Where we finance

Hard Money Loans in Maine

Apex Capital Advisors arranges hard money and other business-purpose loans for Maine investors, from Portland multifamily houses to Lewiston apartment buildings and coastal cottages. Fix and flip loans reach 92.50% of total cost, 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 Maine

Maine's investment markets follow its rivers and coast. Greater Portland, on Casco Bay, is the state's business and health care center. Inland, cities grew around textile, shoe and paper mills: Lewiston and Auburn on the Androscoggin, Biddeford and Saco on the Saco, Waterville on the Kennebec. Augusta is the state capital, Bangor serves northern and eastern Maine, and shipyards anchor Bath and Kittery.

The housing is old New England stock: capes, colonials, farmhouses joined to their barns, Victorians, and wood-frame two- and three-family houses built for mill workers. Many coastal and lake cottages were built for summer use only. Long winters push budgets toward heating, insulation, roofs and foundations, and exterior work waits for the warm months. Oil heat is common, rural houses often have a private well and septic system, and radon is a statewide concern. Investors renovate for resale, hold small multifamily buildings, or rent cottages to summer visitors.

Loan programs

Loan Programs in Maine

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

Short-term project capital

Fix and Flip Loans in Maine

Maine flips usually start with an old house, so price the systems before the finishes. A Portland Victorian or a Bangor farmhouse may need a boiler, wiring, plumbing, a roof, insulation and lead-safe work, and fieldstone foundations often mean damp basements. Buyer and seller split Maine's transfer tax, so a flipper pays a share on the purchase and again on the resale.

Apex's hard money fix and flip loans cover up to 92.50% of total cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget. First-time investors are welcome, and 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 Maine

Year-round rental demand centers on Portland and its suburbs, Lewiston-Auburn, Bangor-Brewer and Augusta. Two- and three-family houses are the core of the small-investor stock, and every unit's rent counts toward the DSCR. Taxes are set town by town and winter heat is costly, so use the current tax bill and check who pays for heat. Short-term rentals are eligible, from coastal cottages to lake camps, though bookings are seasonal.

Apex sizes DSCR loans on the property's cash flow, not your personal earnings: ratios as low as 0.75x, 30-year terms, $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.

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 Maine

A bridge loan fits Maine deals where timing matters: a mill-city apartment building with vacant units to fix before a bank will lend, a purchase that must close before your last property sells, or a cottage bought in the off-season and readied for summer. A common route is hard money to buy and renovate, then a DSCR refinance once the units are leased. That refinance owes no Maine transfer tax, because mortgage deeds are exempt.

Apex sets bridge terms deal by deal, considers first-time sponsors, and can fund qualified deals with complete documents 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 Maine

Maine construction is often infill: a house on a city lot or an accessory dwelling unit behind a single-family home. State law requires towns to allow added units on lots where housing is permitted, with more in designated growth areas or on public water and sewer, plus an accessory dwelling unit on a single-family lot even if the owner lives elsewhere. Near lakes, rivers, the coast and wetlands, shoreland zoning controls what you can build. Design for deep frost and heavy snow.

Apex funds up to 100% of the construction budget, with draws released against 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 Maine

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

Portland

Portland sits on a peninsula in Casco Bay. Munjoy Hill, the East End and Parkside are dense with wood-frame two- and three-family houses; the West End has Victorians and brick townhouses near Maine Medical Center; Deering leans toward single-family capes and colonials. The hospital, the University of Southern Maine and downtown offices drive demand. Investors often renovate a multifamily house, add an accessory unit where the lot allows, and hold it with a DSCR loan. Portland has a voter-approved rent control ordinance, so learn how it applies before projecting rent growth.

Lewiston

Lewiston grew around the textile mills at the Great Falls of the Androscoggin, with Auburn across the river. Near downtown, including the Tree Streets, wood-frame apartment houses built for mill workers line the blocks, and part of the Bates Mill complex now holds apartments and offices. Bates College, Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center are steady employers. Budget for lead-safe work and heating upgrades. For builders, lots in the watershed of the Lewiston-Auburn drinking water supply are exempt from the state rules on added units and accessory dwellings.

