Best Bridge Loan Lenders
from the top bridge lenders for
real estate investors in 2026.
When You Need a Bridge Loan
A bridge loan is short-term capital that closes the gap between two events — most often the purchase of a new property and the sale of an existing one, or the acquisition of an asset before permanent financing is in place. Real estate investors use bridge loans to move quickly on time-sensitive deals, finance value-add repositioning where current cash flow doesn't yet support a permanent loan, or pull cash out of a stabilized property before refinancing into a long-term DSCR or agency product. The defining feature of bridge financing is speed and asset-based underwriting — lenders look at the property, the business plan, and the exit, not at tax returns or DTI ratios.
Speed, short-term flexibility, and asset-based underwriting are the three reasons investors reach for bridge capital instead of a conventional mortgage. Closes in 7-14 days are routine, interest-only payments are standard, and prepayment is typically open or carries only a short minimum interest period — which matters when your exit is a sale or refinance inside 12-24 months. Bridge programs are intentionally structured around transitional situations: a tenant rolling out, a renovation in progress, a permitted development midway to lease-up, or a portfolio repositioning where the take-out lender wants 6-12 months of seasoning before pricing a long-term loan.
Multi-family bridge is a distinct product from single-family bridge. Properties of 5+ units are underwritten as commercial real estate — net operating income, debt yield, and rent rolls drive the credit decision rather than comparable sales — and loan sizes typically run from $1M into the tens of millions. Multi-family bridge lenders bring CRE underwriting expertise, longer extension options, and integration with agency take-outs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily) that single-family bridge shops don't offer. LYNK Mortgage's bridge product runs from 8.75% with up to 75% LTV and terms up to 24 months, with cash-out available and 10-day closes — covering both single-family and multi-family bridge scenarios for active investors.
2026 Bridge Loan Lenders Comparison
| Lender | Products | Rates From | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featured Lender LYNK Mortgage Get Your Term Sheet → | Bridge, Multi-Family Bridge, DSCR, Fix & Flip | 8.75% | 10-day close, 75% LTV, cash-out available |
| Kiavi | Fix & Flip, DSCR, Bridge | Proprietary pricing | 7-day close, ML underwriting |
| Lima One Capital | Bridge, Multifamily Bridge, Fix2Rent | Tier-based | Single-close bridge-to-perm DSCR |
| RCN Capital | Bridge, Fix & Flip, DSCR | 9.24%+ (Gold Tier) | Wholesale channel, tiered pricing |
| CoreVest / Redwood | Bridge ($75K-$2M), Credit Lines ($1M-$50M), Specialty | Institutional | Pre-approved credit lines, Oaktree partnership |
| Arbor Realty Trust | Multifamily Bridge, Agency Lending | Negotiated | NYSE-listed (ABR), $5M+ multifamily focus |
Top Bridge Loan Lenders Reviewed
LYNK Mortgage — Best Direct Bridge Lender
LYNK Mortgage is a direct private lender offering bridge loans from 8.75% with up to 75% LTV and terms up to 24 months. Cash-out is available, closes run as fast as 10 days, and the company funds with its own capital — no broker layer, no intermediary delays. With over $1 billion funded across its product suite, LYNK Mortgage serves both first-time bridge borrowers and experienced operators running multi-asset portfolios.
Products: Bridge (8.75% rates, 75% LTV, terms up to 24 months, cash-out available), Multi-Family Bridge for 5+ unit properties with CRE-style underwriting, plus fix & flip, new construction, and DSCR for exit financing — all under one relationship.
Key Strengths: Direct lender funding eliminates broker delays. No tax returns or income documentation required. Instant term sheets generated online. Dedicated loan officer from application to closing. Coverage across bridge, fix & flip, construction, and DSCR means the same lender can write the bridge and the take-out — useful when a value-add deal needs to roll from short-term bridge into a 30-year DSCR at stabilization.
Kiavi — Best for Speed on Bridge Deals
Kiavi (formerly LendingHome) is the #1 private lender in the U.S. by origination volume, with approximately $8 billion funded in 2025. The company built its underwriting around proprietary machine learning models trained on more than 7.8 billion data points, which enables instant pricing, no-appraisal options on many loan types, and 7-day closes on bridge and fix & flip files.
