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Investment property loans · Jefferson County, KY

Hard money, fix and flip and DSCR loans in Louisville, KY

Louisville Metro covers all of Jefferson County. Investors work the older neighborhoods around downtown, where shotgun houses are common in Germantown, Butchertown and Portland, and Old Louisville holds large Victorian homes, many split into apartments decades ago. Median sale prices run lowest west of I-65, in the West and South Ends. Big employers include UPS, whose worldwide air hub sits at the airport, Norton Healthcare and Ford. Much of the city lies on a wide, flat floodplain behind flood walls, so flood checks matter on low blocks.

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Where investors buy

Neighborhoods investors look at in Louisville

Much of the older city dates from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Old Louisville was built mostly between 1850 and the 1920s in brick Victorian styles, Germantown has the city's largest group of 1890s shotgun houses, and Shelby Park's homes, mostly from about 1900 to 1910, are often shotgun cottages and camelbacks.
Old LouisvilleAbout 48 blocks of mostly brick Victorian homes between Broadway and the University of Louisville, made a historic preservation district in 1975, where many mansions were turned into apartments between the world wars.
GermantownAbout three miles southeast of downtown near the South Fork of Beargrass Creek, Germantown has the city's largest concentration of 1890s shotgun houses, and many homes are being renovated.
Shelby ParkAbout two miles southeast of downtown between Kentucky Street, I-65 and the CSX tracks, with shotgun cottages and camelbacks from about 1900 to 1910 and the Logan Street Market, opened in 2019.
PortlandFounded in 1811 on a bend of the Ohio River below the Falls, Portland keeps pre-Civil War buildings, but most of its homes are shotgun houses; the whole neighborhood flooded in 1937, and a floodwall now stands between it and the river.
The HighlandsBuilt out along about three miles of Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue after streetcars arrived in the 1890s, with mostly single-family streets off the commercial strip and sub-areas such as Cherokee Triangle and the Original Highlands.
South EndLong a working-class part of the city where many Southeast Asian immigrants settle, the South End sits west of I-65, where the city's median sale prices are lowest.

Loan programs

Loans for Louisville 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 Louisville

30-year loans for Louisville 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 Louisville

Buy and renovate in Louisville 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 Louisville

Close quickly on a Louisville 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 Louisville

Financing for new builds in Louisville, 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 Louisville

Financing for Louisville 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 Louisville

Local rules and costs that change a deal's numbers or closing date in Louisville and Jefferson County. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
  • Budget for Kentucky's real estate transfer tax. The seller (grantor) pays $0.50 for each $500 of value under KRS 142.050, and the county clerk collects it before the deed can be recorded. The Jefferson County Clerk also wants the deed to show the fair market value and the tax bill mailing address, and to cite the statute when no transfer tax is due.
  • Get permits from both MSD and the Kentucky Division of Water before you build, develop or repair in a floodplain or within 25 feet of the top of bank of a perennial or intermittent stream. MSD's permit questions ask whether renovation or repair costs top 50% of the building's market value (land excluded), backed by an itemized contractor estimate, and new buildings and additions need an elevation certificate and a $1,000 bond. Check a property's flood status on MSD's LOJIC lookup first.
  • Check whether the property is in a Louisville Metro local preservation district or is an Individual Landmark: exterior changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness, which the Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission staff review under its Standard Design Guidelines.
  • Ask the Louisville Metro Revenue Commission whether your rental business needs an occupational license tax account: the tax is 2.2% of business net profit earned in Louisville Metro, which covers all of Jefferson County.

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Have a Louisville 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 Louisville: common questions

Do you offer hard money loans in Louisville?

Yes. United Lending LLC offers private real estate financing for investors in Louisville 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 Louisville?

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 Old Louisville, Germantown and Shelby Park, among other parts of Louisville.

How much can I borrow for a Louisville 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 Louisville?

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

Kentucky

More places we lend in Kentucky

Sources (15)Checked November 10, 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. Henderson County, Kentucky: Transfer Tax (KRS 142.050)
  2. Fayette County Clerk: Transfer Tax (KRS 142.050)
  3. Jefferson County Clerk: Recording Requirements
  4. Louisville MSD: Flood Permitting
  5. Louisville MSD: Floodplain Management
  6. Louisville Metro Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission: Standard Design Guidelines update (PDF)
  7. Louisville Metro Revenue Commission: Form OL-3D Instructions 2025 (PDF)
  8. Louisville Metro Revenue Commission: Form OL-3A Instructions (PDF)
  9. Wikipedia: Louisville, Kentucky
  10. Wikipedia: Old Louisville
  11. Wikipedia: Germantown, Louisville
  12. Wikipedia: Shelby Park, Louisville
  13. Wikipedia: Portland, Louisville
  14. Wikipedia: The Highlands, Louisville
  15. Wikipedia: Shotgun house