Flipping a House With Low Credit Score: 3 Funding Sources to Consider

by Bob Hummer 03/28/2023

If you’ve ever shopped for a loan or mortgage, you know how much of a difference your credit score can make. Higher scores can help qualify you for better terms, lower interest rates and special funding only offered to low-risk borrowers. However, nobody’s credit is perfect, and bad credit can take a long time to improve. If you’re interested in flipping houses but have bad credit, there are plenty of funding options available to help get you started.

Here are the best ways to get funding to flip regardless of your credit score:

Private Loans

If you have bad credit, a private lender might be a good option for funding a flip. The major reason to consider a private loan is that they come from sources who don’t follow the same rules and criteria as traditional financial institutions. Therefore, they might not weigh a credit score as heavily—some may not require a check at all. Because every private lender is different, it’s crucial to research the options carefully, so make sure you can still work within their custom requirements.

Home Equity

You can borrow against the equity of your current home to fund a new purchase. This includes cash-out refinancing, home equity lines of credit and home equity loans. The first option means you would refinance your current mortgage and keep the difference between the loans as cash. Home equity lines of credit work like credit cards to offer you money up front that’s borrowed against home equity. Home equity loans are like traditional mortgages, but use your property as collateral.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is an excellent way to gather financing for a project from multiple sources, none of which require a high credit score. By using one of the major online crowdfunding platforms, you can set up a fund for your fix-and-flip purchase through contributions from people all over the world. Crowdfunding is the most flexible option but also requires some marketing savvy to be successful. If you’re willing to put in the work, this is an excellent option for financing your project regardless of credit.

While your credit score matters in many financial situations, there are ways to achieve your goals without a high score. No matter what kind of credit you have, these three options are great to consider for funding your flip.

About the Author
Author

Bob Hummer

Bob Hummer brings a wealth of experience with him; a practitioner in real estate in Northern Virginia since 1978, a Life Member of both the Million Dollar Sales Club and the Top Producers Club with over 2,500 Satisfied Families and President, Prince William Association of REALTORS in 1991. His experiences range from helping buyers and sellers attain their goals; to renovating historic homes on Capitol Hill; to counseling and assisting homeowners facing the loss of their home due to foreclosure. Since 1996, he has presented his free monthly Home Buyer and Home Seller seminars at the Woodbridge campus of Strayer University. In June 2023 he completed the Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist course and was awarded the designation CPRES. His goal is to assist individuals who inherited real estate and wish to sell. A former "Military Brat" and a retired Air Force Hospital Administrator, Bob has made more than 26 moves during his life and is extremely familiar with all aspects of a family relocating - whether it is across the street or across the nation.