Why Speed Wins Investment Deals
The California investment property market rewards decisiveness. Well-priced SFRs, multifamily units, and distressed properties attract multiple offers quickly. Sellers and their agents know the difference between a buyer who can close in a week and one who needs 30 to 45 days to satisfy a conventional lender's underwriting process. That gap shows up in negotiations.
Investors who can credibly offer a fast, certain close win more deals, often at better prices. The seller's willingness to negotiate on price or terms goes up considerably when they know they are not going to be sitting in escrow for six weeks waiting on a lender's appraisal and underwriting queue.
Why investment properties close faster than owner-occupied loans
Owner-occupied bridge loans are subject to federal consumer protection regulations, including mandatory TRID disclosure timelines and waiting periods that add 10 to 14 days to the funding process regardless of how quickly underwriting is completed. That is why owner-occupied bridge loans take 2 to 2.5 weeks.
Investment properties are exempt from these regulations. Without mandatory waiting periods, we move from application to funding in 5 to 7 business days. No government timeline to satisfy. No disclosure clock running. Just underwriting, title, and closing.
A listing agent gets three offers: one from a buyer with conventional financing needing 35 days to close, one all-cash, and one with an investment bridge loan closing in 7 days. The bridge loan offer competes directly with cash in the seller's mind. That changes the negotiation entirely.
What Property Types Qualify
We fund bridge loans on non-owner-occupied residential and residential-commercial investment properties throughout California. The property must be in reasonable condition and have a viable path to resale or refinance within the loan term.
Single-Family Residences
Non-owner-occupied SFRs are the most common investment bridge loan scenario. Purchase or refinance of a rental, flip, or hold property.
2–4 Unit Multifamily
Duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. Both acquisitions and cash-out refinances on investment multifamily qualify.
Condos & Townhomes
Non-owner-occupied condos and townhomes in California. Warrantability is less of a constraint with private money than with conventional financing.
Mixed-Use Properties
Properties with a residential component and a ground-floor commercial unit. Reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on location and use.
What we do not fund
- ✕Owner-occupied properties (these qualify for our residential bridge loan program separately)
- ✕Raw land or properties without a residential structure
- ✕Properties requiring major structural rehabilitation before they are habitable
- ✕Properties outside California
LTV and Loan Parameters
Investment property bridge loans are priced for speed and flexibility, not for the lowest possible rate. The cost is straightforward and known upfront. There are no hidden fees and no prepayment penalties, so if you close a sale sooner than expected, you keep the savings.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum LTV | Up to 65–70% of current property value |
| Interest Rate | 9.95% to 10.95% (APR 11.40% to 13.22%) (fixed for the loan term) |
| Origination Points | 1.25 to 1.95 points |
| Loan Term | Up to 11 months |
| Monthly Payments | Required monthly payments throughout the term |
| prepayment penalty | None |
| Appraisal Fee | None. We do not order an appraisal. |
| Funding Timeline | 5 to 7 business days from application |
Conventional investment loans require a licensed appraiser to visit the property, write a report, and deliver it before underwriting can complete. That alone can add 10 to 20 days. We underwrite based on a direct assessment of the property's current market value and do not order an appraisal, which is one of the main reasons we can close in under a week.
How Fast Can You Fund?
The 5 to 7 business day timeline is achievable because the investment property process has no regulatory waiting periods. Every day in the timeline is working toward closing, not waiting on a mandated disclosure period to expire. Here is what that looks like in practice:
The bottleneck is usually title, not underwriting
Our underwriting is fast. The variable in the timeline is typically how quickly title can open, run searches, and prepare to close. In most California counties, a motivated title company can move through the process in four to five business days. If you are working with an escrow officer who has handled private money transactions before, the coordination is smoother and the timeline holds.
If you have an accepted offer in hand, call us the same day. The sooner we open the file, the more runway the title company has to meet the close date in your purchase agreement.
What the Process Looks Like
The investment bridge loan process is lean by design. We do not require a full mortgage application package. What we need is enough to underwrite the asset and confirm your exit strategy.
Common Investment Scenarios
Investors use bridge loans for a range of situations. The common thread is that conventional financing is either too slow, too documentation-heavy, or unavailable for the specific property or borrower profile.
Acquiring a competitive listing before conventional financing can move
A well-priced SFR in Sacramento or the Inland Empire gets multiple offers the first weekend. The investor has a conventional preapproval but it requires 30 to 45 days to close. A bridge loan lets them submit a 7-day close offer and compete with cash buyers. They close, stabilize the property, then refinance into a longer-term investment loan at their pace.
Pulling equity from one property to fund the next acquisition
An investor owns a free-and-clear rental in San Bernardino County. They have identified a duplex to acquire but their capital is sitting in the equity of the first property. A cash-out bridge loan against the existing rental provides the down payment or full purchase funds for the new acquisition, without waiting to sell the first property.
Buying an investment property before a pending sale closes
An investor has a property in escrow expected to close in 45 days. They find another investment property they want to acquire immediately. A bridge loan provides the purchase funds now, with the pending sale proceeds used to pay off the bridge loan at close. The investor does not miss the opportunity while waiting on the first sale.
Financing a non-warrantable condo or unusual property
Some investment properties are strong assets that conventional lenders will not touch: a condo in a complex with too many investor-owned units, a mixed-use building, or a property that has been vacant. Private money underwrites on the asset, not on whether the property fits Fannie Mae's warrantability guidelines. If it has value and a clear exit, we can fund it.