Broker, not a lenderHard Money Lenders inCharleston, West Virginia
Fix and flip, DSCR rental and new construction financing for Charleston 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 a Charleston deal right now
Prefilled with a realistic Charleston deal. Change any number and it reprices instantly on the lanes licensed in West Virginia, using the same engine behind our term sheets.
Financing a deal in Charleston
Charleston is the state capital, squeezed into the valley where the Elk River meets the Kanawha, and that geography shapes every deal. Flat land is scarce, so the houses on the flats, Kanawha City and the East End, trade at a premium to the ones clinging to the hillsides. The stock runs from Victorian and four-square homes near the Capitol to postwar brick ranches and Cape Cods in Kanawha City. It’s a small market with a stable buyer pool built on state government, the hospitals and the legal and energy offices downtown.
The Charleston deal is decided by thin inventory. Only a small number of houses sell each month inside the city, and the good ones go fast; Redfin shows homes selling in a few weeks and prices up sharply over the past year. That’s good for your exit and hard on your purchase. Finding the house is the whole game here, and it usually comes from estates, out-of-state heirs and direct mail rather than the MLS. Once you have it, a clean, systems-first renovation sells.
What a Charleston deal looks like on paper
Charleston example: $120,000 purchase, $45,000 rehab, $235,000 after repair value, 730 credit, first flip. The engine puts that borrower on the Best Rate program at 9.49%. Say a 1950s brick ranch in Kanawha City, 25304, that needs a kitchen, both baths, a furnace and a regraded yard so water runs away from the foundation. Every number below is what the instant term sheet prints for that deal, so the picture cannot contradict the page.
- Down payment (15%)You$18,000
- Origination (0.5%)Lender$2,000
- Doc prepLender$749
- Broker fee (1%)Broker$2,000
- Title and closingTitle$3,062
- Prepaid interest (15 days)Lender$573
- Property insuranceInsurer$1,568
- AppraisalAppraiser$550
Interest while you rehab: $807 a month on the $102,000 funded at closing, $1,163 once every draw is out. Proof of funds is cash to close plus $13,500 of rehab reserve and $6,975 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 Charleston
| 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% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 14 days |
| 5% Down, 3+ Flips1 | 5% | 600+ | 3+ completed flips | 11.00% to 12.00% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 12 months | 7-14 days |
| 5% Down, 5+ Flips2 | 5% | 660+ | 5+ completed flips | 9.99% to 10.99% | 2% | 75% of ARV | 9-24 months | 10-14 days |
- 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.
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 September 2026. Strong credit, cash and a track record can price lower through specific lenders in the network.
What the Charleston comps say
Redfin puts the Charleston median sale price at $230,000 for the three months ending August 2026, up 12.1% from a year earlier, with homes selling in about 23 days. Zillow’s home value index for the city is $166,696, up 2.6%. In Kanawha City, 25304, where our example sits, Redfin’s median is $236,000 and homes sell in about 18 days.
| Median sale price, Charleston (Redfin, 3 months to Aug 2026) | $230,000 |
| Days on market, Charleston (Redfin) | 23 |
| Zillow home value index, Charleston (Aug 2026) | $166,696 |
| Median sale price, 25304 Kanawha City (Redfin) | $236,000 |
| Days on market, 25304 (Redfin) | 18 |
Sources: Redfin, Charleston WV housing market · Zillow, Charleston WV home values · Redfin, 25304 housing market
How a Charleston file actually gets priced
With so few sales, a Charleston appraisal often reaches further back in time or across neighborhoods than it would in a bigger city, and that’s where values get argued. We look for comps inside the same area, Kanawha City against Kanawha City, South Hills against South Hills, and we will go back six months before we cross the river. Flat lot versus hillside matters as much as square footage. A house with steps up from the street and no parking is a different product from a ranch with a driveway on the flats, even a block apart.
Hillsides and water are the two risks. Much of Charleston is built on slopes, and slips, failing retaining walls and runoff into basements are common, so have the lot looked at, not just the house. The low streets near the Kanawha and Elk carry flood zone designations and need flood insurance priced before you close. The older housing brings original wiring, galvanized plumbing and lead paint. West Virginia also requires contractors to hold a state license above a modest job size, so confirm your GC is licensed before the first draw.
Who buys your finished Charleston deal
Finished Charleston houses sell to state employees, nurses and staff at the CAMC hospitals, and professionals downtown, many using FHA, VA or a state first-time buyer program. They want move-in ready, off-street parking and no water in the basement. South Hills and the East End support the highest prices; Kanawha City sells steadily in the middle. Rentals near the Capitol and the University of Charleston are a fallback exit worth pricing as a DSCR refinance.
Your whole loan, in one portal
Apply once and the whole Charleston 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 Charleston
Fix & Flip
Purchase plus 100% of rehab, released in draws. The core product in Charleston.
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.
New Construction
Ground-up for builders and infill developers, with a draw schedule matched to the build timeline.
Where we lend in Charleston
We broker deals across the whole Charleston 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 West Virginia, 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
7 to 10 days typical. We stay on title and the lender through funding.
Charleston hard money FAQ
Do you lend hard money in Charleston?
Which fix and flip programs apply in Charleston?
How fast can a Charleston hard money loan close?
How much do I need to bring to close on a Charleston flip?
Do you fund the rehab budget in Charleston?
What credit score do I need for a Charleston fix and flip loan?
Can I refinance a Charleston flip into a rental loan?
Can I get a first-flip hard money loan in Charleston, WV?
What should I check on a Charleston hillside house before buying?
Before you sign anything
Ready to fund your Charleston deal?
Submit your scenario in under 3 minutes. We shop it and come back with real terms, not a generic rate sheet.