What Commercial Loan Do I Qualify For?

It depends on five things: property type, loan purpose, property cash flow, your timeline, and loan size. Stabilized multifamily typically routes to agency (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac), bank, or life company debt. Value-add and vacant properties route to bridge lenders. Ground-up projects need construction loans. Owner-occupied buildings unlock SBA programs. This qualifier walks those questions in about 60 seconds and shows the programs that fit.

Most commercial lenders want a credit score of 660 or better, net worth roughly equal to the loan amount, and liquidity of 10 percent or more of the loan after closing. Agency and bank lenders are strictest; bridge lenders and debt funds weight the property and business plan more heavily than the sponsor's balance sheet. Exceptions get made for strong deals, which is exactly where a broker earns their fee.

Commercial Lending Solutions arranges commercial real estate loans starting at $1 million, with no upper limit in practice ($100 million+ transactions are placed through institutional capital sources). Below $1 million, local banks and credit unions are usually the right fit and often the only economic option.

Bridge and hard money loans can close in 2 to 4 weeks. Bank balance sheet loans typically take 45 to 75 days. Agency, CMBS, and life company permanent loans run 45 to 90 days. If you are up against a hard deadline such as a 1031 exchange window or a maturing loan, bridge debt buys certainty of close and can be refinanced into permanent debt afterward.