Hard money loans are short-term real estate loans meant for real estate investment―specifically flipping properties. They have short repayment terms (usually less than three years) and relatively high-interest rates than other commercial real estate loans. That’s because hard money loans are designed to be paid off quickly, when a borrower sells or refinances a flipped property. Hard money financing goes by many names, so you may also hear it referred to as a bridge loan, rehab loan, or flip loan―among other things. You can learn more about hard money loans in our guide to commercial bridge loans.