Commercial finance looks exciting from the outside: bigger deals, bigger commissions, and the chance to level up from residential. But the reality? Most brokers who jump into this space without preparation end up frustrated, burned out, or stuck chasing deals they’ll never close.

Most residential brokers underestimate how different commercial deals are until they get knee-deep in one. Unlike residential, commercial financing is not just about a property and a credit score—it’s about businesses, cash flow, risk mitigation, and negotiations that can make or break a deal.

If you’ve been working in residential mortgages, you already know how to guide clients through home financing. But once you step into commercial financing, the rules change.

You’re at the top of your game. You can structure a residential file in your sleep, and you’ve built a loyal client base that trusts you implicitly.

One of the biggest myths about breaking into commercial finance is that you need a massive marketing budget, a brand new logo, and an expensive advertising campaign to find leads.

As an experienced residential mortgage broker, you live and breathe GDS/TDS, FICO scores, and credit bureau analysis. You can glance at a client's application and know instinctively if it fits a lender's box. These metrics are the bedrock of your world.