Hard Money Lender in Orange County
You are buying an older house to fix, or a rental you plan to keep, and you need money before a permanent loan is possible. Hard money is a short loan against the property. Most Orange County borrowers use it as a bridge, then refinance into a long term loan that pays it off.
What hard money is and who uses it
You need to close before a bank would, or on a house a bank will not touch. Hard money is a short loan secured by the property itself. The lender weighs the property and your plan more than your paperwork. It then lends a share of the value, called the loan to value, or LTV. The lender sets that share.
In this county the loan usually has a job to do before a longer one takes over. That job is the first thing lenders ask about: what pays them back. It might be a sale, or a refinance into a DSCR loan once a rental has tenants. We are a mortgage brokerage, so we bring your deal to the wholesale lenders behind our hard money loans, and the lender approves and funds it.
- Fix and flip: buy older stock, improve it, sell
- Rental bridge: buy now, refinance once the rent shows
- Investment only: not for a home you will live in
- Short: settle the payoff plan before closing
"The question that decides an Orange County loan is not the purchase. It is the payoff. Show a lender how the loan ends and most of the hard work is done."
Where borrowers use it in the county
You are choosing between older neighborhoods in the north and center, and the coast and Saddleback Valley, which carry bigger loan balances. Pick the card closest to your deal, and if you plan to live in the home, start with our Orange County mortgage broker page.
Older homes in the north and center
You want to buy a tired house in a city like Anaheim, fix it and sell. The lender checks your repair plan and what the house will be worth after. Draws, where a lender offers them, release money as work finishes.
Condos and rentals that need a refinance
You bought a condo or townhome to rent, like those near South Coast Metro. A hard money loan gets you to closing. A DSCR loan, which qualifies on the rent instead of your pay, is the usual way out.
Beachfront homes you rent by the night
You are buying beachfront in Huntington Beach for short term rental income. Lenders at that balance want a refinance plan. A DSCR loan can take over once the rental history is there.
Coastal teardowns and estate buys
You are buying in Newport Beach to rebuild or to hold. Loans this size fit fewer lenders, and a lender may ask you to keep cash in reserve. We ask several before you commit.
Replacement property in an exchange
You sold an investment property and must buy a replacement inside exchange deadlines. Hard money can close the replacement while the exchange finishes. Your tax advisor and intermediary run the exchange, not us.
Rentals held in an LLC
You hold rentals in a company. Many lenders allow that, and they ask for the operating agreement and a list of signers. Ask your CPA and attorney whether it suits you.
Signs you should skip hard money
You should skip it if a bank will lend on the property and you can wait. The bank loan costs less. Hard money charges more for speed, so it pays only when speed or the property's condition decides the deal.
It is also the wrong loan for a home you will live in, and the wrong loan when you have no payoff plan. If a rental will cover its own payment, ask about a DSCR loan first, and bring us the numbers.
How a loan moves from call to close
Send us the contract or address, your repair plan, your cash and your payoff idea. A short quote request is enough to start.
We then take that to lenders that fund jobs like yours and report back on who wants it.
A lender you choose values the property, reviews title and writes terms you can read before you commit.
Closing runs through escrow, and the date turns on the title work and how quickly your papers arrive. We will not promise a day.
What Orange County investors ask first
Do I need a plan for paying the loan off?
Can I use hard money for a rental I want to keep?
What does the lender look at besides the property?
How long can I keep the loan?
Can my LLC take the loan?
Will you tell me if hard money is a bad fit?
Licensing and how the money flows
Advanced Funding Solutions, NMLS #1277693, is a licensed mortgage brokerage in California. All loans are subject to credit, income, asset, property, and underwriting approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Cities with their own page
Tell us the property
You can start with the address and how the loan gets paid back. We will tell you which lenders fit, or whether a bank loan is the cheaper road.