In the course of my daily conversations, I am often asked, “what do you do?” What is a Commercial Financing Consultant? Well, I can wear a “number of hats”.

First, for over 35 years, I have been in the sales and servicing business…providing a sales or service role for clients that have been connected to real estate buying or selling residential and commercial real estate. Now, what I am doing is capitalizing on this experience over the years to provide what many consider difficult…providing commercial real estate financing to purchasers of real property.

I work with real estate buyers, real estate agents, financing brokers, and direct lenders to provide financing for projects that vary from standard apartment buildings to the more difficult and complex properties, ranging from mobile home and RV parks to retail office, commercial buildings, hotels, warehousing and self storage, and gas stations. For most of the above, I am the “first point of contact”, in that I am contacted about the project and then decide which of the brokers and direct lenders I should present the property to. In some instances, that property could go to two or three lenders to see who can offer the best terms and costs. The goal is to get the best financing available to make the transaction happen and close. To provide this needed service of connecting the buyer with the source of financing  is our “reason for being”.

How am I paid?  Like most professionals, we are paid for the services that we provide. Attorneys provide legal services, doctors provide medical services, CPA’s provide accounting and tax services, and we provide financial services. Our clients pay for these services, but we are not paid until we produce funding for an escrow closing, a signficant difference from others that are paid as the services are provided.  We are paid by fees, called points, that are charged the buyer for the processing of the financing application and the compilation of necessary documentation required by the lender-investor. We are paid to do the work that is needed so that the lender can make a determination as to whether they can make a loan on the subject property.

How do I know who to go to with my prospective project?  These days, we have direct traditional lenders, such as a local or national bank, with a local loan officer. They have very specific guidelines as to how they loan, what they loan on, and who they loan to. Often these are the sources for SBA loans. Other direct lenders include, among others, credit unions, pension funds, retirement funds, and investment companies. These usually rely on mortgage or financing brokers to bring potential borrowers to them, in that they do not have a sales force. Our third group of lenders-investors are private funds, such as hedge funds, private businesses, and companies that exist to loan money. Again mortgage brokers are the ones that represent them to the borrowing public. My role is to work with each of these categories. Thus, I affiliate with direct lenders, with mortgage brokers representing both the direct and the private lenders, as well as with real estate agents that do not have access to either direct lenders or commercial real estate financing mortgage brokers.  I serve as the “connector” between the borrower and the ultimate funding source. I am a consultant for buyers, for agents, for mortgage brokers, and for direct lenders…working and advising all of these in the course of a transaction. I am paid for my ability to do this, which calls on my experience of over 35 years in the real estate profession.

So, what do I do?…is best answered by saying, “all of the above”.  I make things happen when one needs commercial real estate financing. A rewarding profession.