Where we finance

Hard Money Loans in West Virginia

Apex Capital Advisors arranges hard money and other business-purpose financing for West Virginia investors, from older houses in Charleston and Parkersburg to student rentals near Marshall and WVU. 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 West Virginia

West Virginia's investor markets follow its rivers. Charleston, the capital, sits in the Kanawha Valley, home to chemical plants at Institute, South Charleston and Belle. Huntington, home to Marshall University, is a rail and river city near the Ohio and Kentucky lines. Morgantown is home to West Virginia University. Parkersburg and Wheeling are older Ohio River cities, and the Eastern Panhandle around Martinsburg sits within commuting range of Washington, D.C.

Elsewhere, energy, federal offices and tourism carry the economy: coal in the southern counties around Beckley and Logan, natural gas drilling in the north, the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, and visitors to New River Gorge National Park, Snowshoe Mountain and the Hatfield-McCoy ATV trails.

Expect older houses and ground that is hard to build on. Frame houses climb steep streets, brick foursquares and Victorians line the river towns, former coal company houses sit in the southern valleys, and post-war ranches fill the suburbs. Hillside lots bring retaining walls and drainage problems, narrow valleys flood fast, and old mines lie beneath parts of the state. Investors typically flip older houses, hold rentals near hospitals and campuses, or build in the Eastern Panhandle, Putnam County and around Morgantown.

Loan programs

Loan Programs in West Virginia

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

Short-term project capital

Fix and Flip Loans in West Virginia

A West Virginia flip is often an older house that needs more than paint. A frame house on Charleston's West Side or a Victorian in Parkersburg's Julia-Ann Square may need a roof, a furnace, wiring and a dry basement at once. On a hillside lot, check retaining walls, porch footings and drainage before you offer, look the address up in the WV Flood Tool, and decide on mine subsidence coverage before closing.

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, and first-time investors are welcome.

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 West Virginia

West Virginia rental demand follows hospitals, campuses, government offices and plants. Investors hold houses near Charleston Area Medical Center and the Capitol, student rentals near Marshall and WVU, and homes near the federal and energy employers in Clarksburg, Fairmont and Parkersburg. Short-term rentals serve visitors to New River Gorge, Snowshoe, Canaan Valley and Harpers Ferry.

Our DSCR loans qualify on the property's cash flow rather than your personal earnings, with loan amounts from $100K to $3M+, ratios as low as 0.75x considered, 30-year fixed and ARM options, 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. Estimate taxes at the rental class, not from the seller's bill, and register units in Huntington and Morgantown.

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 West Virginia

A hard money bridge loan fits West Virginia deals where the timing does not suit a bank: a trustee's sale, where the published notice sets the terms; an estate house that needs work before a bank will lend; a Charleston apartment building that needs tenants before a DSCR refinance; or a Morgantown student house renovated over the summer.

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 the date in the trustee's notice, and plan the exit from the start: a sale, or a DSCR refinance once the building is leased.

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 West Virginia

Builders in West Virginia often look to the Eastern Panhandle subdivisions of Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Teays Valley and Hurricane in Putnam County, Cheat Lake near Morgantown, and Bridgeport near Clarksburg. Site work drives the budget. Steep lots may need grading, retaining walls and a soils review, parts of the Eastern Panhandle sit on karst limestone where sinkholes can open, and valley floors may lie in a flood zone. Contractors have a limited window after their work ends to perfect a mechanic's lien, so collect lien waivers with each draw.

Our new construction loans fund up to 100% of the construction budget, assess the lot 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 West Virginia

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

Charleston

Charleston, the state capital, sits where the Elk River meets the Kanawha. State government, Charleston Area Medical Center, the University of Charleston and the Kanawha Valley chemical plants anchor the job base, and Toyota builds engines and transmissions in nearby Buffalo. The East End, around the Capitol, has a historic district of large older houses. The West Side, including the Elk City historic district, and North Charleston have frame houses that suit flips and rentals. Kanawha City is a flat stretch of older and mid-century homes along the river, while South Hills climbs the ridges with larger houses on steep lots.

Huntington

Huntington began as a railroad town on the Ohio River and is still a rail and barge hub. Marshall University, its medical school, Cabell Huntington Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center are the major employers. The Southside around Ritter Park has large older houses, student rentals sit in the blocks around the Marshall campus, and West Huntington and Guyandotte have smaller frame houses for flips and rentals. A floodwall runs along the Ohio, but check the flood maps for every address, including those behind it. Rental units must be registered with the city and are subject to housing inspections.

