I used to think hiring a financing broker was lazy.
Why pay someone to do what I can do myself? I had Google. I had contacts. I had confidence.
What I didn’t have was perspective.
The first few times I went straight to lenders, things seemed fine. Calls were friendly. Term sheets showed up. Everyone said they liked the deal.
Then reality kicked in.
One lender dragged underwriting for six weeks and disappeared. Another loved the deal… until they didn’t. One approved me verbally and killed it two days before closing over something they “forgot to mention.”
That’s when I learned a hard lesson: Deals don’t fall apart because there’s no money. They fall apart because the wrong people are involved.
What No One Tells You About Finding a Lender
Most lenders don’t say “no” upfront.
They say:
- “Send it over”
- “Looks interesting”
- “Let me run it by credit”
- “We’re close”
That doesn’t mean they’ll fund your deal.
It usually means you’re educating them for free while they decide if you’re worth their time.
And while you’re waiting, your seller is waiting. Your partners are waiting. Your credibility is quietly bleeding.
The First Time a Broker Saved My Deal
The first broker I worked with didn’t blast my deal to 50 lenders.
He called three.
Not emails. Calls.
He already knew:
- Which lender hated my asset type
- Which one would over-promise and under-deliver
- Which one had actually closed something similar last quarter
He reworked the numbers, reframed the risk, and told me straight up what wouldn’t fly.
The deal closed.
Not because it was perfect — but because it was placed correctly.
A Financing Broker Isn’t a Middleman — They’re a Filter
Good brokers don’t “shop deals.” They filter bullshit.
They protect you from:
- Lenders who say yes too easily
- Cheap money that comes with handcuffs
- Term sheets that fall apart in legal
- Endless underwriting loops that kill momentum
They also tell you uncomfortable truths — the kind you need to hear before a lender ever sees your deal.
Why DIY Borrowers Pay More (Even When They Think They Didn’t)
Here’s the part nobody likes admitting.
When you go direct, lenders price you, not just the deal.
If they sense inexperience, desperation, or uncertainty, you pay for it:
- Higher reserves
- Tighter covenants
- Personal guarantees you didn’t need
- No flexibility when something goes sideways
A broker changes the power dynamic.
Now the lender knows:
- They’re competing
- The deal is being positioned professionally
- Games won’t be tolerated
That alone changes the terms.
The Best Deals Don’t Look Flashy — They’re Just Placed Right
The smoothest closings I’ve seen weren’t sexy.
They were boring.
Because the broker already knew:
- What the lender would push back on
- What to concede
- What to hold firm on
No drama. No surprises. No “let me check with credit again.”
Just execution.
Bottom Line
If you’re doing one deal every few years, sure — roll the dice.
But if you’re trying to build momentum, reputation, and repeatability, chasing lenders yourself is the slowest way to do it.
A financing broker doesn’t make bad deals good. They make good deals actually close.
And that’s the only part that matters.
Call us for more information 832-539-7557 or email us miguelr@fenixsolutions.io
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