Broker, not a lenderHard Money Lenders inAthens, Georgia
Fix and flip, bridge and purchase only, DSCR rental and new construction financing for Athens investors. We do not lend our own money, we shop your deal across a 400+ lender network and come back with real terms you can compare on total cost.
Prefer to talk it through? Call or text Micah at (281) 636-5682.
What you get working with us
Price an Athens deal right now
Prefilled with a realistic Athens deal. Change any number and it reprices instantly on the lanes licensed in Georgia, using the same engine behind our term sheets.
Financing a deal in Athens
Athens is a college town first. The University of Georgia sets the rhythm, and the hospitals and a growing set of manufacturers add jobs on the edges. Athens and Clarke County share one government. Flips here split between older houses near downtown, in Normaltown, Boulevard and Five Points, and 1970s and 1980s split levels and ranches on the east side.
The Athens deal is shaped by Oconee County. Families who want the Oconee school system cross the line to Watkinsville and Bogart, so Athens-Clarke owner-occupants tend to be faculty, hospital staff and young professionals who want to live close in. That buyer pays for walkability and character near downtown. Out east, a clean renovated split level competes on price. We size the after repair value to the buyer who actually shops your street.
What an Athens deal looks like on paper
Athens example: $210,000 purchase, $60,000 rehab, $390,000 after repair value, 730 credit, first flip. The engine puts that borrower on the Best Rate program at 9.49%. Think a 1970s split level on the east side with a dark kitchen, two baths from the original build, an old deck and a basement that needs drainage work. Every number below is what the instant term sheet prints for that deal, so the picture cannot contradict the page.
- Down payment (15% of the purchase)You$31,500
- Origination (0.5%)Lender$2,000
- Lender fees (flat)Lender$1,989
- Broker fee (1%)Broker$2,385
- Title and closing (estimate at Texas rates)Title$3,514
- Prepaid interest (15 days)Lender$930
- Property insuranceInsurer$2,565
- AppraisalAppraiser$550
Interest while you rehab: $1,412 a month on the $178,500 funded at closing, $1,886 once every draw is out. Proof of funds is cash to close plus $16,200 of rehab reserve and $11,317 of interest reserve. Sample borrower, sample address; the sheet is issued by the same engine as the borrower’s instant term sheet.
What we can fund in Athens
| Program | Down payment | Min credit | Experience | Rate | Origination | Max loan | Term | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rate | 15% | 700+ | First flip OK | 8.99% to 9.49% | 0.5% | 70% of ARV | 12 months | 5-14 days |
| New Investor Program | 12.5% | 700+ | First flip OK | 9.75% | 1% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 72 hours |
| First Flip, 10% Down1 | 10% | 660+ | First flip OK | 9.99% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 21-30 days |
| 7.5% Down, 3+ Flips2 | 7.5% | 660+ | 3+ completed flips | 9.99% | 1.5% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 21-30 days |
| 5% Down, 3+ Flips3 | 5% | 600+ | 3+ completed flips | 12.00% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 7-14 days |
| 5% Down, 5+ Flips4 | 5% | 660+ | 5+ completed flips | 9.99% to 10.99% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 9-24 months | 10-14 days |
| 100% Financing, 2+ Flips5 | 0% (100% financing) | 620+ | 2+ completed flips | 9.50% to 12.00% | 2.5% | 70% of ARV | 9 months | 7-14 days |
| Fastest Close (3 days) | 10% | No minimum | First flip OK | 11.99% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 6 months | 72 hours |
- Rate 9.99% at 2 to 2.25 points by credit; buy down to 8.99%. Loans under $150,000 add 0.5% to the rate and half a point, under $100,000 1.5% and a point. Under 680 credit the loan caps at 87.5% of cost. Standard interest, charged only on funds drawn. The loan is capped at a share of purchase plus rehab, the full rehab held back for draws, and the ARV must be at least 1.25 times purchase plus rehab. Processing $500, legal $1,495 and underwriting $795.
- Rate 9.99% at 1.5 to 1.75 points by credit; buy down to 8.99%. Loans under $150,000 add 0.5% to the rate and half a point, under $100,000 1.5% and a point. Under 680 credit the loan caps at 90% of cost. Standard interest, charged only on funds drawn. The loan is capped at a share of purchase plus rehab, the full rehab held back for draws, and the ARV must be at least 1.25 times purchase plus rehab. Processing $500, legal $1,495 and underwriting $795.
