SO-CAL Capital private lending options
$820M+
Funded
Transactions
940
Properties
Funded
1,764
Clients
Served
#1 california icon
In Southern
California
About SO-CAL Capital

Your Trusted Sacramento Private Money Lender

Sacramento is where California capital goes looking for yield. For investors priced out of coastal returns, the capital region offers something the Bay Area and the Southern California coast largely cannot: purchase prices where the numbers still work for cash flow, paired with steady inbound demand from renters and buyers leaving the state’s more expensive markets. That mix has made Sacramento one of the most active markets for private money lending in California, from the older grid neighborhoods around downtown to the master-planned suburbs spreading east and south.


We are a direct lender. Every credit decision is made in-house by our own underwriting team, with no third-party approvals and no broker middlemen adding cost or delay. As both a lender and a Trust Deed investment manager, we oversee every stage of the transaction - from initial underwriting through funding and servicing. That end-to-end control provides confidence and consistency, whether you're a local operator who knows every street in Oak Park or a Bay Area investor purchasing in the region for the first time. SO-CAL Capital has been a private lender across California since 2010, working from our office in Newport Beach.


Our underwriting philosophy is straightforward: we evaluate the deal on its merits. We look at the property, the loan-to-value ratio, and your plan. We do not run your scenario through an automated scoring system and call it a decision. That is what sets a boutique hard money lender apart from a national platform lender, and it is what has allowed us to fund over $820 million across more than 900 properties.

Loan Parameters at a Glance

Simple, Transparent Loan Structure

We keep our loan terms straightforward. Here is what you can expect when you work with SO-CAL Capital.

Loan Feature
SO-CAL Capital
Loan Amount
$100,000 - $10,000,000
Maximum LTV
Up to 70%
Interest Rates
Fixed
Minimum FICO Score
None
Prepayment Penalty
None
Loan Type
1st and 2nd Trust Deeds
Loan Purpose
Business Purpose / Investment
States
CA, OR, WA, AZ, NV, CO, ID, UT, MT, WY, and more
Fees apply, and pricing is determined on a case-by-case basis. There are no junk fees and no surprises buried in the fine print.
Loan Use Cases

What Can You Use a Private Money Loan For?

Private money loans are business-purpose financing tools designed for investors and developers who use real estate as a vehicle for generating returns. Here is how Sacramento investors put our capital to work.

Bridge Loans

A real estate bridge loan gives you the capital to close on a new acquisition quickly while you arrange longer-term financing. This is one of the most common tools for investors competing in tight markets where contingencies and bank timelines cost deals.

Cash-Out Refinance via 2nd Trust Deed

If you hold an Sacramento property with significant equity and a low-rate first mortgage you do not want to disturb, a 2nd Trust Deed allows you to unlock that capital for other investments without refinancing your existing loan.

Commercial & Multifamily Acquisition

We fund acquisitions across a broad range of commercial asset classes, including apartment buildings, mixed-use properties, industrial facilities, and special-purpose properties. If the collateral is strong and the business plan is clear, it is worth a conversation.

Time-Sensitive Opportunities

Some of the best deals in real estate have short windows. Fix and flip financing, off-market acquisitions, and auction purchases often require a lender who can close in days, not months. That is what we do.
Eligible Property Types

Investment Property Types We Finance

We lend against a wide range of investment property types across the Sacramento region and our other lending states.

Single-Family Residential
Multi-family & Apartments
Commercial & Mixed-Use
Industrial & Warehouse
Special Purpose

If the property has strong collateral value and a clear exit strategy, we want to hear about it. Our underwriting is not driven by a rigid approved-property checklist. It is driven by a common-sense evaluation of the asset and the plan behind it.

Where We Lend

Submarkets We Cover

We lend across Sacramento County and the surrounding capital region. The metro reaches into several counties and very different types of housing, so it helps to know where we are active.

Central Sacramento
Downtown, Midtown, East Sacramento, Land Park, Curtis Park, Oak Park, Tahoe Park
North Area
Natomas, North Sacramento, Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Antelope, Rio Linda
South & East County
Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Galt
Placer County
Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Auburn
El Dorado & Yolo
El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, West Sacramento, Davis, Woodland

If your property sits in an Sacramento city not listed here, it is still worth a call. The list reflects where we lend most often, not the limit of where we lend.

Why Real Estate Investors Keep Coming Back

Why Choose SO-CAL Capital

There is no shortage of private lenders in the Sacramento market. Here is why experienced investors and brokers choose us.

No Minimum FICO Score

Sophisticated real estate investors often carry complex credit profiles. We evaluate the property and the plan, not a credit score that has nothing to do with your ability to execute.

Local Market Experience

Practical familiarity with Sacramento real estate values, neighborhoods, and deal dynamics.

Flexible Underwriting

We focus on the property, leverage, business plan, borrower experience, and realistic exit strategy.

Fast Decisions

A streamlined process helps qualified borrowers get answers quickly when the transaction cannot wait.

Relationship Focused

We aim to become a repeat capital partner for investors, operators, and real estate professionals.

