Bank on Your Neighbor: The Audiobook Podcast
Building wealth doesn’t have to mean Wall Street. In this exclusive audio series, Mel Dorman brings you Bank on Your Neighbor — a practical, people-first guide to seller financing. Learn how to create ethical, win-win deals rooted in relationships and strategy, and start building financial freedom right in your own community.
https://meldorman.com
Bank on Your Neighbor: The Audiobook Podcast
Bank on Your Neighbor: The Audiobook - Title & Credits
In this opening chapter of Bank on Your Neighbor, Mel Dorman sets the stage with the book’s dedication, acknowledgments, and forward by Zona McIntyre. You’ll hear how Mel’s journey into seller financing grew from both personal necessity and a commitment to community transformation. This episode introduces the purpose and heart behind the book—why ethical wealth building matters, who it’s for, and how this movement is reshaping the way we think about money, power, and possibility.
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Bank on your neighbor. A radical wealth building strategy to invest without banks and uplift your neighborhood. Self-Published and read by the author Mel Dorman. Copyright 2025 by Mel Dorman. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author except as permitted by us copyright law. For permission requests, write the publisher at mel@meldoman.com. This book is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, financial, accounting, or other professional advice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, but the author and the publisher make no guarantees, express or implied about the results you'll achieve by applying the ideas here. Real estate strategies, including seller financing, carry risks and may not be suitable for every individual or situation. Before making any financial decisions or investments, consult with a qualified professional who understands your specific circumstances. By reading this book, you agree that the author and the publisher are not responsible for any losses, damages, or outcomes resulting from the use of this information. Your choices are your power, use them wisely. Portions of this book are works of nonfiction. Certain names and identifying characteristics have been changed. Throughout the book, you'll hear references to tools, worksheets, and additional resources. You can access all of them at mel dorman.com/audio resources. This book is dedicated to my dad who taught me to work harder, not smarter to my mom, who taught me that we're never too late to change, and to everyone who wants to make the world a better place. This is for you, forward by Zona McIntyre, author of 30 Day Stay and upcoming book, the Creative Closer, how to Negotiate Structure and Buy Deals Without Traditional Loans. When my friend Soia, an absolute rockstar agent in Portland, told me I had to meet Mel Dorman. I paid attention, SOA and I had connected through creative financing and midterm rentals. And after taking one of my webinars, she came back raving about someone in her own backyard who was not only walking the talk of seller financing, but doing it with style, strategy, and a deep heart for community that someone was Mel. When we finally connected, Mel was already deep in the first draft of this book. At first, I was worried we might be writing the same story. Two women in a male dominated world of creative real estate finance, publishing books at the same time. But instead of competition, I felt nothing but a hell yes, because here's the truth, this information needs to spread more voices, more angles, more real stories like this. I believe in abundance, and this book is proof of what's possible when we amplify each other instead of compete. As a lifelong lover of books, I always dreamed of being an author. But writing a forward a moment where your words are asked to carry weight, where you're positioned as someone of note, feels like something even more sacred, especially when it's for a book like this. Mel's writing is a breath of fresh air in a space that's often cluttered with dry, confusing jargon. Let's be honest, a lot of the creative finance books out there are well-meaning but hard to follow. This one. It reads like a sermon and a story. It's motivating, empowering, and unshakably clear. Mel is a born storyteller. Her conviction is rooted in purpose. She's led by heart and she's rewriting the script of who gets to build wealth. This book is not just about seller financing, it's about building wealth through relationships, not institutions. It's about replacing outdated systems with community powered ones. It's a call to put money in the hands of good hearted people, especially women and queer folks who will elevate their communities with it. That's what Mel stands for, and it's what drew me to her instantly. She centers ethical wealth building in everything she does. When I started investing, I didn't have a roadmap like this. My father, deep in the underground economy modeled the limiting belief that to get ahead you had to cheat. It didn't sit right with me and also left me very confused. That scarcity mindset shaped my early relationship with money. And let me tell you, you can't out earn those limiting beliefs. You have to heal them. Even though I built wealth without