Hard Money Lenders in Fort Smith, AR | Capital Kings LLC
Capital Kings LLC · Non-QM Mortgage Broker

Hard Money Lenders inFort Smith, Arkansas

Fix and flip, DSCR rental and new construction financing for Fort Smith investors. We do not lend our own money, we shop your deal across a 400+ lender network and come back with real terms you can compare on total cost.

Get a term sheet →Price a Fort Smith deal

Prefer to talk it through? Call or text Micah at (281) 636-5682.

Reviewed by Micah Foster, Founder & CEO, October 2026

Price a Fort Smith deal right now

Prefilled with a realistic Fort Smith deal. Change any number and it reprices on the programs that lend in Arkansas, with the same math as our term sheets.

Sizing your flip on the same terms as the term sheet. Get a real term sheet →

Financing a deal in Fort Smith

Fort Smith is a border city on the Arkansas River, across from Oklahoma, with an older housing stock and some of the lowest entry prices of any city we cover in the region. Victorian homes fill Belle Grove downtown, the north side is mostly small 1920s to 1950s frame houses, and the east side holds brick ranches from the 1950s to 1970s. Trucking, manufacturing, two hospital systems and a growing medical school campus at Chaffee Crossing carry the job base.

The news in Fort Smith is Ebbing Air National Guard Base. The Air Force picked it as the training center for foreign F-35 pilots, and partner countries are rotating pilots, instructors and families through the city. That brings new renters and buyers who want a clean, move-in ready house on the east side or near Chaffee Crossing. The cheapest north side houses are a different trade, where the after repair value is low and the rehab has to stay lean.

What a Fort Smith deal looks like on paper

Fort Smith example: $140,000 purchase, $45,000 rehab, $245,000 after repair value, 700 credit, first flip. The engine puts that borrower on the First Flip, 10% Down program at 9.99%. Imagine a 1960s brick ranch on the east side off Rogers Avenue with a leaking roof, cast iron drains, a dated kitchen and carpet over oak floors. Every number below is what the instant term sheet prints for that deal, so the picture cannot contradict the page.

Loan amount$166,500
Cash to close$32,794
Proof of funds to show$54,611
Where the $32,794 goes
  • Down payment (10% of purchase plus rehab)You$18,500
  • Origination (2.13%)Lender$3,538
  • Lender fees (flat)Lender$2,790
  • Broker fee (1%)Broker$2,000
  • Title and closing (estimate at Texas rates)Title$3,159
  • Prepaid interest (15 days)Lender$499
  • Property insuranceInsurer$1,758
  • AppraisalAppraiser$550

Interest while you rehab: $1,011 a month on the $121,500 funded at closing, $1,386 once every draw is out. Proof of funds is cash to close plus $13,500 of rehab reserve and $8,317 of interest reserve. Sample borrower, sample address; the sheet is issued by the same engine as the borrower’s instant term sheet.

Fix and flip programs in Fort Smith

Swipe the table for rates, credit and terms →

ProgramDown paymentMin creditExperienceRateOriginationMax loanTermClose
Experienced Investor Rate115% of purchase680+2+ completed flips9.00%0.75%75% of ARV12-24 months7-14 days
First Flip, 10% Down210% of purchase + rehab660+First flip OK9.99%2%75% of ARV12 months21-30 days
7.5% Down, 3+ Flips37.5% of purchase + rehab660+3+ completed flips9.99%1.5%75% of ARV12 months21-30 days
5% Down, 5+ Flips45% of purchase660+5+ completed flips9.99% to 10.99%2%75% of ARV9-24 months10-14 days
100% Financing, 2+ Flips50% (100% financing)620+2+ completed flips9.50% to 12.00%2.5%70% of ARV9 months7-14 days
Fastest Close (3 days)10% of purchaseNo minimumFirst flip OK11.99%2%75% of ARV6 months72 hours
  1. Rate and origination are the program floor; two completed projects in the last 36 months preferred.
  2. Rate 9.99% with 2% to 2.25% origination by credit; more origination buys the rate down as far as 8.99%. Loans under $150,000 add 0.5% to the rate and 0.5% to the origination, under $100,000 1.5% and 1%. Under 680 credit the loan caps at 87.5% of cost. Standard interest, charged only on funds drawn. The loan is capped at a share of purchase plus rehab, the full rehab held back for draws, and the ARV must be at least 1.25 times purchase plus rehab. Processing $500, legal $1,495 and underwriting $795.
  3. Rate 9.99% with 1.5% to 1.75% origination by credit; more origination buys the rate down as far as 8.99%. Loans under $150,000 add 0.5% to the rate and 0.5% to the origination, under $100,000 1.5% and 1%. Under 680 credit the loan caps at 90% of cost. Standard interest, charged only on funds drawn. The loan is capped at a share of purchase plus rehab, the full rehab held back for draws, and the ARV must be at least 1.25 times purchase plus rehab. Processing $500, legal $1,495 and underwriting $795.
  4. Rate is set per file from 9.99%; origination about 2% plus a $995 processing fee.
  5. Needs 2 completed flips in the last two years and about $75,000 in verified liquidity. Rate 9.5% to 12% with 2% to 3% origination, set per file. Purchase plus rehab must fit under 70% of ARV.

