Where we finance

Hard Money Loans in Delaware

Apex Capital Advisors arranges hard money and other business-purpose loans for Delaware investors, from Wilmington rowhouse rehabs to Sussex County beach rentals. Fix and flip loans go up to 92.50% of cost, DSCR loans qualify on the property's rent, and term sheets go out within 12-24 hours.

Discuss your deal All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Fix & Flip
DSCR Rental
Bridge
New Construction

The lay of the land

Investing in Delaware

Delaware's counties work as separate markets. New Castle County in the north sits in Philadelphia's orbit, with Wilmington's banks and corporate law firms, the University of Delaware in Newark, and suburbs that run south past the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Middletown's newer subdivisions. Kent County centers on Dover, the capital, with state government, Dover Air Force Base and farm country. Sussex County pairs beach towns such as Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and Bethany Beach with poultry farming and new planned communities inland that draw retirees and second-home buyers.

Investor work follows the housing: rowhouse rehabs in Wilmington, student rentals in Newark, rentals for military and state workers around Dover, and beach rentals and new construction in Sussex. Wilmington's older housing calls for heavier rehab budgets than the newer subdivisions downstate. Delaware forecloses through the courts, taxes deeds and some construction contracts under its realty transfer tax, and charges a lodging tax on short-term stays.

Loan programs

Loan Programs in Delaware

Four ways to finance an investment property in Delaware, each sized to the deal rather than a fixed product.

Short-term project capital

Fix and Flip Loans in Delaware

In Wilmington, a hard money fix and flip loan usually funds a brick rowhouse that needs more than finishes: roofs, masonry, wiring and plumbing come first. Around Dover, flips are more often postwar ranches and split-levels that need updating, not rebuilding. Apex funds up to 92.50% of total cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget, released in draws as work is inspected.

The realty transfer tax is split between buyer and seller by statute, so a flip pays its share at purchase and again at sale. A large rehab contracted soon after closing can also be taxed as a construction contract.

Newbies are welcome
Up to 92.50% Loan to Cost (LTC)
Up to 100% of rehab budget

Fix and flip loan details

Long-term rental financing

DSCR Rental Loans in Delaware

Delaware rentals range from Wilmington rowhouses and small apartment buildings to Newark student houses, single-family homes near Dover Air Force Base and seasonal beach rentals in Sussex County. Apex qualifies DSCR loans on the property's cash flow, not your personal income, with DSCR as low as 0.75x, 30-year fixed and ARM options, loan amounts from $100K to $3M+ and cash-out up to 80% LTV. Reaching the full 80% takes a stronger DSCR and credit score than the program minimums, so leverage on each file is set by its DSCR and credit. Short-term rentals are eligible.

Size the loan on the current tax bill, since the counties have completed a statewide reassessment and state law now requires reassessment on a regular cycle.

Qualified on the property's cash flow, not your personal income
No traditional employment or personal-income verification
Cash-out refinance LTV up to 80%

DSCR rental loan details

Interim financing

Bridge Loans in Delaware

A bridge loan fits Delaware deals caught between stages: a Wilmington building that must lease up before a long-term lender will take it, a Dover purchase that has to close faster than a bank can, or a Sussex County buy that comes before the last property sells.

Apex sets hard money bridge terms deal by deal and can fund qualified deals with complete documents in as fast as 15 days. The usual exit is a sale or a DSCR refinance, and because Delaware's transfer tax applies to deeds, not mortgages, the refinance does not trigger it.

Structured for transactions that cannot wait
Property in transition, lease-up or repositioning
Terms set deal by deal rather than to a fixed product

Bridge loan details

Ground-up construction

New Construction Loans in Delaware

New subdivisions are going up around Middletown in southern New Castle County and across Sussex County inland from the beaches. Apex funds up to 100% of the construction budget, released in stages against progress, and the lot purchase can be included. Approved plans are needed before closing and permits before the first draw.

In Delaware, no building permit issues until you show that transfer tax on the construction contract is paid or does not apply. Building seaward of the state's coastal building line also needs a permit or letter of approval from DNREC.

Up to 100% of the construction budget
Land or lot cost and build budget assessed together
Capital released in stages against construction progress

New construction loan details

Program terms are general guidelines, not a quote or commitment. Every loan is subject to underwriting and approval and is for business purposes only.

Local markets

Where We Finance in Delaware

Apex offers loans statewide. These markets are a starting point, not a limit.

Wilmington

Wilmington is the state's business center, with banking, credit card operations, corporate law firms, chemical company offices and the ChristianaCare health system. Brick rowhouses and twins define neighborhoods such as Hilltop, Little Italy, Trolley Square and Union Park Gardens, while newer apartments line the Riverfront along the Christina River. Rowhouse rehabs are the main flip and rental play. Budget for roofs, masonry, wiring and plumbing before finishes, and plan for lead paint in older homes. SEPTA and Amtrak trains connect the city to Philadelphia, which widens the pool of tenants and buyers.

