Investment Property Loans

Most lenders underwrite you. We find the ones that will underwrite the deal.

Here is what usually happens. An investor with six properties, real cash flow, and a track record walks into a bank and gets told no, because the tax returns show write-offs and the property count is past somebody’s internal limit.

The file was fine. The menu was wrong.

We are a mortgage broker. We take your scenario to more than 50 wholesale lenders and find the ones whose guidelines actually fit what you are doing, whether that is your first duplex or your thirtieth door.

Licensed for residential mortgage lending in Indiana, Alabama, and Florida. Because DSCR and hard money financing on non-owner-occupied property is business-purpose lending, we can often place investor deals in additional markets. Tell us where the property is and we will tell you whether we can work there.

Conventional Investor Financing

The starting point for most investors, and still the right answer more often than people assume.

Conventional financing on non-owner-occupied property works well when your documented income supports it and you are still under the conventional property count ceiling. Fixed and adjustable structures are available on single-family, condo, and two-to-four-unit properties.

Where it fits: W-2 or documentable self-employed income, a manageable number of financed properties, and a property that appraises and rents conventionally.

Where it stops: conventional guidelines cap the number of financed properties a borrower can carry. Investors who plan to keep buying usually hit that wall eventually. When you do, the next section is where the conversation goes.

DSCR Loans

Qualify on the property, not your tax returns.

DSCR stands for debt service coverage ratio. Instead of underwriting your personal income, the lender looks at whether the property’s rental income covers its own debt service. Your tax returns, your W-2, and your debt-to-income ratio move out of the center of the file.

This is the single most useful tool for a growing portfolio, for three reasons.

It ignores the property count ceiling that stops conventional financing. It works for investors whose write-offs make their taxable income look nothing like their actual income. And it moves faster, because there is far less personal documentation to chase.

Where it fits: long-term rentals, short-term rentals, portfolio growth past conventional limits, self-employed investors, and anyone whose returns do not tell the real story.

What lenders look at: the property’s rents against the payment, your credit, your reserves, and the property itself. Every lender sets its own coverage threshold, and they differ enough that shopping the file genuinely matters.

DSCR HELOC is also available, letting you pull equity out of a rental without touching the mortgage already on it.

Hard Money and Bridge Financing

Short-term capital for deals that cannot wait on conventional timelines.

Hard money is asset-based lending secured by the property, structured for speed and flexibility rather than the lowest cost of capital. Bridge financing serves a similar purpose: covering the gap between acquiring something and stabilizing or refinancing it.

Where it fits: auction and off-market acquisitions, properties that will not pass conventional appraisal in current condition, portfolio moves that need to happen before a conventional file could reasonably be assembled, and any situation where the cost of moving slowly exceeds the cost of the money.

What matters in these files: the deal. Lenders in this space look at the property, the exit, and your track record as an operator.

We will tell you straight when a hard money structure makes sense and when you are better served waiting for something conventional. Bringing us the scenario costs you nothing.

Fix and Flip and Purchase Plus Rehab

Financing that covers the purchase and the work.

Buying a property that needs work creates a problem conventional financing is not built to solve: the property will not appraise in current condition, and the renovation budget has to come from somewhere.

Purchase plus rehab and fix-and-flip structures address both. These are typically short-term, interest-carrying products with a draw schedule that releases renovation funds as work is completed and inspected.

Where it fits: flips, BRRRR acquisitions, value-add on a property that will not pass conventional appraisal, and any deal where the after-repair value is the whole thesis.

What to bring us: the purchase price, the scope and budget for the work, your comps for after-repair value, and your timeline. Send us the numbers and we will pressure test them with you before you are committed to anything.

The BRRRR Strategy

Buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat.

BRRRR is not a loan product. It is a sequence, and each step in it needs different financing. Investors get stuck when they arrange the acquisition without thinking through the refinance, then discover at step four that the exit they assumed does not exist.

How the financing usually sequences: short-term or hard money for the acquisition and rehab, then a DSCR or conventional refinance once the property is stabilized and producing rent.

The part worth planning early is the refinance. Seasoning requirements, how the lender treats your improved value, and the coverage ratio the property will need to hit all vary by lender. Knowing those constraints before you buy is the difference between a repeatable strategy and a property you cannot get out of.

We look at both ends of the sequence together, not just the loan in front of us.

House Hacking

Live in one unit, rent the others, and finance it as a home.

If you occupy one unit of a two-to-four-unit property, you are an owner-occupant. That changes what you qualify for substantially, because owner-occupied financing has different guidelines than investor financing, including FHA and VA options for eligible buyers and low down payment programs that do not exist on the investor side.

Why investors care: it is one of the few ways to acquire multi-unit property using owner-occupied terms. Many lenders will also count a portion of the projected rent from the other units toward qualifying, which can change what you are able to buy.

What to know: occupancy requirements are real and enforced. You have to actually live there, and there is a minimum period. We will walk you through what that commitment looks like before you plan around it.

Where it fits: first-time buyers who want to start investing immediately, and investors who want to acquire a small multi on the best available terms while living in it.

Short-Term Rental Financing

Airbnb, VRBO, and seasonal properties.

Short-term rentals occupy an awkward position. The income is real but it is not a lease, and many conventional lenders will not count it or will discount it heavily.

Lenders vary enormously here, which is exactly the situation a broker is useful for. Some will use market short-term rental projections. Some will use documented operating history if you have it. Some will not touch the asset class at all.

Where it fits: vacation markets, urban short-term rental properties, and portfolios mixing short-term and long-term holds.

