Commercial real estate transactions at scale require more than access to capital, they demand precision, strategy, and control. While many firms focus on sourcing debt, Solomon Stanley Financial focuses on aligning financing with the broader architecture of a project’s success. For us, a capital stack isn’t a formula, it’s a framework for performance.
Commercial real estate (CRE) financing refers to the structured capital used to fund income-producing real estate transactions. It typically includes a mix of senior debt, mezzanine financing, preferred equity, and sponsor equity, tailored to the specific strategy, timeline, and risk profile of the project.
When sponsors bring us a transaction, our objective is not simply to secure funding, but to design a structure that protects equity, manages risk, and enhances returns across the full investment cycle. Whether the project is a ground-up multifamily development or the repositioning of an urban mixed-use asset, our process is built to handle complexity.
Strategic Financing Begins with a Structured Framework
High-value real estate deals typically involve multiple moving parts: timing pressures, entitlement uncertainty, phased developments, layered partnerships, and capital limits. In these scenarios, templated loan products fall short.
Our approach begins with a diagnostic: understanding what the project needs to succeed, and what capital structure will support—not constrain—that vision. That means mapping the sources and uses, sponsor goals, time horizon, and market context before ever engaging lenders.
This first phase allows us to identify financing strategies that account for more than just interest rates and LTV ratios. We build plans that consider exit optionality, refinancing paths, control triggers, and flexibility under pressure.
The Solomon Stanley Structuring Process
Our process is designed to guide high-value deals from concept to execution with confidence. It typically unfolds in five key phases:
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Capital Discovery
We begin with a deep dive into the project’s business plan. What’s the real objective—stabilization, repositioning, long-term hold? What risks exist in the timeline, cost structure, or permitting? We work to understand not just the asset, but the strategy behind it.
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Stack Modeling
With clear goals in place, we model several capital stack scenarios. We evaluate how different combinations of senior debt, mezzanine, preferred equity, and sponsor capital will affect IRR, DSCR, equity dilution, and downside protection.
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Capital Partner Alignment
Solomon Stanley has relationships with institutional lenders, private credit funds, family offices, and non-bank capital sources. We don’t auction deals—we place them. That means identifying partners whose underwriting approach matches the project’s profile and complexity.
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Term Engineering
This is where execution begins. We negotiate more than pricing—we negotiate flexibility. That includes interest-only periods, draw schedules, prepayment mechanics, cash flow waterfalls, extension options, and embedded contingencies. Our goal is to eliminate surprises later in the deal cycle.
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Execution and Oversight
Once terms are finalized, we coordinate all third-party deliverables, manage lender communications, and maintain momentum toward close. Our focus is on timing and clarity, because delays create cost, and complexity demands control.
Structuring Beyond the Term Sheet
In high-value transactions, the wrong structure can cost more than the right rate. Overleveraging, inflexible prepay terms, or poorly timed draws can compromise an otherwise strong project. That’s why we treat each element—debt, mezzanine, and equity—as part of a single capital ecosystem.
We also consider how today’s financing will interact with tomorrow’s refinance, recapitalization, or disposition. Whether planning an eventual CMBS exit, an agency take-out, or a strategic refinance, our structures are built to create options, not lock them out.
This level of structuring is especially critical for:
- Developers with entitlement or phasing risk
- Sponsors with multi-asset cross-collateralization
- Projects requiring capital stack layering to hit targeted returns
- Family offices seeking wealth preservation and control
- Operating partners navigating institutional JV requirements
Why Our Approach Matters
Capital is no longer scarce, but intelligent structuring still is. At Solomon Stanley, we fill the space between lender expectations and sponsor execution, ensuring that both align with the realities of commercial real estate.
Our clients don’t come to us for a loan, they come to us for clarity, control, and capital that moves as their projects do.
If you’re navigating a complex transaction or preparing to raise financing for a high-value asset, our team is ready to help structure a solution that performs far beyond the term sheet.
