Bridge Loans for Real Estate Investors - 40 States

Bridge Loans That Get You From Here to There.

A bridge loan buys the time between the deal you found and the money that pays it off. 1st Private Capital writes short-term, interest-only bridge loans on investment and commercial real estate in 40 states: an instant term sheet, a close in 2 weeks, and a DSCR loan waiting on the other side when the plan is to hold.

Business-purpose loans only. Underwritten on the property, the equity and the exit, not on tax returns.

01 - What a Bridge Loan Does

Four jobs a bridge loan does better than anything else.

Every one of these has a clock on it. The bridge loan is how the clock stops being the problem.

BUY
Close like cash

Win the offer with a financing contingency the seller does not have to worry about, then refinance or sell once you own it.

REFI
Retire maturing debt

A balloon is coming due and the takeout is not ready. A bridge loan resets the clock at a cost you can plan around.

CASH
Pull equity for the next deal

Cash out of a property you already own to fund the down payment on the one you are chasing.

HOLD
Carry the transition

A stabilized bridge on a finished 1-4 unit, or a small-balance transitional loan on a 5+ unit building, ahead of a rental takeout.

02 - The Terms

Bridge loan terms, plainly stated.

ItemBridge loan
Term12 months, interest only
RateFrom 9.25% in California, 9.75% elsewhere
Points1.5
Loan size$250,000 to $1,000,000, larger by pre-screen with the desk
Closing2 weeks; 3 days with 35% down and no appraisal in major California markets
Property1-4 unit, multifamily, mixed-use, commercial; non-owner-occupied
ExitA sale, or a refinance; a DSCR rental loan from the same team

Every figure is an indicative estimate for discussion and not a commitment to lend. Final terms are set at submission. See the full rates and requirements.

03 - How It Works

From the address to the wire.

  1. Price it in a minute. Type the deal into Price a Deal: the address, the price or the value, what you owe, what you want to borrow. You get the rate, the maximum loan and the payment on the spot.
  2. Request the term sheet. Say yes and the term sheet issues instantly. It is our numbers, from our own sizing, not a quote we have to go ask someone for.
  3. Send the file. The purchase contract or the payoff, the entity documents, the insurance, and the appraisal order. The desk tells you exactly what it needs and nothing more.
  4. Close in 2 weeks. Title, escrow and the appraisal set the pace. Decisions are made here, so nothing waits on a committee.
  5. Exit on your terms. Sell, or refinance into a DSCR loan with the same people who closed the bridge.
04 - Bridge to DSCR

Bridge is how you get in. DSCR is how you stay.

The most common bridge loan we write is the first half of a two-step plan: buy fast with hard money, then refinance into a 30-year DSCR rental loan once the property is stabilized and rented. Because both loans come from the same team, the second one is already in motion when the first one closes. No new lender to find, no file to rebuild, no surprise on the way out.

Investors who renovate first use the fix and flip loan instead of a plain bridge, because it funds the purchase and the renovation together and pays the work in draws. Builders use the ground-up construction loan. The loans overview puts all of them side by side.

Bridge loans are available in 40 states. The live hard money opportunities show the listings where a seller is asking for cash or hard money right now, each one priced with our financing.

05 - FAQ

Bridge loans, answered straight.

What is a bridge loan in real estate?

A bridge loan is short-term financing secured by real estate that carries an investor from one point to the next: a purchase to a sale, a purchase to a long-term refinance, or a maturing loan to its exit. Ours run 12 months, interest only, on investment and commercial property, and are underwritten on the property, the equity and the exit rather than on tax returns.

How is a bridge loan different from a hard money loan?

In practice they are the same product from the same lender: a short-term, asset-based loan that closes fast. "Hard money" describes the lender and the underwriting; "bridge loan" describes the job the loan does. Every hard money loan we make is a bridge to something, and every bridge loan we make is hard money.

How fast does a bridge loan close?

You get an instant term sheet and close in 2 weeks. In major California markets, a purchase can close in 3 days with 35% down and no appraisal.

What can a bridge loan be used for?

Acquisitions that must close like cash, refinances of maturing debt, cash out of equity for the next deal, second-position loans behind existing financing, and cross-collateralized loans that use equity across several properties. The use of proceeds must be a business purpose.

What does a bridge loan cost?

Rates start at 9.25% in California and 9.75% elsewhere, interest only, with 1.5 points. The rates and requirements page lists every program, and Price a Deal gives you the figure on your own deal in a minute. Every quote is an indicative estimate, not a commitment to lend.

How do I exit a bridge loan?

A sale, or a refinance into long-term debt. For a rental, our DSCR loan is the built-in takeout: same team, one point of contact, qualified on the rent rather than your income.

Do you lend on owner-occupied homes?

No. These are business-purpose loans on investment and commercial property. A home you or your family live in, even part of the year, is not something we can finance.

Need the Bridge?

Price the deal in a minute. If the numbers work, the term sheet is instant.

Price a Deal