A bridge loan is short-term capital that closes the gap between a real estate opportunity and the permanent financing or sale that eventually pays it off. When the timing of two transactions doesn’t line up — and in real estate it rarely does — bridge financing is what keeps the deal alive.
When Investors Use Bridge Loans
- Buy before you sell — acquire the next property before the current one closes, then repay at sale.
- 1031 exchange timing — meet identification and closing deadlines when the replacement property moves faster than the relinquished one.
- Auction and REO purchases — close at cash-buyer speed, then refinance at leisure.
- Reposition and stabilize — carry a property through renovation, lease-up, or entitlement work until it qualifies for permanent financing.
- Partnership and estate buyouts — clean, fast capital secured by the asset while longer-term arrangements are made.
Bridge Loan Program Terms
- Loan amounts: $50,000 to $5,000,000+
- Loan-to-value: up to 70% of as-is value of the property securing the loan
- Term length: 6 to 24 months
- Structure: interest-only payments with balloon at maturity
- Credit minimum: none — bridge loans are equity and exit-strategy driven
- Documentation: streamlined; no income verification required
- Prepayment: flexible — pay off as soon as your exit closes
- Closing: 3 to 7 business days
Run your scenario through the hard money loan calculator to see monthly carry and total financing cost before you commit.
How Our Bridge Process Works
Since 1980, Hilton Financial Corporation has funded over $1 billion in asset-based loans, and the bridge process is built around how investors actually transact: inquiry (tell us the property, the numbers, and the exit) → term sheet (written terms — amount, rate, points, term — typically within 24 hours) → streamlined documentation → close in 3 to 7 business days. You deal directly with the principal; there is no committee between you and a decision.
Markets We Serve
Our flagship bridge program operates from our Phoenix home market — see Bridge Loans in Arizona for the deepest local detail — and we fund the same structure for investors across Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Colorado, Tennessee, Utah, and Hawaii. Browse all lending locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a bridge loan and a hard money loan?
Bridge loans are a use-case of hard money: same asset-based underwriting and speed, applied specifically to gap-timing situations rather than renovation projects. If your deal involves a rehab budget, see our fix-and-flip structure; if it’s purely a timing gap, this page is your product.
What exit strategies do you accept?
Sale of the secured property, sale of another property, refinance into permanent financing, or another documented liquidity event. The exit is the heart of bridge underwriting — a clear, realistic exit matters more than a credit score.
Can I pay the loan off early without penalty?
Prepayment is flexible — bridge loans are designed to be repaid the moment your exit closes, whether that’s month two or month twenty.
How quickly can you actually close?
3 to 7 business days from a complete file. For auction purchases and expiring 1031 windows, tell us the hard deadline up front and we’ll structure the timeline around it.
Get started — send the property, the numbers, and the exit, and we’ll respond with a term sheet, typically within 24 hours.