Funding timing vs deal timing — lessons learned

[Melinda Eilts]

One thing I noticed this year is how often deals get delayed not because of numbers, but because funding wasn’t aligned early.

For those actively investing, when do you typically start thinking about financing—before or after going under contract?

[Matthew Chase]

Most deal delays I see aren’t underwriting issues, they’re capital alignment failures. Financing gets treated as something to “figure out later,” and by the time a contract is signed, optionality is already gone.

In my experience, the best outcomes happen when financing is discussed before LOI, not after. Once you’re under contract, you’re no longer picking the right capital you’re taking whatever can still execute on the clock.

Curious where people land on this. do you line up financing early, or rely on the deal itself to open doors  once it’s signed?