Yes, that includes you.

First and foremost you are a marketer… second you are an investor. You must know how to get leads in order to even have a chance to put your investment knowledge into action.

So, to get private money lenders for your real estate investing business you must find the people who have money.

Who Has Money?

* Your Family and Friends -Do you have family members who have money that they are earning between 0-5% on? I’m sure you do. Do you think they would want to double the rate of return on their money? I bet they would.

So, why not bring the opportunity of becoming a private lender for your real estate business to your family members first… so you can help your family become more wealthy in the process? Many people hate to ask family members for money… this is a common thing; however, why would you feel uncomfortable helping your family members make more money? You shouldn’t.

The true reason people hate to ask family for money is because they are afraid of losing their money and harming their relationship with them. To me, if you wouldn’t feel comfortable presenting a real estate deal to a family member… I don’t think it’s ethical to present it to anyone. You must be confident that it’s a good deal … that you’re buying it right … and that you’ll be able to take care of your private money lender first and foremos t… and worry about yourself second.

The first property I bought (and still own) was bought with 100% private money. A 95% first mortgage (seller carried)… and a 5% second which was borrowed from my father. My father is earning 6% on his money rather than 3%… the property cashflows and has gone up in value… if for some reason I screw up and don’t pay my dad (not going to happen)… he is in 2nd position on a property with over $100k in equity. It’s a no lose for him… and great upside for me.
* Other Real Estate Investors and Businessmen -Other successful real estate investors have money… and often like to lend out their money to other investors. These are often great private money investors to have on your side because as you’re starting out… they can help you analyze deals… and teach you a ton as you grow as an investor. Also, successful businessmen are great because they know the security that real estate can hold… and know that when the loan is structured correctly they are protected with very little downside.

Talk to other investors and business people that you know and let them know what you do… and that you can provide them real estate secured returns of 9-12% (or whatever you are willing to pay) when they become a private money lender for your company. If there’s holes in your presentation or your business model… they’ll likely point them out… which will help you to make your business stronger over time.
* People Nearing or in Retirement -Think about it… who has a bunch of money just sitting around? Well… people either in or nearing retirement (people 10-15 years away from retirement… up to people who are already retired). Even better, the stock market today sucks and I’ve personally seen many people move their money from the volatile stock market and place the funds in “more secure” investments like CD’s, gold, etc.

It’s your job to find these people and present them another option… to lend money to your company for a much better annual return (usually private money lenders are paid between 8-12%). Show them that you know what the heck you are doing, that the risk is relatively low with the strict buying guidelines your company employs, and that you are looking for long term relationships with lenders who want the same.

These people can move their under performing investments (401k, IRA, etc. ) into your short term private money loans. It’s a win-win. Again, you as the investor need to be honest with the private money lender… and you need to make responsible decisions on the properties that you invest in.

That’s just a short list of people who you should be going after to recruit as private money lenders for your real estate investing business.

Marketing to these people can be everything from simply handing them your business card that has a blurb saying you’re looking for private money lenders who want to earn 10% secured by real estate… and to call XXX-XXX-XXXX or visit www.yoursite.com for more information…

… to sending out mailers to a list of retirees… to teaming up with a financial planner… to putting on free seminars about the opportunity… etc.

***FYI, I’m not an attorney… and don’t claim to be. I’m just throwing out ways you may be able to market to potential private money lenders… to my knowledge they are legal… but advise your attorney before you use any of them… please.***

Here are a few ways you can get in touch with potential private money lenders:

* Ask sellers of the properties you buy if they’d be interested in becoming a lender for your company
* Talk to family about the opportunity … and ensure to structure the deal so they virtually can’t lose… and that the risk is on you (unless you want to lose a family member if a deal goes south)
* Ask other investors at real estate investing clubs in your area
* Put up a website and get it optimized in the search engines (we’re creating a training session on this)
* Network at events (chamber of commerce, etc.) and let people know what you do… and how they can be involved
* Send out postcards to a list of people with over $500,000 net worth (you can buy lists from companies who can break it down by net worth and other factors)

Really, there are endless ways to recruit potential private money lenders; however, in my experience… the best ways are to network, let people in your area know what you do, create a website which educates potential lenders, and get referrals from happy investors.

Trevor Mauch is a young real estate investor and entrepreneur who purchased his first income property at the age of 21. Trevor focuses on creating multiple streams of passive income along side active income in both real estate and his other businesses.

As a passion, Trevor loves to help people succeed in life and real estate investing. To help people achieve success, and to provide a real down to earth source of real estate, life success, and business building information… Trevor created the website http://www.theREIbrain.com

The REI Brain focuses on providing free information and training to people to help them utilize the three important prongs of success that must be taken into account before anyone can reach true success in real estate investing.

Hop on over to http://www.thereibrain.com for excellent free tools, information, tutorials, market research, and more!

What are My Options?

Quite frankly, banks are hardly lending to anyone right now, so if you want to secure business funds, especially with a less-than-perfect credit score, you’ve got to think outside of the box and consider some alternative methods of business financing.

In an entrepreneur.com article titled “Funding Options for Bad Credit Risks,” author Asheesh Advani informs readers that according to certain studies, bank financing only accounts for 25 percent of total funding needs of early entrepreneurs. “This statistic should provide you some comfort, because it implies that 75 percent of the money you need can come from other sources that rely less on your credit rating,” writes Advani.

Fundraising

Fundraising isn’t just something that works for schools, girl scouts and churches. A business owner in his/her early stages of business can use fundraising to gain some extra money for his/her business, and have fun doing it. Fundraising also gets your business’s name out to the public and allows opportunities for meeting, greeting and networking.

Microloans

A microloan is a loan of $35,000 or less. Since these loans are given in smaller amounts, they are usually easier to get with lower credit scores. Microloans can be attained through non-bank lenders. In order to receive a microloan, however, you may have to provide collateral.

Business Cash Advance

A business cash advance is one of the best bad credit business loan options. Business cash advance lenders focus on a business’s monthly credit card sales volume rather than the borrower’s credit score. If you own a business that processes at least $2,500 per month in Visa/MasterCard sales then you are halfway to getting your business cash advance. Another benefit of financing a business through a business cash advance is the fact that there is no collateral required.

Payments are made as a small percentage deduction from daily credit card sales over a period of six to eight months, and business cash advance recipients are encouraged to renew their accounts and obtain even more cash once 60 percent of their advance has been repaid.