From a lender's perspective, you sound look like a very risky borrower.Hard Money is an short-term alternative to traditional bank loans and is more suited to rehabs and flips, but any lender is: 1) Going to underwrite the deal to make sure the numbers make sense, there is a clear upside, and plenty of wiggle room (and thus will expect you to come to them with a very clear picture of exactly what needs to be done, including a scope of work, detailed costs, and contingencies), and 2) Expect you to have skin in the game. 25% is pretty reasonable, actually.

Make sure you really crunch the numbers to make sure your cash flow is still healthy.

You will grow thick skin quickly.

I am doing my research on this market,  is anyone here familiar or have any skin in the game?

Putting some skin in the game is always preferred.

.🏘️ Deal Snapshot (Hypothetical Example)Purchase price: around $490K (≈ $18K/unit)Rehab budget: about $70K (mostly interior updates + deferred maintenance)Market rents: roughly $1,125/unit → ≈ $30K/month or $360K per year grossVacancy: 8 % | Operating expenses: 40 %Estimated NOI: ≈ $200K / yearAfter stabilization, this could support a DSCR refi and healthy cash flow, but the part I’m trying to understand is how the bridge loan and equity piece usually work together.💡 Questions for the communityBridge Loan Mechanics:How do these short-term “interest-only + 100 % rehab funded” bridge loans typically operate in practice?

What's your skin in the game?

This maintains a healthy 25% equity cushion in the property, which protects you against market fluctuations and keeps your loan options and rates the most favorable.Let’s do some quick math based on your numbers:Your net income is fantastic.

Vet sponsors hard: track record across cycles, fee structure, downside scenarios, investor communications, skin in the game, and third-party references.Leveraging those gains into local rentals (especially mid-to-long-term) is a great next move and gives you more hands-on control.

This is a BIG issue when it comes to Realtors screening tenants as they have NO SKIN in the game, as after they get their commission they won't have to be accountable for tenant nonperformance issues!