Origination has a $2,000 minimum on most programs (a few lenders set a higher one, noted above) and our broker fee is 1% with a $2,000 minimum and a $10,000 maximum. These are the numbers our term sheets use as of October 2026. Strong credit, cash and a track record can price lower through specific lenders in the network.

Where Fort Smith prices sit right now

Before we price a Fort Smith flip, we look at where sales in the city sit today. Your block can run well above or below these numbers, so treat them as the starting point, not the answer.

Redfin puts the Fort Smith median sale price at $224K for the three months ending September 2026, down 0.58% on a year earlier, with homes selling in around 37 days. Zillow’s average home value for the city is $193,081, up 2.7%. In 72903, the east side, Redfin’s median is $250K, down 6.4%, with homes selling in about 25 days.

Median sale price (Redfin)$224K
Days on market (Redfin)37
Typical home value (Zillow)$193,081
72903 median sale (Redfin)$250K

Sources: Redfin, Fort Smith housing market, Zillow, Fort Smith home values, Redfin, 72903 housing market

How a Fort Smith file actually gets priced

Sebastian County appraisers comp tightly by side of town. A finished east side ranch will not lean on sales from the north side, and Chaffee Crossing new construction sits in its own group. We set the after repair value on renovated sales from the same part of town, matched on bed and bath count and garage. Prices barely moved over the past year, so we do not budget for any appreciation during the hold.

Fort Smith and Van Buren took the brunt of the 2019 Arkansas River flood, and low ground near the river and along Mill Creek still sits in mapped flood zones. Pull the flood map before you offer. The older stock brings cast iron and clay sewer lines, galvanized supply pipe, foundation settling and old electrical panels. Hail and tornado season means roof age and a wind and hail deductible are worth reading on the insurance quote. Belle Grove carries historic review on exterior work.

Who buys your finished Fort Smith deal

The finished house sells to medical workers at Baptist Health and Mercy, staff and students tied to the medical school, Ebbing personnel and families moving for manufacturing and trucking jobs. Many buyers use FHA, VA or USDA financing, so the house has to pass a condition-focused appraisal. Rents are solid against these entry prices, which makes a DSCR refinance a realistic fallback, especially near the base and Chaffee Crossing.

What happens after you apply

Apply once and the whole Fort Smith loan lives in the borrower portal: the term sheet you can accept and sign in the browser, where the loan stands, one place for documents, and the list of what the lender is still waiting on. These are real screens from the portal.

Capital Kings borrower portal: Welcome to your file
Welcome to your fileSign in and the term sheet is waiting, with every fee and who it goes to.
Capital Kings borrower portal: Where the loan stands
Where the loan standsApplication, appraisal, title, underwriting, clear to close.
Capital Kings borrower portal: Run the deal again
Run the deal againThe analyzer priced off your real numbers, before and after the appraisal.
Capital Kings borrower portal: What the lender still needs
What the lender still needsEvery open condition, what clears it, and who it is waiting on.

The full walkthrough is on how it works, and you can tour the borrower portal before you apply.

What we fund in Fort Smith

Fix and flip

10%down on a first flip
Rates
from 9.00% at 680+ credit with 2+ completed flips
With experience
0% down with 2+ completed flips, purchase plus rehab under 70% of ARV
Rehab
100% funded, paid in draws
Fix and flip loans in Arkansas →

Rental (DSCR)

7.00%rates from, 30-year fixed
Qualify on
the rent, no W-2s or tax returns
Down
from 20% at 700+ credit
Good for
buy-and-hold, and the refinance when a flip becomes a rental
DSCR loans in Arkansas →

New construction

95%of cost with a financed interest reserve, after 1 completed build
Rates
from 8.49% with 5+ completed builds
First build
85% of cost with a GC who has 5+ builds
Builds
single family to small multifamily
New construction loans in Arkansas →

Where we lend in Fort Smith

We broker deals across the whole Fort Smith market. The submarkets investors ask us about most are Belle Grove and downtown (72901), North Fort Smith and Midland Boulevard (72904), East side off Rogers Avenue (72903), South Fort Smith (72908) and Chaffee Crossing (72916).

How long does a Fort Smith loan take to fund?

