Hi Johnny,For hard money lenders, you can start by using the "Network" tab on BiggerPockets; they have a list of reputable hard money lenders and you can search by state.Hope this helps,Michael

I managed to find two reputable companies with lower rate: half the rent for tenant allocation and the 5% monthly fee.

@Katie Jewell  Personally, if it were me, I wouldn't make her problem into my problem.   

Because it’s an established, reputable, source. 

Biggest items to be aware of when new to hard money.Probably lender reputation/reliability, speed, cost of capital, and leverage.Below is a non-exhaustive list of items you'll likely want to dive into;1.

Most reputable companies where loans are sent to be funded are just coming around to going 80% much less 90%. 

I would suggest putting your rental under a reputable professional, business always gets weird when your away or your family gets involved.

Recently he’s been a builder/contractor for a reputable new home builder near me (DFW) that sells new builds in the 400k range.

-Vetted a reputable firm. 

Most builders with good reputations are booked up through late 2022.