Mortgage services · 12
Financing for the building your business runs from
A business loan against real estate is a different discipline from a home mortgage — the property still matters, but the business behind it matters just as much. This page covers what that lending generally looks like and who it tends to fit.
Who this is for
Business owners buying or refinancing the property they operate from, investors financing larger income properties, professionals buying into a building.
What changes
Lenders weigh the business's financials alongside the real estate, not just the property.
The range
From a small commercial unit to a multi-tenant building — the underwriting logic scales with the deal.
The basics
What counts as commercial financing
A few situations tend to fall here rather than into standard residential lending:
- Buying or refinancing a commercial, industrial, or mixed-use property — a retail unit, an office, a warehouse, a building with a shop below and an apartment above.
- Residential buildings of five units or more. Anything one to four units is still residential lending; five-plus moves into commercial underwriting, with its own appraisal approach and lender pool.
- Financing tied to the business itself — using real estate you own or are acquiring as security for funds the business needs to grow, renovate, or consolidate debt.
- A professional buying the building their practice operates from, where the real estate and the business are effectively the same decision.
How it differs
What’s different from a home mortgage
Commercial lenders typically look at the property's income potential — existing or projected rent, lease terms, tenant quality — alongside your business's financials: statements, cash flow, how long the business has operated. Terms, amortization, and qualification criteria vary a great deal by lender and by deal, more than they do in residential lending. This is the honest reason a page like this can describe the shape of commercial financing but can't quote you numbers without your specific file.
What this means for you
Two businesses with the same revenue can get very different offers depending on the property, the tenant mix if there is one, and how the numbers are documented. The first conversation is about understanding your situation well enough to know which lenders are worth approaching.
Getting started
What helps on the first call
- What the property is, or what you're looking at — type, size, current use, and whether it's income-producing.
- Recent business financial statements, if you have them handy. Not required for the first call, but they shape the conversation.
- What the financing is for — a purchase, a refinance, an expansion, or consolidating existing debt.
- Your timeline, and whether there's a firm deadline — a closing date, an existing loan maturing.
Commercial files take more explaining than residential ones, not more paperwork upfront. Bring the shape of the situation first; the documents follow once we know which lenders are a fit.
Common questions
Questions people ask
Short answers in plain English. Your situation may be different — ask me anything on a free call.
Is this the same process as a home mortgage?
No. The lender pool, the underwriting approach, and the documentation are all different, and terms are negotiated more individually than residential rates are. What stays the same is the approach: understand the file honestly, then find the lender whose criteria actually fit it.
Do I need a certain business age or revenue to qualify?
It varies by lender and by the specific property, and I won't guess at a number here. Bring your situation and I'll tell you honestly where it's likely to land.
Can I finance a mixed-use building — commercial downstairs, residential up?
Yes, this is a common category, and it's usually treated as commercial financing overall, though the exact treatment depends on the split between uses and the lender.
What about buying the building for my own practice or business?
This is a common and often straightforward case, since the business's own financials and the real estate decision are closely tied together — worth a specific conversation about your numbers.
Bring me the property, or the plan.
I'll tell you honestly what kind of lending it needs, and whether it's a fit for what I arrange.