Flip through it like a book. How SBA 504, 7(a), conventional and bridge loans actually work, and how to put me to work on your deal.
Drag a corner, tap the page edges, or use your arrow keys to turn pages.
Free SBA 7(a), 504, DSCR, LTV and amortization calculators, no email gate.
This is the conversation I'd have with you over coffee before you ever sign anything. Commercial financing has its own vocabulary, and most of it is built to sound harder than it is. The next eighteen pages translate it.
The first half explains the four loan types I work in every day, SBA 504, SBA 7(a), conventional, and bridge, in plain language, with the numbers that actually matter.
The second half shows how to work with me: what I need from you, how a deal moves from first call to funded, and how my referral partners get paid.
| The SBA, in one minute | 04 |
| SBA 504, owning your building | 06 |
| SBA 7(a), the flexible workhorse | 08 |
| 504 vs 7(a), side by side | 10 |
| Conventional commercial loans | 11 |
| Bridge & interim financing | 12 |
| Are you eligible? | 13 |
| How a deal flows | 14 |
| Why work with me | 15 |
| Working with me, borrowers | 16 |
| Working with me, referral partners | 17 |
| Get started | 18 |
The Small Business Administration is a federal agency, but it usually isn't your lender. With its flagship programs, the SBA guarantees a large slice of a loan that a bank, credit union, or licensed lender actually funds.
That guaranty lowers the lender's risk. In exchange, you get terms a conventional loan rarely offers: smaller down payments, longer amortization, and no balloon payments.
The trade-off is paperwork and a process. That's the part I handle for you.
Your business operates from the building. SBA real-estate loans require you to occupy at least 51% of an existing building (or 60% of new construction).
Amortization is the schedule your payment is calculated on; the term is how long until the loan matures. SBA loans usually match the two, no surprise balloon.
Owners of 20%+ generally personally guarantee SBA loans. Standard, not a red flag.
Loan-to-value and loan-to-cost, how much of the price (or project) the loan covers.
The 504 is built for one thing: helping an operating business buy, build, or improve owner-occupied commercial real estate (or heavy equipment) with a low down payment and a long, fixed rate.
It comes in three layers:
Special-purpose property or a startup can push the down payment to 15%; both, to 20%.
A job-creation or public-policy goal usually applies, but most projects qualify comfortably.
If the 504 is a scalpel for real estate, the 7(a) is the multi-tool. It's the SBA's most common program because the money can go almost anywhere a healthy business needs it.
One loan, blended use. I size it so the payment fits the cash flow.
| SBA 504 | SBA 7(a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Owner-occupied RE & big equipment | Almost anything: RE, acquisition, WC |
| Structure | 50 bank / 40 CDC / 10 you | One loan, SBA-guaranteed |
| Rate | Long-term fixed (the 504 piece) | Usually variable, Prime + spread |
| Working capital? | No | Yes |
| Down payment | ~10% | ~10% (deal-dependent) |
Not every deal is, or should be, an SBA loan. Conventional commercial financing has no government guaranty, which means fewer eligibility rules and, for the right borrower, a faster, cleaner close.
Expect roughly 65–75% LTV, with terms and amortization set by the lender and the asset.
A bridge loan buys you time. It's short-term capital that closes fast and gets refinanced or paid off once the longer-term solution is in place.
Bridge money prices higher and runs shorter, months, not decades. The exit plan matters as much as the property.
SBA programs share a short list. Most healthy small businesses clear it:
3 yrs business & personal tax returns · YTD P&L and balance sheet · debt schedule · personal financial statement · purchase contract or use-of-funds. I'll send a tidy checklist.
I'm the lender your broker calls when the deal is hard. I'm not a single bank, I shop your deal across SBA and conventional sources and structure it to fit, instead of forcing it into one box.
No cost to explore. The fastest deals start with a real conversation, not a 40-field form.
Brokers, CPAs, advisors and bankers: send me the financing you can't or don't place, and get paid when it closes.
The hardest deals to finance are the ones that never get sent. If you've got a property, a purchase, or a partner to buy out, start the conversation.
Cam Nayebi
camnayebi.com · cnayebi@harvestcref.com
I'll find the structure, and pay you if you sent it.
Tell me about your deal →camnayebi.com