Fix and Flip in San Mateo

California's homeowners' exemption is for owner-occupants, so an investment purchase does not get it, and the reassessment is the number that actually moves. California resets the assessed value to the price paid on every change of ownership, and Proposition 13 sets no separate rate class for investors: the homeowners' exemption is a small assessed-value deduction for an owner-occupant, not something a business-purpose borrower on non-owner-occupied property claims. On a $1,685,162 purchase in the City of San Mateo at the median tax rate area of 1.1201%, the first-year bill runs about $18,876 (1,685,162 x 0.011201). Budget your holding-period taxes off your own purchase price, not the seller's older, lower assessment, and confirm your specific tax rate area with the County Controller before you close. Talk to your CPA about the details of your situation.

Yes, and the appeal clock on it is short. A purchase at Peninsula prices triggers a supplemental assessment for the mid-year gap between the seller's old base and your new one, and you have only 60 days from the mailing date on that supplemental notice to appeal it, compared with the county's regular assessment appeal window of July 2 to November 30. Investors who treat the supplemental notice like ordinary mail miss that 60-day window. Build the supplemental bill into your hold-period budget on our fix and flip loan from day one rather than reacting to it after the notice arrives.

Yes, if your flip sits inside San Mateo city limits specifically. The county's documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 everywhere, but the City of San Mateo adds a Measure CC tax on top of that: 0.5% of the whole price below $10 million, 1.5% at $10 million or more, applied to the full consideration rather than the amount above a threshold. A $1.89 million trade costs about $11,551 in transfer tax inside San Mateo city limits versus about $2,083 in Redwood City, roughly five and a half times more for crossing a city line. No other city in this county, including Redwood City, Burlingame, Menlo Park, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Foster City, or Millbrae, charges more than the county's base rate. Confirm which side of the line your address sits on before you price the exit.

No countywide or city-level permit timeline for a fix and flip rehab has been sourced, so we will not quote you one. The only permit clocks that are actually documented for this county are statewide ministerial ones that apply to specific project types, not a routine remodel: SB 9 two-unit and lot-split decisions within 60 days, and ADU completeness review within 15 business days with appeals decided within 60 days. A standard kitchen, bath, or structural rehab permit runs on each city's own plan-check schedule, which varies by scope and by which of the eight cities you are in. Confirm the timeline directly with that city's building department and budget your holding costs with a buffer rather than a fixed number.

Every contractor-performed alteration, by name, if you sell within 18 months of taking title. California Civil Code section 1102.6h requires a seller of a 1-4 unit property who accepts an offer within 18 months of taking title to disclose room additions, structural modifications, other alterations, or repairs performed by contractors, including the contractors' names and contact information, with permits attached where available. Keep your contractor records and permits organized from the first day of rehab so this disclosure is a formality rather than a scramble at closing. Our fix and flip loan funds draws as the work completes, which gives you a running paper trail for exactly this requirement.

Loan sizing and speed, more than insurance or a lower entry basis. This is a bridge and larger-loan market, not a low-basis flip market: as of July 2026, mid-tier city values ran from about $1.2 million in South San Francisco to nearly $2.9 million in Menlo Park, and we write from $100,000 to $5,000,000, a range built for that spread. On insurance, Foster City's levee reached final completion in February 2024, which took mandatory flood-purchase risk off the table there, though a Foster City parcel still carries a city bond line on its tax bill for that same levee. Earthquake exposure is real across the Peninsula and is an underwriting file item to run past your insurance agent property by property, not a number we will publish here. Send us the address and scope and we will size the loan. Subject to underwriting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.