Clients, Colleagues, Partners, & Friends,
As 2025 comes to a close, one thing is very clear to me:
This was not a year for shortcuts. It was a year for structure.
Structure in how deals are financed.
Structure in how risk is managed.
Structure in how businesses are built to last—through cycles, not headlines.
2025 was challenging at times, but it was also incredibly constructive. It forced better questions, better underwriting, and better long-term thinking. And for those willing to slow down, plan properly, and execute with discipline, it created real opportunity.
This note is a reflection on the year behind us—and more importantly, a look at where I’m focused heading into 2026.
2025: A Year That Rewarded Clarity
This was the year where the market separated optimism from preparation.
Rates, pricing, and lender appetite didn’t just change affordability—they changed behaviour. Buyers became more selective. Investors became more analytical. Lenders became more disciplined. And that’s not a bad thing.
What worked in 2025 wasn’t guessing where rates would go next.
What worked was:
- realistic underwriting
- thoughtful deal structuring
- understanding lender psychology
- and having a clear Plan B (and sometimes Plan C)
Across residential and commercial, the best outcomes came from clients who treated real estate as a financial instrument, not a speculative trade.
The Market Reality as We Head Into 2026
As we move toward 2026, the tone is improving—but cautiously.
Economic commentary has been consistent on a few points:
- interest rates appear closer to a floor than a ceiling, but volatility isn’t gone
- housing activity has been in a holding pattern, with attention turning to spring 2026
- confidence, not just rates, will be the key driver of activity
- trade and macro uncertainty remain wildcards that reward preparation, not leverage
In short:
2026 won’t be about speed. It will be about precision.
Where I’m Spending My Time and Focus
Over the last few years, my role has evolved significantly. While I remain actively involved in transactions, my primary focus is now on building, scaling, and aligning platforms that work together.
Here’s where that focus is today.
Commercial Markets & the Deal Desk
The majority of my time is now spent in the commercial mortgage market, where structure, strategy, and lender alignment matter most.
This includes:
- acquisition financing
- bridge-to-takeout strategies
- construction and phased construction
- complex refinances
- lender packaging and capital stack design
- longer-term exit planning (including CMHC takeouts where appropriate)
A major value-add for our clients in the commercial space is the deep, trusted relationships we’ve built with niche lenders who are still actively lending. In many cases, these lenders are highly selective—but when deals are presented with the right partners, the right structure, and the right capital stack, capital is available.
This is where we consistently add value. When clients are receiving pushback, uncertainty, or flat “no’s,” we are often able to find a path forward—not by forcing a deal, but by restructuring it properly. Commercial lending is not transactional—it’s advisory. When it comes to commercial transactions that I personally originate, I am fully involved from A–Z: from initial structuring and origination, through funding, and well beyond closing.
Separately, and equally important, I identified a clear gap in the market for residential agents. Having worked closely with residential lending for many years, I saw an opportunity to create a Commercial Deal Desk designed specifically to support agents who want access to commercial opportunities without having to become commercial experts themselves. The model allows agents to participate in commercial deals with minimal friction, meaningful support, and fair compensation—while adding an entirely new revenue stream to their existing business.
The Deal Desk provides agents with lender strategy, deal structuring, packaging, and execution support, along with marketing materials and educational resources they can confidently share with their networks. It’s designed to let agents focus on relationships and introductions, while the heavy lifting is handled behind the scenes.
In 2026, the continued build-out of this Commercial Deal Desk platform will remain a major priority—creating a scalable, institutional-quality solution that benefits agents, their clients, and the broader network, even when capital comes from private or alternative sources.
Residential Lending (Where I Personally Stay Involved)
While my team handles the majority of residential transactions, I remain directly involved in select residential files, including:
- high-net-worth purchases and refinances
- complex income scenarios
- construction lending
- private and alternative lending solutions
- legacy and strategic referral relationships
A key advantage on the residential side is our ability to lean on FC Funding, one of the top-performing franchises within the Dominion Lending Centres network. The leadership, structure, and infrastructure behind FC Funding are critical—and they are what allow our agents to excel.
As a franchise, we will fund close to $2.5 billion (and potentially more) this year, and that scale matters. It provides lender access, influence, and resources that individual brokers simply don’t have on their own. Just as importantly, that infrastructure allows me to focus on relationships, origination, and strategy—rather than administrative friction and “busy work” that so often pulls agents away from what actually grows a business.
