What Is a Seasoning Requirement?
A seasoning requirement is the minimum time you must own a property before a lender will allow you to refinance based on its current appraised value. For BRRRR investors, this is the time between your purchase closing and the date you can execute the refinance step: the most capital-critical phase of the entire strategy.
Conventional Seasoning: 12 Months
In April 2023, Fannie Mae extended the conventional investment property cash-out refinance seasoning requirement to 12 months. This means you must own the property for at least one year before a conventional lender will base your refinance on the current appraised value.
For BRRRR investors, this is effectively a deal-killer. A 12-month seasoning requirement means your capital sits locked in the property for a full year, even if the renovation is complete in 90 days and the property is producing rent. Two BRRRR cycles per year becomes one.
Seasoning Comparison
Fannie Mae conventional: 12-month seasoning required
DSCR loans: No seasoning requirement
The difference: one BRRRR deal per year vs two or more from the same starting capital.
DSCR Seasoning: Zero
DSCR lenders are private lenders not bound by Fannie Mae guidelines. At Get Brick Capital, there is no seasoning requirement. You can refinance the day renovation is complete.
The loan is sized based on the current third-party appraisal, the after-repair value, regardless of how recently you acquired the property. If you purchased at $120,000, renovated, and the property appraises at $250,000, your loan is sized on $250,000 from day one: not on what you paid.
The Math on Speed
An investor running BRRRR cycles with 90-day renovation timelines:
- With conventional (12-month seasoning): 1 BRRRR cycle per year
- With DSCR (no seasoning): 3–4 BRRRR cycles per year with the same starting capital
- Over 5 years: conventional investor owns 5 properties; DSCR investor owns 15–20 from the same starting capital
The seasoning requirement isn't just an inconvenience: it is a multiplier on long-term portfolio growth. Eliminating it changes the math fundamentally.
Do All DSCR Lenders Have No Seasoning?
No. While DSCR lenders are not required to have seasoning requirements, many have adopted conservative policies of 3–6 months. Always ask your lender directly before assuming no seasoning applies to your deal.
At Get Brick Capital, there is no seasoning requirement on BRRRR refinances, cash-out refinances, or rate & term refinances. Zero days from purchase to refinance eligibility.
No Seasoning. Refi When Ready.
BRRRR refinance the day rehab is done. Submit your deal today.
Submit Deal Summary →When Seasoning Does Apply to DSCR
One scenario where LTV-based limitations may apply on some lenders: if the property was purchased very recently and the purchase price is significantly lower than the appraised value, some lenders cap the loan at the purchase price for the first 90 days, then allow full ARV after that threshold. This is a lender-specific policy: not a universal DSCR rule.
At Get Brick Capital, we use the current appraised value from day one: no cost-basis limitation, no purchase-price cap. The loan is sized on the appraisal.
Bottom Line
The seasoning requirement is a Fannie Mae conventional rule: not a universal lending standard. DSCR loans from the right lender carry zero seasoning requirement, which is the single most impactful structural advantage for investors executing the BRRRR method at scale. Don't let a lender's internal policy slow down a cycle that doesn't need slowing down.