How do you structure a lender package? (Looking for advice, not capital)

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing my first lender package for a real estate project and want to make sure I present it the right way.

For those who’ve successfully secured financing:

• What documents do lenders usually expect up front (executive summary, pro forma, rent roll, comps, appraisal, etc.)?
• How detailed should the financials be at first contact — high-level summary or full spreadsheets with assumptions?
• From your experience, do lenders focus more on the property metrics (DSCR, LTV, comps) or on the borrower’s track record and net worth at the initial stage?
• If anyone has sample packages or templates you’re willing to share, that would be a huge help.

What documents do lenders usually expect up front (executive summary, pro forma, rent roll, comps, appraisal, etc.)?

How detailed should the financials be at first contact — high-level summary or full spreadsheets with assumptions?

From your experience, do lenders focus more on the property metrics (DSCR, LTV, comps) or on the borrower’s track record and net worth at the initial stage?

If anyone has sample packages or templates you’re willing to share, that would be a huge help.

To be clear: I’m not asking for funding — just learning how to package my materials so that when I approach lenders, I’m professional and prepared.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Devin Peterson · Answer

Executive summary

sponsors overview (SREO, PFS, .. showing strong experience and liquidity)

capital stack if raising money from LPs or silent partners, (summaries. who are they, are they experienced LPs, is the capital raised.. common questions)

Pro Forma and all financials including soft costs, hard costs, horizontal budget, vertical, permitting/zoning requirements

builders and contractors resumes / verificaition of the ability to complete the project

market CMA showing the need and demand for the build also known as an offering memordanum (just not include the ask)

that should be enoguh to get you some LOIs and looks.

this is a very high level response and i do this every day so i am happy to talk more in detail, its a lot - just text or call me. cell below - good luck!

Erik Estrada · Answer

Hey Vaknin,

It depends on the type of deal. Are you looking for financing on 1-4 Unit Residential or 5+ MFH and Commercial?

Mike Grudzien · Answer

Property metric and borrower experience are good to lead with.

Zachary Deal · Answer

This really depends on the lender and their guidelines. True DSCR loans (1-10 unit residential or 2-8 unit mixed use) can have very simple and straight forward requests. A typical initial doc request will include: Photo ID, Entity docs (if applicable), Bank Statements, Insurance info/contact, Leases or STR rent history (if applicable - vacant units will use market rent or AirDNA projections for STR properties), Mortgage payment history and payoff for refi, Condo Questionnaire (if applicable), Purchase contract/Document improvements (if applicable)

Frank Ellis · Answer

Hi Vaknin, great question. I work in lending and see a lot of lender packages come across my desk.

What usually helps the most is keeping it simple at the first stage, an executive summary with the property basics, pro forma, rent roll if available, and a short note on borrower background. Most lenders will focus first on property-level metrics like DSCR, LTV, and comps, then dive deeper into borrower track record and financials once there’s initial interest.

Full spreadsheets and detailed assumptions are good to have ready, but I wouldn’t lead with those unless specifically requested. A clear, high-level package that shows you’ve thought through the deal tends to make the best first impression.

Frank

Scott Wolf · Answer

What type of property are you looking to buy, and what type of loan will you be trying to get?

How do you structure a lender package? (Looking for advice, not capital)

How do you structure a lender package? (Looking for advice, not capital)

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