Real Estate Investor Financing Guides | Capital Kings LLC
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The Capital Kings Blog

How non-QM loans
actually work.

Free guides for real estate investors on hard money, fix and flip, DSCR and new construction loans, with real numbers on rates, fees and cash to close.

20 guidesUpdated September 2026

Featured

Your term sheet in 3 minutes: a sample Capital Kings term sheet with the deal overview, lender snapshot and loan terms, itemized and priced on live lender programs
Hard MoneyJuly 20264 min read

How to Get an Instant Hard Money Term Sheet

Build a real, itemized fix and flip term sheet in about three minutes. No phone call, no credit pull. See your loan amount, rate, fees, and cash to close before you ever call a lender.

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The infinite $500 referral fee: paid fee ledger showing the same borrower paying $500 on close after close, forever
PartnersAugust 20265 min read

The Infinite $500 Referral Fee: Get Paid Every Time Your Investor Closes
How construction draws actually work: 3-draw plan chart showing the monthly payment rising with each draw
Hard MoneyJuly 20269 min read

How Construction Draws Actually Work (The Rehab Holdback Explained)

Start here

Doing your first flip? Read these five in order, about 32 minutes.

  1. 1What Is ARV?5 min
  2. 2The 70% Rule4 min
  3. 3Analyze a Deal5 min
  4. 4Cash to Close7 min
  5. 5Closing Checklist11 min

All guides 20

Hard money loan rates and fees in Texas, September 2026: rate range by program from 8.99% on Best Rate to 12.99% on 5% Down, with 100% financing, the 72-hour close, new construction tiers and DSCR from 6.69%
Hard Money 101September 202610 min read

Hard Money Loan Rates and Fees in Texas (September 2026): What Investors Are Currently Paying

Rate and points by program from 8.99%, the 5% Down grid by credit and experience, the full closing fee stack on a real ledger, and what a $200,000 loan costs at 6 and 12 months.

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Hard money loan requirements in Texas: down payment by program, from 0% on 100% financing to 15% on the best rate program, with the minimum credit for each
Hard Money 101September 202610 min read

Hard Money Loan Requirements in Texas: What You Need to Qualify in 2026

Credit by band, experience tiers, down payment by program, cash to close and reserves, the document list, the LLC rule, and what actually gets a file declined.

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100% financing versus 5% down on a deal that does not fit under the 70% ARV cap: about $24,400 estimated cash to close versus about $21,400
Hard MoneySeptember 20269 min read

Hard Money Loans With No Money Down: What 100% Financing Really Means

100% of purchase and rehab, capped at 70% of ARV and priced higher. What still wires at closing, and the 5% down option that usually costs less.

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Fix and flip closing checklist showing entity docs, proof of funds and insurance already cleared while scope of work, appraisal and clear to close are still open
Fix & FlipAugust 202611 min read

Fix and Flip Closing Checklist for Hard Money Loans

Every document you need, the 11 conditions a fix and flip file clears, and which four are actually yours.

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Purchase-only vs fix and flip hard money loans face-off: purchase-only is just the house and pays less over the life of the loan, fix and flip is the house plus the rehab budget with as low as 0% down in the major Texas metros when purchase plus rehab fits under 70% of ARV
Fix & FlipAugust 20266 min read

Purchase-Only Hard Money Loans vs Fix & Flip Loans: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Real Houston numbers on the two loans hiding under the hard money label, and the cash-at-closing trade most lenders never explain.

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The infinite $500 referral fee: paid fee ledger showing the same borrower paying $500 on close after close, forever
PartnersAugust 20265 min read

The Infinite $500 Referral Fee: Get Paid Every Time Your Investor Closes

Send us a borrower and every loan they ever close with us pays you $500. Why that is legal here and almost nowhere else.

Read the guide
Your term sheet in 3 minutes: a sample Capital Kings term sheet with the deal overview, lender snapshot and loan terms, itemized and priced on live lender programs
Hard MoneyJuly 20264 min read

How to Get an Instant Hard Money Term Sheet (Before You Call a Lender)

Build a real, itemized fix and flip term sheet in about three minutes. No phone call, no credit pull. See your loan amount, rate, fees, and cash to close before you ever call a lender.

Read the guide
How construction draws actually work: 3-draw plan chart showing the monthly payment rising with each draw
Hard MoneyJuly 20269 min read

How Construction Draws Actually Work (The Rehab Holdback Explained)

Your rehab budget is not funded at closing. How the holdback works, the draw-by-draw process, what it costs, and how to read your HUD.

Read the guide
What is a non-QM loan: how you qualify with property cash flow, bank statements, and assets instead of W-2s and tax returns
Non-QMJuly 20265 min read

What Is a Non-QM Loan and Why Do Investors Use Them?

Non-QM loans skip the W-2 and tax return requirements of conventional lending. Here's exactly how they work, and when they beat conventional.

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Direct hard money lender vs broker: 400+ lenders in the network shopped on one application, versus one product with nothing to compare it to
Hard MoneyApril 20267 min read

Direct Hard Money Lender vs. Broker: The Honest Breakdown

The questions direct lenders won't answer unless you ask, what brokers actually cost you, and the long-term play most investors don't know about.

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Hard money vs traditional loans: 5-14 days to fund versus 30-45, 5-10% down versus 15-25%, and the rehab budget funded versus on you
Hard MoneyApril 20268 min read

Hard Money vs. Traditional Loans: What Every Investor Needs to Know

When fast, flexible hard money wins and when a conventional loan is the smarter play. The real trade-offs on speed, cost, terms, and qualification.

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Dutch vs standard interest monthly payments on the same deal: standard rises from $916 to $1,374 as you draw, Dutch is a flat $1,249 from day one
Hard MoneyApril 20269 min read

Dutch Interest vs. Standard Interest on Hard Money Loans

One charges you on the full loan from day one. The other only on what you draw. Run the numbers and see which structure protects your margin.

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Analyze a fix and flip in 10 minutes: the Deal Analyzer underwriting panel from the borrower portal, showing max allowable offer, all-in to ARV, profit margin on cost and break-even month
Fix & FlipMarch 20265 min read

How to Analyze a Fix & Flip Deal in 10 Minutes

A repeatable framework for evaluating acquisition price, rehab cost, ARV, and profit margin before submitting an offer.

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Comparing hard money lenders on total cost: 10% with 2 points costs $14,000 over six months while 12% with no points costs $12,000
Hard MoneyMarch 20264 min read

Points, Fees & Rate: How to Actually Compare Hard Money Lenders

A 10% rate with 2 points is not the same deal as 11% with 0 points. Here's how to do the real math before you commit.

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Ground-up vs heavy rehab: on a first deal in the major Texas metros a heavy rehab funds 95% of the purchase plus the rehab, while ground-up funds 85% of total cost capped at 65% of completed value, with cash to close, ARV and permit side by side
New ConstructionFebruary 20266 min read

Ground-Up vs. Heavy Rehab: Which Makes More Sense Right Now?

Cost structures, timelines, and risk profiles of new construction vs. heavy renovation, broken down side by side.

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DSCR loans: the Deal Analyzer rental verdict, $2,650 rent over a $1,678 payment for a 1.58x ratio that qualifies, with no W-2s, tax returns, DTI or property count cap
Non-QMFebruary 20265 min read

DSCR Loans: How Rental Cash Flow Replaces Your Income Docs

If your rental's rent covers its full payment (a 1.00 ratio or better) and your credit is 660+, you can qualify. No personal income verification needed.

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The 70% rule worked: $300,000 ARV times 0.70 is $210,000, minus $50,000 of rehab is a $160,000 max offer
StrategyJanuary 20264 min read

The 70% Rule: A Good Starting Point, Not the Whole Story

The classic fix-and-flip formula gets you in the ballpark, but experienced investors know when to use it and when to ignore it.

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Days to close: 3 days for the fastest hard money close, 5 to 14 on a clean deal, and 30 for a fast bank close or 45 to 60 for a normal one
Hard MoneyJanuary 20264 min read

How Hard Money Lenders Close in Days (And Why Banks Take Months)

Speed comes from asset-based underwriting vs. borrower-based. Understanding this sets the right expectations with sellers.

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What is ARV: the deal overview and lender snapshot from a real term sheet, a $380,000 after repair value at 75% setting $285,000 of max lender funding
Fix & FlipJanuary 20265 min read

What Is ARV and How Do Lenders Use It to Set Your Loan Amount?

After-Repair Value drives everything in hard money: your loan size, your LTV, and your ability to get to the closing table.

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Cash to close is more than the down payment: the funds required at closing ledger from a real Capital Kings term sheet, $25,480 to the table on a $10,000 down payment
StrategyDecember 20257 min read

Cash to Close on a Fix and Flip: The Number Most Investors Miss

Cash to close is more than a down payment. Here is how it is really calculated, what stacks on top, and the number that catches new investors off guard.

Read the guide
Have a deal in mind?

Put your numbers
on a real term sheet.

Loan amount, rate, every fee, and cash to close, itemized in about three minutes. No phone call, no credit pull.

Get my term sheet Talk to Micah 281-636-5682