Dover

Dover is the state capital and the seat of Kent County. State government, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware State University and Bayhealth's hospital anchor the economy, and the base brings military households who rent. Housing runs from older homes around The Green to postwar ranches and split-levels and newer subdivisions toward Camden. That mix suits single-family DSCR rentals and moderate rehabs. The state has funded downtown revitalization, including a planned mixed-use building with housing and a grocery store, but underwrite on the rents you can document today, not on what the plan may bring.

Newark

Newark is a college town built around the University of Delaware's main campus. The university's STAR Campus, on the former Chrysler assembly plant site, adds research and health science space. Student and staff rentals in houses and townhouses near Main Street drive investor demand, and turnover follows the academic calendar. The city requires a yearly rental permit for any home leased by an owner who does not live there, with mandatory exterior and common-area inspections. Tenant limits depend on the area, so confirm both with the city before you buy.

Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth Beach is an Atlantic resort town in Sussex County whose boardwalk draws summer visitors from Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Near the beach, housing mixes older cottages on small lots, condos and newer homes built where cottages once stood. Short-term rental is the usual investor plan, and bookings are seasonal. The city requires a residential rental license, typically renewed every year, a local contact reachable around the clock, a yearly self-inspection and overnight occupancy limits, and it charges its own rental tax on top of the state lodging tax. Count those costs before sizing a DSCR loan.

Before you buy

What Investors Should Know About Delaware

Foreclosure goes through the courts

Delaware forecloses judicially. The lender sues out a writ of scire facias in the Superior Court for the property's county. After judgment, the property is exposed to public sale under a writ of levari facias. Once the court confirms the sale, the property is conveyed to the buyer by deed. Automatic foreclosure mediation covers owner-occupied primary residences, not investor rentals.

Realty transfer tax

Delaware's realty transfer tax falls on deeds and is payable when the deed is presented for recording. The statute apportions it equally between seller and buyer, and the state's share depends on whether the county or town has enacted its full local transfer tax. Mortgages are excluded, so a refinance does not trigger it.

Construction contracts can be taxed

If a contract to build all or part of a building is signed, or labor or materials are supplied, before the land transfers or within a year after, the contract is subject to realty transfer tax, paid by the building's owner. No building permit issues until the tax is shown paid or not applicable. Smaller alterations and additions, measured against the property's value, are excluded.

Security deposits

Delaware caps the security deposit a landlord may require on a lease of a year or more, and on a month-to-month tenancy once it passes a year. Furnished units are exempt. Deposits must sit in a designated escrow account at a federally insured bank with an office in the state, and a landlord who misses the statutory return deadline faces a penalty.

Short-term rental lodging tax

Delaware charges a state lodging tax on short-term rentals to tourists and transient guests. When you book through a listing company such as Airbnb or Vrbo, only that company collects and remits it. Owners who take bookings directly collect and remit it themselves and must be licensed by the Division of Revenue. Municipal taxes are separate.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Laws and rates change; confirm the details with a licensed attorney or tax professional in Delaware.

Questions

Delaware Hard Money Loan FAQs

Not answered here? Call +1(551) 321-5995 or read the full FAQ.

Do you offer hard money loans for Delaware investment property?

Yes. Apex arranges business-purpose hard money and private financing across Delaware, from Wilmington and Newark to Dover and the Sussex County beach towns, for flips, rentals, bridge needs and new construction. Loans are for investment property only, not a home you or your family will live in.

Can a first-time investor finance a Wilmington rowhouse rehab?

Yes. First-time investors are welcome, and a fix and flip loan can cover up to 92.50% of total cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget. The minimum FICO is 650, with lower scores considered case by case. Bring a scope that covers the roof, masonry and systems, not just finishes.

Can a Sussex County beach rental qualify for a DSCR loan?

Yes. Short-term rentals are eligible, and the loan is qualified on the property's cash flow, not your personal income, with DSCR as low as 0.75x. Plan for a seasonal booking calendar, the state lodging tax and any town rules, such as Rehoboth Beach's rental license and city rental tax.

Can I finance the lot and the build together in Delaware?

Yes. The lot purchase can be included, and up to 100% of the construction budget is funded in stages as work is completed. Permits are needed before the first draw, and the permit office will ask you to show that transfer tax on the construction contract is paid or does not apply.

Does refinancing a Delaware property trigger realty transfer tax?

No. Delaware's statute excludes mortgages from the documents it taxes, so refinancing a finished rehab into a DSCR loan does not trigger realty transfer tax. Selling does: the tax falls on the deed, and by statute the seller and buyer split it equally.

Beyond the state line

Nearby States We Serve

Investing on both sides of the border? The same programs and the same team cover the states around Delaware.

All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Next step

Financing a Property in Delaware?

Send us the property, the plan and the timeline. We will tell you what is realistic and what we need to issue a term sheet.

Discuss your deal +1(551) 321-5995