Question 1

What permits and fees should I budget for a College Station rehab?

Accepted Answer

Plan on real dollars if the scope touches water or wastewater service. The city's own fee schedule puts the residential water impact fee at $2,325 and the wastewater impact fee at $3,300 for a standard 5/8 by 3/4 inch meter on 2026 permits, about $5,625 combined before any roadway fee. Once a permit issues, work must start within 180 days or it can expire. The city doesn't publish a committed plan-review clock; a third-party guide reports 5 to 10 business days, but treat that as an estimate, not a promise, and confirm the current timeline with the city before you set your rehab schedule.

Question 2

What does the property tax stack look like on a flip with no homestead exemption?

Accepted Answer

About 1.91% of value in College Station, 1.99% in Bryan, all year the flip sits on your books. 2025 adopted rates per $100 of value: Brazos County $0.4197, City of College Station $0.511872, College Station ISD $0.9753 (roughly $1.907 combined), versus City of Bryan $0.6240 and Bryan ISD $0.9469 layered on the same county rate (roughly $1.991 combined). Investment property gets no homestead exemption, so the full appraised value carries tax from day one. Bryan's rate is slightly higher, but on a $277k Bryan house against a $350k College Station house the Bryan bill still runs about $1,150 a year lower. Talk to your CPA about how the carry hits your specific deal.

Question 3

Do I need to worry about windstorm or coastal insurance rules here?

Accepted Answer

No. Brazos County sits roughly 100 miles inland and is not in the TWIA coastal pool, so there's no windstorm-association surcharge or coastal underwriting layer on a College Station or Bryan flip. The peril to underwrite for instead is hail and severe convective storms, the dominant risk across inland Texas. A county-level average premium isn't available from a primary source, so get an actual quote on the specific address before you close rather than budgeting off a metro-wide number.

Question 4

What actually gates the timeline on a College Station flip?

Accepted Answer

The academic calendar, more than anything else. Median days on market ran 72 in July 2026, but it swings hard by season: 56 days in March 2026 as the fall-semester purchase cycle peaks, versus 84 days that January. A flip that misses the spring list window sits into a slower 70-to-80-day market. Our fix and flip loan runs a 6-month term, interest-only, so build your rehab and listing schedule to land inside the spring window rather than fighting the winter one.

Question 5

If I end up renting the property out instead of flipping it, what local rules apply?

Accepted Answer

Register it with the city, and know the occupancy rule just changed. Every non-owner-occupied dwelling of one to six units in College Station must be registered with the city, rented or not: a one-time $90 fee per building, no annual renewal, but penalties escalate to $100 a day plus a court summons for staying unregistered past 76 days. Separately, Senate Bill 1567, effective September 1, 2025, stripped the city's old ban on more than four unrelated occupants sharing a home; occupancy can now only be capped by objective space standards. If your exit plan shifts from sale to a per-bedroom student rental, that room-count math is new as of late 2025, and registration is cheap compared to what an unregistered rental can rack up on a refi.

Question 6

How much of my fix and flip deal will USA Mortgage finance?

Accepted Answer

We fund up to 90% of the purchase price and up to 100% of your rehab budget, with the total capped against the after-repair value (ARV). Rehab money is released in draws as the work is completed.

Question 7

What interest rate and points should I expect on a flip loan?

Accepted Answer

Our fix and flip pricing starts around 9.99%, interest-only, with origination typically 1 to 3 points depending on your experience, leverage, and the deal, and every quote is subject to underwriting. Across the market most flip loans run roughly 9% to 12%. On most flip loans, including ours, interest is charged on the full loan amount, rehab budget included. Paying interest only on rehab funds as you draw them exists in the market, but it is the exception, not the rule.

Question 8

Do I need flipping experience to qualify?

Accepted Answer

No. We work with first-time flippers as well as full-time operators. Experience mainly affects your leverage and rate, since a longer track record earns higher loan-to-cost and better pricing. A newer investor can still get funded with a sound deal, a realistic budget, and a clear exit.

Question 9

How fast can a fix and flip loan close?

Accepted Answer

We can get you a term sheet the same day on a complete application, and we typically fund within 48 hours of clear title. The main variable is how fast title and insurance come together, which is why a full close usually runs 5 to 7 days. Because we are the lender and underwrite in house, there is no second layer of approval to wait on.

Question 10

Is there a prepayment penalty if I sell quickly?

Accepted Answer

No. Our fix and flip loans have no prepayment penalty, so paying off early when the property sells costs you nothing extra. Terms run 6 months, and because there is no penalty, selling sooner never costs you extra.

Question 11

Do you check credit or require income documents?

Accepted Answer

We run credit, but this is an asset-based loan, so the property, your budget, and the ARV matter most. We do not ask for W-2s or tax returns to qualify a flip. We will want to confirm you have reserves to carry the project to its exit.

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