Where we finance

Hard Money Loans in Kentucky

Apex Capital Advisors arranges hard money and other business-purpose financing for Kentucky investors, from Louisville shotgun houses to student rentals near Western Kentucky University. We offer fix and flip, DSCR rental, bridge and new construction loans, with term sheets in 12 to 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 Kentucky

Kentucky's investor markets follow its regions. Louisville sits on the Ohio River, with UPS Worldport, Ford's assembly plants, GE Appliances and Humana. Lexington and the Bluegrass center on the University of Kentucky, the horse farms and Toyota's plant in Georgetown. Bowling Green sits on the interstate between Louisville and Nashville. Covington and Newport belong to the Cincinnati area. Fort Knox and Fort Campbell anchor rentals around Elizabethtown, Radcliff and Hopkinsville, and Owensboro and Paducah are river towns in the west.

Flips and rentals in the older cities are typically frame and brick houses: shotgun houses and camelbacks in Louisville, brick rowhouses in Covington, bungalows and post-war ranches nearly everywhere. Humid summers, freeze-thaw winters and heavy spring rain lead to wet crawlspaces and settling foundations. Karst limestone underlies parts of central and south-central Kentucky, so sinkholes can open, and towns along the Ohio carry flood risk. Check the flood map before you price a rehab.

Loan programs

Loan Programs in Kentucky

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

Short-term project capital

Fix and Flip Loans in Kentucky

Kentucky flips are often older houses. A shotgun house in Germantown, a bungalow in Lexington's Kenwick or a brick ranch in Owensboro may need a roof, a furnace, wiring and drainage work at once. The Kentucky Residential Code exempts finish work such as painting, tiling and cabinets from building permits; ask the local building official before structural, electrical or mechanical work.

Our hard money fix and flip loans fund 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.

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 Kentucky

Kentucky rental demand comes from hospital, logistics and factory jobs in Louisville, the campuses in Lexington, Bowling Green and Richmond, the Fort Knox and Fort Campbell bases, and visitors to bourbon country and the western lakes.

Our DSCR loans are qualified on the property's cash flow, not your personal earnings, with ratios as low as 0.75x and loan amounts from $100K to $3M+. Options include 30-year fixed and ARM terms and cash-out refinancing 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. Long-term and short-term rentals are eligible, and an LLC or other entity is generally preferred.

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 Kentucky

A hard money bridge loan fits Kentucky deals where timing is the problem: a Jefferson County commissioner's sale, where the balance comes due on a set schedule and the deposit is lost if financing falls through; a vacant Louisville apartment building that must be leased before a DSCR refinance; or an estate house that needs work before a bank will lend.

Terms are set deal by deal rather than to a fixed product, and experienced and first-time sponsors are both considered. Line up the loan before you bid, and plan the exit from the start.

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 Kentucky

New subdivisions in Kentucky cluster around Bowling Green, in east Louisville, in Oldham and Bullitt counties, in Boone and Kenton counties near Cincinnati, and in Scott and Jessamine counties next to Lexington. In Lexington, check where a lot sits against the urban service area boundary before you plan a build. The same residential code applies in every county, and in karst areas a soil and sinkhole review belongs in the budget.

Our new construction loans fund up to 100% of the construction budget, assess lot cost and build budget together, and release capital in stages against construction progress.

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 Kentucky

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

Louisville

Louisville and Jefferson County share a merged metro government. Germantown, Schnitzelburg, Shelby Park and Portland have shotgun houses and camelbacks that suit flips and small rentals. Old Louisville and the Highlands have large Victorian houses, including mansions converted to apartments. The South End, Okolona and Valley Station have brick ranches and Cape Cods suited to long-term rentals. UPS, Ford, GE Appliances, Humana, Norton Healthcare and UofL Health anchor the job base. Rental owners must register their units with Louisville Metro, with limited exemptions, and swear that they meet the property maintenance code.

Lexington

Lexington's urban county government covers all of Fayette County. The University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare sit at the center, with Transylvania University downtown, Lexmark and Valvoline based in the city, and Toyota's plant just north in Georgetown. Student rentals cluster near campus. Chevy Chase, Kenwick and Bell Court have bungalows and older frame houses, and the Northside has Victorian and shotgun houses near downtown. Horse farms ring the city. Short-term rentals need a zoning compliance permit, a business license and a special fees license renewed every year, plus proof of liability insurance.