Morgantown

Morgantown is a university town on the Monongahela River, built around West Virginia University, WVU Medicine and J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, with a Department of Energy laboratory and gas drilling nearby. Student rentals concentrate in Sunnyside, next to the downtown campus, and in parts of Wiles Hill, Woodburn and Evansdale, with leasing tied to the academic calendar. South Park has older houses on steep streets, Suncrest has established single-family streets, and Cheat Lake has newer homes. Lots are tight and the hills are steep, so plan for drainage and retaining walls. The city requires rental properties and vacant structures to be registered.

Parkersburg

Parkersburg sits where the Little Kanawha River meets the Ohio, across from Belpre, Ohio. The Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the Chemours Washington Works plant west of town, WVU Parkersburg and Camden Clark Medical Center anchor local jobs. The Julia-Ann Square Historic District has large Victorian houses near downtown, and South Parkersburg and the streets around downtown have older frame and brick homes for flips and rentals. Vienna, to the north, has post-war ranches and newer housing. A floodwall lines the downtown riverfront, and in Wood County, mine subsidence coverage is added to a policy only on request.

Martinsburg

Martinsburg is the Berkeley County seat in the Eastern Panhandle, with interstate access and MARC commuter trains to Washington, D.C. The VA Medical Center, federal agency offices and the Procter & Gamble plant at Tabler Station add local jobs. Downtown has brick rowhouses and older frame homes, and the county around it has newer subdivisions built for commuters. Nearby Charles Town, Ranson and Shepherdstown in Jefferson County bring Shepherd University, a racetrack casino and historic houses. The surrounding valley sits on karst limestone, so check for sinkholes and drainage before you build.

Before you buy

What Investors Should Know About West Virginia

Foreclosure is a trustee's sale

Under a West Virginia deed of trust, the trustee sells the property at public auction after a default. The trustee must publish a notice of sale as a legal advertisement in the county and send it to the borrower by certified mail, stating the time, place and terms. If the sale falls short of the debt, the lender can sue for the rest, and the borrower cannot defend by arguing the sale failed to bring fair market value.

Mine subsidence coverage

Old underground coal mines lie beneath parts of West Virginia, and the ground above them can sink. State law requires property insurance policies on structures to include mine subsidence coverage, at a separately stated premium, unless the owner waives it. In a group of counties that includes Cabell, Wood, Berkeley and Jefferson, the coverage is provided only if the owner asks for it. Decide on it before closing.

Look up flood risk first

Flash floods in narrow valleys are a real risk in West Virginia. The WV Flood Tool, from the state Emergency Management Division, FEMA and the WV GIS Technical Center at West Virginia University, shows FEMA flood zones, advisory flood heights and building-level risk, searchable by street address or tax parcel. Look up every property before you make an offer.

Rentals fall in a different tax class

West Virginia taxes property by class, and each class carries its own levy rates. An owner-occupied home falls in the residential class reserved for owners. A rental falls in a different class, depending on whether it sits inside or outside a municipality. If the seller lived in the house, the old bill will not match yours, so estimate taxes at the rental class before you run DSCR numbers.

Deposits and eviction

A West Virginia landlord must return the security deposit, less allowed deductions and with a written itemized list, by a deadline that runs from the end of the tenancy or a new tenant's move-in, whichever is earlier. If a tenant falls behind on rent, breaks the lease or damages the unit, the owner can petition magistrate or circuit court for summary relief. The tenant gets a short window to file written defenses, and the hearing comes quickly.

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

Questions

West Virginia 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 West Virginia?

Yes. First-time investors are welcome. Our West Virginia 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. On an older hillside house, get bids covering the roof, mechanicals, drainage and retaining walls.

Can I buy at a West Virginia trustee's sale with a hard money loan?

Often, with planning. The trustee's published notice sets the time, place and terms of sale, so read it and line up the loan before you bid. The buyer, not the trustee, pays the transfer tax on the trustee's deed. A bridge or fix and flip loan can cover the purchase, and the flip loan can also fund repairs.

Can I use a DSCR loan for a cabin near New River Gorge or Snowshoe?

Short-term rentals are eligible for our DSCR loans, which qualify on the property's cash flow rather than your personal earnings. Check county and town rules on short-term rentals before you buy, and price winter access and snow removal for mountain properties. Loan amounts run from $100K to $3M+, with 30-year fixed and ARM options.

How fast can a West Virginia 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. Old liens, unpaid taxes, gas leases or separately owned mineral rights can show up on a West Virginia title report and slow the closing.

Do you lend outside Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown and Parkersburg?

Yes. Apex offers loans statewide, including Wheeling, Martinsburg, Charles Town, Fairmont, Clarksburg, Bridgeport, Beckley, Lewisburg and Fayetteville, and the smaller towns between them. Apex finances business-purpose real estate in 36 states and Washington, D.C., for investors rather than owner-occupants. Send us the address and the plan.

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 West Virginia.

All 36 states and Washington, D.C.

Next step

Financing a Property in West Virginia?

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