Investor · Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 68 posts · 30 votes
I had a request for lenders in the Bay Area removed due to the post being deemed soliciting. I was not advertising and have no intent to advertise but was asking for a resource. Darren's response said that site policy states that asking for lenders is soliciting but it looks to me much like the myriad of posts that I see for people asking for contractors, lawyers, title companies, etc.
@Cory Adams The thing is we have a to be careful with request for lenders, because it opens the door for people to solicit to you, and because we don't really know them, they could be scammers, and we ultimately want to protect you and your experience on the site.
My suggestion is to make it bluntly obvious that you're not soliciting for a lender, but simply asking for advice.
Instead of saying, "Does anyone know a lender (or how to find a lender) in X area?" I'd suggest saying, "Does anyone know the best process in finding investor friendly agents. I'm not soliciting, or asking for a reference but simply asking your process of finding someone you can trust."
@Cory Adams The thing is we have a to be careful with request for lenders, because it opens the door for people to solicit to you, and because we don't really know them, they could be scammers, and we ultimately want to protect you and your experience on the site.
My suggestion is to make it bluntly obvious that you're not soliciting for a lender, but simply asking for advice.
Instead of saying, "Does anyone know a lender (or how to find a lender) in X area?" I'd suggest saying, "Does anyone know the best process in finding investor friendly agents. I'm not soliciting, or asking for a reference but simply asking your process of finding someone you can trust."
He is asking for the names of some lenders. If that is his need what harm is there? If lenders or their representatives reach out to him or request to make connections with him he may find what he was seeking. He may find several local investors who can share their experiences with different lenders. If he gets more requests to connect than he cares for he does not have to accept them. Again, why is that a problem?