Multifamily & Apartment Building Loans.
From 5-unit walk-ups to 200+ unit apartment complexes — finance your multifamily acquisition, refinance, or value-add project with DSCR, bank, agency, and CMBS options.
Multifamily Financing by Building Size
The optimal loan product changes dramatically based on unit count. A 5-unit walk-up and a 150-unit garden complex use completely different financing paths.
Loan Options for Multifamily Properties
Multifamily has the widest range of financing options in all of CRE — including agency lending exclusive to apartment buildings.
The go-to for 5–20 unit buildings. No tax returns. Qualification based on rent roll. Close in 21–35 days. Scale your portfolio without affecting personal DTI.
The gold standard for apartment financing. Non-recourse, lowest rates, longest terms. Only available for multifamily (not office, retail, or industrial). Stabilized properties with 90%+ occupancy.
Full documentation. Community banks may offer relationship pricing and flexibility on unit count. Good for borrowers with existing banking relationships.
CMBS for large stabilized complexes. Bridge for value-add deals: acquire, renovate units, raise rents, then refinance into agency or permanent. Non-recourse available.
What Lenders Evaluate for Apartment Loans
Multifamily underwriting is the most standardized in CRE. These are the core metrics every lender evaluates.
How Multifamily Financing Works
Share Your Deal
Unit count, rent roll, unit mix (1BR/2BR/3BR), purchase price or estimated value, current occupancy, and your investment strategy (buy-and-hold vs value-add).
Submit to BestLoanUSA
Single application. No hard credit pull. We assess your deal across DSCR, bank, agency, and CMBS options based on property size and stabilization.
Advisor Review with Jason
Jason analyzes your rent roll, unit economics, market comps, and investment timeline to recommend the optimal loan structure. Small MF often goes DSCR. 50+ units may qualify for agency.
Lender Matching
We submit to multifamily-specialist lenders. For agency deals, we connect with Fannie/Freddie approved sellers. You receive competing term sheets.
Underwriting & Appraisal
Multifamily appraisal with income approach. Provide rent roll, T-12 operating statement, unit-level lease abstracts, and property condition report.
Close & Fund
DSCR: 21–35 days. Bank: 30–45 days. Agency: 45–75 days. CMBS: 45–75 days. Bridge: 14–30 days.
Ready to Finance Your Apartment Building?
No credit pull. No commitment. See what multifamily financing options are available for your deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Properties with 5 or more residential units are classified as commercial multifamily and require commercial financing. 1–4 unit properties are residential and can use conventional residential mortgages (Fannie Mae residential, FHA). The financing options, rates, and underwriting process are fundamentally different above and below the 5-unit threshold.
Agency lending refers to loans originated through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily programs. Agency loans offer the best rates in CRE (5–7%), terms up to 35 years, and non-recourse (you’re not personally liable). This program is ONLY available for multifamily properties — not office, retail, or industrial. It’s the single biggest financing advantage apartment investors have over other CRE asset classes.
Yes. DSCR loans qualify you based on the property’s rent roll, not your personal income. If the building’s NOI covers at least 1.0–1.25x of the annual debt service, you qualify without providing tax returns, W-2s, or pay stubs. This is the most popular path for investors scaling from 5 to 20+ units.
Value-add means acquiring a property below market value, renovating units (new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, appliances), raising rents to market rates, and refinancing at the higher appraised value. Bridge loans fund the acquisition and renovation. Once stabilized at 90%+ occupancy with market rents, you refinance into permanent or agency financing at a much lower rate.
Lenders examine current rents vs market comparables, lease expiration dates, tenant payment history, vacancy trends, and unit mix. They calculate effective gross income (total rent minus vacancy and concessions), subtract operating expenses, and arrive at NOI. The rent roll is the foundation of multifamily underwriting — a clean, well-documented rent roll speeds up approval significantly.
Yes. 1031 exchanges are one of the most common entry points into multifamily. Sell a smaller investment property, defer capital gains taxes, and reinvest into a larger apartment building. The exchange must follow IRS rules: identify replacement property within 45 days and close within 180 days. Many investors 1031 from single-family rentals or small multifamily into larger apartments.