Rental and BRRRR loans

Quick answer

BRRRR — Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat — uses short-term financing to buy and renovate a property, then a long-term loan to refinance and pull your capital back out. The standard refinance is a DSCR loan, qualified on the property's rental income rather than your personal income.

That structure lets investors recycle the same capital across multiple properties.

Flipping makes you money once. The BRRRR method makes the same dollars work over and over.

The idea is to recycle your capital. Buy and fix with short-term money, rent it, then refinance to pull your cash back out and do it again — keeping the property and its income.

Key takeaways

  • BRRRR = Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat — a way to recycle the same capital.
  • Short-term financing (hard money or bridge) funds the buy-and-rehab step.
  • A DSCR loan is the usual long-term exit, qualified on rental income not your W-2.
  • Accurate ARV and realistic rents make or break the refinance.

How the BRRRR loan stack works

Step one is short-term money. Hard money or a bridge loan funds the purchase and rehab, the same way it would for a flip.

Once the property is renovated and rented, you refinance into a long-term loan that repays the short-term financing and ideally returns most of your invested cash.

DSCR loans: the long-term exit

The refinance is usually a DSCR loan. It qualifies the property on its debt-service-coverage ratio — whether the rent comfortably covers the loan payment — rather than your personal income.

That's a big deal for active investors, who often can't qualify for many conventional loans on income alone. DSCR loans scale with your portfolio — our guide to what a DSCR loan is breaks down the ratio and how to qualify.

What makes a BRRRR work

The math hinges on the after-repair value and the rent. If the ARV supports a refinance that pays off your short-term loan, you recover your capital. If the rent covers the new payment with margin, the property cash-flows.

Get either wrong and you're stuck with capital trapped in the deal — so underwrite both conservatively. Compare financing costs on our rates page.

Best lenders for rental and BRRRR

Best lenders for rental and BRRRR financing

1
eBoost Partners Best Overall

Best Overall — Same-Day Funding Across Six Loan Types Ad

From 1%/mo Up to $10,000,000 No hard pull
2

Best for Equipment Financing

From 8.99% Up to $500,000 600+ FICO
3
Live Oak Bank ★ 4.6

#1 SBA Lender for Construction

From 9.5% Up to $5,000,000 650+ FICO
4
Bluevine ★ 4.4

Best Line of Credit for Cash Flow

From 7.8% (simple interest) Up to $250,000 625+ FICO
5

Best Invoice Factoring for Contractors

From 1–3% factor fee Up to $5,000,000+ No hard pull
6
Kiavi ★ 4.4

Best for Fix & Flip / Hard Money

From 9.25% Up to $3,000,000 660+ FICO

For the short-term buy-and-rehab step, eBoost Partners offers bridge construction financing to carry the deal to refinance.

Related guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the BRRRR method?

BRRRR stands for Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. You buy and renovate a property (often with short-term financing), rent it out, then refinance into a long-term loan that pulls your capital back out to do it again.

What loan do I use to refinance a BRRRR?

A DSCR (debt-service-coverage ratio) loan is the common exit. It qualifies the property on its rental income rather than your personal income, which suits investors with multiple properties.

What is a DSCR loan?

A DSCR loan is a rental-property loan underwritten on the property's cash flow — the rent covering the debt — instead of your W-2 income. It's the standard long-term hold financing for investors.

Can I BRRRR with hard money?

Yes — that's the typical pattern. You use hard money or a bridge loan for the buy-and-rehab, then refinance into a DSCR or conventional loan once the property is stabilized and rented.