Every commercial real estate decision — to acquire, refinance, recapitalize, or develop — is ultimately a capital decision. The Gehrke Group advises owners, investors, and sponsors on arranging the right combination of debt and equity, sourced from the right lenders and partners, on terms that fit the asset and the business plan. Capital markets is where strategy meets execution, and where the difference between an adequate structure and an optimal one is measured in basis points, flexibility, and years.
Financing a commercial property is rarely a single loan. It is a capital stack — a layered structure in which each tranche carries a distinct position, cost, and claim on the property's cash flow and value. Understanding where each dollar sits is the foundation of every sound financing strategy.
Because each layer is priced to its risk, the objective is not simply "more leverage" or "cheaper money" — it is the right blend that maximizes risk-adjusted returns while preserving the flexibility to execute the plan and weather the unexpected.
First principle. Capital is never one-size-fits-all. A stabilized asset held for yield, a value-add repositioning, and a ground-up development each demand a fundamentally different structure. Matching the capital to the strategy is the entire discipline.
Lenders "size" a loan — determine how much they will advance and on what terms — using a handful of core ratios. Each measures risk from a different angle, and the binding constraint is whichever produces the smallest loan.
LTV expresses the loan as a percentage of the property's appraised value. A $6.5 million loan against a $10 million property is 65% LTV. Lower LTV means more owner equity cushioning the lender against a decline in value; most stabilized commercial loans fall in the 55%–75% range depending on asset type and lender.
LTC applies primarily to construction and value-add deals, measuring the loan against total project cost — land, hard costs, soft costs, and reserves — rather than finished value. A lender might fund 65% of cost, requiring the sponsor to contribute the balance as equity.
DSCR is the ratio of a property's net operating income to its annual debt service. A DSCR of 1.25x means the property generates $1.25 of income for every $1.00 of debt payment — a 25% margin of safety. Most lenders require a minimum of 1.20x–1.35x; the higher the required coverage, the smaller the supportable loan.
Debt yield — net operating income divided by the loan amount — measures the lender's return if it had to foreclose and own the asset, independent of interest rate or amortization. A $700,000 NOI on a $10 million loan is a 7% debt yield. Because it ignores rate and term, it has become a favored discipline metric, particularly for CMBS.
How the ratios interact. When interest rates rise, debt service rises, which compresses DSCR and shrinks the loan a property can support at a given coverage requirement — even if value and LTV are unchanged. In a higher-rate environment, DSCR and debt yield, not LTV, are frequently the binding constraint. This is why proceeds fall as rates climb.
No single lender serves every asset or business plan. Knowing which capital source is the natural fit — and cultivating relationships across all of them — is central to arranging financing efficiently.
The dominant source for stabilized multifamily. Attractive, often non-recourse, long-term fixed and floating options with competitive proceeds — the benchmark for apartment financing.
Relationship-driven portfolio lenders across most asset classes. Flexible and fast, but recourse is common and terms are often shorter with periodic rate resets.
Low-leverage, long-term, fixed-rate capital reserved for the highest-quality, well-located, stabilized assets. Conservative proceeds in exchange for certainty and durability.
Non-recourse, fixed-rate loans pooled and sold as bonds. Well-suited to stabilized commercial assets including net-lease properties, with defined servicing and prepayment structures.
Transitional and value-add capital for assets in lease-up or repositioning. Higher rate, typically floating and shorter-term, with the flexibility conventional lenders cannot offer.
Government-backed financing for owner-user, owner-occupied properties, offering high leverage and long terms for businesses acquiring their own real estate.
For ground-up development, construction loans fund draws against cost as the project is built, sized on LTC and carrying interest reserves and completion guarantees. As an asset stabilizes, that construction financing is typically refinanced into permanent debt — a "mini-perm" or long-term takeout — often a decisive input in acquisition and disposition planning.
Where debt has limits, equity completes the stack. Beyond a sponsor's own capital, most institutional-scale transactions draw on outside equity through structures designed to align risk and reward among the parties.
Most private real estate equity is organized in a GP/LP structure: the General Partner (the sponsor) sources, finances, and operates the deal, contributing a modest share of the equity and earning a promoted interest for performance; the Limited Partners supply the majority of the capital, receiving a preferred return and a share of the upside while remaining passive. Understanding how sponsors raise, deploy, and report on that capital is essential to structuring a deal that both attracts investors and performs.
