When the deal has a short window and a bank's 90-day timeline means losing it, Axios delivers. Asset-based underwriting — your property's value drives approval, not your W-2. Same-day term sheets. Closing in 3–4 weeks. Interest escrowed so you pay $0 per month. Starting at 8.5%.
Get Your Free Term Sheet Same-day term sheets • Rates from 8.5% • $500K to $30M • Close in 3–4 weeksA hard money loan is a short-term, asset-based real estate loan funded by a private lender — not a bank. The loan is secured by the property itself: its current value, projected value after renovation, or its income potential. Your credit score matters less than the quality of the deal.
Hard money loans are used when conventional financing is too slow, too rigid, or simply won't finance the property type. Fix-and-flip acquisitions, bridge financing, value-add repositioning, distressed property purchases, construction loans — these are the deals that hard money was built for.
At Axios, "hard money" doesn't mean high cost or sloppy underwriting. We start at 8.5% — among the lowest rates in the private lending market — with escrowed interest so you make $0 monthly payments during your hold period, and same-day term sheets so you can move fast.
Many hard money lenders charge 12–14% rates, demand high origination fees, and structure loans that benefit the lender more than the borrower. Axios operates differently: transparent pricing from the first term sheet, escrowed interest that eliminates your monthly carry burden, and underwriting focused on making your deal work — not just protecting our downside. If the deal is good, we want to fund it.
Axios provides hard money financing across the full spectrum of real estate investment strategies:
Acquire distressed residential or small commercial properties, renovate, and sell. Axios finances the purchase plus the renovation budget in a single loan, with escrowed interest so you preserve cash during the rehab. $500K to $5M, close in 3–4 weeks.
Short-term acquisition financing for commercial real estate, multifamily, and mixed-use. When you need to close fast and conventional lenders can't move in time, our bridge loans get you funded in 3–4 weeks. $1M to $30M with escrowed interest.
Ground-up construction and gut rehab projects where bank financing is too slow or won't underwrite the project. Same-day draws at each milestone. Up to 90% LTC for experienced builders. See our construction loan page for details. $500K to $30M.
Multifamily buildings with below-market rents, underperforming commercial properties, office conversions — the deals that banks won't touch because current income doesn't service conventional debt. Axios underwrites the business plan: your projected NOI at stabilization, not just today's numbers.
Foreclosure purchases, REO acquisitions, note purchases, and receivership sales. These deals move on compressed timelines. Axios closes in 3–4 weeks when other lenders are still reviewing the title chain. Our asset-based underwriting processes complex situations quickly — distressed title, deferred maintenance, occupancy gaps — because we focus on the asset's real value, not its current condition.
Entitled land parcels and development sites awaiting construction financing. Acquire the land with a hard money loan while you finalize permits and plans, then convert to a construction loan at groundbreaking. Axios structures bridge-to-construction sequences for developers who need to move on land before they're permit-ready.
Not all hard money lenders are equal. Here's how Axios compares across the metrics that determine whether your deal pencils:
| Lender Type | Rate Range | Closing Time | Interest Structure | Deal Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★ Axios Hard Money | 8.5%–11% | 3–4 weeks | Escrowed ($0/mo) | $500K–$30M |
| Traditional Hard Money | 10%–14% | 1–2 weeks | Monthly payments | $100K–$3M |
| Bank Loan | 7%–9% | 60–90 days | Monthly payments | $2M–$20M |
| DSCR Lender | 7.5%–10% | 30–60 days | Monthly payments | $500K–$5M |
The key advantage: traditional hard money is fast but expensive and limited to smaller deals. Bank financing has the best rates but is too slow and won't underwrite distressed or transitional properties. Axios gives you competitive rates — starting at 8.5% — with true hard money speed (3–4 week close) and the escrowed interest structure that neither traditional hard money nor banks offer at our size range.
