Owner-Occupied
Buy the premises your business already operates from.
Services / Commercial Property
Commercial Property Finance.
Buying the premises, or the investment. Here is exactly what happens, what it is worth, and what it costs.
Who this is for
Buying the shed you have been renting for years.
Business owners and investors buying commercial property. The warehouse you lease and can finally buy. A retail or office investment. A packing shed, a cool store, a workshop, a yard. Owner-occupied or tenanted, first commercial purchase or the fourth.
Commercial property lending works differently to a home loan in almost every respect: lower lending ratios, shorter terms, valuations that can come in well under contract, and lenders who care as much about the tenant and the lease as they do about you.
Tenanted Investment
Retail, office and industrial with a lease in place.
Sheds, Yards & Cool Stores
Industrial and agricultural property that banks find awkward.
Short Settlements
Structured around the contract date, not around the bank’s queue.
Phase 1
The complimentary strategic assessment.
Five stages of specialist work, done before you have paid anything and before anyone has touched your credit file.
We talk about the property and the plan
A conversation about the property, what you intend to do with it, your timing, and the contract position you are in or about to be in.
What this means for you: timing is the thing that kills commercial deals. Knowing on day one whether the finance can meet your contract date is worth more than anything else in this list.
I read the contract and the leases the way a lender will
I work through the contract of sale, any leases, the tenancy profile, remaining lease terms, options, outgoings and the GST treatment, and identify what a credit team will take issue with.
What this means for you: a short remaining lease term, a single tenant, or an unusual clause can change the lending ratio or sink the deal outright. Better to know before you go unconditional. This is a lending assessment, not legal advice. Your solicitor reviews the contract.
I work out what it will actually support
Serviceability, rental coverage, lending ratio and deposit position, tested against realistic assumptions rather than the agent's numbers, including what happens if a tenant leaves.
What this means for you: commercial lending ratios are lower than most people expect. You find out what deposit you genuinely need now, not a week before settlement.
I pre-assess and structure the deal
Purchasing entity, security position, facility type, term, amortisation and interest-only period, structured so the deal is approval-ready before it goes near a lender.
What this means for you: commercial terms are shorter than residential and get reviewed. How this is set up decides what happens at the review, which is usually where the trouble starts.
I test your position against lender credit appetite
I take the structured deal and test it against current credit appetite, policy and pricing across my panel, including non-bank and private capital where the timeframe or the asset needs it.
What this means for you: you get an indicative outcome. A straight answer on whether this works, roughly what it looks like, and what it would take to get there. Given before you have spent a dollar.
You choose to continue from here.
Everything to this point has cost you nothing, and you leave knowing where you stand: an indicative outcome, in plain language, based on your actual numbers.
When you are ready to move, Phase 2 is where I go to work for you.
Phase 2
Formal engagement and mandate.
A one off engagement and mandate fee of $1,800 plus GST applies, payable when you engage me to act for you.
I instruct and manage the valuation
Instructing the valuation, briefing the valuer properly on the property and the tenancy, and managing the result including a challenge where the evidence supports one.
What this means for you: the valuation is the single most common reason a commercial deal falls over. A valuer given a proper brief and comparable evidence produces a better informed result than one sent a contract and an address.
I gather what is left and deal with your advisers
The remaining information, and direct liaison with your accountant and solicitor. Entity documents, tax position, GST treatment, special conditions and the settlement timetable.
What this means for you: everyone is working to the same date, and it is my job to hold that together rather than yours.
I build and lodge the submission
A complete, lender-ready application package with a written narrative covering the property, the tenant, the business behind it, the risk and the mitigants.
What this means for you: a credit assessor who has never seen your industry reads a case, not a pile of attachments.
I negotiate and manage it through credit
Negotiation on terms, pricing, lending ratio and review conditions, then managing the application through credit and compliance and every condition precedent through to unconditional.
What this means for you: this is where a deal with a fixed settlement date either holds or slips, and it gets the attention accordingly.
I hold it to the settlement date
Documentation, signing, and coordination between you, your solicitor, the vendor's solicitor and the lender through to settlement. After that I remain your finance contact for reviews and the next purchase.
What this means for you: a commercial settlement has a contract date and consequences for missing it. Someone has to own the timetable across four parties, and that someone is me.