Direct fund experience. Managing Partner Hugh Gehrke previously served as SVP of Investment Sales & Capital Markets at DWG Capital Group, where he raised capital for the Great American Industrial Fund, focused on single-tenant NNN sale-leasebacks. That firsthand experience on the capital-raising side informs how we structure equity and advise sponsors today.
The transition from a decade of historically low rates to a higher-rate era has reshaped commercial real estate financing. Loans originated when rates were near their lows are now reaching maturity into a market where refinancing at prevailing rates and today's tighter proceeds can leave a shortfall — the widely discussed commercial "maturity wall." A property that comfortably supported its original loan may no longer support the same proceeds under current DSCR and debt-yield tests.
This makes proactive capital strategy essential. Owners facing maturities benefit from planning well ahead — evaluating extension options, sizing potential gaps, arranging gap capital such as preferred equity or mezzanine to bridge a shortfall, and, on floating-rate debt, budgeting for the meaningful cost of purchasing or renewing a rate cap. A recapitalization can also be an opportunity: to bring in a new equity partner, return capital to existing investors, or reposition the ownership for the next phase of the hold.
We start with your objectives, hold horizon, and risk tolerance — whether the goal is maximum proceeds, lowest cost, flexibility, or certainty of execution.
We model the asset's cash flow and test it against LTV, LTC, DSCR, and debt yield to establish realistic proceeds and structure across scenarios.
We design the capital stack — senior debt and, where warranted, mezzanine, preferred, or common equity — to fit the business plan.
We take the opportunity to the lenders and capital partners best suited to the asset, creating competitive tension on rate and terms.
We compare term sheets on the terms that matter — recourse, prepayment, I/O, reserves, and covenants — not headline rate alone.
We coordinate diligence, third-party reports, and legal documentation through funding, keeping the process on schedule and on terms.
Capital markets is not a step that follows the deal — it shapes the deal. The financing available at a given moment determines what price a buyer can support, what returns a business plan can deliver, and when it makes sense to sell, refinance, or hold. A well-structured loan can turn a marginal acquisition into a compelling one; a mispriced or inflexible one can trap otherwise sound equity. That is why we integrate financing thinking into every investment sales and brokerage conversation, and pair it with rigorous advisory and market research so decisions rest on both the asset and its capital picture.
No. We are advisors and intermediaries who arrange and advise on debt and equity. We source capital from lenders and partners on your behalf and help structure and negotiate the terms — but nothing we provide is a commitment to lend.
With recourse debt, the borrower personally guarantees repayment, putting assets beyond the property at risk. Non-recourse debt generally limits the lender to the property itself, subject to standard carve-outs for fraud, misrepresentation, or misconduct. The choice affects both pricing and risk.
Higher interest rates increase debt service, which lowers DSCR and debt yield at any given loan amount. Because lenders hold those ratios constant, the supportable loan shrinks even when the property's value has not fallen. Planning ahead for that gap is central to today's capital strategy.
Gap capital — typically preferred equity or mezzanine debt — fills the shortfall when new senior debt proceeds fall short of what is needed to refinance a maturing loan or fund a plan. It is a common tool for navigating the current maturity environment.
No. All figures are illustrative and for education only. Actual proceeds, rates, and terms depend on the asset, sponsor, lender, and prevailing market conditions at the time of financing.
Capital markets rewards experience on both sides of the table. Managing Partner Hugh Gehrke brings more than 18 years in commercial real estate, a degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois, and direct capital-markets and fund-capital-raising experience from his tenure as SVP of Investment Sales & Capital Markets at DWG Capital Group. That means your financing is structured by someone who has raised institutional equity, sized debt against real assets, and knows what lenders and partners actually require. We advise with candor, source competitively, and keep your objectives — not a single transaction — at the center of the strategy. To discuss a financing, refinance, or recapitalization, reach out to our team.
This page is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute lending, legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. The Gehrke Group is a real estate advisory and brokerage firm, not a lender, and nothing herein is a commitment or offer to lend, to arrange financing, or to provide capital. All rates, ratios, terms, and structures described are illustrative, market-dependent, and subject to change; actual availability and terms vary by asset, sponsor, lender, and market conditions. Consult qualified legal, tax, and financial professionals before making any financing or investment decision.
Whether you're buying, selling, financing, or simply exploring the market, Hugh brings 18+ years of Los Angeles commercial real estate experience to your side.
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