Foreign national fix and flip loans finance a U.S. investment property you will renovate and sell — when you are not a U.S. citizen and you may have no Social Security number and no U.S. FICO. The product is still hard money: short-term, interest-only, collateral-first. Jaken Finance Group quotes qualified files at 8.99%–13.5% on 6–12 month terms and closes business-purpose loans nationwide.
What changes is documentation and seasoning, not the definition of ARV. If you want to hold the property as a rental, stop reading this page and use foreign national DSCR loans. Mixing the two is how overseas sponsors donate a year of bridge carry to a refinance they should have closed on day one.
Apply: pre-qualify · How-to: how to get a fix and flip loan · Phone: (833) 264-7776.
Who this page is for
| Borrower | Typical path |
|---|---|
| Non-resident foreign national | Lives abroad; buying U.S. flips as a business |
| Resident foreign national | In the U.S. on a visa; same asset tests, easier banking |
| ITIN taxpayer | Often cleaner on ITIN DSCR if the plan is hold |
| U.S. citizen living abroad | You have an SSN — this is a standard flip file with a wire-trail footnote |
Jaken Finance Group finances non-owner-occupied property only. If you intend to live in the house, you are in consumer-mortgage territory (including FHA 203(k)). That is a different legal box. See FHA 203(k) vs hard money.
What underwriting actually reviews
Same five questions as a domestic flip, plus two compliance questions:
- Business purpose? No owner occupancy.
- ARV? Three sold comps at the finish you will actually build.
- Scope? Line-item budget a U.S. inspector can sign.
- Exit? Sale inside the note, or a named DSCR takeout.
- Liquidity? Gap, costs, IO reserve, 10% contingency — seasoned.
- Who are you? Passport; visa or entry evidence where it applies.
- Where did the money come from? Sending bank, wire, receiving U.S. account — all pages.
Credit-flexible underwriting still allows a credit pull. A missing U.S. FICO is not an automatic decline on an asset-based file. Active fraud alerts and unexplained incoming wires are.
National competitors (Lima One’s published FAQ among them) explicitly allow foreign nationals on fix-and-flip even without a U.S. score. That is the market. It is not a promise of maximum leverage on a first file.
Documents — start these before you write an offer
International turnaround is the delay. Do not discover a 10-day apostille after you go hard.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Valid passport | Color scan, unexpired |
| Visa / I-94 / residence evidence | Where applicable — not every non-resident has a U.S. visa stamp story |
| U.S. LLC | Articles, operating agreement, EIN — loans for LLCs |
| U.S. bank account | Earnest money, down payment, reserves, and monthly IO should draft here |
| Proof of funds | Seasoned statements; large deposits explained |
| Foreign bank reference | Relationship letter on letterhead helps when there is no FICO |
| Wire trail | Outgoing statement, SWIFT/wire confirmation, incoming U.S. credit |
| Scope + GC bid | U.S. contractor, licensed where the work requires it |
| ARV comps | Local solds — your London broker’s opinion is not a comp |
| Insurance broker | Bindable builder’s risk on the actual address |
AML and source-of-funds review starts immediately. One labeled PDF beats five WhatsApp screenshots.
Leverage and rate — be conservative on the first file
Published Jaken Finance Group parameters still apply: 8.99%–13.5% IO, up to 100% LTC on qualified files, 75% ARV cap, 7–10 business day close on a complete package.
A first cross-border flip is underwritten like a first-time flip:
- Model 80%–85% LTC until a desk says otherwise
- Season reserves in the U.S. account — 6 months IO is a common ask
- Do not bid 100% LTC on a 14-day closing with funds still in Dubai
- Rate will sit in the band; it will not sit on a 7.25% teaser
If the plan is hold, DSCR foreign-national programs typically price about 1–2 points above standard DSCR and cap LTV around 65%–75%. That is a different product with a different down-payment conversation.
Worked example — Toronto sponsor, Tampa ranch
Composite Q3 2026:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase | $215,000 |
| Rehab | $62,000 |
| Total cost | $277,000 |
| ARV | $365,000 |
| 75% ARV cap | $273,750 |
| Loan at 82% LTC | $227,140 (under the cap) |
| Equity + costs + 6 mo IO reserve | Plan $70,000+ wired and seasoned |
| Rate | 11.25% IO (first cross-border file) |
| Hold | 8 months including insurance bind slip |
The sponsor had Canadian banking history and no U.S. FICO. The file worked because the wire landed three weeks before contract, the LLC existed, and the GC bid matched Tampa finish-level comps — not because someone waived AML. Local: Tampa SFR flip · Florida fix and flip.
Banking and entity order (do this sequence)
- Form the U.S. LLC (single-purpose for the asset)
- EIN
- Open the U.S. operating account
- Wire equity with a paper trail; let it season
- Write the offer in the LLC name
- Submit pre-qual with passport + wire packet + scope
Reversing steps 4 and 5 is how overseas buyers miss U.S. close dates. Currency conversion and correspondent-bank delays are not the title company’s problem.
Canada, UK, and Gulf — same rules, different friction
The underwriting box does not change by passport. The ops do.
- Canada / UK / EU — wires are routine; banking letters are easy; time zones are friendly. The failure mode is still an unseasoned incoming wire and an LLC opened last Tuesday.
