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UNITEDLENDING

Investment property loans · Jefferson County, AL

Hard money, fix and flip and DSCR loans in Birmingham, AL

Birmingham grew up after 1871 around iron ore, coal and steel, and its former furnace and mill towns still hold much of the city's older housing. Investors here mostly buy aging single-family houses to renovate, either to resell or to keep as long-term rentals. Many deals start with a full rehab scope, since neighborhoods such as Ensley, Woodlawn and Avondale began as separate industrial towns before Birmingham annexed them in 1910.

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Where investors buy

Neighborhoods investors look at in Birmingham

Expect small workers' cottages and wood-frame houses in the old industrial towns the city absorbed in 1910, plus residential neighborhoods to the south and west laid out by the Robert Jemison company.
EnsleyFounded in 1886 beside the TCI blast furnaces and built up with small workers' cottages, Ensley lost most of its industrial base in the 1970s, so plan for heavy repair scopes.
WoodlawnA northeast-side town annexed in 1910, where neighborhood planning efforts have targeted run-down houses in the residential blocks north of 1st Avenue.
AvondaleThe old Avondale Mills company town east of downtown, where 41st Street and the restored Avondale Park have drawn restaurants, breweries and music venues since about 2011.
SouthsideThe community that takes in Five Points South and Glen Iris, next to Railroad Park and Regions Field, where buyers look for rentals close to the city center.
West EndA west-side group of neighborhoods including Arlington-West End, Oakwood Place and Rising-West Princeton, home of Rickwood Field, where investors mainly look at older single-family houses to rehab.

Loan programs

Loans for Birmingham real estate investors

Pick the loan that fits the deal: short-term money to buy, renovate or build, or a long-term loan to hold the property. Published limits are subject to appraisal and underwriting.
Long-term

DSCR rental loans in Birmingham

30-year loans for Birmingham rentals of 1–4 units, fixed or adjustable, qualified on the rent with no personal income verification: up to 85% of the price on a purchase, with loans from $75,000.

Purchase LTV up to85%
Term30 years
Income docsNot required
Loans from$75K

Subject to appraisal and underwriting.

DSCR loans: terms and requirements
Short-term

Fix and flip loans in Birmingham

Buy and renovate in Birmingham with up to 95% of the price and 100% of the rehab budget, on a 12–18 months interest-only loan with no prepayment penalty when the house sells.

Purchase price up to95%
Rehab funded up to100%
Term12–18 months
Prepayment penaltyNone

Subject to appraisal and underwriting.

Fix and flip loans: terms and requirements
Short-term

Bridge loans in Birmingham

Close quickly on a Birmingham property with up to 95% of the cost financed and a 12–18 months interest-only term, then sell it or refinance onto a long-term loan. No prepayment penalty.

Leverage up to95% LTC
Term12–18 months
PaymentsInterest only
Prepayment penaltyNone

Subject to appraisal and underwriting.

Bridge loans: terms and requirements
Short-term

Ground-up construction loans in Birmingham

Financing for new builds in Birmingham, from spec homes built to sell to rentals built to hold. Every project is quoted on its plans, budget and builder.

Quoted on your deal.

Construction loans: get a quote
Long-term

Multifamily and commercial loans in Birmingham

Financing for Birmingham apartment buildings of five units or more, mixed-use and commercial property, quoted on the building's income.

Quoted on your deal.

Multifamily and commercial: get a quote

Good to know

Before you buy in Birmingham

Local rules and costs that change a deal's numbers or closing date in Birmingham and Jefferson County. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
  • Price property taxes as a rental: Alabama assesses non-owner-occupied property in Class II at 20% of appraised value, double the 10% Class III ratio for an owner-occupied home, so the seller's tax bill can understate yours.
  • Check which Jefferson County courthouse handles the parcel: besides the main courthouse in Birmingham, the county runs a second courthouse in Bessemer with its own assistant tax assessor and tax collector offices.
  • Plan permits through the city's Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits and its Online Permit Center; Birmingham's 2024 Technical Code took effect October 1, 2024, so rehab plans are reviewed under it.
  • Budget rental deposits under Alabama's landlord-tenant law, which caps a security deposit at one month's rent, apart from extra deposits for pets, changes to the premises or added liability risk.

Get your terms

Have a Birmingham property in mind?

Contact details first, then single-tap answers on the property, the amount and when you need to close. A loan officer phones you back with terms.
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United Lending LLC offers business-purpose financing secured by non-owner-occupied investment real estate. We do not offer loans for personal, family or household purposes, or loans on owner-occupied primary residences.

Questions

Loans in Birmingham: common questions

Do you offer hard money loans in Birmingham?

Yes. United Lending LLC offers private real estate financing for investors in Birmingham and the rest of Jefferson County: fix and flip and bridge loans sized on the deal, and DSCR rental loans sized on the rent. We're headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and lend nationwide.

Do you offer DSCR loans in Birmingham?

Yes. Our DSCR loans are 30-year loans on 1–4 unit rentals, fixed or adjustable, qualified on the property's rent against its monthly payment with no personal income verification, up to 85% loan-to-value on a purchase and loans from $75,000. Investors use them for rentals in Ensley, Woodlawn and Avondale, among other parts of Birmingham.

How much can I borrow for a Birmingham flip?

Up to 95% of the purchase price and up to 100% of the rehab budget, on a 12–18 months interest-only loan. Those are maximums, subject to appraisal and underwriting: the property, your experience and the comps set what your loan gets.

Is there a prepayment penalty on a loan in Birmingham?

There's no prepayment penalty on fix and flip or bridge loans. DSCR rental loans come with a choice of prepayment terms, from none up to five years, set out in your written terms before you commit.

Do I need to live in Birmingham or have a Alabama LLC?

No. You can borrow in your own name or through an LLC, wherever you live; many of our borrowers invest outside their home state. If your LLC was formed outside Alabama, your loan officer will tell you what's needed before closing.

Alabama

More places we lend in Alabama

Sources (10)Checked November 6, 2026

United Lending's loan terms are its published program limits. The local rules and costs on this page come from the public sources below, checked on the date shown; confirm them with the city, county or your closing attorney before you rely on them.

  1. Alabama Department of Revenue: property (ad valorem) tax classes
  2. Alabama Department of Revenue: homestead exemptions
  3. City of Birmingham: building codes
  4. City of Birmingham: permitting
  5. Code of Alabama § 35-9A-201 (security deposits)
  6. Jefferson County, Alabama (courthouses in Birmingham and Bessemer)
  7. Ensley (Birmingham) history
  8. Avondale (Birmingham) history
  9. Woodlawn (Birmingham) history
  10. List of neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama