancellieri, CPA serves as Chief Financial Officer, Max Steinberg as Director of Asset and Loan Portfolio, and Nina Smalls-Toogood as In-House Counsel. Full bios for the team are on Bayport’s leadership page.
A Track Record Institutions Trust
Bayport’s track record rests on repeat borrowers who close deal after deal with the firm. A sample of recent work is on its recent transactions page.
Work With the Direct Bridge Lender Experienced Investors Trust
Turn your property development plans into reality. Speak with Bayport today to see how their flexible funding solutions can support your next project. Brokers who place loans for clients can explore the broker partnership program. To get started, call Bayport at (800) 609-7707.
Bayport Funding is THE SMART MONEY LENDER®, a member of the American Association of Private Lenders, the National Private Lenders Association, and an Equal Housing Opportunity lender.
