Hard Money Lenders in California

Your Direct Source for Fast
California Hard Money Lenders

&
Other Easy Qualify Programs With Lower Rates!

California Hard Money Lenders

California Hard Money Direct is a fast, reliable hard money lender in California. We provide California hard money loans with very competitive pricing and years of trusted service.

As a direct hard money lender, you may receive a pre-approval from us in minutes, not days. California Hard Money Direct has earned a strong representation for efficiency and closing affordable hard money loans in California as quickly as 5-10 days. Our experience in hard money lending for investors and property owners allows us to approve complex loans that traditional lenders won’t. We have developed our reputation by following a simple philosophy, “tell people what you’re going to do for them and then do it. Don’t change it, don’t modify it, just deliver results as promised”. This has garnered us over 100 five-star reviews online and counting.

 

Our hard money loans can be used for residential or commercial real estate; we offer both 1st and 2nd hard money loans. We are able to offer fast approval for real estate hard money loans, including bridge loans, commercial real estate, fix-and-flip loans, estate and trust loans, reverse mortgages and purchase loans. California Hard Money Direct has funded multi-multi millions of dollars worth of loans throughout California, and is a part of the 2023 Los Angeles Business Hall of Fame. Because of our success for borrowers and investors, we have been selected four years in a row for the Los Angeles Awards for Financial Services.

 

In real estate transactions, time is of the essence. Our proprietary “loan tracking system” allows you to track the approval process of your loan remotely. We offer personalized service, so you have a direct line to us at all times.   

Fast California Hard Money Available to Borrowers

At California Hard Money Direct, our hard money lenders specialize in hard money and only offer real estate financing for California investment properties and owner-occupied business purpose loans. Our knowledge of the California market is an asset to those seeking expertise in making stronger investment decisions. Fast approval on asset-based transactions are our specialty.  

 

We secure a wide-array of hard money loans across California. Popular loans include:  bridge loans, mixed use, fix and flips/rehab loans, land loans, construction loans, multi-family loansresidential owner occupied loans, business purposed 2nd mortgagesdistressed property loansretail purchase loansreverse mortgagesestate loans to buyout siblings, 1031 exchange loans, and commercial refinance loans. Secure funding fast and start by getting pre-approved. 

 

Don’t see your loan type? Please contact us at 800-571-0887 and we will confirm if we provide the loan you are looking for.

 

About Judy Robbins, Owner of California Hard Money Direct

Judy started out her career in her 20s, raising money for companies involved in foreign currencies, as well as oil and gas. She was always the youngest person in each establishment and was elevated quickly to management. Judy stayed in this line of work until she was approaching her 30s, when she entered car sales. However, during her stint as a venture capitalist, Judy realized that if she wanted to secure her future, she should be investing in real estate. She not only fixed and flipped homes, but also owned a successful property rental company. Fast forward to entering the hard money industry, Judy quickly gained experience and started her own company. Since then, California Hard Money Direct has funded multi-millions of dollars worth of loans throughout the state of California.

Commercial & Non-Owner Occupied Loans Offered

Non Qualified Mortgage Loans

California Hard Money Direct also specializes in providing innovative non-QM loans tailored to meet the diverse financial needs of our clients. In a rapidly evolving lending landscape, we understand that traditional underwriting criteria may not always capture the full financial picture of borrowers. That’s why we’re proud to offer a range of non-QM loan options.

 

DSCR loans are designed for property investors and self-employed individuals seeking financing based on the property’s income potential and their unique financial circumstances. At the heart of DSCR loans is the fundamental concept of measuring a property’s ability to generate sufficient income to cover its operational costs and debt obligations. Our DSCR loans empower borrowers by shifting the focus from personal income and credit history to the property’s income-generating potential. This approach opens doors for real estate entrepreneurs who may have solid investment properties but unconventional income sources, enabling them to secure financing that aligns with their property’s cash flow.

 

With our non-QM DSCR loans, the traditional barriers of rigid debt-to-income ratios fade away. We recognize that investment properties often have distinct revenue streams, and our DSCR loans are structured to acknowledge these nuances. By analyzing the property’s projected or existing income relative to its expenses, we can offer loan solutions that accommodate a wider range of financial situations. Whether you’re looking to acquire, refinance, or access equity in your investment property, our DSCR loans provide a flexible path forward.

 

If Your Loan Makes Sense. We Will Lend you the Money.

Give us a call today to discuss any of the following commercial or residential requests. In some instances we can also offer land and construction hard money loans in non rural areas of California as well:

  • Residential owner occupied business purposed 2nd
  • Residential non owner occupied purchase or refi 1st or 2nd
  • Commercial, mixed use or retail purchase or refi

If you need assistance with a hard money loan in California, contact us for same day pre-approval.

