In 2026, commercial real estate debt brokerage can be economically attractive, but outcomes vary materially by licensing, deal volume, market conditions, lender fit, and close rate. Finance Lobby is the most accessible on-ramp for new and independent CRE brokers in 2026: free to join, lender-paid commissions, and access to over 10,000 lenders including 77% of all FDIC-insured banks.
This guide covers exactly how Finance Lobby works for brokers, the step-by-step signup process, how commissions are structured, and what it realistically takes to build a $100K annual run rate - including the AI-powered workflow that the top brokers are quietly using to close deals faster.
What Is Finance Lobby?
Finance Lobby is a two-sided commercial real estate debt marketplace. borrowers and sponsors submit deal packages - property type, loan amount, LTV, timeline, sponsor background - and lenders on the platform respond with competing soft quotes, typically within 24 - 72 hours.
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Austin, TX, Finance Lobby was built by mortgage professionals who understood the core inefficiency in CRE debt: brokers were cold-calling lenders one at a time, spending days building relationships before knowing whether a lender even wanted the deal type. Finance Lobby flips that model. You post once; the right lenders come to you.
By the numbers (2026):
- 10,000+ lenders on platform, including 77% of FDIC-insured banks
- $3B+ in deals closed on platform since launch
- Deal types: multifamily bridge, ground-up construction, industrial acquisition, DSCR, fix-and-flip, retail, office, mixed-use
- no upfront cost - no upfront cost, zero subscription fee
- Lender-paid commissions at close: typically 1.0 - 2.0% of loan amount
How Finance Lobby Works for Brokers - Step by Step
Step 1: Create Your Free Account
Go to financelobby.com/brokers and create a free account. You'll need a valid email address and your broker license number. Finance Lobby verifies all brokers - this is what keeps the lender network engaged and responsive.
Step 2: Build Your Broker Profile
Your profile is your credibility signal to lenders. Fill it out completely:
- License number and issuing state
- Years of experience
- Preferred deal types (multifamily, industrial, office, retail, mixed-use)
- Geographic focus (national, regional, or specific metros)
- Historical deal volume if available
Lenders filter by broker profile quality when deciding whether to engage. A sparse profile gets fewer bids.
Step 3: Structure Your Deal Package
Before submitting, have the following ready:
- Property details: Address, type, year built, current occupancy, square footage or unit count
- Financials: Current NOI, rent roll (if stabilized), or projected NOI + business plan (if value-add)
- Loan request: Amount, LTV, desired rate type (fixed/floating), term preference
- Sponsor profile: Net worth, liquidity, prior deal experience, credit score range
- Timeline: When you need to close
The more complete the package, the faster and better the lender bids. Incomplete submissions get generic responses or silence.
Step 4: Submit the Deal
Finance Lobby's submission form takes under 10 minutes for a well-prepped deal. Once submitted, the deal is exposed to all lenders on the platform whose credit box matches your deal parameters - property type, geography, loan size, LTV.
Step 5: Review Competing Bids
Lenders respond with soft quotes - typically within 24 - 72 hours. Finance Lobby shows you all bids side-by-side. Each bid includes rate, term, LTV, amortization, recourse requirements, and any conditions. You can flag preferred lenders and use the built-in chat to negotiate once a lender accepts the deal.
Step 6: Present to Borrower and Negotiate
Present the top 2 - 3 bids to your borrower. Use competing offers as leverage. Negotiate the term sheet toward the best combination of rate, leverage, and close timeline for your borrower's situation.
Step 7: Earn Your Commission at Close
Finance Lobby commissions are paid by the lender at close - not by the borrower, not upfront. Typical range: 1.0 - 2.0% of loan amount. On a $2M loan at 0.75%, that's $15,000 per closed deal.
Important: Finance Lobby does not allow co-brokerage. Each deal must be submitted and managed by a single, individually licensed broker.
