The good news about qualifying for a commission advance is that it is mostly not about you. It is about the commission. A lender asks whether you are a good credit risk. An advance funder asks whether the commission is real, owed, and verifiable. That shift is why brokers who would struggle to get a quick bank loan can often advance a commission without trouble. This guide lays out what actually qualifies, which deals are eligible, and why applications get turned down.
Strip it down and there are two questions. Are you the person entitled to this commission, and is this commission a clean, collectible receivable. If the answer to both is yes, you are most of the way there. The funder is buying a future payment, so they care about the quality of that payment far more than about your credit score.
On your side, the bar is straightforward.
Notice what is not on that list. There is generally no minimum credit score, no requirement to pledge personal assets, and no demand for years of tax returns. Because this is the sale of a receivable rather than a loan, the usual borrowing hurdles do not apply.
The commission itself has to clear a few bars, and these matter more than anything on the broker side.
Most standard commercial leasing commissions qualify, on both sides of the table. New leases are the bread and butter. Renewals and expansions can qualify when the commission on them is clearly owed under the agreement. Tenant rep and landlord rep commissions both work. Office, industrial, retail, and medical office deals are all fair game, though each asset class has its own timing pattern, which the asset class guide covers.
The simplest test is the one above. If the deal is done, the number is fixed, the payor is real, and nothing is contested, it is very likely eligible.
Run your deal against this before you apply. If you can tick every box, you are in good shape.
When an advance does not go through, it is almost always one of these, and most are fixable.
The theme across all of them is the same. A clean, verifiable, undisputed commission on a closed deal qualifies easily. The declines come from commissions that are not yet real, not yet clear, or not yet agreed.
Generally no. Approval rests on the commission being real, fixed, and verifiable rather than on your credit score, because you are selling an earned receivable, not borrowing. Confirm specifics with the provider.
Yes. Time in the business is not the test. If you are licensed, named on the agreement, and the commission is clean, a first-year broker can qualify the same as a veteran.
Often yes, as long as the commission on it is clearly owed under the agreement and is not contingent or disputed. The cleaner the trigger language, the easier it is.
An unexecuted deal, a contingent or disputed commission, or a payor no one can reach to verify. Most of these are timing problems that resolve, after which the same commission qualifies.
This guide is general information for commercial real estate brokers and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Eligibility is determined per deal. Confirm specifics with Cash For Commish.
