Updated
The useful Kiavi alternative is a lender that can fund your particular property, work plan and exit with cash requirements you can meet. Start with those facts. A lower advertised rate cannot fix an ineligible property or a rehab schedule you cannot carry.
This comparison is published by Jaken Finance Group, one of the lenders discussed. Competitor facts below come from linked lender publications checked October 27, 2026. Published ceilings are conditional; ask for a current written quote. The two-quote illustration is invented for comparison and does not represent offers from the named companies.
Which alternative fits my file?
Send the same purchase price, scope, comparable sales, experience history and available funds to each lender. Then use this matrix to narrow the conversation.
| Your situation | Compare first | Question that decides fit |
|---|---|---|
| First completed flip | Programs that explicitly accept your experience | Does a rental refinance, joint venture or project managed for someone else count? |
| Ordinary one-to-four-unit rehab | Kiavi, Lima One, RCN and Jaken Finance Group | What initial advance and rehab holdback apply to this address? |
| Major addition or change of use | A lender that accepts the actual construction scope | Does this become heavy rehab or ground-up construction under your rules? |
| Several active projects | Available funds and draw timing across the whole portfolio | How much cash must remain after all closings? |
| Renovate, then keep as a rental | Bridge and DSCR refinance programs | Will the projected rent support the debt needed to repay the bridge? |
| Unusual collateral or a stalled build | The relevant specialty program | Is the property eligible before anyone quotes a rate? |
Do not describe a structural rebuild as cosmetic rehab to fit a product. Send plans and permits early. The construction loan overview and mid-construction refinance guide explain those separate situations.
What the lenders actually publish
Kiavi: the reference offer
Kiavi’s fix-and-flip page advertises financing up to 100% loan-to-cost and 80% of after-repair value, subject to qualification. It describes in-house valuation and servicing. Those published limits do not establish what a particular borrower or address receives.
Use a Kiavi quote as the baseline if the property fits. Ask what portion reaches the seller at closing, what stays in the rehab holdback, and which conditions remain. Compare any alternative against that written offer, including its fees and draw process.
Jaken Finance Group: review the property and both exits
Jaken Finance Group reviews qualified investment-property requests in all 50 states. Published fix-and-flip pricing is 8.99%–13.5% interest-only, with 7–10 business days closing targets on complete qualified files.
Up to 100% of eligible cost can be available on qualified files up to $2.5M, still capped at 75% of supported after-repair value. Larger requests are quoted individually. The overall investment-property loan ceiling of $10 million does not extend full-cost leverage to every larger loan.
Send your property, scope, cash available and exit through the fix-and-flip application. For a rental hold, request the DSCR exit analysis before accepting short-term debt. Read Jaken Finance Group versus Kiavi for the focused comparison.
Lima One: check experience and the rental transition
Lima One’s fix-and-flip program and FAQ advertise up to 95% LTC and funding for the approved rehab budget. Its FAQ requires a 660 credit score and one investment-property exit within the last 36 months. Confirm how an exit is documented and whether an exception applies to your file.
The same publication describes Fix2Rent, internal refinance fee discounts and available seasoning waivers. Those features make the rental transition worth quoting, but the future loan still needs underwriting. Ask how rates, value and rent will be established when the rehab ends.
RCN Capital: match the experience tier to the scope
RCN’s March 2026 fix-and-flip program sheet separates experience and rehab categories. Its one-to-four-unit criteria include a 650 minimum credit score and tiers for borrowers with zero completed flips. Major additions or changes of use can change the rehab classification.
Request the current sheet and identify the exact row that applies. A published maximum for a highly experienced sponsor does not describe a first project. The purchase advance and after-repair-value limit both need to fit your file.
Compare cash needed, not just the interest rate
Consider a hypothetical $200,000 purchase with $60,000 of rehab and $360,000 supported after-repair value. Both invented offers fund the approved rehab budget. Their initial purchase advances and fees differ.
For a conservative common comparison, assume each loan is fully drawn for six months. Real draw schedules may reduce interest; use each actual note’s interest basis in your final model.
| Cash or loan item | Hypothetical quote A | Hypothetical quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase advance | $180,000 | $190,000 |
| Rehab holdback | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| Total commitment | $240,000 | $250,000 |
| Purchase equity | $20,000 | $10,000 |
| Assumed annual rate | 10.5% | 11.5% |
| Origination fee | 2% = $4,800 | 3% = $7,500 |
| Other closing costs assumed | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Cash at closing before deposit credits | $27,800 | $20,500 |
| Six months of fully drawn interest | $12,600 | $14,375 |
| Cash available before rehab reimbursement | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Repair contingency | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Taxes, insurance and utilities budget | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Starting cash plan | $59,400 | $53,875 |
Quote A has lower interest and origination costs, but requires $7,300 more at closing. Quote B preserves more opening cash while adding debt and financing cost. Neither result establishes the better loan without considering your available funds and expected sale proceeds.
The $10,000 draw cash is working liquidity, not another $10,000 of rehab expense. Reimbursement can replenish it. Keep contingency separate from the approved scope, and reconcile earnest money already paid with the settlement statement. Extension fees, minimum-interest charges, draw fees and sale expenses need additional rows if applicable.
Ask about the first draw before choosing a lender
An offer to finance all rehab can still require you to pay contractors before reimbursement. Ask whether deposits are eligible, whether materials must be installed, who orders inspections and when a complete draw request becomes payable.
Get the inspection charge and any draw fee in writing. Ask what happens when a scope changes or a contractor leaves. A fast closing is less useful if the first reimbursement arrives after your crew needs another payment.
Use the fix-and-flip draw guide to map the sequence. Show the same contractor schedule to each lender so you are comparing the same cash problem.
Check the refinance before accepting the bridge
For a rental exit, compare more than the availability of a DSCR product. Ask for a provisional loan amount at conservative rent, taxes, insurance and value. Then subtract the bridge payoff and refinance costs.
If the result is negative, identify the cash contribution before closing the purchase. A future appraisal increase or a different rent estimate is not committed funding. The bridge-to-DSCR payoff example shows how a property can meet a value limit and still fall short on income.
Make the final comparison on a complete file
Request an itemized quote showing the initial advance, holdback, fees, payment basis, maturity, extension terms and remaining conditions. Attach the experience schedule, entity documents, property photos and contractor bid. Ask how long the quote remains valid and what can change before closing.
Keep each lender’s answer beside the same project budget. If the offers assume different scopes or values, resolve those differences before treating their rates as comparable. Run your final figures in the fix-and-flip calculator and send unanswered questions with your application.
Submit your flip for review or call (833) 264-7776 with the address, purchase price, rehab budget, experience, available cash and planned exit.
Rates, terms and conditions offered only to qualified borrowers and are subject to change. All loans require underwriting. Named lenders are separate companies; this is Jaken Finance Group’s educational comparison. Residential investment financing is for non-owner-occupied property.