Low fee hard money lenders for Texas real estate investors
Jul 5 – Oct 25, 2026Updated Oct 25, 2026
Reviewed by Dimitry Apollonsky
AI summary
Easy Street Capital narrowly leads Little City Investments for low-fee hard money financing and leverage for Texas real estate investors.
It depends
Easy Street Capital is tied to fix-and-flips and new construction, while Little City Investments is described as Austin-based.
Which brands AI mentions
Texas fix-and-flips and new construction financing with substantial leverage
Austin-based hard money lending for real estate investors
Texas real estate lending with competitive institutional pricing
Mentioned in
ChatGPTChatGPTGoogle AI ModeGoogle AI Mode
Widest split: HouseMax Funding, 65% on ChatGPT and 32% on Google AI Mode.
- #1tiedEasy Street CapitalChatGPT 70%Google AI Mode 64%
- #1tiedLittle City InvestmentsChatGPT 48%Google AI Mode 73%
- #3tiedHouseMax FundingChatGPT 65%Google AI Mode 32%
- #3tiedKiaviChatGPT 43%Google AI Mode 50%
- #5tiedLoan Ranger CapitalChatGPT 48%Google AI Mode 18%
Questions and answers
Google AI ModeOct 16, 2026
Ridge Street Capital and Park Place Finance are among the top-rated, locally-rooted hard money lenders for Austin and Texas real estate investors seeking competitive leverage and transparent or low fee structures.
Hard money pricing in Texas averages interest rates around 9.5% to 11.5% with origination fees (points) typically ranging from 1.5% to 3.0% depending on experience and asset type.
Top Texas Hard Money Lenders for Leverage & Fees
- Ridge Street Capital
- Focus: Fix-and-flip, ground-up construction, and DSCR loans with high leverage (up to 90% purchase / 100% rehab).
- Fees & Rates: Fix-and-flip rates from 10.5%–11.5% with origination starting around 1.5%; DSCR origination can start as low as 0%.
- Leverage Perk: Offers an Experience Boost program providing extra leverage for local Travis County experience.
- Park Place Finance
- Focus: Based locally in Austin, operational since 2006 with over $1 billion funded; specializes in fix-and-flip, bridge, and construction.
- Fees & Rates: Fast in-house underwriting (3–5 days) with competitive market points and reliable balance-sheet funding.
- Little City Investments
- Focus: Boutique Austin-based direct private lender handling residential and commercial bridge or fix-and-flip scenarios ($50k–$2M).
- Fees & Rates: Asset-based flexible underwriting tailored specifically to the local Austin market dynamics.
If you can share your target asset class (e.g., single-family fix-and-flip vs. multifamily ground-up) and your estimated experience level (number of completed flips in the last 24 months), I can narrow down which of these lenders offers the highest leverage and lowest net cost for your specific deal.
ChatGPTOct 16, 2026
If you're an Austin real estate investor looking for leverage, I wouldn't automatically choose the hard money lender advertising the lowest interest rate. The best lender is the one that gives you the lowest total cost of capital, enough leverage to make the deal work, and a reliable closing timeline.
For Texas investment properties, I'd compare lenders on five things:
- Interest rate: The annualized cost of the loan.
- Origination and lender fees: Points, underwriting, processing, document preparation, and other charges.
- Leverage: Loan-to-value (LTV), loan-to-cost (LTC), and whether rehab costs are funded.
- Loan structure: Interest-only payments, draw fees, extension fees, and prepayment penalties.
- Execution: How quickly the lender can close and fund renovation draws.
A lender quoting 10% with one point can be cheaper than one quoting 9% with three points, depending on your holding period and other charges.
My shortlist: hard money lenders to call first
Based on the published terms I found, I'd start with these three options for an Austin investor. The pricing below is advertised or directory-reported, not a personalized loan quote.
1. Easy Street Capital
(First quote to request)
Austin-based · Fix-and-flip, bridge, rental
A strong starting point if you want a Texas-based lender with investor-specific products. Publicly available lender comparisons have reported rates of 6.9%–10.9%, 2–3 points, and a $1,495 document fee; verify these figures against its current program. It also advertises no prepayment penalties on fix-and-flip loans.
