Hard Money Lenders in Columbia, SC | Fix & Flip Loans | Capital Kings LLC
Broker, not a lender

Hard Money Lenders inColumbia, South Carolina

Fix and flip, DSCR rental and new construction financing for Columbia 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.

Get a term sheet →Price a Columbia deal

Prefer to talk it through? Call or text Micah at (281) 636-5682.

Reviewed by Micah Foster, Founder & CEO · October 2026
How we work

What you get working with us

400+
Lenders we shop your deal across
72 hrs
To close at the fastest, 5-14 days typical
100%
Of rehab funded, released in draws
8.99%
Rates from, in South Carolina
Run the numbers

Price a Columbia deal right now

Prefilled with a realistic Columbia deal. Change any number and it reprices instantly on the lanes licensed in South Carolina, using the same engine behind our term sheets.

Enter your numbers to see the program, loan size and cash to close.
Get a real term sheet →Same math as our term sheet. No credit pull, nothing saved.
The market

Financing a deal in Columbia

Columbia is the state capital and a university town, with Fort Jackson on its east side. State government, the University of South Carolina, the hospital systems and insurance companies employ most of the city. The flip stock is 1920s to 1950s cottages and bungalows in Rosewood, Earlewood and Melrose Heights, plus mill houses in Olympia and Granby.

The Columbia deal turns on the river and the school districts. Lexington County, across the river in West Columbia, Cayce and Lexington, pulls families who want those schools, so Columbia’s owner-occupants are often state workers, USC staff and young buyers who want to be close in. Rosewood and Earlewood are where that buyer is shopping, and they pay for a finished house with character.

A real term sheet

What a Columbia deal looks like on paper

Columbia example: $175,000 purchase, $55,000 rehab, $330,000 after repair value, 730 credit, first flip. The engine puts that borrower on the Best Rate program at 9.49%. Say a 1940s brick cottage in Rosewood with original hardwoods, a single bath, a small closed kitchen and a crawl space that needs a vapor barrier. Every number below is what the instant term sheet prints for that deal, so the picture cannot contradict the page.

Loan amount$203,750
Cash to close$39,150
Proof of funds to show$63,668
Where the $39,150 goes
  • Down payment (15% of the purchase)You$26,250
  • Origination (0.5%)Lender$2,000
  • Lender fees (flat)Lender$1,989
  • Broker fee (1%)Broker$2,038
  • Title and closing (estimate at Texas rates)Title$3,343
  • Prepaid interest (15 days)Lender$795
  • Property insuranceInsurer$2,185
  • AppraisalAppraiser$550

Interest while you rehab: $1,176 a month on the $148,750 funded at closing, $1,611 once every draw is out. Proof of funds is cash to close plus $14,850 of rehab reserve and $9,668 of interest reserve. Sample borrower, sample address; the sheet is issued by the same engine as the borrower’s instant term sheet.

Programs

What we can fund in Columbia

ProgramDown paymentMin creditExperienceRateOriginationMax loanTermClose
Best Rate15%700+First flip OK8.99% to 9.49%0.5%70% of ARV12 months5-14 days
First Flip, 10% Down110%660+First flip OK9.99%2%75% of ARV12 months21-30 days
7.5% Down, 3+ Flips27.5%660+3+ completed flips9.99%1.5%75% of ARV12 months21-30 days
5% Down, 5+ Flips35%660+5+ completed flips9.99% to 10.99%2%75% of ARV9-24 months10-14 days
100% Financing, 2+ Flips40% (100% financing)620+2+ completed flips9.50% to 12.00%2.5%70% of ARV9 months7-14 days
Fastest Close (3 days)10%No minimumFirst flip OK11.99%2%75% of ARV6 months72 hours
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Rate is set per file from 9.99%; origination about 2% plus a $995 processing fee.
  4. 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.

What we check first

Where Columbia prices sit right now

Before we price a Columbia 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 Columbia median sale price at $273K for the three months ending September 2026, up 4.9% on a year earlier, with homes selling in around 41 days. The median price per square foot is $158.

Median sale price (Redfin)$273K
Change from a year earlierup 4.9%
Days on market (Redfin)41
Median price per square foot$158

Sources: Redfin, Columbia housing market

Underwriting

How a Columbia file actually gets priced

Columbia selling times grew a little this year, so we use recent closed sales and check how long they took. Appraisers keep the in-town neighborhoods separate from Forest Acres, which is its own city, and from the Lexington side of the river. We want comps from the same neighborhood and the same school zone. South Carolina closings go through an attorney, so pick one early.

Gills Creek and Rocky Branch flooded badly in October 2015, and the Gills Creek watershed runs right behind parts of Rosewood and Shandon, so check the flood zone on every parcel. Older houses here bring termite damage, crawl space moisture and old wiring. Near USC, the city has rules on how many unrelated people can share a house, so check them before you plan a student rental.

The exit

Who buys your finished Columbia deal

The finished Columbia house sells to a state employee, a hospital or USC worker, a soldier at Fort Jackson or a first-time buyer. Many use FHA or VA, so condition items matter. Rental demand near campus and the base stays steady, so a DSCR loan works as a hold, with South Carolina’s higher rental property tax in the numbers.

After you apply

Your whole loan, in one portal

Apply once and the whole Columbia 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.

Capital Kings borrower portal: Welcome to your file
Welcome to your fileSign in and the term sheet is waiting, with every fee and who it goes to.
Capital Kings borrower portal: Where the loan stands
Where the loan standsApplication, appraisal, title, underwriting, clear to close.
Capital Kings borrower portal: Run the deal again
Run the deal againThe analyzer priced off your real numbers, before and after the appraisal.
Capital Kings borrower portal: What the lender still needs
What the lender still needsEvery open condition, what clears it, and who it is waiting on.
What happens after you apply →Tour the borrower portal
Loan products

What we fund in Columbia

Fix & Flip

Purchase plus 100% of rehab, released in draws. The core product in Columbia.

