Any input/real-life experiences would be appreciated! 

Here is the Watertown NY area real estate investors meetup group. : https://www.meetup.com/north-country-real-estate-investing-c...

We are looking for a loan broker as opposed to a real estate broker. 

Like in a high-stakes bank robbery film, only this time you're negotiating the exciting and frequently unpredictable world of real estate financing rather than robbing a bank.

While I am surprised at that, I also think it is the proper way to view real estate.I always go back to my first vacation rental purchase as an example:  In 2005, I bought a beautiful, 2-acre creek-side cabin in Cosby (near Gatlinburg) for $240,000. 

I’m super excited about real estate and the different strategies to create wealth.

What factors do you consider when deciding between traditional financing and private money lending for real estate deals? 

Definitely hire a real estate attorney to draft or review any seller financing agreement to protect your interests.Ask the real estate attorney how to handle the POA situation...can you talk with any of the other property owners who are short term renting out their properties to see what/if they have any issues? 

You can upload a photo of yourself to say hello, you can write a quick intro, and then you can see boxes when you scroll down on the left that when you click will allow you to add your company information, and it's always nice if you've invested in real estate in the past to put information about the deals you've done so people know what experience you have!

Very helpful for all Cleveland real estate investors.