From social work to social change, Mel Dorman’s journey into financial activism and real estate investing is anything but ordinary. With her debut book, Bank on Your Neighbor, she offers a radically practical roadmap to building wealth without banks—and without leaving your community behind.
In this interview, Mel shares what inspired her to write the book, why this moment matters, and how she’s turning real estate into a tool for economic justice.
Book Title: Bank On Your Neighbor: A People-First Real Estate Strategy to Build Wealth Together
Genre: Finance, Real Estate, and Social Justice
Website: www.meldorman.com
If you had to give one reason for writing this book, what would it be?
I wrote Bank on Your Neighbor because I wanted to hand people the roadmap I never had.
When my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I watched my family’s financial stability unravel—even though we had always done everything “right.” That experience forced me to question the systems we’re taught to trust: the banks, the jobs, the retirement plans.
I started asking, What if wealth-building wasn’t reserved for the privileged few? What if we could build financial freedom alongside our communities, instead of apart from them?
Through seller financing, I discovered a people-powered path to wealth that changed my life—and the lives of my coaching students. This book is part blueprint, part rebellion. It’s for anyone who’s tired of begging institutions for permission to build a future. I wrote it to teach others how to buy real estate without banks, redirect wealth into our neighborhoods, and rewrite the rules of what’s financially possible—together.
Why was now the right time?
Sitting at the bedside of my dying father, I watched the financial systems we trusted fail us. He had done everything “right”—worked hard, saved, followed the rules. And yet, we still faced the quiet devastation of watching his care and dignity slip away because we couldn’t afford more.
In that moment, I made a promise: This will not be my story. And I won’t let it be the story for others like me, either.
I quit my job with $16,000 to my name and threw myself headfirst into seller financing. Not just to survive—but to reclaim power. Five years later, I had built financial freedom and something even bigger: a sense of purpose.
Since then, I’ve been on a mission to spread this message. I gave a TEDx talk that became an Editor’s Pick. I launched the Seller Financing Academy to teach others how to break free from banks and build wealth alongside their communities. And now, I’ve written Bank on Your Neighbor—a book born from grief, grit, and the belief that real financial freedom doesn’t come from Wall Street. It comes from each other.
This is the moment I’ve been building toward. And this book is the movement’s next chapter.
Who absolutely must read your book?
Bank on Your Neighbor is for the people who were told they’d never get ahead because they didn’t have the credit score, the down payment, or the right last name.
It’s for values-driven buyers, especially women, queer folks, and first-gen wealth builders who are tired of gatekeeping and ready to own property without a bank’s permission. It’s also for everyday sellers—retirees, downsizers, legacy-minded elders—who want to create win-win deals that support their community while securing their own financial dignity.
If you’ve ever felt like the financial system wasn’t built for you, this book shows you how to build a new one—together.
What are 3 key takeaways readers will walk away with?
- You don’t need a bank to build wealth.
Bank on Your Neighbor dismantles the myth that traditional banks are the only path to real estate ownership. Readers will learn how to use seller financing—buying directly from a property owner—to build equity, cash flow, and long-term wealth, even without perfect credit or massive savings. - Wealth can be built with community, not competition.
This book offers a new framework for wealth-building that’s based on trust, creativity, and win-win outcomes. Readers will learn how to structure deals that benefit both buyer and seller—and how everyday people can become the bank and earn long-term income without selling to Wall Street. The tools in this book aren’t just financial—they’re relational. - The system wasn’t built for us—but we can build a new one.
Beyond tactics and contracts, Bank on Your Neighbor is a mindset shift. It helps readers unpack the financial myths, class stories, and internalized fears that keep them from stepping into power—and offers a powerful call to action: we can rewrite the rules of money, but only if we stop playing the game alone.
This is about reclaiming financial freedom on our own terms—and bringing others with us.
Tell us about the writing process. What did you enjoy? What was hard?
