How to break into private lending

[Jake Cardillo]

Hello,
I would like to get more involved in private lending but am not too sure how to go about it. I have done two loans in the past (both successful), but those have been to acquaintances and they just happened to come my way. I recently moved to Central Texas, and am looking to do local loans here. I have attended a local RE group and offered my services, but I did not find any qualified borrowers. I will try that approach some more, of course, but is there a better way to go about it? I have never used a broker, I suppose I am open to the idea, but I'm not even sure where to find one. I'm nervous to go through anyone, because that's just one more level of abstraction between my money and what it's actually being used for, but a broker of repute would be alright. Does anyone have any advice for someone trying to crack into this lucrative business? Are brokers a good move for a novice, or should I just do everything myself, provided I can find people to lend to? Thanks a lot for any help at all.

Jake