Growth of Our Agent Platform
A major focus in 2025 was strengthening the foundation for our agents—and that continues into 2026.
This includes:
- supporting the growth of existing agents
- selectively expanding with the right new people
- improving process, lender access, and deal support
- ensuring agents spend more time building relationships and less time fighting friction
The goal is not scale for scale’s sake. It’s sustainable growth with consistent standards.
Agents who join our team gain access to a deep lender ecosystem, ongoing mentorship from our executive leadership group, and direct guidance from experienced team leads, including myself. They also benefit from the full strength of DLCG and FC Funding’s tools, technology, education, and training platforms.
Just as important, the infrastructure is already built. That allows agents to focus on what actually grows a business—building relationships, originating deals, and serving clients—while operating within a system designed to maximize execution and funding success.
I firmly believe that a strong agent should be capable of succeeding anywhere. Where the right team makes the difference is in how quickly that success is achieved, how much friction exists along the way, and how enjoyable and sustainable the business becomes over time. The expectation is still clear: agents must put in the work. Our role is to ensure that effort is supported by the right structure, resources, and leadership to give them the highest probability of long-term success.
Media, Investments & Long-Term Alignment
In parallel with deal activity, I continue to invest significant time, capital, and energy into the broader ecosystem that supports this industry—education, media, technology, and aligned investment opportunities.
My first book is intentionally written for residential agents. As my own practice continues to shift more heavily toward commercial, the book captures everything I learned building a residential business—what worked, what didn’t, and what I wish I had known earlier. It’s meant to be a practical gift to agents who are working hard, navigating changing markets, and trying to build something sustainable.
Alongside this, we’ve built The Broker Blueprint™, a structured business-planning framework that allows us to help agents create clear, executable plans to grow their businesses. The goal is to remove guesswork, bring discipline to prospecting and operations, and give agents a repeatable way to build momentum in any market environment.
Fund Magazine continues to be one of the most enjoyable projects I’m involved in. It’s relationship-based, community-centric, and partnership-driven. It allows us to highlight great people, share meaningful content, support charitable initiatives, and collaborate in a way that benefits readers and clients—while organically growing all of our networks together. It’s about partnerships, shared stories, and building stronger communities through collaboration.
Beyond lending and media, I remain actively involved as an investor. I am an investor in Alphablock, an AI-driven capital markets technology company that develops proprietary algorithms used by money managers to enhance portfolio performance. While AI is a topical subject today, Alphablock’s technology has been operating quietly for over two decades, supporting institutional managers globally through a white-label model. My involvement reflects a long-standing interest in the intersection of technology, data, and capital allocation.
Separately, many clients and partners have asked over the years about investing alongside us. As a result, we now have a platform to support clients who are interested in participating in private mortgage investments or, where appropriate, equity opportunities in projects we are actively working on. These opportunities are highly selective. Not every project qualifies, and not every investor fit is appropriate—but when alignment exists, we’re able to create meaningful opportunities built on structure, transparency, and disciplined risk management.
Gratitude
None of this is built alone.
Thank you to:
- clients who trusted us during complex decisions
- referral partners who consistently put their reputation alongside mine
- agents who continue to grow and evolve
- lenders and partners who value preparation and clarity
- leadership and colleagues who support long-term thinking over short-term wins
Relationships remain the foundation of everything I do.
Looking Ahead
As we head into 2026, the mindset is simple:
Less noise.
More structure.
Better questions.
Smarter execution.
I’m optimistic—not because markets are easy, but because clarity is returning. And clarity creates opportunity for those prepared to act thoughtfully.
ο»ΏWishing you and your families a strong finish to the year and a healthy, successful 2026.
If it makes sense to connect in the new year, you’re always welcome to book time directly here:
π https://calendly.com/scottwestlake/mortgage-consultation
Scott Westlake
Managing Partner | Westlake Commercial Capital
Team Lead | The Westlake Team
Licensed Mortgage Agent – FSRA #10671 | Dominion Lending Centres – FC Funding
π 416-436-1135
βοΈ scott@thewestlaketeam.com
π thewestlaketeam.com
π’ Commercial | π‘ Niche Residential | π° Private | π Cross-Border