Bowling Green

Bowling Green is home to Western Kentucky University and the General Motors plant that builds the Chevrolet Corvette, with the National Corvette Museum next door. Fruit of the Loom is based here, and Med Center Health is a large employer. Older frame houses near downtown and the campus suit student and workforce rentals, while newer subdivisions and apartment complexes spread across Warren County. The city sits on karst limestone, and a sinkhole once opened beneath the Corvette Museum. Get a soil review before you build, and check drainage on any rehab.

Owensboro

Owensboro is a river city on the Ohio, a short drive from Evansville, Indiana. Owensboro Health, manufacturing and river shipping support the job base, along with Kentucky Wesleyan College, Brescia University and Owensboro Community and Technical College. Downtown has been rebuilt along the riverfront, and older brick and frame houses fill the blocks nearby. Post-war ranches and newer subdivisions spread across the rest of the city and Daviess County. That mix suits a modest rehab on a hard money loan followed by a DSCR refinance. Check flood maps for property near the river.

Before you buy

What Investors Should Know About Kentucky

Foreclosure sales go through the courts

In Louisville, foreclosed property is sold at a commissioner's sale run by the Jefferson Circuit Court's master commissioner. A buyer who does not pay in full posts a deposit with a pre-approved bond, and the deposit is not refunded if financing falls through. If the price falls below a set share of the appraised value, the former owner may redeem by repaying the price plus interest.

Deed transfer tax

Kentucky taxes the grantor, the seller in a sale, on each deed's value, including any liens. The county clerk collects the tax before the deed can be recorded. Exemptions include deeds that only secure or release a debt, transfers under a foreclosure or a deed in lieu, and deeds between an LLC and any of its members.

Assessments and appeals

The local property valuation administrator, or PVA, assesses homes and land at fair cash value, can revalue any parcel every year and mails a notice when the value changes. To dispute it, meet the PVA during the spring tax roll inspection period with comparable sales or an appraisal, then appeal through the county clerk to the local board of assessment appeals.

The same residential code in every county

Kentucky builds to the Kentucky Residential Code, the International Residential Code with state amendments. It is a "mini/maxi" code: it sets both the minimum and the maximum standards for detached houses, duplexes and townhouses, and local governments may not adopt or enforce any other building code for them. Plumbing falls under the separate Kentucky State Plumbing Code.

Landlord-tenant law depends on the locality

Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies where a local government has adopted it, as Lexington-Fayette has. There, the landlord holds deposits in a separate account at a regulated bank and tells the tenant where. Both sides sign a damage list at move-in and at move-out, and a landlord who skips these steps can lose the right to keep any of it.

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

Questions

Kentucky Hard Money Loan FAQs

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

Do you make hard money loans to first-time flippers in Kentucky?

Yes. First-time investors are welcome. Our Kentucky fix and flip loans fund up to 92.50% of total cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget, with a minimum FICO of 650 and lower scores considered case by case. On an older Louisville or Owensboro house, budget for wiring, roof and drainage surprises.

Can I finance a house bought at a Kentucky commissioner's sale?

Yes, if financing is lined up before the auction. In Jefferson County, a buyer who does not pay in full posts a deposit with a pre-approved bond, and the deposit is not refunded if financing falls through. A low price can leave the former owner a right to redeem, so review the appraisal and title with an attorney.

Can I use a DSCR loan for a short-term rental in Kentucky?

Yes. Long-term and short-term rentals are eligible, and the loan is qualified on the property's cash flow. Local rules vary. In Lexington, a short-term rental needs a zoning compliance permit, a business license and a special fees license renewed every year, and a hosted rental must show that a permanent resident lives there.

How fast can a Kentucky hard money loan close?

Term sheets go out within 12 to 24 hours, and qualified deals with complete documents can fund in as fast as 15 days. Order title early on estate, foreclosure and commissioner's sale purchases, since unpaid taxes, junior liens or a redemption right can slow closing.

Do you lend outside Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Owensboro?

Yes. Apex offers loans statewide, including Covington, Newport and Florence in Northern Kentucky, Elizabethtown and Radcliff near Fort Knox, Hopkinsville and Oak Grove near Fort Campbell, Frankfort, Richmond, Bardstown and Paducah. Apex finances business-purpose real estate in 36 states and Washington, D.C.

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 Kentucky.

All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Next step

Financing a Property in Kentucky?

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