How We Rank Lenders
Transparent, consistent, and built around what matters to real estate investors.
Our Core Philosophy
Hard Money Scout ranks lenders based on factors that directly affect your deal — not on who pays us the most. We research each lender's rates, LTV limits, funding speed, experience, and local market presence before assigning them a rank within each city.
Every metric we use is something you'd want to know before choosing a lender. Nothing is hidden.
Ranking Criteria
Interest Rates
Lenders with lower starting rates rank higher, all else equal. We show the full rate range — not just the teaser rate — so you can compare apples to apples. Rates typically range from 8% to 15%+ depending on deal type and borrower experience.
Loan-to-Value (LTV)
Higher max LTV means more leverage for your deal. We prioritize lenders who offer competitive LTV ratios — typically 65%–80% of ARV or purchase price — because that directly affects your capital requirements.
Funding Speed
In competitive markets, closing fast can be the difference between winning and losing a deal. We track typical time-to-close for each lender. Lenders who consistently close in 7–14 days rank higher than those who take 30+ days.
Experience & Track Record
Established lenders with a track record of closed deals in a specific market rank higher than newer entrants. We look at years in business, loan volume, and borrower reputation signals.
Project Type Specialization
Lenders who specialize in your deal type (Fix & Flip, Bridge, Construction, DSCR) rank higher for that category. A lender who covers everything gets a lower signal score for any one category than a true specialist.
Local Market Presence
Lenders who actively operate in a specific city — not just "willing to lend nationwide" — rank higher in that city's directory. Local lenders know the market, move faster, and are often easier to build a relationship with.
What "Featured" Means
Lenders marked Featured are paid placements that appear at the top of results by default. Featured lenders must still meet our baseline quality standards — we do not feature lenders with poor reputations or unverifiable track records.
Transparency note: Featured lenders pay a flat placement fee to appear prominently. This does not affect their underlying data. When you sort by "Lowest Rate," "Fastest Close," or "Highest LTV," the sort applies to all lenders equally — Featured placement does not override data-driven sorts.
How We Gather Data
- Direct research — We review each lender's website, loan programs, and stated terms.
- Borrower feedback — We incorporate signals from real borrowers where available.
- Regular updates — Listings are reviewed and updated on a rolling basis. Rates change; we aim to keep up.
- Lender submissions — Lenders can submit or correct their information by contacting us. Corrections are verified before publishing.
Suggest a Lender or Correction
Know a hard money lender who should be listed? Found outdated information? Let us know: