Orange County Hard Money Lenders for Real Estate Investors
Need a hard money loan secured by real estate in Orange County? This page has a list of direct hard money lenders that offer quick funding for a Orange County property purchase, refinance, fix & flip, rehab & rent, ground-up construction, and equity cash out in 1st lien position. Hard Money lending is only for investment properties, not for homesteads. The loans are mainly based on equity in the subject property. For most lenders, the maximum LTV is typically 70% for a purchase and 65% for an equity cash out loan.Searching...
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SDC Capital
Family Office Lender. No 3rd-party appraisal (typically). Soft Money Terms in 1st or 2nd Lien Position.

PrideCo Loans Inc.
Family Office Hard Money Lender for Multifamily and Residential Investment Properties

Diversified Mortgage
Multi-Unit Properties only. Interest Rates are 8.25% for 4-year term or 7.95% for 2 years.
California Hard Money Interest Rates

According to the hard money loan documents software company, Lightning Docs, the average interest rate for California hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.83%. The average loan amount was $996,535. These stats are the average of 1,499 short-term loans (including bridge, rehab, and ground-up construction) funded for investment properties in California between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 by multiple hard money lending companies that use Lightning Docs as their preferred software provider to prepare loan documents.
Although California hard money interest rates tend to be lower than other states, the data includes a lot of 2nd mortgages, which typically have higher rates than 1st mortgages. 2nd mortgages are quite common in California. In most other states, 2nd mortgages are non-existent in hard money lending.
Here is a breakdown of average interest rates in California’s metropolitan areas:
Los Angeles Metro AreaÂ
The average interest rate for Los Angeles hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 11.04%. The average loan amount was $819,582. Of the 708 total loans in the 3-month period, 478 were secured by properties in Los Angeles County, 96 in Orange County, 72 in Riverside County, 44 in San Bernardino County and 18 in Ventura County.
San Francisco Bay Area
The average interest rate for Bay Area hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.46%. The average loan amount was $1,026,883. Of the 291 total loans in the 3-month period, 50 were secured by properties in Alameda County, 44 in Contra Costa County, 12 in Marin County, 7 in Monterey County, 3 in Napa County, 36 in San Francisco County, 29 in San Mateo County, 81 in Santa Clara County, 3 in Santa Cruz County, 14 in Solano County and 12 in Sonoma County.
San Diego
The average interest rate for San Diego hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.76%. The average loan amount was $1,004,884. The averages are derived from 307 loans secured by properties in San Diego County.
Sacramento
The average interest rate for Sacramento hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.80%. The average loan amount was $707,715. Of the 45 total loans in the 3-month period, The averages are derived from 27 loans secured by properties in Sacramento County, 7 in El Dorado County, 4 in Nevada County, 5 in Placer County and 2 in Yolo County.
Central Valley
The average interest rate for Central Valley hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.92%. The average loan amount was $401,829. Of the 101 total loans in the 3-month period, 28 were secured by properties in Fresno County, 15 in Kern County, 8 in Madera County, 6 in Merced County, 22 in San Joaquin County, 7 in Stanislaus County and 15 in Tulare County.
Santa Barbara
The average interest rate for Central Valley hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.65%. The average loan amount was $1,018,283. Of the 28 total loans in the 3-month period, 7 were secured by properties in San Luis Obispo County and 21 in Santa Barbara County.
According to private lending data provider, Analytics Logics, the average interest rate for California hard money loans in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 10.36%. Lenders charged an average of 1.4% points (origination fee). The average LTV (loan-to-value) for hard money loans in California was 63%, and the average loan amount was $765,700. These stats are the average of all the loans which were funded between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 by the many hard money lenders who use Liquid Logics’ loan origination software to manage their lending operations.
Top 10 California Hard Money Lenders

According to Forecasaâ„¢, here are the Top 10 Hard Money Lenders ranked by the number of loans* originated in California from October 2024 to December 2024.
- Kiavi funded 787 loans
- Anchor Loans funded 252 loans
- Conventus LLC funded 244 loans
- Vista Point Mortgage funded 225 loans
- Wholesale Mortgage Bankers (Fidelity Lending Solutions) funded 220 loans
- Center Street Lending funded 219 loans
- Oaktree Funding Corporation funded 195 loans
- Genesis Capital funded 175 loans
- Fundloans Capital funded 163 loans
- Val Chris Investment Inc funded 163 loans
* The number of loans funded are approximate and includes long-term rental loans.
Forecasaâ„¢ gives investors and lenders in the private real estate market powerful analytics and actionable insights. They help you skip the hassle of combing county records and focus on closing deals. With detailed market trends, investor and lender activities, and competitive benchmarking, you can make smart, strategic decisions. Some of their services include dynamic market reports, transaction-level details, customer analytics, borrower verification, and in-depth profiles of investors, lenders, and capital partners. You’ll find their top lenders data for many other states on our platform.
California Hard Money Lending Guidelines
California has lots of hard money lenders that offer short-term loans secured by real estate. Here are the typical hard money lending guidelines for most lenders in California as of November 2024:
- The interest rates for hard money loans in California range from 8.5% to 12%.
- For a 2nd mortgage in California, most hard money lenders charge 11% to 14%.
- Most California hard money lenders charge an origination fee (aka points) between 2% and 3%.
- The loan amounts range from $100,000 to $20,000,000.
- The maximum loan-to-value (LTV) for hard money 1st mortgages is 70%.
- The maximum combined loan-to-value (CLTV) for hard money 2nd or 3rd mortgages is 65%.
- 2nd mortgages are common in California, and some lenders even consider 3rd or 4th lien position.
- The loan term for most California hard money lenders is 1 year, but some lenders will go up to 5 years.
- Most lenders have a 6-month minimum term (interest guarantee). Some do not have a prepayment penalty.
- The payments for most hard money loans are interest-only, and the entire principal amount is due at the end of the loan term.
- A few hard money lenders in California amortize all of their loans over 20 years.
Hard money lending is mainly for investment properties, but California has some unique laws that enable hard money loans to be secured by a borrower’s primary residence.
Select a Metro Area
California is a large state, and many hard money lenders focus on particular metropolitan areas. Filter your search by selecting a metro area:
Northern California: SF Bay Area | Sacramento | Lake Tahoe
Southern California: Los Angeles | San Diego | Orange County | Riverside County | San Bernardino County | Santa Barbara
Central California:Â Central Valley |Â Bakersfield | Fresno
California Market Insights from Zinc Financial
Below is a snapshot of an interview with Todd Pigott, President of Zinc Financial, a direct hard money lender based in Fresno…
The California real estate market has remained strong despite common economic concerns, mainly due to its status as the 4th largest economy in the world, swift real estate absorption rates, and high mortgage performance, where most counties still see sales prices above list prices. Todd Piggott from ZINC Financial in California says “mortgages are performing at an exceptionally high level here as compared to the rest of the country. And what that means is that we’re not having the defaults here to depress prices; mortgage velocity is at an all-time high. And it’s a very safe place for us to put our capital as far as liens.”
According to Todd, the Central Valley is booming with affordable housing developments, attracting families priced out of Northern and Southern California. “The [Central] Valley is seeing exponential growth in the tens of thousands of homes being built. So the Valley is proving to be a very, very good spot for investment. Southern California is still showing to be a very good spot despite all the news stories of homeless and theft and things of that nature. Believe it or not, the prices there are selling at or above the list price, and it is continuing to go on that trajectory,” Todd explains.
Todd suggests that investors should focus their energy on areas such as the Maderas, the Fresnos, the Visalia, Tulare, and Kern. “These areas are starting to get massive subdivisions of houses because this is the last place of affordable housing in this state. Our median cost of housing in Fresno, is still around $300,000, where the rest of the state it’s $800,000. Yes, it’s hot here. Yes, we don’t have the amenities of Southern California and San Diego; there’s absolutely no comparison. But for a family who does live in California, you can get a house here for $400,000 where in San Diego they’d be $1.4 million,” he explains.
In contrast, the market in Northern California is starting to dip, especially in the Bay Area due to rising crime, homelessness, and retail flight. Todd warns against investing in this area, stating that Oakland is “spiraling with crime and storefront robberies. Denny’s and Starbucks have left, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have left San Francisco. We’re starting to see the turn of national retail tenants leaving those areas because of the crime, because of the drugs, and because of the homeless problem in those areas. So Oakland, San Francisco, and some of those bay areas are starting to see some conflict, and that’s starting to affect the housing situation there. So we’re still strong on it. It still can be done, but it’s something that we’re watching very, very carefully.”
Additionaly the price of housing is extremely high in Northern California, where the minimum cost for a house could run for $1.5 Million to above $2 Million. Todd explains that in a study, they found that only 11% of the educated population or public workforce can actually afford a home in San Francisco. “These areas are so congested that to live there is just unfeasible for a normal W2 worker and…that’s a problem,” he warns.
ZINC Financial is one of Central California’s largest and oldest Private Money Lenders. They specialize in Residential Fix & Flip, Bridge, Cash Out Refinance, DSCR and Ground Up loans. They help investors leverage their capital to acquire, rehab, and build properties for investment purposes. Depending on experience, they provide up to 93% leverage on their loans. Their interest rates range from 9.99% to 11.99%, with a maximum loan amount of $1.5 million, although exceptions can be made for higher amounts. While Zinc Financial has a minimum credit score requirement of 660, they are flexible if lower scores are due to high trade line utilization rather than negative credit behavior.
California Hard Money Loan Volume
According to SFR Analytics, here is the approximate quarterly volume of loans secured by investment real estate in California which were funded by hard money lenders from October 2023 to September 2024.
- Approximately $3,735,167,654 of private money loans were funded in the 3rd quarter of 2024 for 3,041 borrowers.
- Approximately $3,872,880,131 of private money loans were funded in the 2nd quarter of 2024 for 3,166 borrowers.
- Approximately $3,050,304,367 of private money loans were funded in the 1st quarter of 2024 for 2,731 borrowers.
- Approximately $3,117,742,891 of private money loans were funded in the 4th quarter of 2023 for 2,899 borrowers.
Below are the approximate hard money loan volume amounts for California’s metropolitan areas:
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
- 2024 Q3: $21,630,411 for 67 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $12,101,227 for 56 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $16,338,518 for 64 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $21,758,903 for 78 borrowers
Fresno, CA
- 2024 Q3: $36,103,772 for 87 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $25,631,674 for 73 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $23,409,338 for 55 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $29,038,279 for 84 borrowers
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- 2024 Q3: $1,903,818,695 for 1,274 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $1,914,250,516 for 1,333 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $1,404,999,503 for 1,076 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $1,629,693,361 for 1,189 borrowers
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
- 2024 Q3: $32,682,390 for 40 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $32,272,744 for 45 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $38,095,234 for 48 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $30,035,732 for 41 borrowers
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- 2024 Q3: $210,678,292 for 406 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $232,061,279 for 409 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $257,979,814 for 396 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $194,884,523 for 435 borrowers
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
- 2024 Q3: $91,411,520 for 177 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $111,266,592 for 179 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $92,548,937 for 175 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $82,875,977 for 171 borrowers
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- 2024 Q3: $482,753,528 for 347 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $592,478,443 for 321 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $446,708,539 for 270 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $419,298,044 for 275 borrowers
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- 2024 Q3: $502,646,608 for 334 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $486,089,983 for 386 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $388,195,966 for 342 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $383,603,665 for 341 borrowers
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- 2024 Q3: $209,898,209 for 123 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $257,090,049 for 140 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $185,402,082 for 107 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $168,317,605 for 104 borrowers
Stockton-Lodi, CA
- 2024 Q3: $32,682,390 for 52 borrowers
- 2024 Q2: $32,272,744 for 53 borrowers
- 2024 Q1: $38,095,234 for 36 borrowers
- 2023 Q4: $30,035,732 for 46 borrowers
SFR Analytics provides advanced analytics for top-performing real estate investors and private lenders. Their platform provides nationwide, real-time property data, including market activity, ownership changes, and detailed buyer behavior insights. With custom dashboards and alerts, users can track active investor and lender activity, access rental market information, and analyze geographic and demographic trends. Their Private Lender Radar product gives lenders deep insights into borrower portfolios, lending activity, and verified contact details. For those needing bulk data, they supply updated daily records, including deeds, rental listings, demographic data, and building permits, to support informed decision-making across the residential real estate market.
Hard Money Loan Transactions in Orange County

Equity Cash-Out Loan for 3-Unit Rental Property in Santa Ana, California
$595,000
Diversified Mortgage, one of California’s oldest and lowest-priced private lenders, funded a $595,000 1st lien position hard money equity cash-out loan secured by a 3-unit residential rental property in Santa Ana, Orange County, CA. The property value was estimated to be $1,260,000 so our loan-to-value was 47%. The subject property was owned free and clear of any debt at closing. It was fully occupied and cash-flowing. The triplex was in decent condition and didn’t need any major repairs. The cash out was needed for purposes unrelated to the subject property. The Borrower had fair credit. They plan to continue leasing the property and eventually refinance as an exit strategy. The interest rate was 7.95% with amortized payments and we charged 3% origination points. The loan term was set at 48 months. This hard money loan was funded in March 2023.

ARCH Loans, a private lender, funded a $1,750,000 1st lien position hard money loan for the acquisition of a single-family home in Corona Del Mar, California. Corona Del Mar is a coastal city in Orange County. We funded 100% of the purchase price. This project will be a full tear-down and ground-up build. Our Borrower was seeking a hard money loan only for the acquisition, and he will fund the entire construction budget out of pocket. This was a first-time client with ARCH. The Borrower has been working in this market for many years and has a great outlook on the community. The term on this loan is 6 months. The exit strategy will be to complete the ground-up build and list the home for sale immediately upon completion. We were able to conduct an appraisal, underwrite, and fund within one week. This SFR hard money loan was funded in November 2018.