Raw land financing for development and investment opportunities.
Land acquisition represents one of the most strategic yet challenging segments of real estate investment, requiring specialized financing that traditional lenders often hesitate to provide. In Myrtle Beach and the rapidly developing Grand Strand region, raw land, development parcels, and agricultural properties offer substantial upside potential for investors who can secure appropriate financing. Our land acquisition hard money loans fill this critical gap, providing the capital necessary to secure valuable land positions while you finalize development plans, secure entitlements, or position for long-term appreciation.
The Grand Strand's continued growth creates exceptional opportunities in land investment. Residential development continues expanding outward from Myrtle Beach and Conway, creating demand for development-ready parcels. Commercial growth along major corridors like Highway 17 and Highway 501 drives demand for retail, office, and industrial land. Even raw acreage in outlying areas of Horry County and Georgetown County appreciates as development pressure increases and infrastructure expands.
Traditional land financing presents substantial obstacles for investors. Banks typically require significant down payments, often 35-50%, and impose strict requirements regarding immediate development plans, zoning compliance, and environmental clearances. Vacant land generates no income to service debt, making lenders hesitant regardless of appreciation potential. These conservative approaches cause investors to miss excellent land opportunities or force them to tie up excessive capital in low-leverage purchases.
Our land acquisition loans take a different approach, recognizing that land investment requires time for entitlement, planning, and market timing. We structure financing that accommodates the unique characteristics of land investment, including longer terms for entitlement work, flexible release provisions for phased development, and loan amounts based on land value rather than immediate income generation. Whether you're acquiring a single development lot or assembling acreage for a major project, our financing provides the leverage needed to maximize your investment potential.
Residential development land acquisition represents a primary application for our land loans. Investors and developers purchase raw or partially improved land for subdivision development, single-family home construction, or multi-family projects. We finance parcels ranging from individual building lots to multi-acre development tracts throughout the Grand Strand region. Our loans accommodate the time needed for zoning approvals, platting, infrastructure installation, and pre-sales or pre-leasing before construction begins.
Commercial land acquisition supports retail, office, industrial, and mixed-use development projects. Prime commercial parcels along major transportation corridors in Myrtle Beach, Conway, and North Myrtle Beach command premium prices but offer substantial development returns. We finance land acquisition for shopping centers, office parks, warehouses, hotels, and specialty commercial projects. Our commercial land loans recognize the extended timelines often required for commercial entitlements, anchor tenant commitments, and project financing arrangements.
Agricultural and rural land investments appeal to investors seeking diversification, long-term appreciation, or recreational use. Horry County and surrounding areas include substantial timberland, farmland, and rural acreage with development potential. Our loans support acquisition of agricultural properties, timber investments, hunting and recreational land, and rural properties with future development potential. These investments often require patient capital while land appreciates or while investors pursue rezoning and development opportunities.
Land banking and speculative land acquisition involves purchasing land in the path of development with the intention of holding for appreciation or resale to developers. This strategy requires understanding growth patterns, infrastructure plans, and zoning trends throughout the region. Our land loans accommodate the holding periods necessary for this investment approach, with terms and structures that don't force premature sales or distressed refinancing.
Assemblage projects involve purchasing multiple parcels to create development-ready sites larger than individual lots. These complex acquisitions require coordination of multiple sellers, resolution of access and utility issues, and often rezoning applications. Our financing supports these sophisticated land strategies with structures accommodating multiple closings, option arrangements, and extended timelines for completion.
Land investors face unique challenges that traditional financing often amplifies. The absence of current income from vacant land makes debt service coverage calculations impossible by conventional standards, causing banks to reject otherwise sound land investments regardless of appreciation potential or development prospects. This income requirement fundamentally conflicts with the nature of land investment.
Environmental concerns, wetlands, endangered species, and archaeological issues can create unexpected complications with land investments. While due diligence should identify these issues, traditional lenders often impose blanket restrictions that eliminate financing for any property with potential environmental complications, even when these issues are manageable or don't significantly impact value.
Extended entitlement and development timelines create refinancing risk with short-term land loans. Many hard money lenders offer only 6-12 month terms, forcing borrowers into expensive extensions or refinancing when entitlement work takes longer than anticipated. We structure land loans with realistic timeframes that accommodate actual development timelines.
Zoning and land use regulations change over time, potentially affecting development potential and property values. While investors should monitor regulatory trends, traditional lenders often require guaranteed zoning approvals before lending, effectively requiring investors to complete the entitlement process before financing acquisition, a catch-22 that defeats the purpose of acquisition financing.
Our land acquisition lending begins with comprehensive due diligence support, helping you evaluate property characteristics including zoning, access, utilities, environmental conditions, and development potential before finalizing purchase decisions. We review preliminary title work, survey issues, and easement concerns that might affect loan security or development feasibility.
We structure land loans with terms from 12 to 36 months, recognizing that land investment requires patience and that entitlement work often takes longer than initially projected. Loan amounts typically reach 60-70% of land value, with higher leverage potentially available for properties with clear near-term development prospects. Interest rates reflect the unique risks and illiquidity of land investment while remaining competitive with hard money market standards.
For development land, we can structure loans with extension provisions contingent on permitting progress, or arrange take-out financing when construction loans become appropriate. We maintain relationships with construction lenders who can refinance our land loans when projects reach appropriate milestones, providing seamless capital stack transitions.
We provide land acquisition financing throughout South Carolina's coastal region, including Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Little River, Longs, Loris, and rural areas of Horry and Georgetown Counties. Our knowledge of local growth patterns and development trends helps you identify land investments positioned for appreciation.
We finance various land types including residential development land, commercial development parcels, agricultural land, timberland, and rural acreage. Both improved land (with utilities and access) and raw land are eligible. We evaluate each parcel individually based on location, zoning, access, environmental conditions, and development potential. Properties with clear title and marketable ownership are required.
Land loans typically offer 50-70% loan-to-value ratios depending on land type, location, and intended use. Improved development land in prime locations may qualify for higher leverage up to 70%, while raw acreage in rural areas typically receives 50-60% LTV. These conservative ratios reflect the illiquid nature of land and protect both borrower and lender from market fluctuations.
Yes, we offer land banking and speculative land loans for investors purchasing land without immediate development intentions. These loans accommodate longer holding periods while you monitor market conditions, pursue entitlements, or wait for optimal development timing. We do require a clear understanding of the investment thesis and realistic timeline projections, but we don't require approved building permits or construction contracts.
We understand that land development timelines often extend beyond initial projections due to permitting delays, market conditions, or strategy adjustments. Our land loans include extension provisions allowing borrowers to extend terms for additional periods, typically subject to fees and satisfactory payment history. We work with borrowers to find solutions rather than forcing premature sales when reasonable delays occur.
We evaluate land with environmental considerations on a case-by-case basis. Properties with documented wetlands, endangered species habitat, or contamination may still qualify for financing depending on the severity of issues, available mitigation options, and impact on development potential. We require environmental due diligence including Phase I assessments and appropriate follow-up studies when indicated. Properties with manageable environmental constraints that don't preclude intended use may still receive financing with appropriate adjustments to loan terms.
Get started today and receive multiple competitive loan offers from verified hard money lenders experienced with your property type.