Hard money lenders - so many to choose from - how do you pick?

[Jill Thomas]

With so many hard money companies out there, how do you pick one? I've talked with several over the last few days but just don't know how to make that decision. What are some of the pitfalls that I could run into? I've asked about prepayment penalties, interest rates, interest only payments, closing costs, points, qualifications, etc but am unsure how to pull the trigger on one now. Thanks!

[Chris Mason]

Get a referral from someone in your local REIA group. HML have a reputation for being flaky as hell, so qualify that referral request with "and did you personally actually close with them?"