For a state-by-state breakdown with current rate ranges, LTV / LTC caps, close times, and minimum-loan floors, see our California hard money lender directory — six vetted CA shops compared side-by-side, including Axios's own escrowed-interest pricing.
Get a same-day term sheet. Rate, leverage, and structure — before you commit to anything.
Get Your Same-Day Term SheetTell us about the property, purchase price, renovation scope (if applicable), and your exit strategy. Takes 5 minutes. We review the deal the same day.
We issue a term sheet the same day you submit: rate, leverage (LTV or LTC), origination fee, escrowed interest structure, and loan term. No committee. No waiting a week for preliminary feedback.
We run asset-based underwriting — appraisal, title, and entity documentation in parallel. For most deals, due diligence completes in 2 weeks. We don't use this phase to renegotiate the term sheet.
Docs execute, interest is escrowed at closing, and funds wire. Total time from first contact to funded: typically 3–4 weeks. You're paying $0 per month while you execute your business plan.
When you're ready to exit — sale, refinance, or permanent financing — payoff is straightforward. Any unused escrowed interest is credited back to you at closing. No prepayment penalty surprises.
Hard money is asset-based. The deal is underwritten on the property's value and your ability to execute — not primarily on your credit score or income history.
Axios's hard money underwriting focuses on asset quality and execution track record. Personal credit score matters less than the deal fundamentals and your history of closing similar projects. If you've been a successful real estate operator with a complex credit history, your deal track record speaks louder than your FICO score. Tell us about the deals you've done — that's what we want to hear.
A hard money loan is a short-term, asset-based real estate loan funded by a private lender. The loan is secured by the property's value — not primarily by the borrower's credit score or income. Hard money loans are used for acquisitions, fix-and-flip projects, bridge financing, and construction when speed matters and conventional lending is too slow or won't approve the deal type. Axios provides hard money loans from $500K to $30M with escrowed interest and 3–4 week closings.
Hard money loan rates in 2026 range from 8.5% to 13%+ depending on the lender, loan size, leverage, property type, and borrower track record. Axios starts at 8.5% — among the lowest in the private lending market — with escrowed interest so you make no monthly payments during the hold period. Traditional hard money lenders focused on smaller fix-and-flip deals often charge 10–14%. For deals in the $500K–$30M range, Axios offers institutional-grade pricing with asset-based underwriting speed.
Axios issues same-day term sheets and typically closes hard money loans in 3–4 weeks. Traditional banks take 60–90 days and often won't finance the property types hard money is designed for. Some hard money lenders close in 1–2 weeks, but at the cost of very high rates and limited deal size. Our 3–4 week timeline reflects thorough asset-based underwriting with parallel due diligence — fast enough to win competitive deals, careful enough to protect both parties.
Axios finances hard money loans across a wide range of property types: single-family fix-and-flip, multifamily (5+ units), mixed-use, commercial, office-to-residential conversions, retail repositioning, industrial, self-storage, and land. We focus on the $500K–$30M deal range. Properties that don't fit conventional financing — distressed condition, below-market occupancy, transitional use — are exactly the type of deal we're designed to finance. The property's projected value at completion drives our underwriting.
Hard money loans and bridge loans are both short-term, asset-based loans, but they differ in size and positioning. "Hard money" typically refers to smaller, faster loans in the $500K–$5M range for fix-and-flip and distressed acquisitions. "Bridge loans" typically refers to larger loans ($5M–$30M+) for multifamily repositioning, commercial conversions, and institutional-scale value-add. Axios spans both segments — from $500K fix-and-flip financing through $30M bridge deals — with the same escrowed interest structure and 3–4 week closing timeline across the range.
Submit your deal and get a term sheet within 24 hours — rate, leverage, and structure. No commitment, no hard credit pull, no waiting.
Skip the form. Connect with a decision-maker about your hard money loan today.
Originate asset-based hard-money and fix-and-flip deals through Axios and earn commission on every close. Underwriting based on the asset, 7–21 day closes, and 70–90% LTC. No broker application required.