Fix & Flip Loans in Louisville, KY for Purchase + Rehab Financing

What a Louisville flip actually involves

The stock is shotgun houses and camelbacks in Germantown and Schnitzelburg, large Victorian stock in Old Louisville, and post-war ranches in the south and east. Shotgun-house flips in Germantown and Shelby Park are the signature product — narrow lots, shared walls in places, and knob-and-tube wiring in almost every one built before 1940.

Kentucky is a judicial foreclosure state, which lengthens recovery and makes some capital sources more conservative on leverage than across the river in Indiana. The Indiana side of the metro — New Albany, Jeffersonville — is non-judicial and often prices better for the same deal. Louisville Metro requires rental registration.

Where Louisville flips go wrong

Pre-war stock in Louisville means the scope is rarely what the walkthrough suggests. Budget for the mechanicals — wiring, supply lines, drain lines — before the finishes, and expect the inspector to find what the seller did not disclose.

If the property is occupied, Louisville's tenant rules govern how and when you can take possession to start work. Build the timeline around the law, not the contract date.

The same metro spans jurisdictions with different permitting, transfer taxes and foreclosure law. Which side of the line you buy on changes the carrying math.

Scenarios we place in Louisville

Purchase plus rehab in one loan
Sized on total project cost and ARV, whichever binds — in Germantown and Schnitzelburg the ARV cap usually governs; on shotgun houses and camelbacks in Germantown and Schnitzelburg the cost side does. Rehab sits in a holdback and releases in draws after inspection; you carry the work between them.

Pre-war rowhouse or bungalow with unknown mechanicals
Contingency of 15 to 20 percent on the line items, a licensed GC, and a draw schedule that puts the mechanicals first. Sources that write older stock expect it.

First flip in Louisville
Several sources write first-timers at lower leverage with a licensed GC attached; several require completed projects. A first deal in Highlands or New Albany, IN with a documented scope and a local GC is the profile that places most easily.

Small multifamily rehab
Two- to four-unit renovations size on total cost like a single-family, but the DSCR exit is stronger because rent stacks across units. Five-plus moves to commercial underwriting.

Hold instead of sell
Fix-to-rent lets you decide at completion. The DSCR takeout is a second underwrite on rent and appraised value — and in Louisville the tenant base around UPS Worldport is what makes that exit credible. Run it before you buy.

Program terms

Standard ranges across our capital sources: $150,000 to $5M+, up to 95% of total project cost, up to 100% of the rehab budget in draws, 6 to 18 months interest-only, 5 to 10 business days to close with 5-day expedited for experienced investors. Full detail and the current rate floor are on the fix and flip loan page. First-time flippers generally see lower leverage.

Who fits, what disqualifies, what to bring

Who fits
Investors buying a non-owner-occupied property anywhere in the Louisville metro — Louisville, New Albany, IN, Jeffersonville, IN, Clarksville, IN, St. Matthews, Shively and Okolona — to renovate and resell or refinance, with the liquidity to carry work between draws.

What commonly disqualifies in Louisville
No line-item scope. No licensed GC on a first project. Liquidity that covers the down payment but not points, third-party costs and carry. An ARV the comparables cannot support.

What you will need
Contract, line-item budget by trade, GC bid and license, ARV comparables from the same era of construction, proof of liquidity, entity documents.

What happens next
One application. We place the file against sources whose leverage, rehab cap and experience rule fit, and return terms with the draw schedule spelled out.

Where we lend around Louisville

The Louisville metro — Louisville plus New Albany, IN, Jeffersonville, IN, Clarksville, IN, St. Matthews, Shively and Okolona — and the rest of Kentucky via the Kentucky fix and flip page. The active rehab corridors in Louisville include Germantown, Schnitzelburg, Highlands, Clifton, Shelby Park.

Size the loan and the cash to close in the ARV calculator, add the carry in the carrying costs calculator, and build the budget in the rehab cost estimator.

Also see: Chicago, IL →Cincinnati, OH →

Frequently asked questions

How much cash do I need to flip in Louisville? ▼

The gap between the loan and total project cost, plus points, third-party costs and the rehab you carry between draws. The ARV calculator returns it for your numbers.

Do you finance first-time flippers in Kentucky? ▼

Yes, through sources that write them — lower leverage, licensed GC attached.

What do Louisville inspectors usually flag on older houses? ▼

Shotgun-house flips in Germantown and Shelby Park are the signature product — narrow lots, shared walls in places, and knob-and-tube wiring in almost every one built before 1940. Budget contingency for it.

The property is occupied. When can I start work? ▼

When Louisville's tenant rules allow possession, not when the contract closes. Build the carry into the timeline.

How fast can it close? ▼

5 to 10 business days on a complete file; 5-day expedited for experienced investors. A BPO in lieu of appraisal is available on bridge structures.

Can I refinance into a rental loan instead of selling in Louisville? ▼

Yes — fix-to-rent. Separate underwrite on rent and appraised value. Run it before you buy.