- UAE / wider Gulf — correspondent banking and documentation standards are tighter. Start the U.S. account and the source-of-funds memo earlier. Currency conversion slippage belongs in the reserve, not in the bid.
- U.S. person co-borrower — a citizen spouse or partner on the guaranty can simplify credit story. It does not remove AML on the foreign-source equity.
This is not sanctions or tax advice. Files that touch comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions need counsel before anyone should issue a term sheet. Jaken Finance Group will not “work around” a blocked source of funds.
If you already file U.S. taxes on an ITIN, say so in the first email. That packet is often cleaner than a pure non-resident file — ITIN DSCR if you are holding, still this page if you are selling.
Who manages the rehab when you are not in the country
Remote sponsors fail on local control, not on FICO. The desk wants a U.S. GC who will meet inspectors, a person who can sign draw affidavits, and photos that match the milestone. A WhatsApp project manager with no license is not a substitute for a bid. Budget a longer hold — remote files slip. First-file contractor standards on fix and flip loans for beginners apply louder when you are eight time zones away.
Short-term rental temptation
Buying a flip to list as an Airbnb is two underwriting stories. The acquisition can be fix-and-flip if you truly will sell. The hold is foreign national Airbnb / STR DSCR with permit and HOA reality. Do not tell the flip desk you are selling and the insurance broker you are hosting.
U.S. tax treatment of flip gains is not the same as rental depreciation. Non-resident withholding and FIRPTA can apply on sale. That is a CPA conversation before you pick an exit, not after you list. This desk prices the loan. It does not file your 1040-NR. Title companies often need extra seller-side documents on a foreign-national disposition — build that into the hold months you modeled at bid. A 45-day FIRPTA process on a six-month note is how a profitable flip becomes an extension. Put the CPA on the file when you go under contract, not when the listing goes live.
When a foreign national should not use fix-and-flip
- You will occupy the property — consumer loan
- You cannot document the source of funds
- You need a 10-calendar-day close and the wire has not left the home-country bank
- The “rehab” is a scrape — use construction
- You want a 30-year rental coupon — foreign national DSCR
Loan-officer explainer for referral partners: foreign national and ITIN loans.
Power of attorney can keep a closing on calendar when you cannot fly in for wet ink. Title companies vary on foreign POA and apostille requirements. Ask the closer in week one. A POA that arrives the day before funding is how 7–10 business days become 16.
Insurance and occupancy when you live abroad
Builder’s risk and vacant-dwelling forms ask who will access the property. A remote owner with no U.S. property manager is how binders get delayed or declined. Name a U.S. contact who can meet inspectors. Florida wind and California wildfire files need the quote before you argue LTC — same as a domestic sponsor, with less slack on the calendar.
If you later convert the exit to a hold, landlord policy and foreign national DSCR take over. Do not keep a vacant flip policy on a leased house.
Close speed — budget extra calendar time
If you are bidding against local cash, a foreign-national file only wins when the wire is already seasoned and the LLC is already formed. Speed is a paperwork product. The published 7–10 business day target assumes a complete U.S. file. Add time for:
- First-time U.S. LLC banking
- International wires (start 10–15 days early)
- Passport certified copies if a title company asks
- Time zones on condition clearance
Timeline mechanics: how long a fix and flip loan takes.
Foreign national fix and flip FAQ
Can a foreign national get a fix and flip loan in the U.S.?
Yes on a business-purpose, non-owner-occupied file. Jaken Finance Group underwrites the asset — ARV, LTC, scope, liquidity, and exit — not a U.S. W-2. Expect a U.S. LLC, a U.S. bank account, a passport package, and a documented wire trail for equity and reserves.
Do I need a U.S. credit score or SSN?
A U.S. FICO and SSN are not the primary gates on asset-based fix-and-flip. Lenders still run compliance and may use an international credit reference or bank letter. ITIN borrowers who already file U.S. taxes often fit a cleaner path on the hold side.
How much down payment does a foreign national flipper need?
Plan on more equity than a repeat U.S. sponsor on a first cross-border file — similar to a first-time flipper at 80%–85% LTC — unless the ARV margin and seasoned U.S. liquidity are exceptional. 100% LTC is reserved for qualified files, not a first overseas wire.
Should I use fix-and-flip or DSCR as a foreign national?
Use fix-and-flip when you will sell within 6–12 months. Use foreign national DSCR when the exit is a hold and rent covers the payment. Do not carry 11% interest-only for two years on a rental plan.
Send the passport packet with the scope
Ready to bid on a U.S. flip? Pre-qualify with address, ARV, scope, and wire trail — or schedule a call.
Further reading: fix and flip loan rates · what is a hard money loan · proof of funds.
Rates, terms and conditions offered only to qualified borrowers and are subject to change at any time without notice. Closing times are in business days and commence upon receipt of appraisal payment and satisfaction of borrower conditions. Closing times may be delayed due to appraiser property access. All loans are subject to full underwriting for loan approvals. Jaken Finance Group only finances non-owner occupied investment properties. This page is educational and is not immigration, tax, or sanctions advice.
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Jaken Finance Group, 2300 Barrington Road, Suite 400, Hoffman Estates, IL 60196