t’s been an incredible run lately — both for our clients and our team.
As many of you know, my focus continues to evolve toward commercial lending and niche residential financing — the spaces where creativity, relationships, and execution truly matter.
🏗️ We’ve recently completed several remarkable fundings — from multi-million-dollar commercial refinances and construction loans to complex private bridge solutions and cross-border financing. Each one is a reminder that strategy and structure win deals — not rate sheets.
🚀 Recently Funded: Strategic Lending Across Markets and Borders
We recently completed several diverse and impactful transactions — each reflecting our ability to craft financing around our clients’ goals, not just their files.
🏗️ Commercial Refinance & Expansion Facility – $7 Million
We funded a $7M refinance of a major storage yard facility, structured as a two-phase solution.
Phase one refinanced existing obligations to stabilize operations and unlock capital for expansion. The interim financing was secured through our alternative lending partners, allowing immediate execution while we pre-underwrote the institutional take-out for Phase two.
This layered strategy gives the client growth flexibility now — and bank-level financing when the expansion completes.
🏡 Private Residential Mortgage – $5 Million
We structured a $5M private mortgage for a client whose home sale collapsed at closing. Instead of a renewal, we built a refinance with liquidity flexibility, giving the client runway to cover carrying costs without triggering taxable corporate withdrawals or portfolio liquidations.
It’s a prime example of private lending as a strategic bridge, not just a last resort.
🏢 Land Acquisition & Construction Credit Facility – $2.5 Million
A $2.5M facility was arranged to acquire a tear-down property for redevelopment. We underwrote both CMHC MLI Select and non-CMHC institutional options, outlining the pros and cons upfront.
We funded the acquisition and construction via the alternative market, while pre-approving the institutional take-out for completion — giving our client speed, flexibility, and clarity from day one.
🌎 Cross-Border Success – Naples & Miami
Through our U.S. office in Naples, Florida, we completed both a refinance in Naples and a purchase in Miami for Canadian investors.
Cross-border lending is complex — but our trusted network of U.S. lenders, legal, and tax partners ensures clients get the same seamless service abroad that they’ve come to expect at home.
🔍 Currently in Progress
Before diving into some recent fundings, here’s a snapshot of what’s currently in motion behind the scenes:
🏦 Bank Loan Repositioning – Special Loans Recovery
We’re working with ownership groups who’ve tripped covenants and moved into special loans. Our strategy: a two-step solution — an immediate short-term bridge to stabilize the file, followed by a refinance back into a traditional institutional facility. This not only restores lender confidence but also repositions the borrower for sustainable long-term success.
🏗️ CMHC Project – Partner Transition & Rebuild
We’re structuring a partner buyout and replacement in a CMHC-insured development where one principal is exiting to focus on core businesses. We’re facilitating the ownership transition, arranging construction financing, and securing a CMHC take-out once the new structure and build are complete.
🏘️ 130-Unit Multifamily Acquisition & Expansion
Our team is underwriting a 130-unit apartment acquisition, managing the third-party due diligence (appraisal, environmental, engineering), and filtering through multiple institutional and CMHC financing options. In parallel, we’re pre-underwriting the expansion phase that will require additional capital — ensuring continuity from acquisition to growth.
🏠 $6M Construction Loan – Transition to Bank Take-Out
We’re closing out a $6 million construction loan that our team funded and managed from inception, through every draw and inspection. We’re now executing the institutional take-out for long-term placement — a process we manage seamlessly for clients who want end-to-end certainty.
🏆 A Few Milestones Worth Sharing
- Our brokerage has now surpassed $2 Billion in funded volume year-to-date — a testament to the trust our clients and partners place in us every day.
- Personally, I ranked #8 nationwide and #2 in Ontario out of more than 8,500 Dominion Lending Centres originators last month.
I’m proud of those numbers — not as a flex, but as proof that expertise and consistency compound over time.
💼 How I Can Help
If you or your clients are exploring financing for:
- Commercial acquisitions, developments, or construction
- Refinances and take-outs (including CMHC MLI Select)
- Private, bridge, or complex residential solutions
… my team and I would love to help. We approach every file with the same depth of underwriting and strategy — whether it’s $500K or $50M.
Let’s connect — whether to brainstorm an upcoming project, workshop a financing structure, or simply catch up. Book a call --> click HERE
Thank you, as always, for your continued trust and referrals.
Go Jays!
Scott Westlake
Managing Partner | Westlake Commercial Capital
Team Lead | The Westlake Team
Licensed Mortgage Agent – FSRA #10671 | Dominion Lending Centres – FC Funding
📞 416-436-1135
✉️ scott@thewestlaketeam.com
🌐 thewestlaketeam.com
🏢 Commercial | 🏡 Niche Residential | 💰 Private | 🌎 Cross-Border