Loan structure
Bridge loans, when the deal can’t wait
A bridge loan is short-term financing for a property that cannot yet qualify for permanent debt — it is being bought quickly, repositioned, leased up, or pulled out of a situation with a deadline. Lenders underwrite the plan and the exit rather than trailing income, which makes the quality of the story and the credibility of the refinance path the real currency of the file.
- 5,000+loan programs screened
- 5–8matches on a typical deal
- $0 upfrontto submit and compare offers
- 0.50–1.00%broker fee, paid only at closing
When does a bridge loan beat waiting for permanent debt?
When the property or the situation cannot pass a permanent lender’s occupancy and coverage tests yet, and the cost of waiting exceeds the cost of short-term money: an acquisition with a closing date, a value-add plan mid-execution, a maturing note that will not be extended, or equity trapped in an asset the bank will not refinance on its current numbers. The bridge buys the time; the exit — sale or refinance — pays it back.
What actually varies between bridge lenders?
Speed, leverage against the plan, how draws are handled where renovation is involved, extension terms, and what they demand of the exit. Some price certainty and pay for it in pace; others price pace and pay for it in structure. The same deal quoted across both kinds is how you find out which trade your file actually supports — and that comparison is the brokerage’s job, not the borrower’s afternoon.
How does getting matched actually work?
You describe the deal once — about five minutes — and it is screened against 5,000+ loan programs. Most deals return 5–8 matches, and the median first offer arrives in under an hour. There is $0 upfront; the fee is 0.50–1.00%, paid only at closing.
YieldStack is a commercial mortgage brokerage, not a lender. The rate, the leverage and the credit decision belong to the lenders competing for your deal; our job is making sure the right ones see it at the same time, so the terms you compare are real competition rather than one desk’s appetite.
What do lenders actually look at?
Every program weighs these in its own way — which is the argument for several quoting at once.
- The business plan and whether the numbers behind it hold up
- The exit — the refinance or sale that retires the loan, and how credible it is today
- Current equity and what the sponsor has at risk
- Timeline pressure, and what it is worth paying for
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can a bridge loan close?
Faster than permanent debt — the file is lighter and the lenders are built for pace — but the honest answer varies by deal and lender. What we compress is the front of the process: the median first offer on a submitted deal arrives in under an hour, so you learn your real options before the deadline spends itself.
Do bridge lenders care about my income?
Less than permanent lenders do. Bridge underwriting is asset-and-plan driven: the property, the equity, the plan and the exit carry the file, with the sponsor’s track record as context.
What happens at the end of the bridge term?
The exit executes — a refinance into permanent debt or a sale. Extension terms exist for plans that need more runway, and they are one of the terms worth comparing hardest between lenders before you sign.
Is YieldStack a lender?
No. YieldStack is a commercial mortgage brokerage, not a lender. Every term sheet comes from a lender in the network and is subject to that lender's underwriting.
Does it cost anything to see terms?
No. It costs $0 upfront to submit a deal and review offers; YieldStack's broker fee is 0.50–1.00% of the loan amount and is paid only at closing.
Is financing guaranteed?
No. Every credit decision is made by the lender; YieldStack arranges the introductions and negotiates on the borrower's side, and no loan, rate, or closing is guaranteed.
Next step
One deal.Several lenders.
YieldStack is a commercial mortgage brokerage, not a lender.