qualifying for a bank loan, my first six deals were done through private loans and equity partners. The path often felt unclear. I leaned heavily on acquiring through partnerships, not because it was the best option, but because I didn't know what else was possible. When I first heard about strategies like seller financing and subject to, they sounded exciting, like secret tools reserved for a select view. Even after over a decade as an investor, they felt like something other people did not something I could access. But eventually my frustration hit a tipping point. I was tired of feeling limited by traditional routes, and I knew there had to be another way, so I took a closer look. What I discovered was a maze of scattered information. Gate kept knowledge and advice that just didn't resonate with me, so I stopped trying to fit into someone else's mold. I made the strategies my own, and that's when everything started to click. That's why I'm so excited about this book. It breaks the system wide open and shows you how to play a different game, a more human one. Imagine buying a home for the cost of rent instead of paying double for a mortgage. Imagine building wealth without a credit score, without asking a bank for permission. That's what seller financing can do. If you're reading this, you might be frustrated with the traditional paths. Maybe you're self-employed and not quote lendable, or you've been told that wealth building isn't for people like you. I hear you, Mel hears you, and this book is your permission slip to try something different. It's more than a strategy. It's transformation. A blueprint for ethical wealth, a total mindset shift. As Mel says, money is a tool for freedom, not just survival. And I couldn't agree more. Let this book be your elevator because mentorship is the elevator to success. And Mel, she's holding the door open. Let's rise together. McIntyre acknowledgement. This book is a testament to the power of neighborly Love, the kind that reshapes not just individual lives, but the financial fabric of our communities. A no book on love would be complete without honoring the people who have poured their love into me. To Kelly and Susan, you saw something in this dumpster diving social worker and chose to invest in me, not just with resources, but with unwavering belief. You live the truth of this book every day, and your legacy lives on within these pages. To the sellers who dared to think beyond convention, those I've partnered with for myself and on behalf of my clients, you prove that creativity and generosity can forge new pathways To Dara Rogers who offered me a quiet place to write cheered at my TEDx talk and champion this work before it had taken shape. Your encouragement made the impossible feel within reach. To my dear friend, mentor, and former roommate, Dave Leon, who spent countless hours dissecting, editing and debating these ideas with me, always anchoring them in the broader sweep of history and social change. You helped refine the message that lives in these pages to my late friend Todd Kimball, who knew how to dream as big as I do. Your daily encouraging texts reminded me that I'm capable of mighty things to Robin Weaver, my first reader, my fearless partner. The one who leaped headfirst into this movement with me since the first moment I met her, to my friends who gathered in my living room, listened to my clumsy first drafts. Your honest feedback became the pages of this book. And to you, dear Reader, you've taken the time to invest in yourself, in your community, and in a vision greater than any one of us know this. You are part of something vast and necessary. I have no doubt that many of you will go on to build beyond what I can even imagine about the author. Mel Doman is a former social worker, turned real estate investor, TEDx speaker, and financial activist on a mission to help people build wealth with purpose. She's not your typical money expert. Before diving into real estate, Mel spent years working in jails, psych wards, and on the streets, offering support to those often overlooked. She's taught English to orphans of hiv aids in Uganda and helped women escape sex trafficking in India. Her career has always been rooted in one thing impact, but in 2012 when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Mel had a wake up call. She had the heart to help, but not the financial tools to back it up. That moment launched her into the world of real estate investing and financial literacy. Within five years, she used creative strategies like seller financing to reach six figure financial freedom without relying on banks or big money. What started as a personal mission to care for her family turned into a larger calling to help others do the same. Mel went on to be a top producing realtor in Portland, helping hundreds of young professionals build generational wealth through real estate. In 2025, her TEDx Southlake Tahoe talk was selected as an editor's pick by Ted catapulting her into national conversations about money, power, and possibility. Today, Mel is the founder of the Seller Finance Academy, where she teaches others how to buy real estate ethically, creatively, and in community. Her work is grounded in the belief that true wealth doesn't leave others behind. It lifts everyone up.