866-828-0062
3232 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin
2. ATX Lending Group
High-leverage fix-and-flip financing
Worth approaching if preserving cash is your priority. It advertises up to 100% of purchase price and 100% of rehab costs, with rates starting at 7.75% and closings advertised in 3–7 business days. Those are best-case marketing terms, not guaranteed approval or a confirmed low-fee offer.
512-910-9454
3. Private Money Lender (PML)
Published low-fee features
Its Texas program advertises rates from 8.99% for experienced flippers, up to 92.5% of project cost and 100% of the rehab budget, with no application fee or prepayment penalty. This is particularly worth comparing if you've completed multiple flips.
I'd also get a competing quote from HouseMax Funding in Austin. It's a direct private lender, and published industry comparisons have reported 1–3 origination points.
What low fees should actually look like
Use this as a comparison checklist when requesting written term sheets.
Cost or term What to ask for Origination Can you do 1 point or less? Application $0, if possible Processing / underwriting Exact flat-dollar amount Rehab draws Any inspection, wire or draw fees? Prepayment No minimum-interest or early-payoff penalty Leverage Maximum LTC and ARV, including rehab Extensions Fee and rate if the exit is delayed For context, a published lender guide describes 1–3 points as a typical origination range for hard money loans. www.google.comwww.biglawinvestor.comwww.google.comreallending.com Don't assume that a lender advertising zero application fees has zero closing fees.
Let me narrow this down to the best lender for your deal
The right choice depends heavily on how much leverage you need and whether you're flipping or holding the property.
1. What type of deal are you financing?
Fix and flip
Buy and hold / BRRRR
Bridge loan / cash-out refinance
New construction
2. How much do you need to borrow?
Under $250,000
$250,000–$500,000
$500,000–$1 million
Over $1 million
3. How many investment deals have you completed?
First deal
1–2 completed deals
3 or more deals
4. What leverage do you need?
70–80% of purchase price
85–90% of purchase price
90–100% of purchase plus rehab
5. What's most important?
Lowest total fees and points
Maximum leverage / minimum cash in
Fastest reliable closing
Flexible credit and experience requirements
6. When do you need to close?
Within 7 days
Within 2 weeks
Within 30 days
Just comparing options
[Find my best-fit lenders]
With those details, I can narrow this to the strongest candidates for your situation rather than simply recommending the lender with the lowest advertised rate.
- Ridge Street Capital
Google AI ModeOct 25, 2026
When looking for a hard money lender in Texas with the lowest fees, typical market averages hover around 2.0% to 3.0% for origination points, plus flat processing, doc, and underwriting fees. The "lowest fee" lender often depends on your track record, the scale of the project, and whether you care more about low points versus low interest rates.
Top competitive hard money lenders operating in Texas known for transparent or low-end fee structures include:
- Longhorn Investments - Features origination fees starting as low as 1.9 9% for qualified repeat borrowers and strong deals, alongside standard third-party processing and doc fees.
- Easy Street Capital - Known for flexible structuring on residential fix-and-flips and bridge loans, offering competitive options including zero-point structures depending on the interest rate trade-off.
- Cedar Top Lending - A Texas-centric direct lender featuring transparent origination tiers (typically 2% to 4%) with straightforward flat document fees and no prepayment penalties.
- Kiavi - A tech-driven direct lender popular in Texas for fix-and-flip and DSCR loans, offering streamlined pricing with highly competitive institutional rates and lean processing fees.
To help narrow down which lender will give you the absolute lowest total cost for your specific situation, tell me:
- What is the investment strategy (fix-and-flip, new construction, or buy-and-hold/DSCR)?
- Roughly what is the purchase and rehab cost?
- Are you an experienced investor (more than 3 projects) or a beginner?
ChatGPTOct 25, 2026
If you're investing in Texas real estate, the cheapest hard money lender isn't necessarily the one with the lowest advertised interest rate. The biggest savings usually come from low origination points, reasonable underwriting and processing fees, and minimal extension or prepayment penalties.
For Texas investment properties, I'd compare lenders on the total cost of borrowing for your specific deal, especially if you're buying a distressed property, flipping a house, or refinancing a rental.
