Skip to content

Let's keep in touch

Subscribe to our newsletter for timely insights and actionable tips on your real estate journey.

By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions
BPCON2026 Orlando

October 2 - 4 Early Bird tickets are now ON SALE. Purchase your tickets today and save $100!

Get tickets
BPCON2026 Orlando

October 2 - 4 Early Bird tickets are now ON SALE. Purchase your tickets today and save $100!

Get tickets
Followed Discussions Followed Categories Followed People Followed Locations
Rehabbing & House Flipping
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated almost 8 years ago on . Most recent reply

User Stats

15
Posts
4
Votes
Sarah Robinson
  • Waterford, MI
4
Votes |
15
Posts

Hard Money Loan Draws

Sarah Robinson
  • Waterford, MI
Posted

Hello all,

Ok so I am looking into flipping a house, but I don't have the money so I am probably going to end up using a Hard money loan or a private investor if I can find someone in my area willing to finance. I have been researching and it appears that for HML's I will have to pay for everything up front, and then be reimbursed afterward for the work done on the property (with a fee associated with every draw I pull for reimbursement). How exactly am I supposed to do this if I literally do not have $20,000 sitting in a bank account to do construction projects? If I had the money, I wouldn't be using a hard money loan in the first place. Can someone please explain this to me, please? I'm super confused...

Most Popular Reply

User Stats

22,059
Posts
14,132
Votes
Jon Holdman#3 Real Estate Deal Analysis & Advice Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Mercer Island, WA
14,132
Votes |
22,059
Posts
Jon Holdman#3 Real Estate Deal Analysis & Advice Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Mercer Island, WA
ModeratorReplied

Even with hard money, it is really tough to do a fix and flip with no cash of your own. My rule of thumb for amount of money you need is that if you have a deal where the purchase plus rehab cost is 70% of ARV, and your HML will lend you 70% of ARV then you will need 15% of ARV of your own cash. If you HML has down payment requirement (many do) you would need that in addition.

That's still a lot better than trying to do with with a conventional loan.  With a conventional loan, you're stuck with a 20% down payment and you're limited to properties that meet the lender's criteria for condition.  And then you have to completely fund the rehab out of pocket.

Hard money is not a miracle.  Fix and flipping is a cash intensive business.  You really must have some cash of your own or from some other source to pull this off.  Other sources might include credit cards, home equity loan, 401k loan, loan from friends or family, selling something, working a second job, etc.

Loading replies...