A hard money loan, often called an RTL (Residential Transition Loan), bridge loan, or short-term rehab/new-construction loan, is a business-purpose loan secured by real estate. These loans are typically 6–24 months, used for rehab, new construction, or short-term stabilization, and designed to help investors acquire and improve 1–20 unit residential properties before selling or refinancing into long-term DSCR financing.

Hard money loans work best when the project has a clear plan and the investor has the capital and experience to execute. A hard money loan may not be the right solution if:

• You need the lowest possible interest rate
• You don’t have the required cash for down payment or construction overruns
• You’re unsure whether you can complete the project within 6–24 months
• The property is owner-occupied (we only lend for business purpose)

• Fast closings (often 7–10 days)
• Higher leverage, helping you scale faster
• Flexible structure for rehab, construction, or bridge needs
• Less burdensome documentation compared to banks
• Reliable capital designed for real estate investors

Most loans close in 7–10 days, depending on the property and how quickly you can provide required documents. We move fast, and we guide you through every step so nothing stalls your timeline.

Yes. We can fund up to 100% of construction costs. Funds are held in escrow and released through draws as milestones are completed and inspected. This helps protect both your project and your budget.

Yes, this is extremely common. Many investors use an Upright Lending bridge or rehab loan to complete a project, then refinance into a long-term DSCR loan once the property is rented and stabilized. We offer both products, making the transition smooth and predictable.

Simple. Book a consultation via the link below, give us a call at 216-206-6079, email us at originations@uprightlending.com, or click Apply Now and a member of your assigned team of Upright Lending professionals will be in touch promptly. We are team-oriented, and look forward to introducing you to your experts.

You’ll get an answer within no longer than 24 hours. We evaluate you based on your experience, your project, and the business purpose, not your tax returns or personal debt-to-income.

Your assigned team will keep you updated throughout the process. You can reach out at any time for real-time updates on underwriting, appraisal, title, or closing milestones, or log into your Upright Lending account to upload documentation & follow along.

For rehab and new construction financing, we start by looking at your qualifications. We partner with new investors looking to take down their first residential rehab project as well as professional developers with a track record of success. For our best pricing & leverage, developers need to have 4+ successful like-kind projects under their belt in the past 3 years, as well as excellent personal credit.

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Once you are prequalified, we look at each project on its own merit, but this is generally what we are looking for:
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1. How much of your own equity is in the project. We require at least 10% of your own money into each project.
2. The loan amount must be less than 75% of the After Repair Value (ARV) of the property.
3. After Repair Value (ARV) should be supported by a thorough analysis of sales data from comparable properties (comps). This should be further supported by an appraisal and/or Broker Price Opinion (BPO). We will likely order our own Valuation, a BPO or an appraisal to verify your analysis.
4. A detailed statement of work with line item costs of all the repairs and improvements you plan to make. This should be supplemented with a home inspection report. We may also perform our own inspection.
5. An exit strategy. Do you plan to sell this to an owner-occupier or an investor who will rent it out? Maybe you plan on refinancing the property with a traditional mortgage and holding it as a rental. Let us know, as this can impact the market risk of the project.
6. Photos! Send us photos of the property showing its current state and key areas of the home you plan on improving.

More is better, and all of this information can be easily uploaded to your loan application via your account.

We are the best of both worlds. We provide the speed, industry-leading terms and flexibility of our private capital, combined with the discipline and reliability of an established lender. All of our products are business-purpose loans, designed specifically for investors building, rehabbing, or holding 1–20 unit properties.