Bridge
Close now. Sort out the long-term money later.
A bridge loan buys you time. It is short-term, secured by the property, and lent mostly on equity rather than on income documents — for when a deadline, a vacancy or a slower lender would otherwise cost you the deal.
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When a bridge loan is the right tool
The common cases are the same few: you are buying before you have sold, the property will not qualify for permanent financing until it is stabilised or leased, a contract deadline is closer than a conventional lender can move, or you need to take equity out quickly for another purpose.
Because it is asset-led, the paperwork is lighter than a conventional loan and the decision leans on the property and your equity in it. That access is the trade: bridge money is priced higher than long-term money, and it is meant to be held for months rather than years.
Every bridge loan needs an exit written down before it funds — a sale, or a refinance into a longer loan. A bridge without a credible exit is how people end up refinancing a bridge with another bridge.
What lenders actually look at
Equity in the property
The central question. Bridge lenders set a maximum share of value and that cap, not your income, usually decides the loan.
The exit
How the loan is repaid, and how realistic that is. A signed listing or a term sheet for the takeaway loan carries real weight.
The property itself
Condition, type and location. Special-purpose property is a different conversation than a house.
Credit
Some bridge lenders publish no minimum score at all; others do. It affects pricing more than access.
Term and carry
How long you need it, and your ability to make interest payments over that period.
Prepayment terms
Whether there is a minimum interest period. It decides what repaying early actually costs.
Questions we get asked
How is this different from hard money?
In practice they overlap heavily. Both are short-term, asset-led loans. 'Bridge' usually describes the purpose — getting from one position to another — rather than a different kind of lender.
Do I need good credit?
Not always. Several lenders publish no minimum credit score for bridge money and underwrite the equity instead. Credit still tends to affect what you pay.
How much can I borrow against the property?
It is set as a share of the property's value, and the ceiling varies by lender and by property type. Tell us the value and what is owed and we will show you what our lenders publish.
How long are these for?
Short — usually months rather than years, with the exact term set by the lender and the plan. Some will write considerably longer.
What happens at the end of the term?
You repay it, normally by selling or refinancing. Extensions exist at many lenders, usually for a fee, but they are not a substitute for a plan.
Can I use a bridge loan to buy before I sell?
Yes — that is one of the most common uses. The exit in that case is the sale of the property you already own.
How much can be financed
The highest figures published by the 4 cited lenders on our desk for this product. Whichever cap is lowest for your deal is the one that applies.
Up to
100%
Of total cost
purchase plus renovation
Up to
80%
Of after-repair value
what it should be worth finished
Up to
80%
Of current value
on a refinance
These are maximums, not what everyone gets: the top of a range is reserved for the strongest files, and what is available depends on the lender, the property, your experience and your credit. This is not an offer — terms are set by a lender in writing after underwriting.
Who this page is for
- Buyers who need to close before a sale completes.
- Investors holding a property while it is repositioned or leased.
- Owners whose existing loan matures before a refinance is ready.
- Buyers at auction, where the deadline is fixed and short.
- Anyone whose permanent financing is coming but is not here yet.
What people use a bridge for
- Buying before selling, without a contingency.
- Holding a property while it leases up.
- Closing on a deadline a conventional file cannot meet.
- Paying off a maturing loan while a refinance is arranged.
- Funding light work that makes a property financeable.
- Taking down a portfolio quickly, then refinancing in pieces.
The words you will hear, in plain English
- Bridge loan
- Short-term financing that carries you from one position to another — usually from buying to selling, or from buying to a permanent loan.
- The exit
- How the bridge gets repaid: a sale, or a refinance into longer financing. Lenders underwrite the exit as hard as the property.
- Interest-only
- You pay interest during the term and the whole balance at the end. Standard on bridges, and it keeps the monthly cost down.
- Term
- How long you have. Often measured in months rather than years, which is why the exit has to be real.
- Extension option
- The right to buy more time, usually for a fee. Worth asking about at the start, not in the final month.
- Cross-collateral
- Securing the loan against more than one property. Sometimes how a deal gets done when one property alone is not enough.
- Prepayment
- What it costs to repay early. If your sale might close sooner than planned, ask this before signing.
- Seasoning
- How long you have owned a property. It can affect what a refinance lender will use as the value at your exit.
How a bridge earns its keep
Illustrative situations, to show how these are structured and what a lender weighs. Not offers, not quotes, and not terms available to anyone in particular — figures and structures vary by lender and by deal.
Buying before selling
A buyer who cannot make an offer contingent on their sale. A bridge funds the purchase; the sale repays it. The lender is really underwriting how sellable the first property is.
Bought vacant, leasing up
A building that will qualify for permanent financing once it is occupied, but does not today. A bridge holds it through the lease-up, and the permanent loan takes it out.
A loan maturing before the refinance is ready
The existing lender wants paying and the new one is not finished. A bridge covers the gap instead of a default.
When a bridge is the wrong answer
No credible exit. If the sale is speculative and the refinance is not underwritten, a short-term loan turns a problem into a deadline.
What to prepare
Bridges move faster than conventional loans, which means the documents have to be ready before the clock starts, not after.
- The purchase contract, or the existing loan payoff
- A written exit plan — sale or refinance, by when
- Evidence supporting the exit: a listing, an offer, or a refinance term sheet
- Property details, photos and any rent roll
- Entity papers: articles, operating agreement, EIN letter
- Proof of funds for your contribution
- Government-issued ID
- Your track record on similar deals
From application to closing
- 1
The deadline and the exit
When do you need to close, and how does the loan get repaid? Those two answers decide whether a bridge is even the right product.
- 2
The property
What it is, what it is worth, and what it will be worth at your exit.
- 3
Application and documents
Short by conventional standards, but it has to arrive complete — speed is the product.
- 4
Valuation
An appraisal, or on some files a broker price opinion. Ask which before anyone orders anything.
- 5
Underwriting
The property, the exit and the borrower. The exit gets the hardest look.
- 6
Closing
Title, insurance, signing and funding — usually on a timeline set by your deadline rather than the lender's.
What goes wrong
An exit that is a hope
The most common failure. A bridge with no credible repayment is a deadline you have paid for.
Underestimating the term you need
Leasing up or selling takes longer than planned more often than not. Ask about extensions before you sign, not in month five.
Forgetting the carrying cost
Interest, taxes and insurance run every month you hold. Budget the whole term, not the first payment.
Leaving title work late
A short timeline does not shorten title. Open it the day you go under contract.
No plan B
If the sale does not happen, what then? A lender will ask, and you should have already asked yourself.
Ignoring the prepayment terms
If your exit might come early, know what that costs before you choose the lender.
Related financing
- Hard money →Often the same lenders, on property that needs work.
- Fix and flip →Where the plan includes a renovation rather than a straight hold.
- DSCR rental loans →A common exit: the permanent loan a bridge hands off to.
- Commercial real estate →Bridges on commercial property, and what takes them out.
- I need to close fast →Start from the deadline rather than the product.
Tell us about the property
Four short steps. The value, what is owed, and your exit are what we need.
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نحفظ بياناتك بمجرد المتابعة، حتى لا تضطر للبدء من جديد.
This is not an offer and not an approval. Terms are set by a lender, in writing, after underwriting, and vary by lender, by property and by file.
On a deadline?
Tell us the property, what is owed and how you plan to exit. We will tell you quickly whether it is placeable.