Start with the purpose of the capital and the information behind the plan. This guide separates the financing questions, shows a hypothetical planning example and helps you prepare a useful review.
Begin with use and ownership
State whether the property is leased to tenants, occupied by your own operating company or used for both. Describe the property and ownership plan before choosing a financing label.
Separate purchase from refinance
For a purchase, summarize price, timing and available equity. For a refinance, add the current debt, maturity and intended use of any additional proceeds. These details frame the request without establishing approval.
Explain the income
Provide a rent roll or leasing summary, current occupancy and known operating costs when available. Distinguish current income from projections or renovation assumptions. For hotels, explain how ownership and day-to-day operations fit together.
Illustrative property cash versus purchase budget
Suppose a property is forecast to collect $30,000 per month and incur $12,000 of operating cash expenses before financing. That leaves $18,000 before financing payments, reserves, capital improvements and owner distributions. It is not an approved payment capacity or a quoted lender calculation. If collected rent falls by $5,000 while expenses remain unchanged, the amount before those obligations falls to $13,000. Use actual leases, collections and expense records; separate scheduled rent from money received.
Prepare the uses and sources separately
List the purchase price or refinance payoff, transaction costs, immediate repairs and reserves. Then identify the proposed equity contribution and the financing being requested. Keep future improvement costs visible even if they are outside the initial closing. Do not count expected appreciation or an uncommitted refinance as cash available today.
Test vacancy, expenses and the intended hold
Which leases expire during the plan? What would a vacant unit, delayed lease-up or higher operating cost do to collected cash? Is the property held for income or intended to be sold? A refinance depends on facts and market conditions at that time; it should not be treated as a guaranteed exit. Describe owner-occupied business use separately from passive investment.
Identify uncertainty early
List vacancies, lease rollover, improvements and unresolved diligence. A useful brief describes the present situation and the planned outcome separately.
Bring a property-specific review packet
Prepare a rent roll or equivalent income detail, recent collections, operating statements, existing debt, taxes, insurance and the repair budget. Explain occupancy, tenant concentration and the proposed ownership structure. Hotel property needs operating context as well as real estate detail. Questions about legal rights, taxes and valuation require the appropriate professional review.
Preparation checklist
- Describe the property, ownership and occupancy, including any use by your own business.
- Separate purchase or refinance uses from verified equity and other funding sources.
- Gather the rent roll, collections, operating costs, existing debt and improvement budget.
- Label vacancies, lease rollover, projected income and unresolved diligence.
Your next step
Choose the relevant financing conversation.
Use the path that matches your business, property or project.
Sources and scope
This guide is an original Unicus Capital planning framework. Its worked examples use hypothetical figures, not industry benchmarks, customer results or lender terms. They do not establish eligibility, pricing, approval or financing availability.
Use current business records, property information and project documents to assess your own plan. Legal rights, taxes and valuation require the appropriate professional review. This educational guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice.
Published planning material updated November 3, 2026. The preparation checklist summarizes the questions and records discussed above; actual review requirements depend on the transaction.