Fix & Flip Loans in Scranton, PA for Purchase + Rehab Financing

What a Scranton flip actually involves

The stock is a very large pre-war stock — doubles, Victorians and bungalows — at low basis across both cities, and post-war suburban stock in the Abingtons and Back Mountain. Low-basis rehab across West Scranton, South Side and Wilkes-Barre where renovation exceeds purchase. Knob-and-tube, slate roofs and coal-era heating conversions are standard.

Pennsylvania is judicial. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre run at some of the lowest bases in the Northeast with an intact pre-war stock, so renovation regularly exceeds purchase price — the same profile as the low-basis Rust Belt metros. Both cities have drawn New York and New Jersey investors on the basis gap. Flood mapping along the Susquehanna affects Wilkes-Barre parcels.

Where Scranton flips go wrong

Pre-war stock in Scranton 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.

Insurability at resale is the exit risk in Scranton. A buyer's lender will require coverage; if the roof, windows or elevation make the property hard to insure, the ARV you underwrote may not be the price you clear. Price the insurance-driven improvements into the scope.

Where renovation exceeds purchase price, the loan sizes on total project cost and ARV, not on purchase. Many national lenders cap rehab near half the purchase price and decline the deal on that alone. Several of our sources write it routinely — it is the single most common Scranton placement.

Scenarios we place in Scranton

Purchase plus rehab in one loan
Sized on total project cost and ARV, whichever binds — in Hill Section and Green Ridge the ARV cap usually governs; on a very large pre-war stock — doubles the cost side does. Rehab sits in a holdback and releases in draws after inspection; you carry the work between them.

Rehab budget larger than purchase price
Routine in Scranton. Sized on cost and ARV. The lenders that cap rehab at half of purchase are simply not the ones we place it with.

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 Scranton
Several sources write first-timers at lower leverage with a licensed GC attached; several require completed projects. A first deal in West Scranton or Wilkes-Barre with a documented scope and a local GC is the profile that places most easily.

Storm-damaged or hard-to-insure property
Post-storm rehab is its own category. Roof, openings and elevation drive both the scope and the exit. Confirm insurability at the projected ARV before you close on the purchase.

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 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metro — Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore, Dickson City, Kingston, Clarks Summit and Pittston — to renovate and resell or refinance, with the liquidity to carry work between draws.

What commonly disqualifies in Scranton
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 that ignores insurability at resale.

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 Scranton

The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metro — Scranton plus Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore, Dickson City, Kingston, Clarks Summit and Pittston — and the rest of Pennsylvania via the Pennsylvania fix and flip page. The active rehab corridors in Scranton include Hill Section, Green Ridge, West Scranton, South Side, Kingston (Wilkes-Barre).

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: Philadelphia, PA →Pittsburgh, PA →

Frequently asked questions

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

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 Pennsylvania? ▼

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

My Scranton rehab costs more than the house. Is that fundable? ▼

Yes. Sized on total cost and ARV. Lenders capping rehab at half of purchase are why it gets declined elsewhere.

What do Scranton inspectors usually flag on older houses? ▼

Knob-and-tube, slate roofs and coal-era heating conversions are standard. Budget contingency for it.

Will the finished property be insurable in Scranton? ▼

Only if the scope addresses what carriers price — roof age, openings, elevation. Confirm before you close on the purchase; it is the exit.

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.