Hub · Financing
Real Estate Financing
Financing is the lever that determines portfolio scale and risk. The right capital stack lets you scale; the wrong one traps you. This hub covers every viable financing product for U.S. residential and small commercial real estate.
Reviewed by Keiron Brown, Founder & Editor, CalculateRealEstateROI · Educational estimates only — not investment, financial, tax, or legal advice
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Foundational pillars
Real Estate Financing Best Practices
Match loan term to hold period, optimize APR not rate, and plan the refinance ladder.
Common Financing Mistakes
Wrong product, wrong term, wrong lender — financing errors are expensive and slow to fix.
Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Financing
First loan — pre-approval, document prep, and product selection for new investors.
Advanced Real Estate Financing
Portfolio loans, blanket mortgages, lines of credit, and private capital — scaling beyond conventional.
Financing Resource Center
Mortgage calculator, comparison tools, and lender directories for capital stack decisions.
All guides (15)
- Open →Conventional Investor LoansFannie Mae and Freddie Mac investor loans — cheapest rate, strictest qualification, capped at 10.
- Open →DSCR Loans ExplainedUnderwrite property cash flow, not personal income — the workhorse of scaled portfolios.
- Open →Hard Money LoansFast capital for value-add and flips — 10–14% + points, 6–12 month term.
- Open →Private Money LendersIndividual lenders — cheaper than hard money, slower than conventional, relationship-driven.
- Open →FHA Loans for House Hacking3.5% down FHA financing on 2–4 unit owner-occupied — the cheapest entry path.
- Open →VA Loans for InvestorsZero-down VA financing on owner-occupied — including 2–4 unit properties.
- Open →Commercial Real Estate Loans5+ unit multifamily and commercial — local bank, regional, agency, CMBS options.
- Open →Seller FinancingOwner-carry notes — often cheaper, faster, and more flexible than bank financing.
- Open →Subject-To DealsTake title subject to existing mortgage — creative but legally complex.
- Open →Comparing Loan ProductsAPR, term, PPP, recourse — five dimensions for comparing loans head-to-head.
- Open →Refinancing StrategyCash-out, rate-and-term, or no-cash-out — pick the refi that fits your goal.
- Open →Interest Rate StrategyFixed, ARM, floating — pick based on hold period and rate outlook.
- Open →Prepayment Penalties ExplainedStep-down, yield maintenance, defeasance — three PPP structures with very different costs.
- Open →Creative Financing StrategiesSeller-carry seconds, wraps, options, JVs — when conventional doesn't fit.
- Open →Loan Product Quick ReferenceConventional vs DSCR vs commercial vs hard money — a side-by-side product matrix.
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