Question 1

Which Dallas commercial sector is easiest to finance right now?

Accepted Answer

Industrial, and it is not close. JLL counted 17.9 million square feet of net absorption across Dallas-Fort Worth in the first half of 2026, the highest of any U.S. industrial market, with vacancy down for seven straight quarters to 9.3% and average asking rent at $8.99 per square foot as of the second quarter of 2026. The catch is on the supply side of the same report: 31.2 million square feet under construction at 37.7% preleased, and 13.2 million square feet delivered year to date, up 41.3%. A lease-up bridge on a DFW box is competing with the next building, not just the last comp. Size the term to a leasing plan you can defend and give the vacancy months a real number. See the CRE bridge program for structure.

Question 2

Why do CBRE and JLL publish different DFW industrial vacancy numbers?

Accepted Answer

Because they track different inventory, so you pick one house and stay with it. For the second quarter of 2026, CBRE published 8.3% vacancy, down 20 basis points on the quarter and 60 basis points on the year, with 9.9 million square feet of net absorption in the quarter, availability at 9.9%, 6.8 million square feet delivered, and 24.0 million square feet under construction across 86 projects. JLL published 9.3% vacancy for the same market and the same quarter, with 31.2 million square feet under construction. That gap is a definition difference in what counts as tracked inventory, not an error by either shop. Blending the two gives you a number nobody published. Name the house on every line of the pro forma and keep it consistent, so your lender and your investors are comparing like with like.

Question 3

Can a Dallas office building still get bridge debt at 17.4% vacancy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the basis and the vintage work. The metro average is not what kills these files. DFW office ran 17.4% vacancy in the second quarter of 2026 across roughly 420.3 million square feet, with availability at 18.6%, about 1.9 million square feet of positive net absorption over the trailing 12 months and a ninth consecutive positive quarter, average asking rent of $33.66 per square foot, up 2.0% year over year, and roughly 19 million square feet leased in the 12 months to the second quarter, near pre-pandemic levels. The split matters more than the average: about 42% of vacant space sits in 1980s-vintage buildings, while demand concentrates in newer product along the Dallas North Tollway corridor. Collateral age is the underwriting variable here. Bring the rent roll, the tenant credit, and a tenant improvement and leasing commission budget with real dollars behind it.

Question 4

Is Dallas retail tight enough to underwrite a stabilized exit?

Accepted Answer

Tight, but softening at the margin, and the retail data runs a quarter behind office and industrial. Dallas retail vacancy was 5.4% in the first quarter of 2026, up 20 basis points on the quarter and 40 basis points on the year, with net absorption of negative 25,401 square feet, average asking rent of $21.23 per square foot, up 7.3% year over year, 7.0 million square feet under construction at 75% preleased, and 894,610 square feet delivered, down 37.9% year over year. A 5.4% vacancy market will still support a stabilized takeout. Just size the exit on rent you can prove from signed leases rather than on the asking-rent trend holding. We write the bridge and the permanent loan, so the takeout assumptions get tested at the front of the deal instead of at month 20. Both are subject to underwriting.

Question 5

How much do property taxes swing across the Dallas metro?

Accepted Answer

About 56 basis points of assessed value from one end to the other, which is wider than most rate spreads you are shopping. On tax year 2025 rates, the City of Dallas inside Dallas ISD totals 2.235030 per $100 of assessed value, while Frisco inside Frisco ISD in Collin County totals 1.675480. On a $500,000 basis that is roughly $2,800 a year of carry. The rate follows the city-ISD-county combination, not the city name: a Dallas address can sit in at least seven ISDs, with totals inside Dallas County running from 2.104563 in Highland Park ISD to 2.362101 in Lancaster ISD, and a Dallas address can also fall in Collin or Denton County at a materially lower county component. MUDs, PIDs and other special districts stack on top and are not in those totals, and several in Collin and Denton counties run a full 1.000000 per $100. Pull the actual rate for the parcel before you set the stabilized NOI, and talk to your CPA or property tax counsel before you assume a year-two number.

Question 6

How fast does the Texas clock run if a business plan slips?

Accepted Answer

Non-judicial, and on a fixed monthly calendar. Under Texas Property Code section 51.002, a sale under a power of sale in a deed of trust is a public auction at the courthouse of the county where the property sits, on the first Tuesday of the month between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., moving to the first Wednesday when the first Tuesday falls on January 1 or July 4. Notice runs at least 21 days before the sale, by posting at the courthouse door, filing with the county clerk, and certified mail to each debtor obligated on the debt. So the practical minimum from posting to sale is about three weeks, and the date itself is never negotiable. Two things follow for a bridge borrower. If you are buying the distress, you need certainty of funds on a date you already know; if you are the borrower, an honest term costs less than a short one you have to fix at month 18. Tell us the date you have to perform by and we will tell you straight whether we can hit it. Talk to us or start an application.

Question 7

What can a commercial bridge loan be used for?

Accepted Answer

Bridge capital is for repositioning or stabilizing a commercial property before permanent financing: value-add, lease-up, a partner buyout, or pulling equity out through a cash-out. We lend across property types on terms up to 24 to 36 months, with loans up to $10M.

Question 8

What rates, leverage, and terms should I expect?

Accepted Answer

Our commercial bridge pricing starts around 9%, interest-only, up to roughly 75% loan-to-value, on terms up to 24 to 36 months. Published bridge pricing generally runs 8% to 12% with 1 to 3 points. Final terms depend on the asset, the business plan, and sponsor strength.

Question 9

How fast can a commercial bridge loan close?

Accepted Answer

Commercial deals usually close in 2 to 4 weeks. They take a little longer than residential because of the appraisal, the rent roll and operating-statement review, and any third-party reports. We move as fast as the diligence allows and keep one point of contact on your file.

Question 10

Do I need positive cash flow (DSCR) to qualify?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily at closing. Bridge loans are often underwritten interest-only to the as-stabilized business plan rather than a minimum in-place DSCR, since the property is being repositioned. We do want to see a credible path to stabilization and enough in-place income or reserves to carry the loan.

Question 11

What documents do you need for a commercial bridge request?

Accepted Answer

Typically the purchase contract or current debt, a rent roll and trailing-12-month operating statement, your business plan and renovation budget, and sponsor financials. Larger assets may also need a property condition report and an environmental review. We will give you a clear checklist up front.

Question 12

Is the loan recourse, and is cash-out available?

Accepted Answer

Most bridge loans are recourse with a personal guarantee, while lower-leverage non-recourse can be possible on stronger assets. Cash-out is available when there is equity to support it. We structure recourse and leverage around the specific deal.

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