Noob question about private loans. SE Michigan

[Mike Brockway]

Hello everyone I have been listening to Bigger Pockets for a few months now but I've been very fascinated with real estate for a long time. I bought my home in 2010 for barely anything. And with all this talk lately about equity and private lending, I've been taking steps to get a HELOC set up. And with the numbers I quickly crunched, it should be a decent amount.

I know the guys on BP make everything sound so simple. But I need to find out realistically, are there actually guys out there desperately looking for private money loans, or are there more of people like me that are trying to spend money? I figure it’s the latter since Brandon said that he’s the “Hot girl at the bar” being the one with the deal. 

I have a family and full time job so this would be the easiest option for me to get started. I know it’s at the top of the scale of passivity so that’s why I’m thinking it’s not as easy as they make it seem. 

I have a million more questions but I figured I’ll just start here. 

Any insight would be great. Thanks!