What to compare before choosing a lender
Fee or loan term What to look for Origination fee Ideally 1–2 points (1–2% of the loan) Interest rate Compare the actual rate offered for your deal Underwriting and processing Ask for all flat fees upfront Appraisal and inspection Check whether charges are passed through at cost Prepayment penalty Prefer none if you plan to flip or refinance quickly Extension fee Important if renovations or resale take longer than expected These are comparison targets, not guaranteed current market quotes. A lender advertising a lower rate can still cost more if it charges extra points or requires a longer minimum interest period.
Texas hard money lenders with competitive published fees
I reviewed lenders' published pricing. These are the strongest candidates to request quotes from, ranked primarily by disclosed origination costs and fee transparency, not by an independently verified lowest final closing cost.
1. Texas Investor Financing
(Competitive published fees)
Houston, Bryan and College Station
- Rate: 12% interest-only
- Origination: 2%
- Processing: $495
- No prepayment penalty
Publishes a relatively detailed fee schedule, including document preparation, valuation and inspection fees. A good starting quote for a fix-and-flip project.
2. Texas Equity Lending
San Antonio and Texas investment properties
- Fix-and-flip rate: 13.25%
- Origination: 1.5–2.5%
- Processing/underwriting: $1,150
- Lender attorney fee: $1,000
- No prepayment penalty listed
Its lower end of 1.5 points is attractive, but the fixed fees can make smaller loans more expensive.
3. BoardWalk Funding
Austin-based, serves Texas investors
- Fix-and-flip rate: 11–12.75%
- Origination: 2–2.75 points
- Published term: 1 year
A competitive option if you prioritize the interest rate as well as origination fees. Request an itemized list of processing, legal and inspection charges, which aren't listed in its headline pricing.
4. Longhorn Investments
Dallas-based, residential purchase and rehab
- Advertised rate: from 10.99%
- Origination: as low as 1.99%
- Appraisal: about $600
- Document review: $600
- Processing: $650
Important: the 10.99% rate and 1.99% origination fee are reserved for qualifying repeat borrowers in its loyalty program. New borrowers may pay more.
Which lender is actually cheapest?
Here's an example of why you need to compare the full quote.
For a hypothetical $200,000 loan, origination alone would cost:
Origination rate Upfront origination cost 1.5 points $3,000 2 points $4,000 2.5 points $5,000 3 points $6,000 A difference of just one point saves $2,000 on this loan, before accounting for interest and other closing fees.
My shortlist would start with Texas Investor Financing and Texas Equity Lending for fee comparison, then BoardWalk Funding for its competitive advertised rate. If you've already completed several investment deals, also ask Longhorn Investments whether you qualify for loyalty pricing.
Let me narrow this down to the lowest-cost options for your deal
The best lender depends significantly on the property type and Texas market. Tell me these three details and I can make a more targeted comparison.
1. Where in Texas?
Dallas–Fort Worth
Houston
Austin / San Antonio
Other / statewide
2. What type of investment?
Fix and flip
Buy, rehab and rent (BRRRR)
Rental property bridge loan
New construction
Commercial / multifamily
3. Approximate loan amount
Under $100,000
$100,000
$200,000
$500,000
$1 million or more
Your investment experience (optional)
First deal
Some completed deals
Experienced investor with multiple completed deals
[Compare lenders for my deal]
I'll use those details to focus on lenders that fit your deal and compare estimated total borrowing costs, rather than simply sorting by advertised interest rates.
Sources cited in this answer8
- texasinvestorfinancing.comHouston, Bryan, College Station hard money lending
- texasinvestorfinancing.comHouston, Bryan, College Station hard money lending
- texas-hardmoney.comTexas Hard Money Rates, Terms & Fees | Private Money | Commercial
- texas-hardmoney.comTexas Hard Money Rates, Terms & Fees | Private Money | Commercial
- boardwalkfunding.comBoardWalk Funding | Texas Hard Money Lender
- boardwalkfunding.comBoardWalk Funding | Texas Hard Money Lender
Also asked as
- I'm an Austin-based real estate investor searching for Texas hard money lenders that charge low fees. Do you have any recommendations?
Other topics in Hard Money Lending Services
- Charlotte competitive offer financing
- Fast approval and transparent hard money feesKiavi
- Fast closing hard money lenders for Michigan property flippers
- Fast hard money lenders in Pennsylvania for row home renovationsiFundCities
- Financing for purchasing rental propertiesKiavi
- Fix-and-flip or rental project financingEasy Street Capital
