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 San Diego Private Money Lender

San Diego County is really three markets stacked into one. The coastal neighborhoods and the urban core trade on scarcity and price per square foot. North County, both the coastal cities and the inland communities, runs on different buyer depth and different renovation math entirely. East County is a separate calculation again. Layer on rental demand shaped by the region’s military presence, its universities, and a large research and biotech employment base, and you get a county where the same loan request can look strong in one zip code and thin in another.


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 control the entire lifecycle of a transaction from initial review through funding and servicing, which means a San Diego borrower gets an answer from the team funding the loan instead of a status update from a call center. SO-CAL Capital has been lending across California since 2010 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego County 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 throughout San Diego County. The county’s submarkets behave differently enough that it is worth being specific about where we are active.

City & Coastal
La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Mission Beach, Downtown, North Park, Hillcrest
North County Coastal
Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Cardiff
North County Inland
Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Ramona
East County
El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Lakeside, Spring Valley, Alpine
South Bay
Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Coronado

If your property sits in an San Diego 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 San Diego. 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 San Diego 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 San Diego the flexibility often comes down to timing, because a coastal renovation, a unit conversion, or an addition can spend months in review, and a lender that needs the project finished and stabilized before funding is not useful at that stage.

This type of asset-based lending exists to serve professional investors whose strategies do not fit inside a bank’s lending box. San Diego investors typically come to us when a property’s condition puts it outside bank guidelines, when a project needs to be carried through an approval window, or when they want to access equity without disturbing a first mortgage they would rather leave alone.

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 San Diego or a private money lender in California, you are in the right place.
Do you lend on property inside the coastal zone?
Yes. Coastal property is a normal part of lending in San Diego County. What tends to matter more than the location itself is timing, since projects subject to coastal review can spend considerable time in the approval process. That is precisely the gap a bridge loan is designed to cover. Tell us where the property sits and where the project is in the process.
Can I use a private money loan to add an ADU or convert units in San Diego?
Yes, provided the loan is for a business or investment purpose. San Diego has been among the more accommodating California jurisdictions for accessory dwelling units, and adding a unit is a common way investors here increase income on a property they already own. We lend against the asset and the plan, frequently through a 2nd Trust Deed so your existing first mortgage stays untouched. Confirm current requirements with the city, since local rules change.
Can you fund a San Diego property that a bank declined because of its condition?
Usually, yes. Condition is one of the most common reasons a conventional lender walks away and one of the main reasons private money exists. We evaluate collateral value and the credibility of your plan rather than requiring a property to be in finished condition. Deferred maintenance, a gutted interior, or a half-finished renovation are all situations we look at.
Do you fund small multifamily in San Diego?
Yes. Small multifamily and mixed-use assets in San Diego’s established rental submarkets are a good fit for this type of financing, particularly value-add situations where an operator is upgrading an older building or adding units. We fund business-purpose loans from $100,000 to $10,000,000 secured by 1st and 2nd Trust Deeds.
Which San Diego County cities do you lend in?
We lend county-wide. That includes the city and coastal neighborhoods such as La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and Point Loma, North County coastal cities including Carlsbad, Encinitas and Oceanside, North County inland including Escondido, Vista, San Marcos and Poway, East County including El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee, and the South Bay including Chula Vista and Coronado.
Let's Fund Your Next Deal

Start Your Loan Request.

Whether you are renovating near the coast, adding a unit to a property you already own, acquiring small multifamily in an established rental submarket, or moving on a North County opportunity that will not wait, SO-CAL Capital has the capital, the expertise, and the speed to get your San Diego deal done.

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