Real Estate Capital Simplified
Bridge Loans for Colorado Commercial Real Estate
Supporting deals from $3 million to $100 million+ in Colorado
A bridge loan is short-term financing for a property between two states: bought but not stabilized, built but not leased, maturing but not ready to refinance. I'm Carl Riggins, and I arrange bridge debt for Colorado sponsors on the Northmarq platform, marketing each request to 500+ capital sources — banks to ~70% of cost, debt funds to ~90%. Deals from $3M to $100M+, statewide.
Bridge lenders don't underwrite your property. They underwrite your exit. Every bridge quote is a bet on what the asset looks like in 24 months: the refinance DSCR, the sale comp, the lease-up curve. Lenders who like your exit compete; lenders who don't quote wide and hope. The spread between the two is larger in bridge than in any permanent product, which is exactly why the first quote is the most expensive one to accept.
When does a bridge loan make sense in Colorado?
- Lease-up. The project is built and leasing, but the permanent market wants stabilized numbers. A bridge carries you from certificate of occupancy to a refinance at full value — and with Denver's construction pipeline at a five-year low, assets leasing now are doing it with less new competition every quarter.
- Value-add acquisition. The rent roll you're buying doesn't support the price you're paying; the business plan does. Bridge debt funds the purchase and the renovation budget against the finished product.
- Maturity runway. Your loan comes due before the market you need arrives. A bridge buys time — and if the gap is bigger than time can fix, that's a rescue capital conversation instead.
- Speed. Estate sales, note purchases, 1031 clocks. Debt funds exist because their capital can move faster than a credit committee.
What does a bridge lender need to see?
Three things, in order: the exit, the basis, the sponsor. A credible refinance or sale case at today's numbers — not 2021's.
A basis that leaves room if the plan slips two quarters. And evidence you've executed this business plan before.
Interest reserves and extension options are structured up front; the deals that get in trouble are the ones that bought twelve months of runway for an eighteen-month plan.
what capital sources realistically look like
What's the difference between a bridge loan and hard money?
Price and posture. Institutional bridge lenders underwrite your exit and want the loan repaid on schedule. Hard money underwrites collateral and is content to own it. If your deal pencils for institutional bridge, hard money is an unnecessary tax.
How much can I borrow on a bridge loan?
Banks typically cap near 70% of cost; debt funds stretch to 90% for strong sponsors and clean exits. Above that, preferred equity fills the gap — often from the same marketed process.