Whether it's your first rental, your fifth, or you're cashing out equity to scale, we structure investment property loans the way real investors think. Conventional, DSCR, multi-unit, we'll match the right product to the deal and the buyer.
Investment property loans cover any non-owner-occupied residential property: single-family rentals, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, vacation rentals, and short-term rental units. The two products that handle most of what we do are Conventional Investment (Fannie/Freddie-eligible, qualified on your personal income) and DSCR loans (qualified on the property's rental cash flow).
Conventional Investment is the right call when you have W-2 income that supports the new payment and you're keeping your total financed properties under Fannie's count limit. DSCR is the right call when the rental income is strong but your tax returns don't show enough personal income to qualify, when you're self-employed with complex returns, or when you've maxed out conventional slots. We'll run both and pick what closes cleanest for your scenario.
Investment loans price higher than primary residence loans, typically 0.5% to 0.75% over the comparable owner-occupied rate, with stricter credit and reserve requirements. The math still works for most investors when the property cash-flows.
The two products handle different investor profiles. Both close. The right choice depends on how clean your personal income looks and how strong the property's cash flow is.
Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac eligible. You qualify on personal income, credit, and DTI just like a primary residence loan, but with stricter requirements. Best when your tax returns clearly show income and you're under the 10-financed-property cap.
Qualifies on the property's Debt Service Coverage Ratio — rental income divided by monthly PITI. Skip the tax returns and W-2s entirely. Best for self-employed investors, scaling investors past Fannie's count limit, and buyers whose property cash-flows strongly.
Numbers are illustrative only and assume an example interest rate; they're not a quote. PITI excludes taxes, insurance, and HOA in this view; actual DSCR underwriting includes them. Real numbers depend on the property, the rents, your full financial profile, and the rate at the moment we lock. Get a real quote and we'll show you exactly what the deal looks like.
For single-family rentals, plan on 20% minimum on Conventional Investment, sometimes 15% with strong credit and reserves. For 2–4 unit properties, 25% is the standard. DSCR loans typically want 20–25% across the board. Putting more down improves your rate and your DSCR ratio — sometimes worth it on the margin.
DSCR stands for Debt Service Coverage Ratio. It's the ratio of the property's monthly rental income to its monthly debt service (PITI — principal, interest, taxes, insurance, sometimes HOA). A DSCR of 1.0 means the rent exactly covers the mortgage. 1.25 means the rent covers the mortgage with 25% to spare.
Why investors love DSCR: no personal income documentation required. No tax returns, no W-2s, no DTI calculations. The property qualifies the loan, not you. The trade-off is slightly higher rates and stricter credit/down payment requirements. For self-employed investors and anyone past Fannie's 10-property cap, DSCR is often the only path that works.
Yes, but with limits. On a property you already own and have rented for at least two years, lenders count 75% of the actual rent (the 25% haircut is for vacancy and maintenance). On a new purchase, lenders use the appraiser's market rent estimate at the same 75% factor. Existing rentals on your tax returns can also count toward DTI as positive income. We walk through how each property contributes to qualifying when you send us the file.
Fannie Mae caps you at 10 financed properties across all your conventional loans (including your primary residence). Past 10, conventional financing closes off and you move to DSCR loans, portfolio loans, or commercial financing. DSCR has no count limit — that's one of its main selling points for investors scaling past Fannie's wall.
Yes, this is one of the most common ways investors fund the next deal. On a Conventional Investment cash-out refi, you can typically pull up to 75% of the appraised value on a single-family rental, 70% on 2–4 unit. DSCR cash-out refis often go to 75% LTV as well. We'll run the numbers to show you exactly how much equity you can extract and what the new payment looks like.
Short-term rentals add complexity. Conventional Investment underwriting traditionally uses long-term rent comparables, even if you intend to operate as a short-term rental — meaning the documented STR income on your existing property may not boost qualifying as much as the actual cash flow. DSCR loans handle short-term rentals more flexibly, with some lenders allowing actual STR income (often documented through AirDNA reports or 12 months of operating history) to drive the qualifying DSCR. If STR is your strategy, we lean DSCR.
Investment property rates run roughly 0.5% to 0.75% higher than the comparable primary-residence rate, with DSCR an additional 0.25%–0.5% beyond that. The exact spread depends on credit, LTV, property type, and current market conditions. We'll show you side-by-side quotes so you can see the real cost difference. The math usually still works when the rental cash-flows.
Send us the property details and your investor profile. We'll quote both Conventional and DSCR side by side so you can see the difference and pick what closes cleanest.
Tell us the property and your situation. We'll send back Conventional and DSCR options side by side.
Someone from our team will reach out within one business day. If it's urgent, call us anytime at 702-550-9061.
We respect your privacy. Your information is never sold or shared.
Investment is its own world, but if you're also considering a primary residence purchase or a refi to fund the next deal, here's where to read next.