Question 1

How healthy is downtown Denver office space right now, and does that change how a bridge loan gets underwritten?

Accepted Answer

It's a record-vacancy market that's turning a corner, and the corner is where a bridge loan works. Downtown Denver office vacancy hit an all-time high of 38.9% in Q1 2026 and eased slightly to 38.6% in Q2, with net absorption of positive 119,700 square feet, the strongest quarter since Q1 2022. That's a repositioning and basis-reset story, not a stabilized one: a bridge loan against a downtown office asset should be sized to a plan for re-tenanting or repositioning, with the permanent refinance held for after occupancy actually improves, not assumed off today's rent roll.

Question 2

Is Denver industrial a better bridge story than office right now?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the numbers available. Metro Denver industrial vacancy ended Q4 2025 at 8.1% overall and 7.7% direct, a steadier read than downtown office's near-39% vacancy over the same period. A value-add industrial or flex asset in the airport-adjacent submarkets carries a shorter path to stabilization than a downtown office repositioning, which is exactly the kind of distinction that should drive loan sizing and exit timeline on a Denver CRE bridge file.

Question 3

Does Energize Denver create a real liability on a commercial building I'm bridging?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it runs with the building, not just the owner who signed for it. Commercial, multifamily and industrial buildings 25,000 square feet and larger must hit site energy use intensity targets by 2030, a reduction of at least 30% and up to 42%, with interim checkpoints in 2024 and 2027; buildings 5,000 to 24,999 square feet must install 90% LED lighting or source 20% renewable energy by 2027. Penalties run roughly $0.30 to $0.70 per kBtu over target, plus $2,000 a year for failing to benchmark. An older Denver office or apartment building over 25,000 square feet carries this 2030 retrofit obligation into any bridge loan; price the capital plan before you size the loan, not after.

Question 4

If a Denver commercial bridge loan needs to be enforced, how does Colorado foreclosure actually work?

Accepted Answer

Through a public trustee, not a court trial, and on a fixed clock. Colorado forecloses deeds of trust through the county public trustee, a public official rather than the lender's own trustee, with a limited court check under Rule 120. Once the holder records a Notice of Election and Demand, the sale is set no less than 110 and no more than 125 calendar days later for non-agricultural property, and there is no owner redemption after the sale, only a junior lienor's redemption window. It's one of the faster clean remedies in the region, which matters on a bridge loan sized to a defined hold period.

Question 5

Does Colorado's usury cap limit how a commercial bridge loan can be priced?

Accepted Answer

There's a ceiling, and it has no business-purpose exemption. Colorado's criminal usury statute caps a loan finance charge at an annual percentage rate of 45%, and that cap applies regardless of whether the borrower is a business entity. Normal private commercial bridge pricing sits far below it, but points, fees and default interest on a short-term loan can all count toward the finance charge, so a heavily back-ended fee structure is worth checking against the ceiling before it's papered. Talk to your attorney about the specific fee structure on your deal.

Question 6

Does it matter which title company I use for a Denver commercial bridge closing?

Accepted Answer

More than in most states, because Colorado title rates are filed, not fixed. Colorado title insurance premiums are filed with the Division of Insurance by each underwriter rather than set as one statewide promulgated rate, so premiums vary by company and shopping title can actually move the number on a commercial closing. It's a small lever compared to the loan terms themselves, but it's a real one on a larger CRE bridge deal where the premium scales with loan size.

Question 7

My personal credit is not perfect. Does that kill a Denver bridge deal?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no minimum score on this program. We run credit, but on an asset-based bridge it carries far less weight than at a bank. The file turns on the asset, the tenant, and the exit. Weaker credit is usually handled with lower leverage rather than a decline. On a downtown Denver office repositioning, the plan to re-tenant matters more than the score does. Subject to underwriting.

Question 8

How much equity do I need in a Denver commercial bridge deal?

Accepted Answer

At least 25% of value. We go up to 75% LTV, so on a $4,000,000 Denver asset that is up to $3,000,000 from us and $1,000,000 from you (4,000,000 x 75% = 3,000,000). The loan is interest-only on a term of up to 24 to 36 months, which is the window you have to reposition or refinance. Subject to underwriting.

Question 9

Can I pull cash out of a Denver building I already own?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This program runs as a bridge or a cash-out. Leverage is the same either way, up to 75% LTV and up to $10M, on an interest-only term of up to 24 to 36 months. If the building is 25,000 square feet or larger, price the Energize Denver capital plan into the use of proceeds before you size the draw. Subject to underwriting.

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