You send the address, purchase price, rehab budget and your ARV, which takes about five minutes and no credit pull. We take it to the lenders in our network that fit it and are licensed in Arkansas, and the rate, origination, leverage and cash to close come back side by side. As little as 72 hours on the fastest program, 7-30 days on the others. We stay on title and the lender through funding.

Fort Smith hard money FAQ

Do you lend hard money in Fort Smith?
Yes. Capital Kings is a broker, not a direct lender, so we shop your Fort Smith scenario across a 400+ lender network and bring back real terms instead of one lender’s rate sheet. The programs on this page are the ones whose lenders are licensed in Arkansas, and the numbers come from the same engine that prices our instant term sheet.
Which fix and flip programs apply in Fort Smith?
As of October 2026: Experienced Investor Rate (15% down, from 9.00%, 2+ completed flips); First Flip, 10% Down (10% down, from 9.99%); 7.5% Down, 3+ Flips (7.5% down, from 9.99%, 3+ completed flips); 5% Down, 5+ Flips (5% down, from 9.99%, 5+ completed flips); 100% Financing, 2+ Flips (100% financing when purchase plus rehab fits under 70% of ARV, from 9.50%, 2+ completed flips); Fastest Close (3 days) (10% down, from 11.99%). Rehab is funded 100 percent in draws on every one of them, and we shop the file against the rest of the network before anything is signed.
How fast can a Fort Smith hard money loan close?
As little as 72 hours on the fastest-close program, which has no credit minimum. In Arkansas, once the file is complete, the programs for investors with completed flips close in 7-14 days (10-14 on 5% down with 5+ flips, 21-30 on 7.5% down with 3+ flips) and a first flip on the 10% down program closes in 21-30 days. The biggest delays are usually title issues or missing borrower documents, so getting those started early makes a big difference.
How much do I need to bring to close on a Fort Smith flip?
The worked example on this page is a $140,000 Fort Smith purchase with a $45,000 rehab and a $245,000 after repair value at 700 credit, first flip: $18,500 down (10% of purchase plus rehab) and $32,794 total cash to close, with $54,611 of proof of funds to show the lender. Investors with a track record can go to 0% down (100% financing) from 9.50% at 620+ credit with 2+ completed flips, when purchase plus rehab fits under 70% of ARV, and you still bring the closing costs in cash. Rehab is funded 100 percent through draws in every case. Run your own numbers in the calculator above, or send us the deal and we will price it.
Do you fund the rehab budget in Fort Smith?
Yes, 100 percent of the rehab is funded, but it is a holdback released in draws rather than cash at closing. You pay for each phase, request a draw, an inspector verifies the work, and the lender reimburses. That means you need working capital to float the first phase, which is the single most common thing new investors miss on their first deal.
What credit score do I need for a Fort Smith fix and flip loan?
One Fort Smith program has no credit floor at all, it is priced on speed rather than credit. The lowest rate here, 9.00%, needs 680+ credit and 2+ completed flips. Depending on the program, origination steps down at 700 and 740. Credit matters less here than on a conventional loan because the deal carries the file, but it moves your rate and your leverage, so know where you stand before you make offers.
Can I refinance a Fort Smith flip into a rental loan?
Yes. That is the BRRRR exit, and it is the most common way a Fort Smith flip becomes a hold. A DSCR loan qualifies on the property’s rental income rather than your W-2, so once the rehab is done and it is leased, you refinance out of the short-term hard money loan into 30-year financing. Worth deciding before you start, because it changes what finish level makes sense.
Will the F-35 training mission at Ebbing help my Fort Smith rental or resale?
It adds demand, mostly for clean, well-located rentals and move-in ready homes. Partner countries rotate pilots and support staff through Ebbing for years at a time, and many want a furnished or long-term lease close to the airport and the east side. Underwrite the deal on today’s rents and comps, though, not on a forecast. The base is a tailwind, not a reason to overpay.
Do I need flood insurance on a Fort Smith flip?
If the house sits in a mapped flood zone and the buyer uses a federally backed mortgage, their lender will require it, and that premium affects what they can pay. The 2019 river flood reached neighborhoods that had not flooded in decades. Check the FEMA map and get a flood quote before you buy, so you know how the cost will land on your end buyer.
Micah Foster
Micah Foster
Founder & CEO, Capital Kings LLC
Micah brokers Non-QM and hard money loans for real estate investors across 38 states from his base in Texas. He founded Capital Kings to give investors a broker who shops the market on their behalf instead of pitching one lender product.

What to read before you sign a term sheet

Hard money near Fort Smith: Fayetteville, Bentonville, Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. More Arkansas city guides: Jonesboro. Or see everything we fund in Arkansas.

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