Nobody explains this part, so here it is in plain language — what lenders actually look at, what you'll need, and how fast it moves.
On a home loan, a lender qualifies you — your income, your job, your tax returns. On an investment or commercial loan, the property has to carry itself. The number that decides it is debt service coverage, and it's simply this:
What the property earns after expenses, divided by what the loan costs. Above 1.00 it pays for itself. Most commercial lenders want 1.20 to 1.25.
On many investor programs, that's also the whole qualification — no personal tax returns, no income documentation. If the building works, the loan works.
Subtracts everything — taxes, insurance, management, maintenance, vacancy, reserves — then divides by the loan payment alone. This is what a commercial underwriter runs on multifamily, retail, office and mixed-use.
It is the stricter number.
Divides rent by principal, interest, taxes, insurance and association dues — but does not subtract management, maintenance, vacancy or reserves. This is the DSCR-loan convention used on 1–4 unit rental programs.
It usually reads higher on the same deal.
The same property can read 0.90 one way and 1.16 the other. One of those gets declined and one gets approved. If you quote the wrong number to the wrong lender, you either talk yourself out of a good deal or walk into a term sheet that falls apart in underwriting. The Deal Room shows you both, side by side, every time. Run a deal →
| Program | Size | Leverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental / DSCR 30-year, no tax returns |
$100K – $1.5M | Up to 80% purchase | Single family and townhome rentals, including short-term rental income |
| Short Term Bridge The commercial workhorse |
$100K – $50M | Up to 75% | Multifamily 5+, retail, office, industrial, mixed-use, hotel, land |
| Long Term Commercial | Up to $20M | Up to 75% | Permanent debt, or taking out a bridge loan |
| Fix & Flip | $100K – $3M | Up to 90% of cost | Buy, renovate, sell — 6 to 18 months |
| Fix & Hold | $100K – $3M | Up to 92.5% of cost | Renovate, then roll into the 30-year rental loan |
| New Construction | Up to $10M | Up to 80% of cost | Spec and pre-sold builds, interest reserve built in |
| Rehab Line of Credit | Up to $2.5M per property | Up to 90% of cost | Investors running several projects at once |
| SBA | Up to $20M | Up to 90% | Buying the building your own business operates in |
| Farm & Ranch | Up to $100M | Up to 90% | Agricultural real estate |
Program parameters are illustrative and subject to lender confirmation. They vary by lender and change without notice. Nothing here is a rate quote, a pre-qualification or a commitment to lend.
Check things off as you gather them. This is document preparation, not an application — nothing here requests credit and no decision is made from it. When the file is ready, Christa takes it from there.
Start checking items off and this fills in.
Send my package to ChristaSending your package starts a conversation — it is not a credit application. The formal application is taken separately, in Clear Home Loans' secure system, when you're ready. Never upload Social Security numbers, credit reports or tax documents here.
Minutes. Run it yourself in the Deal Room and know whether it carries.
Days, and mostly up to you. The list above is the whole job.
Bridge loans can fund in under two weeks. Long-term debt typically runs 30 to 60 days.
Business-purpose loans aren't consumer mortgages. The federal disclosure timelines that slow a home loan down — the three-day waiting periods, the redisclosure cycles — don't apply. That's not a shortcut anyone is taking; it's a different body of law. It's also why a prepared file can move in days instead of weeks.