What to know: local regulation is now the biggest variable in this space. Municipalities across Indiana, Alabama, and Florida have moved in different directions on short-term rental permitting, and lenders pay attention to that. Confirm what is permitted at the property before you underwrite the deal around short-term income.

Mid-Term Rental Financing

Thirty days and up: traveling professionals, insurance placements, relocations.

Mid-term rentals sit between the two models and often finance more cleanly than short-term. Leases are typically 30 days or longer, which many lenders will treat closer to conventional rental income, while the rents frequently run above what a standard 12-month lease would produce.

Where it fits: properties near hospital systems, corporate campuses, and university areas, and investors who want stronger cash flow than a long-term lease without short-term rental regulatory exposure.

How it underwrites: varies. Some lenders treat the lease term as the deciding factor, some look at documented history. DSCR structures are frequently the cleanest route.

Multi-Family and Small Commercial

Two to four units, and what happens above four.

The dividing line matters more than most investors expect. Two-to-four-unit properties are residential and can be financed with residential products, including conventional, FHA and VA when owner-occupied, and DSCR when not.

At five units and up, the property becomes commercial. Different underwriting, different documentation, different lender set, and the property’s operating performance carries far more weight than your personal financials.

Where it fits: investors scaling from single-family into small multi, operators buying small apartment buildings, and mixed-use properties.

We broker both sides of that line and will tell you plainly which one your deal is on and what it changes.

Bank Statement and Asset-Based Options

When your tax returns understate your income.

Aggressive write-offs are good tax strategy and terrible qualifying documentation. Bank statement loans qualify borrowers on business or personal deposits rather than adjusted gross income. Asset-based options qualify on documented assets rather than income at all.

Where it fits: self-employed investors, 1099 contractors, business owners, and retirees with substantial assets and modest reported income.

Foreign National Financing

Financing is available for non-US-citizen investors purchasing US property, typically without US credit history or a Social Security number. Documentation requirements differ substantially from standard files.

Where it fits: international investors buying rental property in Indiana, Alabama, or Florida.

Second Homes and Vacation Property

A second home is not an investment property, and lenders treat the distinction seriously. Occupancy type affects guidelines and terms, and misrepresenting it is mortgage fraud, not a technicality.

If you intend to use the property yourself and rent it part of the year, tell us that up front. There is usually a correct way to structure it. There is never a good outcome from getting it wrong.

Where We Can Place Investor Deals

Our licensed footprint and our investor footprint are not the same thing.

Mamba Mortgage is licensed for residential mortgage lending in Indiana, Alabama, and Florida. Owner-occupied financing, including conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, refinance, and HELOC, is available in those three states.

Investor financing works differently. DSCR, hard money, bridge, and rehab loans on non-owner-occupied property held for business purposes are business-purpose loans, which fall outside the consumer mortgage licensing that governs owner-occupied lending. That lets us place investor deals in a broader set of markets.

These are business-purpose loans on non-owner-occupied property, typically vested in an entity. They are not consumer mortgages, and they are not available for a property you intend to occupy.

Availability still varies by state and by lender. Some states maintain their own requirements for this type of lending, and lender appetite differs market to market.

If the property is outside Indiana, Alabama, or Florida, send us the address and the scenario. We will confirm whether we can work in that market before you spend time on it.

Why Investors Use a Broker

One institution can offer you one set of guidelines. When your file does not fit them, the answer is no, and the reason usually is not explained.

We take the same file to more than 50 wholesale lenders. Some are strong on DSCR coverage ratios. Some want short-term rental income. Some move quickly on rehab draws. Some are the only ones who will look at your eleventh property.

Knowing which lender wants your specific deal is the entire job.

What working with us looks like:

Direct access to a licensed loan officer, not a call center queue. Straight answers about what a deal will and will not support, including when the answer is that it does not work. And people who understand that in this business, a deal that closes three weeks late is often a deal that does not close.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many investment properties can I finance? Conventional financing caps the number of financed properties a borrower can carry. DSCR and other non-QM structures are not bound by that limit, which is why most investors move to them as the portfolio grows. There is no single ceiling once you are outside conventional guidelines.

Do I need tax returns for a DSCR loan? Generally no. DSCR qualifying centers on the property’s rental income relative to its debt service, along with credit, reserves, and the property itself. That is the point of the product.

Can I use projected rent instead of a signed lease? Often yes, depending on the lender and the property. Many DSCR lenders will use a market rent analysis from the appraisal. Requirements differ by lender, which is one of the things we sort out for you.

What credit score do I need? It varies by program and by lender. Credit is one factor alongside the property, your reserves, and the structure of the deal. If you are not sure where you stand, call before you assume you do not qualify.

Can I finance a property in an LLC? Many investor programs allow or prefer title held in an entity. Conventional financing generally does not. This is worth deciding before you go under contract, not after.

Can you do a deal outside Indiana, Alabama, or Florida? Often, on the investor side. Our consumer mortgage licensing covers Indiana, Alabama, and Florida, which governs owner-occupied financing. DSCR, hard money, bridge, and rehab loans on non-owner-occupied property are business-purpose loans and are not bound by that same licensing, so our investor footprint is wider. Availability varies by state and by lender. Send us the property address and we will confirm before you spend time on it.

What makes a loan business-purpose? The use of the property. Non-owner-occupied property acquired and held for investment is business-purpose. A property you intend to live in is consumer credit, regardless of how it is titled, and it follows consumer mortgage rules. If you are unsure which side your deal falls on, ask us before you go under contract.

Bring us the deal.

Send us the scenario and we will tell you what it will support, what it will not, and which structure fits. Fifteen minutes is usually enough to know where you stand.