Choosing the wrong loan is the most expensive mistake in a deal — a bank mortgage that can’t close on an auction property, or a hard money loan carried nine months past the exit. This hub maps every major investment property loan to the deal it’s built for, and links to a side-by-side breakdown for each decision.
Not sure where to start? Tell us the deal and we’ll point you to the right structure — or run the investor calculators first.
Quick pick — start with your goal
| Your goal | Loan to compare first | Deep-dive comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Flip a distressed property | Hard money / bridge | Hard money vs. traditional · Bridge vs. hard money |
| Buy & hold a rental | DSCR | DSCR vs. hard money vs. conventional · DSCR vs. conventional for BRRRR |
| Build ground-up | Construction | Construction vs. bridge · Ground-up vs. fix & flip |
| Pull cash out of equity | Cash-out refi / DSCR | Cash-out refi vs. HELOC · DSCR loan vs. HELOC |
| Owner-occupied commercial | SBA vs. bridge | SBA vs. conventional vs. bridge · SBA 504 vs. 7(a) |
Short-term & acquisition financing
When you need to close fast or the property won’t qualify for a bank loan, the decision is between the short-term, asset-based options:
- DSCR vs. hard money vs. conventional — the master three-way framework
- Hard money vs. traditional loans — rates, speed, and risk trade-offs
- Bridge loans vs. hard money — when each label actually applies
- Bridge loan vs. DSCR loan — short-term hold vs. permanent refinance
- Hard money vs. private money — institutional vs. relationship capital
- Hard money vs. cash offer — leverage vs. all-cash speed
- Subject-to vs. seller financing vs. hard money — creative acquisition paths
Long-term rental (DSCR) financing
Once a property is stabilized, the question shifts to how you structure the permanent rental loan:
- DSCR vs. conventional for BRRRR — the refinance-stage decision
- DSCR vs. conventional for Airbnb / STR — short-term-rental income
- DSCR vs. bank statement loan — two self-employed-friendly paths
- No-ratio vs. standard DSCR — when coverage falls short
- Fixed vs. ARM DSCR — rate structure over the hold
- Interest-only vs. amortizing DSCR — cash flow vs. paydown
- Portfolio vs. individual DSCR loans — scaling past a handful of doors
- Multifamily DSCR vs. commercial loan — the 5+ unit line
Construction, cash-out & commercial
- Construction loan vs. bridge loan
- Ground-up construction vs. fix & flip
- Cash-out refinance vs. HELOC
- Commercial bridge loan vs. SBA loan
- SBA vs. conventional vs. bridge (owner-occupied)
- SBA 504 vs. 7(a)
Loan structure & entity
The same loan behaves differently depending on how it’s structured — decide these before you sign a term sheet:
- Recourse vs. non-recourse — personal-guarantee exposure
- LLC vs. personal name — how you take title
Comparing lenders, not just loan types
Once you know the loan, the next decision is who funds it. Our lender-comparison research covers the national platforms and where a focus-market lender wins:
- Best hard money lenders (2026) — the shortlist with methodology
- All lender comparisons — Kiavi, Lima One, RCN, Renovo, CoreVest and more, head-to-head
The one rule behind every comparison
Match the loan’s term to your exit. Short-term, asset-based debt (hard money, bridge) is for deals with a defined 6–18 month exit — a flip sale or a refinance. Long-term debt (DSCR, conventional) is for stabilized holds with income to document. Most investor losses come from a mismatch: carrying short-term rates on a long-term hold, or trying to force a stabilized-income loan onto a property that isn’t ready. When you know your exit, the right column in every table above picks itself.
Ready to structure a specific deal? Submit your scenario or request a callback — we’ll tell you which loan fits and quote it.