California · Single Family & 1-4 Unit
California single family investment property loans.
Bridge, fix and flip, renovation and DSCR on houses and 1-4 unit property held for investment. Up to $5M, business-purpose, closing in 7 to 14 days, with underwriting on the asset rather than on tax returns.
By David Hodara ·
$100k-$5M
Loan range
1-9
Units
7-14 days
Typical close
90% LTC
Max leverage
California single family & 1-4 unit market context
California residential investment runs on price per square foot rather than on yield, which changes what a lender is actually underwriting. A $2M house in a coastal Los Angeles neighbourhood does not cash-flow as a rental at any leverage, so the exit is a sale or a long hold with an equity thesis, and the loan has to be sized against that rather than against rent.
Timeline risk here is permitting, not construction. A cosmetic renovation moves at the pace of any other state; anything touching the envelope, the footprint or an ADU conversion moves at the pace of the local planning department, and in several jurisdictions that is measured in quarters. Files priced on a six-month plan and permitted on an eighteen-month reality are the ones that need an extension.
Typical loan products for California single family & 1-4 unit
Each deal gets routed to the product structure that fits. Most single family & 1-4 unit deals in California use one of the following.
Bridge loans
Purchase or cash-out on a 1-4 unit investment property, interest-only, close in 7-10 business days. Up to 80% LTV, no prepayment penalty.
Fix and flip loans
Acquisition plus rehab in one loan for a residential flip with a resale exit. Up to 90% LTC, 7-14 day close.
Renovation loans
Value-add on a single house or a 2-4 unit, rehab drawn against completed work. Up to 90% of purchase and 100% of the rehab budget.
DSCR loans
The long-term exit once the property rents: 30-year financing qualified on the rent rather than personal income.
Buying California single family & 1-4 unit from outside the US
We finance single family & 1-4 unit in California for investors based outside the United States as readily as for US borrowers. The loan is made to a US LLC rather than to an individual, which keeps it business-purpose, and the underwriting looks at the property rather than at a US credit profile a non-resident has no way to build.
That means no US credit history, no US income documents, no foreign-national rate premium, and no requirement to travel to the United States to close. If you do not yet have the entity, forming one is a step in the process rather than a prerequisite you have to solve alone.
California single family & 1-4 unit FAQ
Can I get a private bridge loan on a California investment house?
Yes, up to $5M on 1-4 unit residential held for investment, 12 months, interest-only, up to 80% LTV and 5 points lower on cash-out. Business-purpose only: a property you occupy is a consumer loan and outside what we do.
Does an ADU conversion qualify for renovation financing?
Yes, as a renovation or a construction file depending on scope, and the deciding factor is the permit rather than the build. With permits issued it prices as ordinary value-add work; with permits still in review, the honest structure is a bridge that carries the property while entitlement completes, then a construction loan once it clears.
How does a high-value California property affect DSCR qualification?
It usually breaks it. At coastal prices the rent rarely covers debt service at meaningful leverage, so a DSCR exit is not available and the loan has to be sized to a sale or to lower leverage. This is the single most common reason a California file that works on paper does not work in underwriting.
Can a foreign national buy a California investment property with financing?
Yes, on the same terms as a US borrower, lent to your US LLC and underwritten on the asset. No US credit history or US income documents are required, and closing is remote. Los Angeles and the Bay Area are two of the markets where we see the most non-resident buyers.
Can a foreign national finance single family & 1-4 unit in California?
Yes. We lend to a US LLC rather than to an individual, and we underwrite the property rather than a US credit profile, so a non-resident with no US credit history and no US income documents can borrow on the same terms a US borrower receives. There is no foreign-national rate premium, and you do not have to travel to the United States to close. The structure is the same in California as in every other state.
Got a California single family & 1-4 unit deal? Send it over.
Term sheet inside 48 hours, or a fast no so you can move on. Business-purpose CRE financing only.