However a manufacturing company from Norway just announced they are building a $300 million dollar plant with additional $150 million coming from the state.

So you need to send out an announcement e-mail to everyone you know.

They may ask in an announcement but they will vet the agent and/or broker.I know that while there is a vetting process, some banks (asset managers') standards may not be too high, but I doubt they hire those right out of school.

This meeting has active BP members in attendance but it draws a broader crowd that also includes folks who are not active on BP.Regarding Saturdays, I'm not aware of any but you could organize one and announce it in the appropriate forum on BP.

Jason, others may have had a different experience but in my personal experience hard money lending is - like much of business - built on personal relationships.I would recommend you start going to a local REIA such as the RI Real Estate Investors Group (rireig.com) or Black Diamond REI (BlackDiamondREI.com) and network, maybe identify a few promising folks, take them out to coffee or a meal, etc. and just look to start building a few relationships and identifying good prospects.Then when you have a deal you're looking for a lender on, you'll have a few people to start asking and maybe if they don't know someone they can recommend you to someone else in the group (one of their contacts).People are much more comfortable recommending people they already know and have "vetted" as having a minimum amount of knowledge, so that's what you'll really be trying to do - establish that you've educated yourself, didn't just get out of your first seminar last weekend, are committed to real estate beyond this year, etc.All that said, if you think you really have a good deal and have a compelling case to make to a lender*, by all means announce it at one or more local REIA meetings and you may end up making a connection right away.But if you don't already have a good deal & value proposition for a lender then I'd say go the long-game, relationship-building route.

I'm happy to announce that we have two Veteran Real Estate Investors coming to share with us their story and Why To Invest in Real Estate.

The exempt transactions include sales by HUD of real estate-owned (REO) properties under HUD’s regulations in 24 CFR part 291, sales by other federal agencies of REO properties, sales of properties by nonprofit organizations that have been approved to purchase and resell HUD REO properties, sales by state- and federally-chartered financial institutions and government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), and, upon announcement by HUD through issuance of a notice, sales of properties in areas designated by the President as federal disaster areas.

The banks/government, at least in my area, are hush-hush when it comes to announcing it at the sale (think this should be illegal but just my opinion).I'd HATE to see anyone lose tens of thousands of dollars and cause a strain on their relationship over one mistake so that's why I'm pleading those who know how this works to chime in.Can anyone give any input on how it should be handled?

@Darren Budahn, I have thought that all along ever since he announced and continue to even now as well, but the poll numbers still don't seem to indicate that and the electorate is so upset with the status quo, we might just all be surprised. 

as in the sports announcer who has a hard time being objective  great post LOL