25 Years.
$500 Million Funded.

Why this site exists

Search for "FHA 203(k) loan" and you'll find hundreds of articles. Most of them say the same things, in the same order, with the same generic disclaimers. They were written by content teams optimizing for search rankings — not by people who have sat across the table from a borrower trying to figure out whether a Limited or Standard makes sense for their deal.

After 25 years and over $500 million in funded renovation loan volume, I've seen what the generic guides miss. The questions borrowers actually ask. The complications that kill deals. The lender overlays that go beyond HUD's guidelines. The contractor issues that nobody warns you about until it's too late.

That's what this site is built to address.

The Reno Game

Renovation financing is a game with rules that most players don't know. The rules aren't secret — they're just buried in HUD handbooks, Fannie Mae selling guides, and Freddie Mac bulletins that nobody reads for fun.

The Reno Game is the framework I use to explain how renovation financing actually works: the programs, the mechanics, the appraisal process, the contractor requirements, the draw process, and the deal structures that work in the real world.

If you understand the game, you can play it. If you don't, you're at the mercy of whoever you're working with — and hoping they know the rules.

What I cover

The focus is renovation financing — specifically the programs that let you purchase or refinance a property and finance the cost of improvements in a single loan. That means FHA 203(k) (Limited and Standard), Fannie Mae HomeStyle®, Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation®, and construction-to-permanent financing.

I cover the mechanics in depth: after-improved value, subject-to appraisals, contractor requirements, draw processes, contingency reserves, and the distinctions between agency guidelines and lender overlays. The details that determine whether a deal works.

No affiliate links. No sponsored content.

This site doesn't run affiliate programs or accept sponsored content. The information here is based on 25 years of direct experience — not on what generates a referral fee.