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Program 04
CRE Bridge in San Mateo
Commercial bridge loans for San Mateo County repositioning and lease-up.
Access equity or finance a project before permanent financing. Flexible commercial bridge across property types, with terms up to 24-36 months and loan sizes up to $10M. San Mateo County already carries the highest average loan size on our site, so this ceiling fits the deals the Peninsula actually produces. Bay Area life science space is working through a correction, so a South San Francisco or Peninsula asset is more often a repositioning and lease-up story than a stabilized building trading hands. Business-purpose only, and every structure is set in underwriting.
$10M
max loan
24-36 mo
terms
All types
property
Cash-out
available
Typical figures, subject to underwriting and market conditions. Not a commitment to lend.
How it works
Use bridge capital to reposition an asset, buy out a partner, or stabilize before a refinance. We move quickly on commercial deals that banks find too time-sensitive. When the asset is stabilized, we refinance you out of the bridge and into long-term permanent debt, which we also place in house, so you have a clear exit from day one.
Who it's for
Value-add commercial real estate
Repositioning and lease-up
Partner buyouts
Pre-stabilization holds
Typical terms
Loan amountUp to $10M
Max leverageUp to 75% LTV
TermUp to 24 to 36 months
RateFrom 9.00%*
PaymentsInterest-only
StructureBridge or cash-out
*Typical terms, subject to underwriting and market conditions.
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Local FAQ
CRE Bridge in San Mateo, answered.
What kind of commercial property is actually transacting in South San Francisco and the Peninsula right now?
Life science and lab space is in a correction, not a boom, and that shapes which deals make sense. Bay Area life science vacancy ran 29.0% in the first quarter of 2026, with total availability at 32.3%, average asking rent down for a sixth straight quarter to $5.57 a square foot NNN, and no projects under construction or expected to break ground. South San Francisco's own economic development page still advertises "3.5 million square feet of biotech space that is currently under construction," and that claim is stale against the market data. A page, and a lender, should treat a South San Francisco or Peninsula lab asset as a repositioning and lease-up candidate, not a stabilized building. See the CRE bridge program. Subject to underwriting.
Why does a bridge loan make sense here instead of going straight to permanent debt?
Because the exit is the lease-up, not the purchase. With lab vacancy near 29% and no new construction, an owner buying, buying out a partner, or holding a Peninsula asset through a re-tenanting typically needs time and interest-only carry before the building can support permanent financing. We fund the bridge now and place the permanent debt in house once the asset stabilizes, so the deal has a clear exit from day one. We do not promise a stabilized lab exit on a fixed timeline; that depends on leasing, which is outside underwriting control right now.
Is San Mateo County really a bigger-loan market than the rest of the Peninsula and Bay Area sites we cover?
By the numbers we track, yes. San Mateo County shows roughly 6,470 HMDA loan originations in 2023 at about a $1,086,000 average, the highest average loan size of any county on our site. That is consistent with a market won on loan size and speed rather than price per door, which is exactly the profile a $10M commercial bridge ceiling is built for. Confirm your own deal's sizing in underwriting rather than assuming the county average applies to a specific property.
Does closing inside the City of San Mateo change the cost of a large commercial deal?
Yes, and the jump is a cliff, not a slope, right around our program's own loan ceiling. Every San Mateo County city charges the base county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000. The City of San Mateo alone adds a Measure CC tax on top: 0.5% of the whole price below $10 million, and 1.5% at $10 million or more, applied to the full price rather than the excess. A $9,999,999 sale inside city limits pays about $50,000 in city transfer tax; a $10,000,000 sale pays about $150,000, a $100,000 jump for one dollar of price. A deal sized right at our $10M ceiling and closing inside the City of San Mateo should have this line item built into the exit math from the start. Talk to your CPA or closing attorney about the exact number on your deal.
Is a commercial bridge loan secured by California real estate actually a licensed activity?
Yes. The California Financing Law reaches business-purpose commercial loans, including those secured by real property, and requires a license from the DFPI to make or arrange them, subject to limited exemptions. A separate path exists for loans made or arranged under a California real estate broker license issued by the DRE. Business-purpose lending in California is a licensed activity either way, not an unregulated corner of the market. See the CRE bridge program.
If a San Mateo County commercial bridge loan goes to default, how does California foreclosure work?
Non-judicial trustee sale, with a statutory floor of roughly four months from notice of default to sale, and no deficiency claim against the borrower once that sale happens. California Civil Code section 2924 requires at least three months between filing the notice of default and any notice of sale, then a further notice period of at least 20 days before the sale itself, putting the honest floor at about 111 to 120 days. Under CCP section 580d, once the trustee sale occurs no deficiency judgment can be rendered against the borrower on that debt, though the statute does not shield a guarantor. A lender can instead pursue judicial foreclosure to preserve a deficiency claim, at the cost of a lawsuit and a post-sale redemption period. Talk to your attorney about which track fits your structure.
FAQ
CRE Bridge questions, answered.
What can a commercial bridge loan be used for?
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.
What rates, leverage, and terms should I expect?
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.
How fast can a commercial bridge loan close?
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.
Do I need positive cash flow (DSCR) to qualify?
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.
What documents do you need for a commercial bridge request?
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.
Is the loan recourse, and is cash-out available?
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.
Resources
Guides for CRE Bridge
Rates & Costs · 5 min read
Hard Money Loan Rates and Costs, Explained
Read the guide Bridge · 4 min read
What Is a Bridge Loan in Real Estate?
Read the guide Getting Funded · 4 min read
LTV vs LTC: What's the Difference?
Read the guide Getting Funded · 4 min read
How Fast Can a Hard Money Loan Close?
Read the guide More in San Mateo
Other programs in San Mateo
Fix and FlipUp to 90% / 100% rehabRental / DSCR30-yr fixed, DSCR from 0.75Ground-Up ConstructionUp to 70% LTV, most statesTransactional FundingSame-day double-close capitalBank Statement / No-DocNo tax returns requiredConventional InvestmentNon-owner-occupied investmentPortfolio LoansMultiple properties, one loanCRE PermanentLong-term agency & permSBA Financing7(a) & 504 placement
About the local figures on this page
Local rules move. Every tax rate, fee, ordinance and market figure here comes from a primary source and carries the date we read it, and we correct them as the rules change. Where a number is mid-change or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess. Before you commit a budget, confirm anything that drives it with the city or county, and talk to your attorney or CPA on questions of law or tax.
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