I am currently in my 2 year waiting period before I can take out a conventional loan to buy my first rental property. October 2020 is go time! In the meantime I am rebuilding my credit and saving my pennies to have a down payment ready to go. Is there a way to get a hard money loan that lasts two years? I am a regular listener on biggerpockets and my ears always perk up when I hear people going from 0 to 100. As far as I can tell or have seen to date, hard money loans seem to average 6 months to 1 year. Is it possible to get one for two years? If not, what would be my other options to get started sooner? TIA!!

Yes there are short term rental loan provided by lenders that are typically 2-3 years. They 6-12 month loans you are thinking of are typically for fix and flips which are shorter because we know properties are going to be sold quickly instead of kept as rentals. 

@Katie Nooney My personal experience from applying to HML's in the past was that they pulled credit, and they told me specifically they were still reviewing for BK, foreclosure, or settling of debt for less than owed. So not sure if you would still be approved, but I can't personally say.

I think you should call around and talk to as many lenders as possible.  Beyond that there are options like seller financing too.

Good luck,

@Katie Nooney Based on the nature of the request; we have provided loan for 3 years or even 5 years.  When we know the investor who is using the funds are purely for rental purposes; these options are available.  In these situations; we have to verify landlord rental certificate for the city and lease agreement etc.

BK by itself is not a deal killer for most HML's if there are adequate mitigating factors. All else being equal, terms won't be as favorable as they would be for a borrower without a BK, but should still be available.