After reaching financial freedom through seller financing, I spent nearly two years thinking deeply about the book I wished I had when I started—and who I was writing it for. I wasn’t interested in another dry how-to manual. I wanted to write something that could inspire a movement.
The lightbulb moment happened on a live aboard boat in Turks and Caicos. I was floating in paradise—technically “free”—and yet something didn’t feel right. I realized that the American Dream as we know it is broken. Wages haven’t kept up with housing. People are drowning in student debt. Banks are gatekeeping opportunity.
Even as I had figured out a different path for myself, I knew it wasn’t enough to just escape the system—I needed to expose it, reimagine it, and teach others how to exit, too.
That’s when it hit me: seller financing isn’t just a clever real estate hack. It’s a tool for economic justice. I wrote Bank on Your Neighbor from that lens: one part memoir, one part financial roadmap, one part cultural reckoning.
The hardest part? Developing myself as a writer. I had to build new creative muscles and trust that my voice—messy, honest, and full of conviction—was enough.
Later in the process, I also made the tough decision to cut nearly one-third of the book. A major editorial shift clarified the message and demanded more focus and brevity. It was painful, but it made the book sharper and more aligned with its purpose.
What was your favorite part of the process?
My favorite part of writing Bank on Your Neighbor wasn’t just the book—it was who I became in the process.
To write this book, I had to slow down. To think deeply. To distill years of real estate deals, community organizing, and emotional conversations into something that could touch both the heart and the mind.
That discipline unlocked a whole new side of me: a creative, a teacher, a movement-builder.
Because of this book, I gained the clarity to expand my social media reach with purpose. I began speaking on stages with conviction. I refined my message in a way that draws in the right people—those hungry for a new financial story and ready to build it with me.
This book didn’t just give my ideas a container—it gave them momentum. And it gave me the confidence to own the role I now carry: not just an investor, but a financial activist and community wealth architect.
The process made me braver, bolder, and more committed than ever to the people I’m here to serve. That’s the part I’ll carry with me—long after the last page is read.
What are your next steps with the book and your business?
Bank on Your Neighbor is not just a book—it’s a movement. And I’m scaling the infrastructure to support it.
My primary focus is growing the Seller Financing Academy, where I teach people how to buy and sell property without relying on banks. The program is expanding rapidly, and I’m building an ecosystem of support—real estate agents, lenders, attorneys, and everyday folks—who want to decentralize wealth and build community power.
To amplify this message, I’m booking podcasts, TV shows, speaking events, and real estate conferences. I want this message in the hands of anyone who’s been told that wealth isn’t for them.
My hairy, audacious goal? That every American knows what seller financing is. They don’t all have to use it—but they deserve to know it’s an option.
This isn’t about real estate. It’s about rewriting the rules of money, one neighbor at a time.
More about Mel Dorman
Mel Dorman is a former social worker turned financial activist, real estate investor, and TEDx speaker who built a multimillion-dollar portfolio through creative financing. Her debut book, Bank on Your Neighbor, is a radical and practical guide to community-powered wealth-building through seller financing.
She’s helped over 60 students buy property using creative finance tools, and her work has been featured on stages, podcasts, and in living rooms across the country. Mel brings heart, humor, and a healthy dose of rebellion to everything she teaches.
When she’s not demystifying money or building neighborhood equity, you’ll find her dancing in her kitchen or scheming up ways to redistribute power—one mortgage at a time.
📘 Check out her book: Bank on Your Neighbor
🎤 Watch her TEDx Talk (240K+ views): YouTube – Editor’s Pick
📲 Connect with Mel:
- TikTok: @melissadorman
- Instagram: @mel_dorman
- Website: www.sellerfinancingacademy.com
👩🏫 Seller Financing Academy now enrolls students nationwide—equipping everyday people to buy real estate without banks and build legacy wealth, neighbor to neighbor.
Has Mel’s story inspired you to share your own? Learn more about the book writing support, editing services, book coaching, and more she received as a part of the Author Advantage Accelerator Elite Program? Schedule a consultation today or take the quiz above to find the right program for you and your book!
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