Purchase, refinance, build-out and cash-out financing for gas stations, convenience stores, truck stops and car washes. SBA 7(a) and 504 up to 90% of project cost, conventional and CMBS to 80–85% of value, bridge capital when the seller will not wait. UFIG is a commercial loan correspondent: we originate, underwrite and deliver your loan through our Correspondent Lending channel, and place it through our Capital Network when another lender offers better terms.
A gas station or car wash is a special-purpose property: the real estate has one use, the value depends on the operation, and most banks either decline the asset class or cap leverage at 50 to 60 percent. The lenders that do finance it well are a small group, and they look at the same things every time: fuel volume or wash counts, inside sales, the supply agreement, the environmental file and the operator’s experience.
UFIG works that group every week. We underwrite the business and the real estate together, choose the program that gives you the most leverage at the lowest cost, and manage the file from first call to closing with one loan officer.
Program guidelines of the placing lender; subject to appraisal, environmental review, credit and lender confirmation.
Gas station and car wash loans are declined more often than almost any other commercial property type, and rarely because the deal is bad. These are the reasons we hear, and the way the lenders in our Capital Network handle each one.
Underground tanks make most banks walk. Specialty lenders order the Phase I, read the tank-tightness and monitoring records, and price the deal rather than refuse it.
A general appraiser values the dirt and the building. A going-concern appraisal values the operation, which is what the SBA lender needs to reach 85 to 90 percent.
Fuel margins alone rarely carry a loan. Inside sales, the car wash, lottery, food service and rental income are underwritten together.
A branded supply contract with years remaining is an asset; one expiring at closing is a question. We get the answer before the lender asks.
Express tunnels are capital-intensive and lenders want a site study, a membership plan and an experienced operator. SBA 504 and construction-to-perm programs are built for it.
A change of ownership to a first-time operator is financeable with 10 percent down under 7(a) when there is relevant management experience and a seller transition.
The 7(a) is the workhorse for station and car wash purchases because one note can cover the real estate, the business, equipment, inventory and working capital. Up to $5 million per borrower (up to $10 million combined with a 504 under the rules in effect since July 2026), 25-year amortization when real estate is more than half the use of proceeds, variable rate at Prime plus 1.50 to 3.00 percent or fixed with some lenders, fully amortizing with no balloon. The SBA minimum equity injection on a start-up or complete change of ownership is 10 percent of total project cost; a seller note on full standby can count toward part of it. Preferred Lender banks in our Capital Network approve in-house without waiting for the SBA.
A 504 pairs a bank first mortgage of 50 percent with a 20- or 25-year fixed-rate SBA debenture, currently in the high-6 percent range, for up to 40 percent of the project. Because a gas station or car wash is a special-purpose property, the borrower injects 15 percent, and 20 percent when the business is also a start-up. The 504 fits a real-estate-heavy purchase, a ground-up express car wash where the tunnel equipment is a large part of the budget, and refinances of existing debt under the 504 refinance program. Working capital cannot be included.
Banks and credit unions that specialize in the asset class lend 65 to 75 percent of appraised value to experienced operators, on 5- to 10-year terms with 20- to 25-year amortization, and without the SBA guaranty fee. CMBS conduit lenders take portfolios and single assets above about $3 million on a non-recourse basis. Both want a going-concern history, a clean environmental file and a sponsor with more than one location or a long track record.
A seller who will not wait 60 to 90 days for SBA, a station with a Phase II in progress, a car wash still ramping to stabilized membership counts, or a buyer with a short-term credit or tax-return issue closes with a commercial bridge loan from $1,000,000 in two to three weeks, and the 7(a), 504 or conventional loan takes it out once the file is clean.
| Requirement | Gas Station / C-Store | Car Wash |
|---|---|---|
| Loan amount | $500,000 to $15,000,000 | $500,000 to $15,000,000 |
| Leverage | Up to 90% SBA; 80–85% conventional and CMBS | Up to 90% SBA; 80–85% conventional and CMBS; construction to 80–85% of cost under 504 |
| Financials | 3 years business tax returns, interim P&L, fuel volume and inside-sales reports by month | 3 years returns or a feasibility study for new builds; wash counts, membership counts, ticket average |
| Property | Phase I; tank age, type and compliance; supply agreement; site plan | Phase I; equipment list and age; water reclamation; traffic study for new sites |
| Sponsor | Relevant management experience; personal returns and financial statement; credit 680+ | Operating or management experience; personal returns and financial statement; credit 680+ |
| Appraisal | Going-concern appraisal (real estate, business, equipment) | Going-concern appraisal; as-complete and as-stabilized for construction |
| Timing | SBA 45–75 days; conventional 45–60; bridge 2–3 weeks | SBA 45–75 days; construction 60–90 to first draw |
Guidelines of the placing lender, subject to change; UFIG confirms current terms with the lender before issuing a quote.
UFIG originates gas station, convenience store and car wash loans in all 50 states through its Correspondent Lending channel and a Capital Network of SBA Preferred Lenders, specialty banks, non-bank SBA lenders, Certified Development Companies, CMBS conduits and private capital. Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Ohio, Arizona and California are among the most active markets. Because the loan goes to a lender that already finances your property type, a deal a local bank passed on is still financeable.
One loan officer, one file, no hand-offs. Here is how a gas station or car wash loan moves from first call to the closing table.
The short form or a phone call. Tell us the property, the price or payoff, the fuel volume or wash counts, and your experience.
Your loan officer confirms the program fit, the leverage you can expect and what the lender will need, before you sign anything.
We pre-underwrite the file, choose the execution path (our Correspondent Lending channel or the Capital Network lender whose credit policy fits) and deliver a written quote.
The same officer manages the going-concern appraisal, environmental review, underwriting and closing.
Call during business hours to speak with a loan officer, or submit your deal for a 24-hour review. UFIG originates, underwrites and delivers your loan through its Correspondent Lending channel, or places it with the Capital Network lender that finances gas stations and car washes every month when that gets you better terms.
Gas station loans, convenience store financing, truck stop loans and car wash financing in all 50 states, from $500,000, through SBA 7(a), SBA 504, conventional, CMBS and bridge programs. UFIG originates, underwrites and places special-purpose property loans through its Capital Network, and also arranges SBA loans, self-storage loans, hotel loans and commercial bridge loans. Call (888) 556-4029.
