7 Best Hard Money Lenders in Maryland

Maryland is a Mid-Atlantic state right on the Atlantic Ocean. Its largest city is Baltimore, and Annapolis is the state’s capital. The state has much to offer but is most well known for its location near Washington D.C., sometimes even serving as a commuter state for those working in the capital. With an incredible history, the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, and its vast culture, Maryland is a unique place to live. About 6.1 million people live in the state. In terms of its economy, Maryland is noted for its higher education, tourism, biotech, fishing, and healthcare industries. It is a very modern and upscale state with numerous highly affluent communities throughout it, with various urban areas as well.

Its location and higher quality of life are why homes for sale in Maryland tend to cost a bit more. The area has limited inventory most times of the year, which has pushed home values up. While it’s possible to find homes worth well over $1 million, the average purchase price for a home in Maryland is $484,283 according to the Maryland Realtors Association. There’s also limited amounts of new construction taking place in some of the larger cities, which also makes home values high and the real estate market competitive.

Another notable fact for investors to consider is that Maryland is a low number of available rental properties. The U.S. Census Bureau states that 72.9 percent of people own their homes here, leaving 27.1 percent renting. However, just 3.9 percent of rentals are vacant across the state. That could mean there’s a significant amount of demand for new rental properties in Maryland. Though this depends on one community to the next, there could be investment opportunities in the area for rentals as well as fix and flip opportunities.

How hard money loans work in Maryland

A hard money loan is a private money loan in which the lender provides property investors with money to purchase and sometimes renovate real estate. Hard money lenders in Maryland are able to lend on a variety of home types, including multi-family properties meant to be rentals, fix and flip homes, bridge loans, and other commercial real estate loans. As secured loans, borrowers who default on the loan will likely lose the property through foreclosure as the lender has the right to force the sale of the property to recoup their investment in it.

Maryland hard money lenders are not big banks or credit unions. They are often direct private lenders or investment firms that pool their money together to help borrowers to finance harder-to-finance properties. There is a significant amount of risk to the lending partner in these loans. That is why most of these investment property loans tend to have a higher interest rate than traditional loans or commercial real estate mortgages. Keep in mind that hard money loans may still be affordable because these loans are accessible, whereas traditional mortgages are not available to these borrowers. Yet, also important is that each lender sets their own qualifications and terms for borrowers, providing more flexibility to meet most lender needs.

Hard money loans are short-term loans. Most of the time, these loans are closed within 5 years, and some as little as just 1 year. They are not meant to be used long term for ownership, but rather to provide the financing as an investment strategy. In the case of bridge loans for construction or rental income properties, these loans help the borrower purchase the property and renovate it before refinancing into a more affordable loan term with lower interest rates. Keep in mind qualifications for these loans typically include a down payment and a good credit score.

7 Top hard money lenders in Maryland

If you’re in the market for a real estate investment project in Texas, consider these hard money lenders that are available for projects in the state.

1. Tidal Loans

Tidal Loans is based in Houston but provides hard money lending to real estate investors located in many states across the United States. They primarily focused on fix and flip loans, multifamily properties, bridge loans and rental property loans.

We contacted Tidal Loans to learn more about their private lending business and here are some of the highlights:

• Rental property loans available for up to 30-year terms and a cash out of up to 80% LTV.
• Interest only for three or five years
• 85% LTV available on purchase properties
• No experience required
• No tax returns required

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

2. EquityMax

EquityMax is based out of Florida and most of its business in the state but is able to lend throughout the United States. Founded by Brad Emmer in 1990, EquityMax has decades of experience as a hard money lender.

We reached out to EquityMax to learn more about their hard money loans and these are the key highlights that you need to know:

• Single Family Homes
• 1-4 Multi-Unit Properties
• Condos and Townhomes ok
• Commercial property and Industrial Warehouses OK
• Direct lender that has decision making over financing deals.
• Can originate loans to individuals, LLCs, corporations, land trusts and self-directed IRAs.
• No prepayment penalties
• No minimum credit score required

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

3. Fund That Flip

Fund That Flip is a hard money lender based in New York that focuses on short term bridge loans for real estate investors looking to flip properties. Founded by Matt Rodak in 2014, Fund That Flip lends in most states.

