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UNITEDLENDING

Investment property loans · Boone County, MO

Hard money, fix and flip and DSCR loans in Columbia, MO

Columbia is a college town: the University of Missouri, Stephens College and Columbia College bring a large student population that rents near campus. Investors buy older houses in the ring of neighborhoods around downtown for student and long-term rentals, add small multifamily, and look at mixed-use rehab north of downtown, with the city's rental certificate and unrelated-occupant limits shaping how many tenants a property can carry.

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Where investors buy

Neighborhoods investors look at in Columbia

The historic residential core forms a ring around downtown, running west along Broadway and south into East Campus, where houses date from about 1895 to 1945 in Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles. Downtown itself has added many high-rise apartment buildings since the early 2000s.
East CampusDirectly east of the University of Missouri, a National Register district of 1895 to 1945 houses mixed with Greek houses, close enough to campus to function as a student rental area.
Downtown ColumbiaAbout a square mile bordered by Mizzou, Stephens College and Columbia College, where high-rise apartment and mixed-use buildings have gone up since the early 2000s.
North Village Arts DistrictNortheast of downtown beside Stephens and Columbia College, with renovated warehouses and former industrial buildings suited to mixed-use projects.
West BroadwayA small National Register district of 21 large historic homes facing Broadway on a plateau west of downtown.

Loan programs

Loans for Columbia 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 Columbia

30-year loans for Columbia 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 Columbia

Buy and renovate in Columbia 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 Columbia

Close quickly on a Columbia 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 Columbia

Financing for new builds in Columbia, 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 Columbia

Financing for Columbia 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 Columbia

Local rules and costs that change a deal's numbers or closing date in Columbia and Boone County. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
  • Confirm the property has a current rental certificate of compliance: the city requires one for single-unit rentals, two-family dwellings and apartment houses, issues it after an inspection, and since January 1, 2025 inspects most units on a five-year cycle.
  • Check the zoning before planning a student rental: Columbia's code has allowed three unrelated adults in R-1 and four in R-2 and multifamily districts, and the city has been reviewing a single four-person limit tied to floor area.
  • Build the occupancy disclosure into your leases: landlords must tell tenants the zoning district and occupancy limit, in the lease or on a separate form.
  • Missouri's constitution bars any new state or local tax on real estate transfers, and Boone County reassesses real property in odd-numbered years, so check whether a new value will land during your hold.

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Have a Columbia property in mind?

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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 Columbia: common questions

Do you offer hard money loans in Columbia?

Yes. United Lending LLC offers private real estate financing for investors in Columbia and the rest of Boone 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 Columbia?

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 East Campus, Downtown Columbia and North Village Arts District, among other parts of Columbia.

How much can I borrow for a Columbia 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 Columbia?

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 Columbia or have a Missouri 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 Missouri, your loan officer will tell you what's needed before closing.

Missouri

More places we lend in Missouri

Sources (7)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. KBIA: Columbia rental inspections move to a five-year cycle
  2. City of Columbia: Rental Housing Compliance
  3. City of Columbia (Be Heard): Updating the definition of family in residential zoning
  4. KBIA: Columbia housing ordinance put in place to address overcrowding
  5. Wikipedia: East Campus Neighborhood
  6. Missouri Revisor of Statutes: Constitution Article X, Section 25
  7. Jackson County Assessment: FAQs (Missouri odd-year reassessment)