Notes and lending private money

[Bryan L.]

Hey everyone.  I've been flipping houses and owning rentals for around 15 years now, and also doing a bit of Realtor work during that time as well.  Lately, I've come across several opportunities where I (or another investor maybe) could potentially make private money loans to house buyers/owners.  These are most often owner-occupied single family homes.  I've been in this biz long enough to recognize a deal when I see it, but I've not been able to pull the trigger yet.  Along those lines, this whole world of buying/selling/brokering/funding/making loans - well, so many people try to make it out to be some type of secret society that you have to be in or something.  Sure, I need to get educated, but the basics don't seem that complicated to me.  But then people start bringing in points about the law.  First off, is it somehow illegal for me (or someone else) to make a private money loan to a residential owner-occupant buyer?