We provide lender-ready capital raise packaging and debt or equity placement support for business owners and buyers looking to secure serious term sheets and close funding on a defined timeline.
For business owners and acquirers pursuing private debt or equity, submit your deal for review. We revert within one working day with next steps and either a quote for our services.
Commercial Real Estate
“Creative financing” sounds like a hack. In real Commercial Real Estate, it is just disciplined structuring: the right capital stack, the right counterparties, and paperwork that survives lender and investor scrutiny.
The real question is not “Can I raise it?” It is “How much do I have to spend before anyone takes me seriously?”
Independent sponsors usually pay upfront in three buckets: (1) packaging and process, (2) third-party diligence, and (3) legal and closing setup. If you want speed and leverage, you will pay more upfront. If you want minimal spend, you will pay with time and uncertainty.
| Upfront bucket | Typical range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Structuring and lender process | USD 10,000 to 75,000+ | Underwriting story, sources and uses, lender package, data room build, outreach process, and term sheet negotiation support. Sponsors pay this when they want actual term sheets, not casual “interest.” |
| Third-party diligence | USD 15,000 to 150,000+ | Appraisal, Phase I environmental, property condition report, survey, engineering, zoning, insurance review, and lender-required reports. Portfolio deals or complex assets sit on the high end. |
| Legal and entity setup | USD 10,000 to 100,000+ | Purchase and sale review, lender counsel, borrower counsel, entity formation, operating agreement, investor docs, and closing mechanics. If you bring equity partners, legal expands quickly. |
| Hard deposits and fees | Deal-specific | Earnest money, lender application or deposit, rate lock, extension fees, and sometimes reserve funding. These are not “fees” in the marketing sense. They are commitment signals. |
Simple rule: if your plan depends on paying nothing until closing, you are selecting for counterparties that do not underwrite. Serious lenders and real equity expect real diligence and real documentation.
Most “creative” deals are not exotic. They are combinations of standard tools that solve a constraint: low sponsor equity, a short close timeline, a transitional asset, a valuation gap, or a seller who wants certainty.
Think of the stack as risk layers. The cheaper layers demand more certainty. The expensive layers tolerate more uncertainty, but they want control, protections, and clean reporting.
| Layer | Where it sits | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Senior debt | First lien | Lowest risk capital. Tight underwriting. Often dictates the entire deal structure. |
| Mezzanine debt | Behind senior, ahead of equity | Extra proceeds. Comes with intercreditor terms and tighter sponsor obligations. |
| Preferred equity | Equity-like, typically senior to common equity | Fills an equity gap with structured economics. Often lighter than mezz on covenants, but pricing is higher. |
| Common equity | First loss | Sponsor and LP equity. Controls upside. Takes the most risk. |
| Seller note | Usually behind senior, sometimes behind or alongside pref | Seller bridges valuation gap, improves sponsor cash requirement, and signals belief in the asset. |
This ranking assumes you are credible, your deal has a real purchase contract, and the asset has a defendable story. If your file is loose, everything gets harder.
| Rank | Capital source | Why it is easier or harder |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seller financing or seller note | One decision-maker, aligned to closing. Often the fastest “gap filler” if the seller is motivated and terms are realistic. |
| 2 | Senior bank debt on stabilized assets | Clear underwriting box. If DSCR and tenancy are solid, lenders can move fast. Recourse can make it easier. |
| 3 | Bridge debt for transitional assets | Speed is good, cost is higher. Lenders focus on plan quality, sponsor liquidity, and exit to permanent financing. |
| 4 | High net worth LP equity | Flexible and quick when trust exists. Harder when the sponsor has no track record or no reporting discipline. |
| 5 | Preferred equity | Underwriters want strong downside protection and clear controls. You need clean docs and credible cash flow planning. |
| 6 | Mezzanine debt | Intercreditor risk, enforcement rights, and tight reporting. Works when the senior lender is comfortable and the structure is clean. |
| 7 | Institutional JV equity | Harder for independent sponsors because it is a platform decision, not just a deal decision. Governance, reporting, and track record matter. |
| 8 | Non-recourse term debt at high leverage | Lowest tolerance for uncertainty. Requires strong asset quality, strong sponsorship, and often more time than sellers want to give. |
If your rent roll is messy, leases are missing, or capex is a guess, you will bleed time. That time becomes cost through extensions, re-trades, and lost credibility.