Products: Bridge loans, fix & flip (7-day standard close), and DSCR (20-25 days). The Enterprise Program offers 5-day closes for high-volume borrowers. No appraisal required for many fix & flip and bridge files.
Key Strengths: Industry-leading close times on bridge deals. An 82% repeat borrower rate signals strong satisfaction among active investors. ML-driven underwriting reduces variance and speeds pricing. Strong fit for tech-forward investors who prioritize automation and speed over a traditional relationship.
Lima One Capital — Best for Bridge-to-Perm Transitions
Lima One Capital, headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, offers bridge and multifamily bridge alongside its single-close Fix2Rent product, which combines bridge financing with a permanent DSCR take-out in one closing. That structure is particularly valuable on value-add deals where the operator wants certainty on the take-out before committing to the bridge.
Products: Bridge loans, multifamily bridge for 5+ unit properties, and Fix2Rent single-close bridge-to-perm. Experience-based pricing rewards repeat borrowers with better tier rates. In-house asset management adds operational support on transitional deals.
Key Strengths: Single-close Fix2Rent eliminates the second loan and second set of closing costs when transitioning from bridge to long-term DSCR. In-house asset management provides hands-on support on heavier value-add work. Strong fit for investors who plan a clear bridge-to-perm path at origination and want the take-out locked in.
RCN Capital — Best for Broker-Originated Bridge Loans
RCN Capital, based in South Windsor, Connecticut, ranks #3 on the Scotsman Guide for wholesale lending volume. Roughly 85% of RCN's business runs through mortgage brokers, which makes them a preferred wholesale capital source for the broker channel on bridge, fix & flip, and DSCR products.
Products: Bridge loans, fix & flip, and DSCR. Tiered pricing rewards experience and deal volume. Gold Tier (10+ completed deals) starts at 9.24%, with discounts that compound for repeat borrowers consolidating volume.
Key Strengths: Deep broker network gives access to investors who already work with a wholesale loan officer. Tiered pricing creates real economic incentive to consolidate bridge volume with one lender. Scotsman Guide ranking signals institutional credibility. Strong fit for experienced investors with an established broker relationship.
CoreVest / Redwood Trust — Best for Large Bridge Facilities
CoreVest, owned by NYSE-listed Redwood Trust, focuses on the upper end of the investor market — large single-asset bridge loans, pre-approved credit lines, and specialty programs. A joint venture with Oaktree Capital adds more than $1 billion of committed lending capacity, supporting institutional-scale bridge financing.
Products: Single-asset bridge loans from $75K to $2M, pre-approved credit lines from $1M to $50M, and specialty term loans. Pre-approved lines are available to experienced investors with established track records and significant net worth.
Key Strengths: Institutional balance sheet behind every loan. Pre-approved credit lines eliminate per-deal underwriting friction once the line is in place. Loan sizes and product structures unavailable at smaller bridge lenders. Strong fit for professional investors running 10+ simultaneous bridge deals or scaling toward fund-level capital.
Arbor Realty Trust — Best for Multifamily Bridge
Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE: ABR) is a publicly traded multifamily and commercial real estate REIT that pairs a national multifamily bridge platform with a top-tier agency lending franchise. Arbor specializes in $5M+ multifamily and commercial bridge loans, with a focus on stabilization and value-add transactions that exit into Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac multifamily permanent financing.
Products: Multifamily bridge (typically $5M+), commercial bridge, and full agency lending including Fannie Mae DUS, Freddie Mac Optigo, FHA/HUD, and CMBS. Pricing is negotiated deal-by-deal. The ability to bridge with the same lender that will ultimately permanently finance the deal is a key structural advantage.
Key Strengths: NYSE-listed institutional balance sheet. Deep multifamily underwriting expertise. Integrated bridge-to-agency execution under one relationship — rare in the multifamily lending market. Strong fit for mid-market and institutional multifamily sponsors with $5M+ deals planning agency take-outs.