Business-purpose & commercial financing
Commercial Financingfor California Owners & Investors
A starting point for business-purpose commercial financing across property types — including retail and shopping centers — with dedicated guidance for apartment and gas station properties, and the full range of options on our Services page.
Commercial Financing Starts With the Transaction — Not the Loan Product
Before identifying a financing path, the transaction itself needs to be understood. Six inputs commonly interact, and how they fit together — not a product name — is what actually determines what may be possible.
Property
Type, location, occupancy, condition, value context.
Borrower
Experience, liquidity, credit profile, ownership structure.
Cash Flow
Property income or operating-business performance, where applicable.
Documentation
Financial statements, leases, entity and property records.
Structure
Purchase, refinance, construction, or business-acquisition purpose.
Lender / Program Fit
Which lenders and programs are positioned to consider the transaction.
What are you financing?
Start with the goal closest to yours — it carries straight into the conversation below.
Property & Business Types
Commercial Financing is the starting point for every property and business type below, including retail and shopping-center properties. Two property types have deeper, dedicated guidance — see Specialist Financing further down this page.
Industrial / Warehouse
Production, storage, logistics, and distribution properties.
Retail / Shopping Center
Single-tenant retail through multi-tenant shopping centers.
Office / Professional
Single- and multi-tenant office and professional space.
Mixed Use
Combined commercial and residential or multi-purpose properties.
Owner-User Business Property
Real estate a business acquires or refinances to occupy and operate from.
What May Be Evaluated
Depending on the transaction and program, lenders commonly review several factors together, grouped here for clarity:
Property / Asset
- Property type and location
- Occupancy and condition
- Leases / income, where relevant
- Value context
Borrower
- Experience
- Liquidity / equity
- Credit profile
- Ownership / entity structure
Cash Flow / Business
- Property income
- Operating performance
- P&L, where relevant
- Business cash flow, where relevant
Transaction
- Purchase / refinance / construction purpose
- Existing debt
- Requested financing
- Exit strategy, where relevant
Documentation
- Financial statements
- Leases / rent information
- Entity documents
- Property / business records as applicable
These are factors that may be evaluated, depending on the transaction, lender, and program — not a universal checklist. Exact requirements are set by the applicable lender.
Our approach
A Strong Property Does Not Automatically Create a Simple Financing Request
A fundamentally sound commercial transaction can still encounter friction. The first step is identifying what is actually creating the obstacle.
- Documentation inconsistency
- Business / P&L complexity
- Property performance
- Credit / profile complications
- Entity / ownership structure
- Existing debt
- Timing
- Previous decline
- Lender / program mismatch
- Bridge exit issues
- Transaction structure
Mortgage Bankers' role is not to bypass underwriting, guarantee approval, or hide documentation problems. The objective is to understand the transaction, identify what is actually complicating it, prepare the information, and explore appropriate financing paths.
Have a commercial transaction you want to discuss?
Discuss Your Commercial TransactionPotential Capital Paths
No path is automatically superior — the right one depends on the property, the borrower, and the transaction structure.
Conventional
Conventional Commercial
May fit transactions that align with conventional lender underwriting and property requirements, outside SBA program-specific guidelines.
SBA
SBA 7(a) & 504
May be relevant where business acquisition, real estate, equipment, working capital, or multiple purposes interact, depending on eligibility and program requirements — never assumed in advance.
As of July 2026, SBA raised the cumulative 7(a)-plus-504 loan limit to $10 million for qualifying borrowers — a meaningful change for larger or combined transactions, subject to program requirements. Source: SBA.gov
Bridge / Transitional
Bridge or Transitional Financing
May sometimes be considered where timing, transition, or transaction complexity warrants a shorter-term structure with a defined exit plan.
Construction
Construction Financing
May be relevant for ground-up development or substantial renovation, subject to budget, plans, and borrower/developer experience.
Alternative
Private / Alternative Capital
May be considered where appropriate and supportable by the transaction, outside conventional or SBA underwriting.
Specialist Financing
Some commercial transactions involve property-specific factors that warrant deeper, dedicated guidance.
