Where we finance

Hard Money Loans in Louisiana

Apex Capital Advisors arranges hard money fix and flip, DSCR rental, bridge and new construction loans for Louisiana investors, from shotgun doubles in New Orleans to brick ranch houses in Shreveport and new subdivisions near Baton Rouge. Term sheets go out within 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 Louisiana

Louisiana does real estate its own way. Property law comes from the state's civil code rather than English common law, counties are called parishes, and sales and mortgages are recorded in parish conveyance and mortgage records. Mortgages are typically signed before a notary and witnesses as authentic acts.

Greater New Orleans mixes the port, tourism, hospitals and universities. Baton Rouge pairs state government and LSU with the refineries and chemical plants along the Mississippi River. Lafayette and Acadiana lean on oil and gas services. Shreveport and Bossier City have Barksdale Air Force Base, riverfront casinos and the Haynesville Shale gas fields, and the Lake Charles area has petrochemical plants and liquefied natural gas export terminals.

Weather sets the budget. Hurricanes, heavy rain and humidity put roofs, drainage, elevation and moisture damage on every inspection list, and Formosan termites are a known problem around New Orleans. Get insurance quotes, including flood coverage, before you offer on any Louisiana property.

Loan programs

Loan Programs in Louisiana

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

Short-term project capital

Fix and Flip Loans in Louisiana

In New Orleans, a flip often means a shotgun or Creole cottage raised on piers, with rot, termite damage, old wiring and plumbing to fix, and exterior changes in a local historic district need commission review. In Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette, a common flip is a brick ranch house that needs a roof, HVAC, a kitchen and baths.

Our hard money fix and flip loans fund up to 92.50% loan-to-cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget, with draws paid as inspected work is finished. First-time investors are welcome, and the minimum FICO is 650.

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 Louisiana

A DSCR loan is qualified on the property's rent, not your personal income. Louisiana tenants include students and staff at LSU and Southern University, hospital and port workers in New Orleans, military families near Barksdale and plant workers around Lake Charles. New Orleans doubles fit well, since the ratio uses the rent from both units. Insurance counts in the payment, so get wind and flood quotes early.

Loans run from $100K to $3M+, with 30-year fixed and ARM options, ratios as low as 0.75x and cash-out refinances 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- and short-term rentals are eligible.

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 Louisiana

Bridge loans fit Louisiana deals that will not wait for a bank: buying the next house before the last flip sells, or closing quickly on a succession property an heir wants to sell. Another is a row of New Orleans doubles that needs repairs and tenants before a long-term lender will step in.

A hard money bridge loan carries the property until a sale or DSCR refinance pays it off. Terms are set deal by deal, first-time investors are welcome, and qualified deals with complete documents can fund in as fast as 15 days.

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 Louisiana

Louisiana builders plan around water and wind. Check the flood zone and parish elevation requirements before you design, since a raised foundation changes the budget, and plan roofs and windows for hurricane winds. Subdivisions keep spreading through Ascension and Livingston parishes near Baton Rouge, Youngsville and Broussard near Lafayette, St. Tammany Parish and north Bossier City, and New Orleans has infill lots.

Our new construction loans fund up to 100% of the construction budget, assess lot and build costs together and release money in stages against progress. Approved plans are required before closing.

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 Louisiana

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

New Orleans

New Orleans housing is older and built differently. Shotgun singles and doubles, camelbacks and Creole cottages fill Bywater, the Marigny, Treme, Mid-City and Uptown, often raised on piers, while New Orleans East has mid-century ranch houses on slabs. The city sits low, with neighborhoods below sea level behind levees and pumps, so check the flood zone and insurance before you offer. Outside the Vieux Carré, exterior work in local historic districts goes through the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Short-term rentals need a city license, licenses do not transfer with a sale, and non-commercial licenses are issued by lottery.

Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is the state capital and home to LSU and Southern University. State government, the Our Lady of the Lake hospital system and the refineries and chemical plants along the river, including ExxonMobil's, anchor the economy. Tigerland and the Southdowns area near LSU supply student and staff renters, while Mid City, the Garden District and Spanish Town hold older cottages and bungalows. Brick ranch houses fill the postwar subdivisions, and builders are busy in Ascension and Livingston parishes. Low areas near the Amite and Comite rivers have flooded before, so check the flood zone first.

Shreveport

Shreveport anchors northwest Louisiana, with Bossier City across the Red River. Barksdale Air Force Base, LSU Health Shreveport, the Willis-Knighton hospitals, the riverfront casinos and natural gas work in the Haynesville Shale are major employers. Highland and South Highlands hold Craftsman bungalows and older brick homes, and postwar brick ranch houses across the city are a frequent rental buy. Clay soils swell and shrink with wet and dry spells, so check foundations closely. North Bossier City has newer subdivisions. Military families, hospital staff and students give landlords a broad tenant base.

Lafayette

Lafayette is the hub of Acadiana. Offshore oil and gas service companies, the Ochsner Lafayette General and Our Lady of Lourdes medical centers, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette drive housing demand. Near campus, the Saint Streets and Freetown-Port Rico hold older cottages that suit rentals. Brick ranch houses and Acadian-style homes with steep roofs and deep front porches fill the subdivisions, and Youngsville and Broussard keep adding new homes. The land is flat and low, and areas near the Vermilion River and its coulees have flooded, so check drainage first.

Before you buy

What Investors Should Know About Louisiana

Foreclosure by executory process

A mortgage signed as an authentic act with a confession of judgment allows executory process: the court orders the property seized and sold without a prior lawsuit and judgment, and the sheriff can sell it by online auction. Unless the mortgage waived appraisal, the property is appraised first, and a deficiency judgment requires a sale with appraisal.

Notaries and parish records

An authentic act is signed before a notary public and witnesses by each party, each witness and the notary. A sale, mortgage, lease or purchase agreement for real estate has no effect against outside parties until it is recorded in the conveyance or mortgage records of the parish where the property sits, so record promptly.

Rentals do not get the homestead exemption

Each parish assessor determines fair market value, and the state constitution sets the assessment ratio for residential property. The homestead exemption applies only to a home its owner occupies, so a rental, flip or spec house is taxed on its full assessed value. Underwrite a rental's taxes on that basis, not on the seller's bill.

Deposits and notices to vacate

A residential security deposit must be returned within a statutory deadline, less what is needed to cure a tenant default or unreasonable wear, with an itemized statement of anything kept. When a rented property sells, the buyer takes over returning the deposits, so collect them at closing. Evictions start with a written notice to vacate unless the lease waived it.

File the notice of contract before a build starts

Under the Private Works Act, the owner and general contractor sign a notice of their contract, stating the property, the work, the price and when it is paid, and file it in the parish mortgage records before work begins. On contracts above a statutory price, a contractor who misses the filing loses its privilege, Louisiana's version of a lien.

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

Questions

Louisiana 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 Louisiana?

Yes. First-time investors are welcome on our Louisiana fix and flip loans, which fund up to 92.50% loan-to-cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget. The minimum FICO is 650, and lower scores are considered case by case. A detailed scope of work helps a first file.

What is executory process, and why does it matter to investors?

It is the court procedure a Louisiana lender can use to foreclose on a mortgage signed as an authentic act with a confession of judgment. The sheriff seizes and sells the property without a prior lawsuit and judgment. Have an attorney review title before you bid at a sheriff's sale.

Can I use a DSCR loan on a short-term rental in New Orleans?

Our DSCR loans cover long- and short-term rentals. In New Orleans, a short-term rental needs a city license, licenses do not transfer with a sale, and non-commercial licenses are issued by lottery. Confirm the property can be licensed before you buy, or underwrite it as a long-term rental.

Does the Louisiana homestead exemption apply to my rental?

No. It covers only a home its owner occupies, so a rental or flip is taxed on its full assessed value. Ask the parish assessor for an estimate without the exemption and use that figure to size a DSCR loan, since taxes are part of the payment.

How fast can a Louisiana 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 work and book the notary early. A quick close backed by a complete file helps with succession sales and sellers who need to move.

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 Louisiana.

All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Next step

Financing a Property in Louisiana?

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