- Rate from 12%, set per file. Origination steps down with experience: 1.5% at 5+ deals, 1% at 8+.
- Rate is set per file from 9.99%; origination about 2% plus a $995 processing fee.
- Needs 2 completed flips in the last two years and about $75,000 in verified liquidity. Rate 9.5% to 12% and 2 to 3 points, set per file. Purchase plus rehab must fit under 70% of ARV.
Origination has a $2,000 minimum on every program and the broker fee is 1% with a $2,000 minimum. These are the numbers the instant term sheet uses as of October 2026. Strong credit, cash and a track record can price lower through specific lenders in the network.
Where Athens prices sit right now
Before we price an Athens flip, we look at where sales in the city sit today. Your block can run well above or below these numbers, so treat them as the starting point, not the answer.
Redfin puts the Athens-Clarke County median sale price at $369K for the three months ending September 2026, up 12.9% on a year earlier, with homes selling in around 44 days. The median price per square foot is $215.
| Median sale price (Redfin) | $369K |
| Change from a year earlier | up 12.9% |
| Days on market (Redfin) | 44 |
| Median price per square foot | $215 |
Sources: Redfin, Athens-Clarke housing market
How an Athens file actually gets priced
Prices rose fast in Athens this year, so we use recent closed sales, not last year’s, and we keep Oconee County sales out of an Athens-Clarke file. Appraisers here separate the in-town historic neighborhoods from the subdivisions east of the Loop. If the best comp near campus was a rental sold to an investor, we check whether it really reflects what an owner-occupant will pay.
Before you plan a student rental, know that Athens-Clarke single-family zoning sharply limits the number of unrelated people who can share a house, and the county enforces it. The North Oconee River and Trail Creek carry floodplain, and older in-town houses bring termites, crawl space moisture and old wiring. Cobbham, Boulevard and several other in-town neighborhoods are local historic districts where exterior changes need approval first.
Who buys your finished Athens deal
The finished Athens house sells to a UGA employee, a medical worker, a young family or a parent buying for a student. Most finance conventional, so a clean inspection matters. Near campus, check the occupancy rules before you count on renting by the room. A long-term rental on a DSCR loan to a single household or a couple is the realistic hold.
Your whole loan, in one portal
Apply once and the whole Athens loan lives in the borrower portal: the term sheet you can accept and sign in the browser, where the loan stands, one place for documents, and the list of what the lender is still waiting on. These are real screens from the portal.
What we fund in Athens
Fix & Flip
Purchase plus 100% of rehab, released in draws. The core product in Athens.
DSCR Rental
Qualifies on the property’s rent, not your W-2. The usual exit when a flip becomes a hold, and the long-term financing on a BRRRR.
Bridge & Purchase Only
For clean properties that need speed rather than rehab money. Auction buys, off-market deals, and 1031 timing.
New Construction
Ground-up for builders and infill developers, with a draw schedule matched to the build timeline.
Where we lend in Athens
We broker deals across the whole Athens market. These are the submarkets investors ask us about most:
From deal to funded
Send the deal
Address, purchase price, rehab budget and your ARV. Three minutes, no credit pull.
We shop it
Your scenario goes to the lenders in our network that actually fit it and are licensed in Georgia, not all 400 at once.
Real terms back
Rate, origination, leverage and cash to close side by side, so you can compare on total cost.
Close
5-14 days to fund, as little as 72 hours on the fastest programs. We stay on title and the lender through funding.
Athens hard money FAQ
Do you lend hard money in Athens?
Which fix and flip programs apply in Athens?
How fast can an Athens hard money loan close?
How much do I need to bring to close on an Athens flip?
Do you fund the rehab budget in Athens?
What credit score do I need for an Athens fix and flip loan?
Can I refinance an Athens flip into a rental loan?
Can I rent an Athens flip to students?
Do Oconee County sales count for an Athens flip?
Before you sign anything
Ready to fund your Athens deal?
Submit your scenario in under 3 minutes. We shop it and come back with real terms, not a generic rate sheet.