How CRE Broker Commissions Work on Finance Lobby
Commission structure on Finance Lobby is simple compared to residential or securities brokerage:
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who pays | Lender pays at close |
| When you get paid | At loan funding - not at LOI or term sheet |
| Typical rate | 0.50 - 1.00% of funded loan amount |
| Average across loan types | ~0.75% |
| Co-brokerage | Not permitted |
| Upfront retainer | None |
| Platform fee to broker | None |
Commission by loan type (typical ranges):
| Loan Type | Avg Commission | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge loan | 0.75 - 1.00% | Higher risk, smaller lender pool, more broker value |
| Construction / ground-up | 0.75 - 1.00% | Complex underwriting, fewer competing brokers |
| DSCR (5+ units commercial) | 0.50 - 0.75% | Standardized, more competition |
| Permanent / CMBS | 0.50 - 0.75% | Competitive, rate-driven market |
| SBA 504/7a | 0.50 - 1.00% | Varies by lender program |
Commission Math: What It Actually Takes
Building a $100K annual run rate on Finance Lobby is achievable in year one for a broker who is systematic about deal sourcing and submission quality. Here's the math and the milestones:
Commission Calculator
Formula:
Commission per deal = Loan Amount × Commission Rate
Annual gross = Commission per deal × (Deals per quarter × 4) × Close rate
Deals to $100K = $100,000 ÷ Commission per deal
Example scenarios:
| Loan Size | Rate | Commission/Deal | Deals to $100K | Close Rate | Deals to Submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000,000 | 0.75% | $7,500 | 14 | 40% | 35 submissions |
| $1,500,000 | 0.75% | $11,250 | 9 | 40% | 23 submissions |
| $2,000,000 | 0.75% | $15,000 | 7 | 40% | 18 submissions |
| $3,000,000 | 1.00% | $30,000 | 4 | 40% | 10 submissions |
The clearest path to $100K:
- Target loan amounts of $1.5M - $3M - these are large enough to generate meaningful commissions but small enough that banks and credit unions on Finance Lobby actively compete for them
- Focus on bridge loans and construction - higher commissions, less competition from commodity lenders
- Maintain a 40 - 50% close rate by pre-qualifying borrowers and submitting only clean, complete packages
- High income years depend on consistent qualified deal flow, close rate, licensing requirements, market conditions, and lender fit.
Milestone Breakdown
| Milestone | What It Takes |
|---|---|
| First $10K | 1 - 2 closed deals on $1 - 2M bridge or construction loans |
| $50K run rate | 5 - 6 deals/quarter, mix of multifamily bridge and industrial |
| $100K/year | 8 - 10 closed deals at avg $1.5M loan and 0.75% commission |
| $200K+/year | Systematic sourcing pipeline, 3+ borrower referral sources, YieldStack pre-screening for submission efficiency |
4 Levers to Get There Faster
1. Focus on high-balance loan types. Bridge loans and construction loans average higher dollar amounts and higher commissions per deal than SFR DSCR or small retail. One $3M bridge deal at 1.00% pays $30K - the same as four $1M DSCR deals.
2. Pre-qualify before you submit. The biggest time-killer in CRE debt brokerage is submitting deals that don't close because of borrower issues caught late. Before submission, verify: sponsor net worth and liquidity, credit score range, property title status, and that NOI or projected NOI supports the requested LTV.
3. Build 2 - 3 preferred lender relationships. Finance Lobby's preferred lender feature lets you flag lenders who have closed your deal types before. A lender who closed your last multifamily bridge deal wants to see your next one. Warm relationships close faster.
4. Stack Finance Lobby with YieldStack. YieldStack's AI matching engine tells you which lenders are actively looking for your specific deal profile before you submit. Instead of cold-posting to 10,000 lenders and waiting for whoever responds, you know going in which 3 - 5 are most likely to fund the deal. Submit on Finance Lobby for competitive bid pressure; use YieldStack to know which lenders will actually close.
Finance Lobby vs. YieldStack: How to Use Both
These platforms are not competitors. They solve different parts of the same problem.
| Dimension | Finance Lobby | YieldStack |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Posts your deal to 10,000+ lenders; waits for bids | AI matches your deal to the right lenders before you submit |
| When you use it | After your deal package is ready | Before and during deal packaging |
| Intelligence | None - passive marketplace | Active - tells you which lenders want your deal type |
| Cost to broker | Free | Free |
| Speed | 24 - 72 hours for first bid | Instant match recommendations |
| Best for | Generating competitive bid pressure | Finding the right 3 - 5 lenders to target |
The workflow that wins:
YieldStack AI match (identify which lenders want this deal)
-> Finance Lobby submission (create competitive bid pressure)
-> Best bid wins -> Close
Brokers who use both report shorter time-to-term-sheet and higher close rates - because they're not cold-posting a deal and hoping. They're targeting lenders they know are active in their deal type, then using the marketplace to force competitive pricing.
Finance Lobby Review 2026: What Brokers Actually Say
What works:
- Speed of lender response - for clean deals, 24 - 48 hours is real
- Quality of competing bids - multiple lenders bidding drives down rates and fees
- no upfront cost removes the barrier to first deal
- Breadth of lender network - 10,000+ including most major banks
What doesn't:
- No OM builder or deal packaging tools - you bring your own package
- No pipeline CRM - you manage your deal flow outside the platform
- No AI pre-screening - deal quality is inconsistent; lenders see noise alongside quality deals
- Platform UX has not been updated since early 2024 - functional but not modern
- 24 - 72 hour wait can feel slow on competitive acquisitions where the borrower needs speed
Bottom line: Finance Lobby is the best free lender network for independent CRE brokers. It's not a full brokerage system - it's a bid engine. Use it for what it does well: getting competing offers on clean deals fast.
Get Your First Bids Faster
Finance Lobby is the fastest way to get a CRE deal in front of 10,000+ lenders at zero cost. But the brokers closing the most deals aren't cold-posting and hoping - they're using YieldStack to identify which lenders actually want their deal type before they submit.
-> Match your deal to the right lenders with YieldStack - free, no subscription