Lenders Who Understand Commercial. A Broker Who Understands BC.
Commercial mortgage financing is a different discipline from residential. The lenders are different, the qualification criteria are different, and the stakes are higher. Great Pacific has been arranging commercial mortgages across BC since 1994: office buildings, retail units, mixed-use properties, and investment real estate of all sizes. When a deal doesn’t fit the standard mould, we have both conventional lender relationships and private capital to draw on. If you need financing that gets the job done without the runaround, talk to us.
Whether You're Buying, Building, or Expanding, We've Financed It.
Commercial borrowers arrive with very different situations. Here’s how we approach the most common ones.
Acquiring an income-producing property, whether a retail unit, a multi-family building, or a mixed-use block, requires financing that accounts for rental income, cap rates, and debt service coverage. We understand how commercial lenders assess investment properties and structure applications that present the deal clearly and favourably.
Buying the building you operate from converts rent expense into equity and removes the uncertainty of a lease. We help business owners finance owner-occupied commercial properties, including situations where business income needs careful presentation to satisfy lender requirements.
Commercial development financing involves multiple tranches, draw schedules, and lenders who need confidence in both the project and the team behind it. We work with developers at various stages, from first commercial projects to multi-site portfolios, and bring lender relationships that move at development pace.
Commercial Deals Are Rarely Straightforward. That's Fine by Us.
Commercial mortgage applications don’t follow a simple checklist the way residential ones often do. Lenders assess the property, the cash flow, the borrower’s track record, and the broader market context all at once. We know which lenders approach commercial deals the right way for a given scenario, and we know how to structure and present an application so it lands well.
When conventional lenders aren’t the right fit, because the property type is unusual, the timeline is tight, or the deal structure doesn’t tick every box, Great Pacific’s private lending gives us an alternative path. We’ve closed commercial deals that started with a bank decline. Not every deal gets there, but more do than most borrowers expect.
Conventional and Private, Under One Roof
We access commercial lenders across the spectrum, from institutional lenders with competitive rates to private capital for deals that need flexibility. You don’t need two brokers.
30+ Years of BC Commercial Transactions
Office, retail, industrial, multi-family, mixed-use: we’ve financed them all across BC. That depth means we spot problems before they become deal-killers and know which lenders to approach first.
Applications That Tell the Right Story
How a commercial deal is presented to a lender matters as much as the numbers. We structure applications to highlight what matters and address objections before they’re raised.
We Know When Timing Is the Deal
Commercial opportunities don’t wait. When you’re working to conditions deadlines or competing against other buyers, we move quickly, and our private lending option moves faster still when it’s needed.
Complex Financing, Managed from Start to Close.
Understand the Deal
Before anything goes to a lender, we need to understand the property, the purpose, the financials, and your timeline. A 30-minute conversation is usually enough to determine whether a deal is viable and which lenders are the right starting point. No application required at this stage.
Structure the Application
Commercial applications require more documentation than residential: property financials, rent rolls, environmental reports where applicable, and detailed borrower information. We tell you exactly what’s needed, help you assemble it, and structure the package for the best possible lender reception.
Source and Negotiate
We approach the lenders best suited to your deal, not just the ones that will approve it, but the ones most likely to offer competitive terms. We negotiate on your behalf and come back with a clear comparison of options and our honest recommendation on which to take and why.
Close It
Commercial closings involve lawyers, notaries, appraisers, and sometimes environmental consultants. We coordinate across all of them and stay available throughout. When conditions come up, and they often do in commercial deals, we’re already on it.
What BC Commercial Borrowers Ask Us Most
Commercial mortgage financing has more variables than most borrowers expect going in. Here are the questions we hear most often, answered without the jargon.
How is commercial mortgage financing different from residential?
The fundamentals are similar — a lender provides capital secured against a property — but commercial lending assesses different factors. Lenders look at the property’s income-producing potential, debt service coverage ratios, the borrower’s commercial track record, and the broader market for that property type. Qualification is less formulaic and more judgment-based, which means the broker relationship and lender selection matter more than they do in residential deals.
What down payment is typically required for a commercial property?
Commercial mortgages generally require a minimum of 20–35% down, depending on the property type, the lender, and the deal structure. Investment properties typically require more than owner-occupied commercial. Unlike residential mortgages, there’s no CMHC insurance available for most commercial deals, so the lender’s own risk criteria drives the requirement. We’ll give you a realistic range for your specific situation before you’re committed to anything.
Can I use rental income from the property to qualify?
My deal is unusual — the property type is niche or the timeline is tight. Can you still help?
Probably. Unusual property types and tight timelines are exactly where conventional lenders struggle and where our private lending option earns its place. Private lenders assess deals differently — they focus on the asset and the equity position rather than rigid qualification criteria — and they move faster. We won’t know for certain until we understand your specific deal, but it’s worth a conversation before you assume the answer is no.
How long does a commercial mortgage application take?
Conventional commercial mortgages typically take 3–6 weeks from application to commitment, sometimes longer depending on the lender and whether an appraisal or environmental report is required. Private commercial mortgages can move significantly faster — sometimes within a week or two — which is why they’re useful as bridge financing even when a conventional deal is ultimately the goal. We’ll give you a realistic timeline at the start based on your deal and target lenders.
