BNI lead groups have this figured out 100%.

Stick with 2-4 lead sources.

You can work a deal where the agency provides leads from advertising for a percentage of your commission so you’ll have no upfront advertising costs (the successful wholesalers I Know spend $10,000 monthly on sales, marketing and advertising).4.

Most of the time this just gives the seller more leverage in his current contract negotiations but it could lead to you getting the deal in the end. 

I am trying to develop a series of questions to ask new leads.

So, when you are asking around for lender referrals, make sure you are specific about which state(s) you are inquiring about.As Quinn mentioned, real estate meetups and local REIA meetings are a great place to meet lenders, and also a great place to ask other investors who they use or who they have heard are good ones to work with.Also check out the "Network" tab at the top of the BP page and look at the list of Hard Money Lenders for some possible leads.

I did one using these key words: "venture capital firms for real estate development in los angeles" and it provided plenty of leads.

I was actually supposed to speak at BPCon this year on my system of lead gen through BP.

He's known as the leading expert in real estate creative financing strategies.

You are right though, not knowing the area well enough can lead to miscommunication/false information.