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Galveston Hard Money and Investor Loans

Galveston's island and mainland move as two separate markets, not one.

USA Mortgage funds investors across Galveston County. Windstorm coverage here runs through the state pool. The city changed its short-term rental rules in 2025. Business-purpose loans only, terms set in underwriting.

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Two markets, one county

Over the year to July 2026, Galveston’s island values fell about 5.8% while mainland commuter cities like League City and Friendswood held flat to slightly positive. Underwrite the two halves of this county separately, not as one market.

A windstorm market, first

Galveston County is TWIA’s single largest exposure in Texas, $42.34 billion of direct insurance in force, and TWIA wrote 75% of the county’s residential wind coverage in 2025. A property needs a WPI-8 certificate of compliance for any work done since 1988, including a re-roof.

The flood discount is a real number

The City of Galveston reached CRS class 5, a 25% flood insurance discount, effective April 1, 2026. Unincorporated Galveston County, Texas City, La Marque, and Santa Fe carry no CRS rating and no discount at all.

Loan programs in Galveston

Acquisition through exit, all funded or arranged by one lender.

Fix and Flip in GalvestonRental / DSCR in GalvestonGround-Up Construction in GalvestonCRE Bridge in GalvestonTransactional Funding in GalvestonBank Statement / No-Doc in GalvestonConventional Investment in GalvestonPortfolio Loans in GalvestonCRE Permanent in GalvestonSBA Financing in Galveston

Galveston lending questions

Do you lend in Galveston and across Galveston County?
Yes, across the whole county. We are a Texas direct lender headquartered in Bee Cave, and we fund deals in Galveston, League City, Texas City, Dickinson, Friendswood, La Marque, Santa Fe, and Hitchcock. Every loan is business-purpose only, on investment property, and terms are subject to underwriting. See how we lend across Texas or talk to us.
Why does windstorm insurance matter so much on a Galveston County deal?
Because in this county, the state pool is the wind market, not a backstop. Galveston County is the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s single largest exposure statewide, at $42.34 billion of direct insurance in force, 33% of TWIA’s total book, as of March 31, 2026. TWIA wrote 75% of the county’s residential wind coverage in 2025, up from 73% in 2024 and 68% in 2023, against a 55% average across TWIA’s catastrophe-area counties. To qualify, a property needs a declination from a private carrier and a certificate of compliance, a WPI-8, for construction or repairs done since January 1, 1988, including a re-roof, and it must be kept in insurable condition with no unrepaired damage. Premium financing is not allowed on a TWIA policy, so budget the premium as cash at closing or on TWIA’s own installment plan. See the fix and flip program. Subject to underwriting.
Can I run a short-term rental in the City of Galveston?
Yes, but the rules changed in late 2025 and the license does not transfer with the deed. On October 1, 2025 the City of Galveston took over short-term rental regulation from the Park Board, and on November 13, 2025 City Council adopted Ordinance 25-060, rewriting the rules in full. A license is annual, runs January through December, costs $250 per unit, and is due by December 31, with a $500 late fee after that date. It is non-transferable: if you buy a property already operating as a short-term rental, you need your own new license before you can rent it, and the seller’s registration does not carry over. Combined hotel occupancy tax on a stay under 30 days is 15%, 6% to the state and 9% to the city, and a report is due monthly even in a month with no bookings. There is no density cap or occupancy cap on the island today, though the city’s own committee said any change there needs two years of data first. See the DSCR program. Subject to underwriting.
What will property taxes cost on a Galveston County investment property?
It depends heavily on which side of the county you buy in. On the island, a City of Galveston parcel combining the school, city, county, road and flood, and Galveston College rates runs about 1.695% of value, the lowest tax stack in the county. On the mainland, a Texas City parcel combining Texas City ISD, the city, the county, and College of the Mainland runs about 2.222%, the highest. Dickinson and League City fall in between, depending on which junior college district applies to the parcel. An investor gets no homestead exemption, so the taxable value is the full appraised value, and more than 40 municipal utility and special districts on the mainland can add another percentage point or more on top of the base stack. If you're financing several doors across these different stacks at once, see the Galveston portfolio loan program. Talk to your CPA about your own position, and pull the Galveston Central Appraisal District account for the specific parcel before you underwrite it.
Is the Galveston market the same on the island as on the mainland?
No, and treating them as one market is the most common mistake we see. Over the year to July 2026, home values on the island fell while values in the mainland commuter cities held roughly flat or edged up. The island’s population has also been essentially flat since 2020, while mainland cities like Texas City and La Marque have grown. The mainland runs on refinery and industrial payroll, anchored by the second-largest refinery in the United States, sitting in Texas City. The island runs on tourism and short-term rental income, plus a state-government payroll base from UTMB and Texas A&M Galveston that a typical resort town does not have. Underwrite the two halves of this county separately.
Do you have a minimum credit score for a Galveston investor loan?
It depends on the program, and on the asset-based ones there is no minimum at all. Fix and flip, bridge and ground-up construction in Galveston County carry no minimum score: we run credit, but it carries far less weight than at a bank, and weaker credit is usually handled with lower leverage rather than a decline. DSCR and bank statement start at 640, conventional investment starts at 580, and transactional funding has no credit check at all. There is no hard credit pull to start a conversation. See the fix and flip program. Subject to underwriting.
How much do I need to put down on a Galveston County investment property?
Between nothing and 30%, depending on which program fits the deal. Fix and flip funds up to 90% of the purchase plus up to 100% of the rehab: on a $350,000 Galveston purchase that is up to $315,000 from us and $35,000 from you (350,000 x 90% = 315,000). DSCR and conventional investment run to 80% LTV, ground-up construction to 85% of cost or 70% of value, commercial bridge to 75% LTV, and bank statement loans start at 20% down. Transactional funding covers 100% of the A-to-B purchase. Budget the wind and flood premiums as cash on top, since premium financing is not allowed on a TWIA policy. See how we lend across Texas. Subject to underwriting.
What is the smallest loan you will write in Galveston County?
$100,000 on most of what we do here. That is the floor on fix and flip, DSCR rental and bank statement loans. SBA starts at $350,000 and portfolio blanket loans start at $500,000 across five or more doors. At the top end, fix and flip and ground-up construction go to $5 million, DSCR and bank statement to $3 million, and commercial bridge to $10 million. Every one of them is business-purpose only, on investment property. Talk to us. Subject to underwriting.
Serving Galveston and nearby
GalvestonLeague CityTexas CityDickinsonFriendswoodLa MarqueSanta FeHitchcock
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About the local figures on this page

Local rules move. Every tax rate, fee, ordinance and market figure here comes from a primary source and carries the date we read it, and we correct them as the rules change. Where a number is mid-change or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess. Before you commit a budget, confirm anything that drives it with the city or county, and talk to your attorney or CPA on questions of law or tax.

Published by USA Mortgage Funding, LLC, NMLS #152588. Researched from primary sources by our team, drafted with AI assistance, and every figure checked against its source before publishing. Where an answer rests on a public record, that record is linked under it. Figures read on 2026-08-22.

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