The property
The property secures the loan, and its current condition and value anchor the terms. The loan is built around what the deal needs to get from here to done.
Loan Program · Bridge
Bridge loans. Short-term capital with a plan.
The short answer
Keep reading for the full breakdownA bridge loan is short-term capital built around a plan: buy the property, do the work, and exit into a sale or a long-term refinance. The deal's numbers drive it: the purchase price, the rehab budget, and the after-repair value. The exit strategy is part of the file from day one.
It exists for the situations long-term financing cannot serve yet: a property that needs real renovation, a timeline that has to move fast, or a transition where you need capital for a beat. Terms typically run 6 to 24 months. It costs more than long-term financing, and that price buys speed and access. The catch is the same every time: it is short by design, so the exit is the whole plan.
01 ·The Program
What a bridge loan is
A bridge loan is capital-focused, short-term lending. It is sized to the deal: what you are paying, what the rehab budget really is, and what the property will be worth once the work is done. It can cover acquisition plus the renovation budget, so you can buy a property that is not livable yet and fund the work.
Because it funds quickly and takes on properties a conventional lender will not, it prices higher than long-term financing. You are paying for speed and for capital that otherwise would not exist for that deal. Terms typically run 6 to 24 months, which gives a real renovation room to finish.
When investors use one
Fix-and-flip is the classic use. Buy a distressed property, renovate it, and sell. The bridge loan funds the messy middle that conventional cannot.
It is also the front end of a BRRR deal, and the tool for short-term transitions: stabilizing a property, holding for a beat, or covering a gap until long-term financing makes sense. You buy and rehab with the bridge loan, then refinance into long-term financing, conventional or DSCR, once the property is rent-ready. The bridge gets you in. The exit gets you out.
02 ·What It Leans On
What a bridge lender weighs
Your tax return is not the gatekeeper here. Four things carry the deal.
The deal and the after-repair value
What the property is worth once the work is done shapes how much capital is available. A realistic after-repair value is everything.
Your skin in the game
Your down payment, your experience, and your plan, all of it factors in. A clear renovation budget and track record make for a stronger file.
The exit
A bridge loan is short-term, so the lender wants to see the way out: a sale, or a refinance into long-term financing once the property is stabilized. The exit strategy is part of the application, not an afterthought.
03 ·At a Glance
Bridge loans, in short
Educational content, not a rate quote or a commitment to lend. Pricing is described in relative terms only. Loan-to-value, points, terms, and eligibility vary by the property, the deal, and your experience, and are subject to change. All loans are subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will qualify.
- Secured by
- The property, with the deal's numbers driving the terms
- Term
- Typically 6 to 24 months, short by design and not meant to be held
- Covers
- Acquisition plus the rehab budget, depending on the deal
- Sized to
- The purchase, the budget, and a realistic after-repair value
- The exit
- Sell the finished property, or refinance into long-term financing
- Best for
- Fix-and-flip, value-add rentals, the front end of BRRR, and short-term transitions
04 ·The Distinction
Bridge loan or hard money? Mostly the same phrase, one real difference
Investors use the two terms interchangeably, and most of the time they mean the same thing. In our world, what we offer is the bridge loan: capital sized to the deal, the after-repair value, and a named exit. The plan is the loan.
True hard money is a different animal. Think of it like a pawn shop for property. An equity lender mostly cares that the loan-to-value is low enough, often around 60% or less, because that equity cushion protects them if you cannot pay it back. It is quick cash against equity for a borrower who can repay fast, and it is priced accordingly, with little interest in your renovation plan. If the deal has a budget, a timeline, and an exit, it is a bridge deal.
The expensive mistake with short-term money is not the rate. It is taking the loan with no clear exit, then watching the clock run out before the sale closes or the refinance is ready.
Illustrative scenario. Details anonymized.
05 ·The Real Decision
Plan the exit before you take the loan
A bridge loan is a tool, not a destination. It is built to be temporary, so before you sign, name the exit and name the date. Is the plan to sell, or to refinance into long-term financing once the property is rent-ready? Make sure that exit is realistic at numbers you would still accept if the appraisal disappoints.
If you are running the BRRR loop, the bridge loan is the front end and the refinance is the back end. The front-end loan is the easy part. The exit is the part that decides whether the deal worked.
06 ·FAQ
Questions, plainly answered
Short-term capital secured by the property and sized to the deal: the purchase, the rehab budget, and the after-repair value. Approval leans on the deal rather than a deep dive into your personal income, which is why it can fund quickly. Terms typically run 6 to 24 months.
Keep Going
Related reading
Conventional Loans (Golden Tickets)
The other long-term exit a bridge loan can refinance into.
Read the breakdownFHA 203k Loans
The owner-occupied way to buy and renovate with one loan.
Read the breakdownDSCR Loans
One of the long-term loans that takes out a bridge once a property is stabilized.
Read the breakdownFast capital is easy. The exit is the real plan.
Twenty minutes with a real person. We look at the property, the timeline, and the exit, and tell you whether a bridge loan is the right tool for the deal.
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