We contacted Fund That Flip to learn more about their bridge loan program and here is what we found:

• Up to 80% LTC and 70% ARV ratios for your project
• Rates start at 9.99%
• Direct lender with discretionary capital
• Construction projects ok
• 10% down payment required

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

4. Stratton Equities

Stratton Equities is a nationwide direct hard money lender for real estate investors. Founded by Michael Mikhail in 2017, Stratton Equities has over five years of experience in the private lending market.

We reached out to Stratton Equities to get more information about their hard money lending program and here are some highlights:

• Loan amounts from $100,000 up to $5 million
• Investment properties only
• Single-Family, Condos, Townhomes, Multi-Family, Commercial, Mixed-Use, Office, Retail, Industrial and Warehouse are all ok
• Up to a 75% LTV
• Rates start at 7.25%
• Interest only payments
• Loan terms are 9-24 months
• Foreign nationals are eligible
• No prepayment penalty option is available

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

5. LendSimpli

LendSimpli is a hard money lender based in Tampa, Florida. They can lend nationally in most states but may not be able to lend if the property is in a rural area. Founded by Brenden Crampton and Matthew Davies in 2018, they have nearly four years of experience in the private lending real estate investing market.

We reached out to LendSimpli to get more details about their bridge loan product and this is what we found:

• Loan amounts up to $5 million for 1-4 unit properties
• Loan amounts up to $20 million for 5+ unit properties
• Single family (1-4 units)
• Multifamily (5-20 units)
• No owner-occupied properties
• Loan terms 12-24 months
• Interest-only payments with rates starting at 8.50%
• Max LTC is 90% of project costs
• Minimum credit score is 660
• Prefer that you have at least two transactions in the past three years

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

6. Easy Street Capital

East Street Capital is based in Austin, Texas but lends nationwide except in North and South Dakota. Founded by Stephen Hagerman in 2016, Easy Street Capital has over six years of experience in the real estate investing world.

We reached out to Easy Street Capital to learn more about their hard money loans and this is what we found:

• Interest rates range from 6.9% – 10.9%
• Points range from 2-3
• There is a $1495 document fee
• No minimum credit score required
• Down payments of at least 10% required
• Renovation financing ok
• Fix and Flip loans do not typically have prepayment penalties

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

7. HouseMax Funding

HouseMax Funding is based out of Austin, Texas but has a national footprint when it comes to real estate industry lending. Started by Jeff Fetcher and Alex Morris, HouseMax provides asset-based loan financing to investors for real estate transactions.

We reached out to HouseMax to learn more about their hard money lending program and here is what we found:

• Minimum loan amount is $75,000
• Lends up to 75% of the after-repair value (APV)
• 1-3 points origination charge
• 3 months reserves required
• Direct lender that approves loans internally and funds using their own private capital.
• Lends in urban and suburban communities in all 50 states.
• Goal is to close loans in 10 days or less.
• Specializes in fix & flip loans, construction and rental loans
• Multi-family and commercial properties are ok

When you’re ready to connect with a loan officer, use our form to quickly match with eligible loan programs based on your specific circumstances.

The differences between hard money loans in Maryland and other types of financing

Hard money loans in Maryland provide a way for borrowers who may be unproven investors or those purchasing high-risk properties to obtain a loan to do so. These are higher risk loans, which means they are more expensive, with interest rates that range from 8 to 15 percent and higher fees. That’s significantly different from traditional residential properties.

Another key difference is that many hard money lenders in Maryland allow the borrower to use the after repair value of the property to finance the purchase. Unlike a traditional mortgage in which the current value of the home (no matter the condition) is used, these loans will focus on what the expected after repair value is, which is often much higher. This allows for fix and flip types of loans to be more accessible to borrowers.

Down payments are one of the more flexible areas of these loans. While conventional loans typically require up to 20 percent down, many hard money lenders reduce that significantly depending on the qualifications of the property as well as the borrower. This makes them easier to obtain for those investors who may not want to invest their own savings into these properties.

Another big difference is the loan term. Most hard money loans are in place from 1 to 5 years, after which it is expected for the property to be sold or refinanced into a lower interest rate loan. For those who plan to use these loans long term, that could be available, depending on the terms set by the financing company or investor. Credit scores for those investors also differ, though most will require at least a good credit score for borrowers, especially those with lower down payments or an unproven investment history.

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