Second, where do people go to verify lenders and things to avoid working with loan sharks or people of that nature? 

Even with all of that is a BRRRR method the best option even if we dot the I's and cross the T's especially when we have to pay by our loan shark biting at the bit to get his money.

That will provide a foundation for the various real estate investing strategies and market dynamics.Also, be wary of the sharks trolling on public forums that will help separate you from your cash.

Electronically or if they have excellent credit we allow them to mail or drop payment off at our office which has a secure drop slot.2.

Even with all of that is a BRRRR method the best option even if we dot the I's and cross the T's especially when we have to pay by our loan shark biting at the bit to get his money.

It's not uncommon to see Mercedes police cars and the occasional Lamborghini police car.Come by my place and you'll hear me listening to the BP podcasts on the regular or see me watching Shark Tank clips on YouTube.

Using Hard Money in a high priced market (I work in Seattle, so we are in very similar markets) squeezes your margins razor thin, and considering your lack of experience it may be safer to use more reliable financing that is not going to kill your cash flow if something goes wrong.

The best advise would be to set up your team of Wealth professionals and watch out for sharks. 

It doesn't matter if they are using Joe law school resident attorney or one of the big dog sharks in Chicago.  

So I'm locally from and in El Paso, TX where I must say its like a shark tank here!