Bangor

Bangor, at the head of tide on the Penobscot River, was once a major lumber port, and its older neighborhoods hold large Victorians, some divided into apartments. It is the service center for northern and eastern Maine, with Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Husson University, Bangor International Airport and an Air National Guard base. The University of Maine is upriver in Orono, and Brewer sits across the river. Investors renovate older houses to rent out; budget for heating, insulation and roofs, plus wiring and egress work in converted Victorians.

Augusta

Augusta, the state capital, straddles the Kennebec River. State government is the anchor employer, along with MaineGeneral Medical Center's Alfond Center for Health and the University of Maine at Augusta. Older two-family houses and Victorians sit near downtown and the State House, with capes and ranches farther out. Downtown's Water Street runs along the river and has flooded in high water, so check the flood map on anything near the Kennebec. Investors renovate older houses to rent to state workers and hospital staff, and some work nearby Hallowell and Gardiner.

Before you buy

What Investors Should Know About Maine

Court foreclosure, with a business-entity exception

Maine foreclosure generally runs as a civil action in court, and after a judgment of foreclosure the borrower has a statutory redemption period before sale. A mortgage from a corporation, partnership, LLC or trust can instead be foreclosed under a power of sale, without a lawsuit, if the deed states it was given primarily for business, commercial or agricultural purposes.

Real estate transfer tax

Maine's transfer tax falls equally on seller and buyer, with a higher added rate on the part of a high-value transfer above a statutory threshold. Buying a controlling interest in an entity that owns Maine real estate is taxed too. Mortgage deeds are exempt, so a refinance does not trigger the tax.

Security deposits

Maine caps security deposits at a set number of months' rent, and none may be kept for normal wear and tear. The deposit, or an itemized statement with the balance, is due by the deadline the lease or the statute sets. Miss it and the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it.

Radon tests and screening fees

Landlords must have rental buildings tested for radon, generally by a state-registered tester, and give tenants written results before they sign a lease or pay a deposit. Buildings rented only on short leases that cannot be renewed are exempt. Application fees are banned; a landlord may charge only the actual cost of a single screening check.

Sales tax on short-term rentals

Maine's sales tax applies to lodging, and the law's definition of a rooming house includes any house, cottage, condominium unit or vacation home offered to the public for paid stays. A guest who stays continuously for an extended period can be exempt if they keep no other primary residence or are away for work or school.

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

Questions

Maine Hard Money Loan FAQs

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

Do you offer hard money loans in Maine?

Yes. Apex arranges business-purpose hard money and private financing across Maine, including Portland, Lewiston, Bangor and Augusta, for fix and flip, DSCR rental, bridge and new construction projects. Loans are for investment property only, not a home you will live in.

Can I finance a Lewiston apartment house or a Bangor two-family?

Yes. Fix and flip loans are available up to 92.50% of total cost and up to 100% of the rehab budget, and first-time investors are welcome. Once the units are leased, a DSCR loan can refinance the building on its rent.

Can a Maine vacation rental qualify for a DSCR loan?

Yes. Short-term and long-term rentals are both eligible for DSCR loans, with DSCR as low as 0.75x and no personal-income verification. Coastal and lake rentals are busy in summer and quiet in winter, so underwrite the whole year, including heat for the empty winter months.

Can I finance an accessory unit on a Maine lot?

Where the town allows it, yes. State law requires towns to allow an accessory dwelling unit on a single-family lot, with limited exceptions such as the Lewiston-Auburn watershed. Apex funds up to 100% of the construction budget, with draws released against progress.

Does refinancing into a DSCR loan trigger Maine's transfer tax?

No. Maine exempts mortgage deeds from its transfer tax, so refinancing a finished rehab into a DSCR loan does not trigger it. A sale does, with the tax split equally between buyer and seller, so budget for your share on the resale.

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 Maine.

All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Next step

Financing a Property in Maine?

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