Defeasance, yield maintenance, lockouts, and lender consents can destroy a “creative” stack. You want the exit path written down before you stack layers.
We help independent sponsors and post-revenue groups structure Commercial Real Estate financing that produces written term sheets and a clear path to closing. Every mandate starts with underwriting and packaging: we pressure-test the story, build the lender package, and run outreach to matched lenders and capital partners. Where regulated execution is required, delivery is coordinated through appropriately licensed firms under their own approvals.
If you have a signed purchase and sale agreement or a tight timeline, send the basics first: deal summary, rent roll, T12, debt plan, and sponsor profile. We will revert with a document checklist and the best lender lane for your structure.
Start with Commercial Real Estate financing and how it works , then submit through our contact form.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, investment, or regulatory advice. Financely is not a bank and not a direct lender. Any engagement is subject to diligence, compliance screening including KYC, AML, and sanctions, lender and counterparty approvals, and definitive documentation. Cost ranges vary by asset type, jurisdiction, complexity, and counterparties.
Financely advises growth-focused businesses on accessing capital by introducing their opportunities to professional investors. Financely is not a securities broker or dealer. Where appropriate, engagements are coordinated with regulated broker-dealers, investment banks, legal counsel, and other specialists.
Financely does not solicit, offer, or accept orders to buy or sell securities and makes no assurance regarding capital-raising outcomes.
Services are strictly business-to-business. Financely does not provide personal finance, consumer credit, or retail advisory services.
Advisory services are reserved for post-revenue companies that recognize the time and resources required for professional underwriting.
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All mandates start with an RFQ. We review submissions, issue a brief Go/No-Go memo, and where bankable, release a Term Sheet that leads to funding. We arrange capital across Senior Secured, Unitranche, Second Lien/Mezzanine, Preferred Equity, and Gap Solutions. We do not process deals by email or chat.
Letters of Credit, Standby LCs, Confirmations, Receivables Finance, and Inventory Lines with control.
Funding arranged for trade flows with instruments sized to your cycle and aligned to delivery and settlement.
Move forward to secure working capital and keep goods moving. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting for funding.
Limited or non-recourse structures for energy and infrastructure with lender-ready materials.
Funding solutions aligned to project cash flows with credible covenants and conditions to reach notice to proceed.
Advance the file to termable status. Submit the RFQ so we can underwrite and secure funding.
Debt and Preferred solutions anchored on cash flow, Quality of Earnings, and clear closing mechanics.
Funding across senior, unitranche, and preferred to match stable cash flows and acquisition timelines.
Get financed on workable terms for closing. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting.
Acquisition, development, bridge, and refinance with lender-ready packs and third-party reports managed.
Funding calibrated to DSCR, leverage, and tenancy with terms designed to close.
Move to a financeable package. Submit the RFQ to initiate underwriting for funding.
KYC and Source of Funds required. Engagements are best-efforts and subject to underwriting. Preference for operating companies with meaningful revenue. See our FAQ and Procedure.
Financely Inc. (“Financely”) provides corporate-finance advice and is wholly owned by Aurora Bay Trust, a trust formed under Bahamian law, together with its authorized affiliates. Depending on deal structure, jurisdiction, and local rules, engagements may be carried out through Financely Group LLC, a non-deposit-taking, non-banking financial company; Ashford Capital Advisory LLC; or another related entity.
Financely and its affiliates are not registered as securities broker-dealers and do not execute securities transactions or hold client funds or securities. When a mandate involves the purchase or sale of securities and a registered intermediary is required, any orders are introduced to and executed by one or more independent U.S. broker-dealers registered with the SEC and FINRA. Those broker-dealers are solely responsible for trade execution, custody, and related regulatory obligations. Nothing in this material constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security or to engage in any specific transaction. Before engaging Financely Group LLC, Ashford Capital Advisory LLC, or any affiliate, you are responsible for confirming that such engagement complies with your own legal, regulatory, tax, and other requirements. In the United States, certain advisory activities may be conducted in reliance on exemptions available under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including the “foreign private adviser” exemption where applicable. Our services and regulatory status may vary by jurisdiction and by transaction type.
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