Debt Origination Questions (Broker Call)
A lender-style question list you can use in interviews or real broker calls. It’s designed to surface the real risks fast.
What interviewers are testing
The real goal
Can you run a tight diligence call and quickly identify what matters: the business plan, the exit, and who’s actually capable of executing?
1) Deal story + business plan
Ask these first
- What is changing in this deal (why bridge)?
- What’s the timeline and critical path item?
- What are the top 2 execution risks?
- What has been done to date (permits, scope, leasing)?
2) Economics + sizing inputs
Income / NOI
- In-place NOI vs underwritten vs stabilized
- Rent comps and concessions assumptions
- Major lease expirations / rollover risk
Capex / scope
- Detailed scope + budget + contingency
- Who is GC / PM and what’s the track record?
- What happens if costs run 10–15% higher?
Exit assumptions
- What takeout lender is the sponsor targeting?
- What takeout rate/cap are you assuming?
- What happens if takeout is 100 bps worse?
3) Sponsor (this is where you win)
Ask the question most candidates avoid
“Walk me through your last 2–3 deals that look like this — what went wrong, and what did you do when the plan didn’t go perfectly?”
Plus the basics
- Liquidity relative to carry + capex exposure
- Deal count in this exact market + plan
- Current pipeline and maturities (bandwidth)