Pennsylvania is two investor markets wearing one name. Philadelphia is dense rowhome stock with strong rent-to-price ratios and an older building inventory. Pittsburgh offers one of the lowest price bases of any major metro in the Northeast. The Lehigh Valley has absorbed spillover demand from New Jersey and New York, and Scranton, Harrisburg and Erie trade at entry points that are difficult to find elsewhere in the region.
The short answer: A fix-and-flip loan funds the purchase and renovation of an investment property, with programs reaching up to 90 percent of total cost and 100 percent of the rehab budget released in draws as work is completed. Underwriting centers on the deal — purchase price, rehab budget, and after-repair value — rather than tax returns. In Pennsylvania, the age and condition of the available inventory is what usually drives scope and therefore leverage.
Philadelphia rowhomes and Pittsburgh’s pre-war housing are the core of the state’s flip inventory. Both offer scope depth and both carry the complications older stock brings. Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton and Erie offer lower entry points where the rehab budget often exceeds the purchase price — a structure not every lender is comfortable with.
Primary markets: Philadelphia · Pittsburgh · Allentown · Harrisburg · Scranton · Erie
Much of the investor-grade inventory in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh predates 1940. Older stock means knob-and-tube, galvanized supply lines, and lead-paint considerations show up in scope more often than in newer markets. Philadelphia also requires a rental license and a Certificate of Rental Suitability before a unit can be legally leased — a step that affects the timeline between renovation completion and rent collection.
Your rehab scope is conventional, your experience is documented, and the ARV is well supported by recent comparable sales.
This is a first or second flip, the rehab budget is large relative to purchase, or the ARV rests on thin comparable data.
No lender is best for every deal. Kiavi, Easy Street Capital, RCN Capital, Lima One, New Silver, Dominion Financial all write fix-and-flip loans in Pennsylvania and all are legitimate options. They differ on leverage, credit floors, property types and experience requirements. The useful question is which fits this deal.
Works: An investor with a property under contract and a defined rehab scope, exiting by sale or by refinancing into a rental loan.
Does not: The property is owner-occupied, the ARV is unsupported by comparable sales, or there is no rehab budget on a property that clearly needs one.
Much of the investor-grade inventory in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh predates 1940. Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines and lead-paint considerations appear in scope more often than in newer markets. Budget for discovery — a scope written before the walls are open is an estimate, and lenders funding rehab in draws will hold you to the budget you submitted.
In Scranton, Erie and parts of Harrisburg it frequently does, because entry prices are low relative to renovation cost. Not every capital source is comfortable with that structure. It is a specific question worth asking before you are under contract.
There is no single best lender for every scenario. Kiavi, Easy Street Capital, RCN Capital, Lima One, New Silver, Dominion Financial all write fix-and-flip loans and each has different guidelines. The right answer depends on the specific deal. LendingStreet places the same scenario across 30+ capital sources so the comparison happens on one application.
Yes, in all 50 states including Pennsylvania. These are business-purpose loans on non-owner-occupied investment property, from $150,000 with no stated maximum. No W-2 or tax returns required and LLC borrowers are welcome.
Have a Pennsylvania deal? Tell us the scenario and we will price it across our capital sources.
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