Contact California Hard Money Direct

Call 800-571-0887 or fill out our web form for a call back. If you prefer, you can visit our Hard Money Loan office for an in person meeting today.

What Our Borrowers Say About
California Hard Money Direct Lenders

Laurence Stewart

There are times when a “hard money loan” makes sense. When it does, the last thing you want to do is chase your tail with an unscrupulous vendor that will charge too much and may not be able to close the loan. I needed to pull equity out of a condo for a couple of rehab projects I have going and I’m very happy with my results from California Hard Money Direct. I would absolutely use them again.

Thomas Zacharia

Thank you Judy for acquiring funding for our Purchase of a luxury condo. Judy was able to get me a $1.785 million loan, 65% LTV, with very little docs as it was an SFR investment property. This was a celebrity client with many demands. I would highly recommend Judy to anyone needing a loan fast and with the utmost professionalism.

Robert Rustigian

I found Judy to be a pleasure to work with and a professional. Judy is accessible and she promptly returned my calls, texts, and email. She understands this niche business of hard money lending. I closed a loan with her at competitive terms and fees. I would do business with her again and recommend Judy to my friends. Thank you Judy.

Direct California Hard Money Lenders

As a direct hard money lender in California, you may receive a pre-approval in as fast as minutes, not days, for real estate financing up to $20 million. California Hard Money Direct has earned a strong representation for efficiency and provides private hard money loans and bridge loan financing in days and without qualifying factors typically required by more conventional lenders. Benefits of receiving a direct hard money loan in California include:


  1. Affordable Refinance Hard Money Loans – We start by calculating Loan to Value from Real Estate. Instead of a credit score and traditional debt-to-income evaluation, our private money lenders will approve your loan using asset-based lending criteria. Asset-based lending evaluates your real estate property value and uses that as collateral in the agreement. 
  2. Great Approval Odds for Purchase Hard Money Loans – As long as you have adequate down payment, your likelihood of being approved is very high.  When there’s a competitive bidding on the same property, fast closing times will win you the right to purchase the property over other buyers. 
  3. Faster Approval / Closing Times – More flexible funding options and factors allow us to remove the middlemen and evaluate and close your loan faster.

Hard Money Lenders for California Investments and Properties

California Hard Money Direct helps investors and owners secure private hard money loans throughout California

A partial list of California counties we often serve include Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange County, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Diego. Select California Hard Money Direct, the most experienced California hard money lender for your next loan as we are the best hard money loan provider in the state.

California Hard Money Loan FAQs

Qualifying for a Hard Money Loan

Qualifying for a hard money loan is going to be based on having a 30% down payment if you are purchasing a home. It will be based on not going over 65% loan to value if you are refinancing a home. You will need very little in the way of paperwork. No income verification is needed and your FICO score won’t matter

 

It really all boils down to equity. If you’re putting up 30%, hard money lenders feel that you have enough skin in the game to take the loan seriously. By the same token, 65% loan to value on a refinance allows the hard money lender to stay within their lending comfort zone. Lenders also typically like to know what your exit strategy is. In other words, how do you plan on paying back the lender at the end of your loan term. Most typically the answer is refinancing, selling or paying back the loan from income  through work or other investments.

Hard money loans are actually quite simple. If you’re buying a property, you will need 30% down payment and the hard money lender will provide you the other 70%. It won’t matter if your credit score is low, if you had a bankruptcy in the recent past, had a short sale or any other negative factors.

 

The negative factors would stop a conventional lender but would not stop a hard money lender from assisting.
An appraisal is required in order to make sure you are not overpaying on the property. We gather a few internal documents and can typically close the loan within 7 to 10 days. There is flexibility in terms of length of loan. You can opt for a one year up to a 4 year loan. They are interest-only. Hard money mortgage loans are geared towards non-owner occupied investment properties.

 

If you need a hard money loan for a refinance, we need to determine the value of the property versus what you owe as the first step. You can borrow up to 65% of whatever the property appraises for. The property must be located in California. We require very little paperwork and a low credit score will not prohibit you from getting you hard money financing.

Each hard money lender has their own requirements. Typically all that is required on a purchase would be a substantial down payment ranging from 25% or more, an appraisal and a sensible exit strategy. On a refinance, a loan to value not to exceed 70% on average, an appraisal along with a sensible exit strategy.

In almost all instances you must expect a hard money letter to require anywhere from 20% up to as high as 40% depending on the location and condition of the property.

Most of the time yes. But not always.

No. You need it to have skin in the game. The down payment must come from the borrower and the hard money lender will provide the difference.

Generally speaking the answer is no. Most private lenders do not report to credit bureaus.

Why Hard Money?

The most common reasons people use hard money lenders would be a desire to close quickly, poor credit, purchasing properties in need of renovation, people desiring to keep the loan in the name of Corporation, LLC or Trust, inability to prove income, recent bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosure.

Hard money loans can help people exit out of Trust Loans when there might be a need for a sibling buyout. They can also be excellent for getting out of a reverse mortgage on an inherited non-owner occupied property.

The true benefits come from working with a hard money direct lender. Oftentimes borrowers don’t realize they are speaking with brokers and not actually getting direct to the source. Always ask if you are speaking with a direct lender as that will keep your costs lower. An experienced hard money lender will let you know after a brief consultation whether or not your scenario will result in the funds you’re seeking. Hard money loans in general are significantly easier to get than conventional loans. If you are borrowing money for a non-owner occupied property, there will be no need to prove income and just about any credit score will be acceptable. The loans are completed typically within 5 to 7 days.

In many cases it can be a very good idea. Often, it is the only option available. If you have the opportunity to purchase property that has potential upside in terms of appreciative gains it would be better to use hard money than to walk away from the property. It would be unfortunate to lose out on a good deal simply because a conventional loan is not an option. If it is a refinance and hard money is the only option it can also be a good idea. It is quite common that proceeds are being used to take advantage of business opportunities that might otherwise be unattainable. It is case by case and should be decided on the merits of the particular opportunity.

There are actually more deductions on hard money loans because in almost all instances they are interest only. In addition, when you take out the hard money loan all of the related costs are also tax deductible.

No. Cash is still King but hard money is a close second. When a property listing requirement is cash offers only, they will require a copy of your bank statement to verify you can close utilizing your own funds.

Hard money loans are great for purchasing properties that are in need of repair. Typically banks are not interested in lending on properties needing substantial renovation. Hard money loans are also excellent when you are in a competitive market and sellers are looking for people with the ability to close quickly. They can also be used effectively to buy out partners or siblings. Hard money loans are great for people who want to purchase or refinance utilizing an LLC, Corporation or Trust.

In reality, any type of loan can be a risk to both the person taking out the loan and the person providing the loan. When it comes to the risks of hard money lending lenders in many instances are providing loans to borrowers that otherwise have been turned down. If the borrower has a history of bankruptcy, foreclosure or short sale it could be interpreted as lending to somebody that hasn’t taken their credit seriously. In order to mitigate some of that risk the lender would require a larger down payment than a conventional bank would. If it is a refinance the lender would keep the loan to value at a more conservative level than a bank would. These factors help offset potential risks for hard money lenders.


From the borrower’s perspective there are additional risks in as much as the interest rates are higher and the loan terms are shorter. As such, it is very important borrowers give careful consideration to exactly how to exit the loan in a timely manner. And if the property is being purchased as a Fix and Flip all loan costs and carrying costs must be carefully calculated so that allowances have been made for cost overruns. If the borrower hasn’t made careful calculations and their deal doesn’t work out as planned, they could lose their asset.


The most common reasons people use hard money lenders would be a desire to close quickly, poor credit, purchasing properties in need of renovation, people desiring to keep the loan in the name of a Corporation, LLC or Trust, inability to prove income, recent bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosure.

Typical Hard Money Loan Terms

Most of the time hard money loans are designed to be short-term loans. On average they span from one year up to a maximum of five years.

Yes they are interest only. Hard money financing is very simple. You are paying an investor interest every month for as long as you use their money. When you no longer need the money, simply pay back what you borrowed and the transaction is over. If you request a loan for $200,000 the entire $200,000 amount will be deposited in your bank account. If you are doing a construction project, you may not need the entire $200,000 at the moment but there is no such thing as a hard money line of credit. Therefore all of the money must be taken at the time the loan close.

There are many options in terms of structuring. It can be a refinance or purchase or even a 2nd trust deed. Loan term can range from one year to five years. It can be interest only and there are some instances where they can be fully amortized. In all instances real property is used as collateral. In some instances if there isn’t enough equity in one property additional properties can be utilized. This process is called cross collateralization.

Most of the time a hard money loan is paid back by selling the property, refinancing into a conventional loan or paying back the entire loan amount through savings or the sale of other properties.

Yes. Just like any other loan you can refinance a hard money loan as long as you have enough equity. Since hard money loans are equity based, it is critical the property is worth significantly more than what you are looking to borrow. We have multiple mortgage financing hard money options. Some will take the loan to value up higher than others. It is always best to speak with one of our consultants In order to decide what is best for you.

Most hard money loans come with a 6-month prepayment penalty although there are some cases where that can be negotiated to a shorter time period.

California Hard Money Lender

California's Fast Hard Money

California Hard Money Direct is a direct hard money lender serving California investors and property owners. We pride ourselves on being available to answer your questions and gladly provide CA hard money loans fast.