Multifamily Specialist
Apartment Building Financing
5+ unit acquisition and refinance — property income, reserves, and sponsor experience evaluated in depth.
Explore Apartment Building Financing
Fuel & Convenience Specialist
Gas Station Financing
Fuel infrastructure, environmental history, and the operating business — evaluated alongside the real estate.
Explore Gas Station Financing
Shahram "Sean" Elyaszadeh
Founder, Mortgage Bankers Corporation
Commercial transactions rarely come down to one number. Four decades of evaluating property, business, and borrower circumstances shapes how a file gets reviewed before it ever reaches a lender:
- Evaluating transactions across property types, business structures, and borrower circumstances
- Recognizing where documentation, cash-flow, or structural issues are likely to surface
- Understanding what a given lender or program is likely to focus on
- Preparing a financing presentation appropriately for a complex transaction
- Exploring reasonable, appropriate financing paths
What May Be Helpful Before a Commercial Financing Conversation
Preparing the following in advance can help, though exact requirements are always set by the applicable lender and program:
Transaction
- Financing goal
- Property / business type
- Location
- Purchase / value context
- Requested financing range
- Timeline
Property / Business
- Occupancy
- Income
- Leases
- P&L
- Operating information
- Existing debt
Borrower / Entity
- Ownership
- Experience
- Equity / liquidity context
- Entity structure
Process & Timeline Expectations
Understand
The transaction and objective.
Identify
Key variables across property, business, and structure.
Review
Available information and documentation.
Prepare / Structure
The request for the appropriate lender or program.
Explore & Next Steps
Appropriate financing paths and what's needed to move forward.
Timing, terms, approval, and closing depend on the applicable lender, underwriting, property, and documentation review. Mortgage Bankers does not control lender approval, rates, or closing dates.
Working with Mortgage Bankers Corporation
Mortgage Bankers Corporation was founded in 1985 by Shahram "Sean" Elyaszadeh and has served California clients from its Los Angeles office for over four decades, holding California DRE corporate license #01375131. Program availability, lender eligibility, and documentation requirements vary by transaction.
Request a Commercial Financing Review
A few short steps. Nothing you enter here is an application, approval, rate quote, or commitment to lend.
Commercial financing FAQs
What information is useful for an initial commercial financing review?
Generally helpful: the transaction goal, property or business type, location, requested financing range, current property or business performance, and timing. Exact documentation needs depend on the specific transaction and are confirmed once a lender/program is identified.
Can commercial financing be used for a purchase or a refinance?
Yes. Both purchase and refinance are common commercial financing goals, along with construction, business acquisition, and bridge/transitional needs. Each is evaluated on its own facts.
What is owner-user commercial financing?
Owner-user financing applies when a business is acquiring or refinancing the real estate it occupies and operates from, as opposed to an investor acquiring an income-producing property leased to others.
How does business cash flow affect a commercial financing request?
For transactions involving an operating business, cash flow, margins, and historical performance are commonly reviewed alongside the real estate itself, since the business may be relied on to support debt service.
What is the difference between bridge and longer-term financing?
Bridge or transitional financing is typically shorter-term, used to address timing, transition, or a property/business in a changing state, with an identified exit plan. Longer-term financing is structured around stabilized, ongoing performance.
Can SBA financing be relevant to a commercial property or business acquisition?
SBA 7(a) and 504 programs may be relevant depending on eligibility, use of proceeds, and program requirements — never assumed in advance. As of July 2026, SBA raised the cumulative 7(a)-plus-504 loan limit to $10 million for qualifying borrowers. Source: SBA.gov
What happens if another lender already declined the request?
A prior decline does not automatically rule out financing elsewhere. It is useful information for understanding what happened and whether a different structure, lender, or documentation approach may be appropriate.
How are apartment building and gas station financing handled?
Apartment building and gas station transactions involve property-specific factors — multifamily income/reserves, or fuel infrastructure and environmental history — that warrant dedicated guidance. Both have their own specialist page; Commercial Financing is the starting point for every other commercial property or business-purpose transaction, including retail and shopping-center properties.