What it all adds up to
Thirty-nine hours of specialist work.
| Inclusions | Typical hours | Value | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery conversation and the property | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Contract, lease and tenancy assessment for lending | 3 | $750 | $0 |
| Serviceability, rental coverage and lending ratio analysis | 3 | $750 | $0 |
| Credit structuring and pre-assessment | 4 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Testing your position against lender credit appetite | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Phase 1 subtotal | 14 | $3,500 | $0 |
| You choose to continue from here | |||
| Valuation instruction and management | 3 | $750 | $0 |
| Remaining information, accountant and solicitor liaison | 4 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Submission preparation and lodgement | 7 | $1,750 | $0 |
| Negotiation, credit management and conditions precedent | 6 | $1,500 | $0 |
| Settlement coordination to the contract date | 5 | $1,250 | $0 |
| Phase 2 subtotal | 25 | $6,250 | $1,800 + GST |
| Total | 39 | $9,750 | $1,980 inc GST |
Values reflect typical market rates for comparable specialist advisory and structuring work, calculated at $250 per hour. They are not fees charged to you.
Hours are typical, not fixed. Some engagements run under and some run well over, depending on your circumstances and how the information arrives. The fee does not change either way.
What you pay
One fee, disclosed up front.
Why it works this way: it means I am paid to get the structure right the first time and to hold your settlement date, not to close a transaction and move on.
Once you have settled a deal with me, that engagement fee generally does not apply again. Annual reviews, rate benchmarking and strategic credit counsel carry no charge for as long as you are a client.
Commercial property finance
$1,800 + GST
$1,980 including GST. One off, non-recurring, and the same regardless of how much you are borrowing.
After settlement, I am paid a commission by your lender, not by you. There is no further cost to you for the life of the loan.
The fee covers credit assistance and structuring. It does not guarantee that a lender will approve your application.
Book a Time with AdrianIn depth
Specialist topics we cover.
Hover or tap a card to read more.
Owner-Occupied Purchase
Hover / tap to learn moreBuy the premises you have been leasing. Rent becomes equity, and lenders generally take a more favourable view of an owner-occupier than a passive investor.
Book a time →Lease & Tenancy Review
Hover / tap to learn moreA short remaining term, a single tenant or an unusual clause can move the lending ratio or sink a deal. Assessed the way a credit team will read it, before you go unconditional.
Book a time →Valuation Management
Hover / tap to learn moreInstructed with a proper brief and comparable evidence rather than just ordered, and challenged where the evidence supports it. The most common reason a deal falls over.
Book a time →Short Settlements
Hover / tap to learn moreStructured around your contract date from day one, including non-bank and private capital where a bank timeline will not hold.
Book a time →Sheds, Yards & Cool Stores
Hover / tap to learn moreIndustrial and agricultural property that mainstream lenders find awkward. Specialised security needs a lender with the appetite for it.
Book a time →Commercial Refinance
Hover / tap to learn moreCommercial terms are short and come up for review. An audit of the existing facility, then a scan for a structure that suits the next five years.
Book a time →Common questions
Before you book.
Does the assessment cost me anything?
No. Everything up to and including the indicative outcome is complimentary. If you decide to proceed afterwards, a one-off engagement and mandate fee of $1,800 plus GST applies, disclosed in writing before you commit to anything. It is the same fee regardless of how much you are borrowing. After settlement, I am paid a commission by your lender, not by you.
How much deposit do I actually need?
More than for a home loan, and it depends on the property, the tenancy and the lender. Commercial lending ratios are lower than most people expect. Working out your real deposit position is part of the complimentary assessment, before you commit to anything.
What happens if the valuation comes in under the contract price?
It is the most common reason a commercial deal falls over. That is why the valuation is instructed with a proper brief and comparable evidence rather than just ordered, and why the deposit position is stress-tested before you go unconditional.
Can you work to a short settlement?
Often yes, and it is the first thing assessed. Whether it is achievable depends on the lender, the valuation and how quickly information arrives. I will tell you honestly on day one rather than find out three weeks in.
Does the fee cover the valuation?
No. The valuation fee and any lender application fee are separate third party costs, and they are disclosed to you before they are incurred. The engagement fee covers my credit assistance and structuring work.
Who reviews the contract of sale?
Your solicitor. What I do is assess how a lender will read the contract, the leases and the tenancy schedule, which is a different job. Tax and GST treatment is your accountant's.
What if I change my mind after engaging you?
The engagement fee is retained once work has commenced, because the work has been done. That is why everything up to the indicative outcome is complimentary: you can see where you stand and walk away at no cost, before any of it applies.
Do you work outside the Sunraysia region?
Yes. I am based in Mildura, Victoria and travel a wide radius around the Sunraysia region. Clients further afield are looked after by video, phone and email, with the same process throughout.
★★★★★
Adrian was fantastic in our appointment, making sure I understood all options, with high attention to detail. Super friendly and easy to talk to. High quality of professionalism. Highly recommend him for anyone wanting more knowledge or looking to get their future started.
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Individual results vary. Your outcome depends on your circumstances and lender assessment.
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