Transparent Terms

Clear loan structures and direct communication help borrowers understand the financing before moving forward.
Fast, Direct Process

How It Works

Getting started with SO-CAL Capital is straightforward. Here is what to expect from first contact to funded loan.

01

Submit Your Scenario

Share the basics with our team: the property, the loan amount you need, and your exit strategy. You do not need a completed application to start a conversation.
02

We Review the Deal

Our underwriting team evaluates the property, the LTV, and your plan. This is a human review, not an automated score. If the deal makes sense, we will tell you quickly.
03

Receive Your Term Sheet

If we can move forward, we will issue a term sheet with clear, straightforward pricing. No surprises and no hidden conditions buried in the back pages.
04

Close and Fund

We move fast. Our direct lending model eliminates the bottlenecks that slow down institutional lenders. Time-sensitive deals are our specialty.
05

Execute Your Strategy

With capital deployed, you focus on what you do best. Whether that is a renovation, an acquisition, or a portfolio expansion, SO-CAL Capital is in your corner.

What Is a Private Money Lender?

A private money lender is a non-bank lender that funds real estate transactions using private capital rather than institutional deposits. Loans are secured by 1st or 2nd Trust Deeds on the subject property, and approval is based primarily on the property’s value, the borrower’s ability to pay, and the borrower’s exit strategy.

Unlike a conventional bank loan, private money loans for real estate are built for speed and flexibility. There is no requirement to document years of tax returns, satisfy rigid debt-to-income ratios, or wait weeks for an underwriting committee. In Sacramento that flexibility often matters most to investors scaling a portfolio, where a bank’s cap on the number of financed properties, or its debt-to-income math, stalls exactly the buyers who are best equipped to execute. For a portfolio investor, an investment loan underwritten on the property rather than on how many mortgages you already carry is often the only practical way to keep buying.

This type of asset-based lending exists to serve professional investors whose strategies do not fit inside a bank’s lending box. In the Sacramento region that usually means a fix and flip on a short timeline, a value-add on an older multifamily building in the central grid, or an investor recycling equity from one property into the next faster than conventional financing allows.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Private money lending is straightforward once you understand the mechanics. Here are the questions we hear most often from new investors.

What is the difference between a private money lender and a hard money lender?
The terms are used interchangeably in most markets. Both describe non-bank, asset-based lenders that fund real estate transactions outside the conventional mortgage system. “Private money” tends to refer to the source of capital, meaning private investors rather than institutional deposits, while “hard money” refers to the hard asset securing the loan. SO-CAL Capital operates in both categories, so whether you are searching for a hard money lender in Sacramento or a private money lender in California, you are in the right place.
Can I use a private money loan to add an ADU on a Sacramento property?
Yes, as long as the loan is for a business or investment purpose. In a rental-driven market like Sacramento, adding an accessory dwelling unit is one of the more direct ways to increase income on a property you already own, and the region has been comparatively active on infill and ADUs. We lend against the asset and the plan. That might be a 2nd Trust Deed drawn against your existing equity, which leaves your first mortgage untouched, or a construction loan sized to the project itself. Confirm current requirements with the city or county, since local rules continue to change.
Do you lend on property in a Sacramento flood zone, such as Natomas?
A flood-zone location does not by itself take a deal outside our box. Parts of the Sacramento region, Natomas among them, have carried FEMA flood designations that can affect flood insurance requirements and carrying costs, so those need to be factored into the plan. We underwrite the property, the loan-to-value ratio, and your exit strategy, and you should confirm the current flood designation and any insurance requirements for the specific parcel.
I am investing in Sacramento from the Bay Area. Can you work with an out-of-area borrower?
Yes, and it is common. A meaningful share of Sacramento investment activity comes from buyers in the Bay Area and out of state chasing returns the coast no longer offers. We make business loans secured by real estate and work with investors buying in the region remotely. Because our underwriting is in-house, you deal directly with the people making the decision rather than routing questions through a broker who then has to route them again.
Can you lend on an older home in Midtown or the central grid that a bank turned down?
Usually, yes. Condition is the single most common reason a conventional lender declines an investment property, and Sacramento’s older central neighborhoods are full of pre-war bungalows and craftsman homes that need work before they perform. We lend against collateral value and a credible plan rather than requiring move-in condition, so deferred maintenance, a gutted interior, or a partially finished renovation are all situations we look at.
Which Sacramento-area cities do you lend in?
We lend across the capital region. That includes central Sacramento neighborhoods such as Midtown, East Sacramento, Land Park and Oak Park, the north area including Natomas, Citrus Heights and Carmichael, south and east county including Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Folsom, Placer County including Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln, and the surrounding communities of West Sacramento, Davis and El Dorado Hills.
Let's Fund Your Next Deal

Start Your Loan Request.

Whether you are flipping a bungalow in the central grid, adding a unit to lift the cash flow on a rental, acquiring a small multifamily building, or buying in the capital region from out of the area, SO-CAL Capital has the capital, the expertise, and the speed to get your Sacramento deal done.

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