15% down from 8.99% at 700+ credit · 10% down from 9.99% at 660+ credit

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.

30-year · no income docs

New Construction

Ground-up for builders and infill developers, with a draw schedule matched to the build timeline.

Land + build financing
Coverage

Where we lend in Columbia

We broker deals across the whole Columbia market. These are the submarkets investors ask us about most:

Rosewood (29205)Melrose Heights and Old Shandon (29205)Earlewood and Cottontown (29201 / 29203)Eau Claire (29203)Olympia and Granby mill villages (29201)Waverly (29204)
Process

From deal to funded

01

Send the deal

Address, purchase price, rehab budget and your ARV. Three minutes, no credit pull.

02

We shop it

Your scenario goes to the lenders in our network that actually fit it and are licensed in South Carolina, not all 400 at once.

03

Real terms back

Rate, origination, leverage and cash to close side by side, so you can compare on total cost.

04

Close

5-14 days to fund, as little as 72 hours on the fastest programs. We stay on title and the lender through funding.

Questions

Columbia hard money FAQ

Do you lend hard money in Columbia?
Yes. Capital Kings is a broker, not a direct lender, so we shop your Columbia scenario across a 400+ lender network and bring back real terms instead of one lender’s rate sheet. The programs on this page are the ones whose lenders are licensed in South Carolina, and the numbers come from the same engine that prices our instant term sheet.
Which fix and flip programs apply in Columbia?
As of October 2026: Best Rate (15% down, from 8.99%); First Flip, 10% Down (10% down, from 9.99%); 7.5% Down, 3+ Flips (7.5% down, from 9.99%, 3+ completed flips); 5% Down, 5+ Flips (5% down, from 9.99%, 5+ completed flips); 100% Financing, 2+ Flips (100% financing when purchase plus rehab fits under 70% of ARV, from 9.50%, 2+ completed flips); Fastest Close (3 days) (10% down, from 11.99%). Rehab is funded 100 percent in draws on every one of them, and we shop the file against the rest of the network before anything is signed.
How fast can a Columbia hard money loan close?
As little as 72 hours. Most Columbia fix and flip files fund in 5-14 days once the file is complete, and the 72-hour programs close that fast when title and insurance are ready. The First Flip, 10% Down program and the 7.5% Down, 3+ Flips program close in 21-30 days. The biggest delays are usually title issues or missing borrower documents, so getting those started early makes a big difference.
How much do I need to bring to close on a Columbia flip?
The worked example on this page is a $175,000 Columbia purchase with a $55,000 rehab and a $330,000 after repair value at 730 credit, first flip: $26,250 down (15% of the purchase) and $39,150 total cash to close, with $63,668 of proof of funds to show the lender. The lowest down payment for a first flip in Columbia is 10% down from 9.99% at 660+ credit. Investors with a track record can go to 0% down (100% financing) from 9.50% at 620+ credit with 2+ completed flips, when purchase plus rehab fits under 70% of ARV, and you still bring the closing costs in cash. Rehab is funded 100 percent through draws in every case. Run your own numbers in the calculator above, or send us the deal and we will price it.
Do you fund the rehab budget in Columbia?
Yes, 100 percent of the rehab is funded, but it is a holdback released in draws rather than cash at closing. You pay for each phase, request a draw, an inspector verifies the work, and the lender reimburses. That means you need working capital to float the first phase, which is the single most common thing new investors miss on their first deal.
What credit score do I need for a Columbia fix and flip loan?
One Columbia program has no credit floor at all, it is priced on speed rather than credit. The lowest rate here, 8.99%, needs 760+ credit. Depending on the program, rates step down at 760 credit and origination steps down at 700 and 740. Credit matters less here than on a conventional loan because the deal carries the file, but it moves your rate and your leverage, so know where you stand before you make offers.
Can I refinance a Columbia flip into a rental loan?
Yes. That is the BRRRR exit, and it is the most common way a Columbia flip becomes a hold. A DSCR loan qualifies on the property’s rental income rather than your W-2, so once the rehab is done and it is leased, you refinance out of the short-term hard money loan into 30-year financing. Worth deciding before you start, because it changes what finish level makes sense.
Is Rosewood a good place to flip in Columbia?
It’s one of the most active. Rosewood’s small brick cottages sell well to young buyers once they are updated, and it sits close to downtown and USC. Watch the flood maps near Gills Creek and Rocky Branch, and price your after repair value on renovated cottages with the same bath count.
Do Lexington County sales count as Columbia comps?
Not usually. West Columbia, Cayce and Lexington are in a different county with different schools and buyers. Appraisers stay on the Richland County side for a Columbia house when they can. Use renovated sales from the same Columbia neighborhood.
Who you are working with
Micah Foster
Founder & CEO
Micah Foster
Micah brokers Non-QM and hard money loans for real estate investors across 37 states from his base in Texas. He founded Capital Kings to give investors a broker who shops the market on their behalf instead of pitching one lender product.
Send Micah your Columbia deal →
Keep reading

Before you sign anything

Broker
Direct hard money lender vs broker: the honest breakdown
Read article →
Hard Money
Points, fees & rate: how to compare hard money lenders
Read article →
Draws
How construction draws and the rehab holdback actually work
Read article →
Loan Cost
Dutch vs standard interest: what it really costs you
Read article →
Hard money in Charleston →Hard money in Greenville →Hard money in Charlotte →Hard money in Augusta →All South Carolina coverage →

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