Industry
Construction Loan Broker
Challenge
Builders with strong projects were unable to secure financing due to strict bank requirements, cash-to-close constraints, and slow, uncertain underwriting processes.
Results
Cofi granted consistent deal flow of 2-3 loans per month, repeat builder clients, competitive wins against other brokers, and millions in closed deal volume with no idle pipeline.
Loan Program
Single Family + Multi Family Construction Loans
Broker
Jack Leachman has been in the mortgage industry since the mid-1980s and has spent decades working across lending, building, and development. Today, through 3Cord Lending, he helps builders and developers secure financing for construction projects.
Many of his clients come to him after being turned away by traditional banks. They are often experienced builders with viable projects—but they don’t meet rigid lending criteria.
“I’m where clients go when the bank says no.”
Because of this, he is constantly searching for lending partners that can offer more flexible, competitive solutions. Since discovering CoFi, he has made it a core part of his lending strategy and now consistently closes two to three construction projects per month using CoFi financing.
Traditional construction financing often creates barriers that prevent builders from moving forward, even when the underlying deal is strong.
Banks typically require large cash contributions at closing, enforce monthly payments during construction, and apply strict underwriting standards that many projects cannot satisfy. In many cases, even builders who already own their land are unable to proceed.
For Jack, this created a recurring problem. Deals didn’t fall apart because they were bad—they stalled because financing slowed everything down.
The real issue wasn’t just cost. It was lost momentum.
When Jack began working with CoFi, what stood out immediately was how easy it was to communicate the value to builders.
“The beautiful thing about CoFi is the short elevator pitch—you can get started with no cash up front.”
That simplicity resonates with builders who want to preserve capital and keep projects moving. It removes one of the biggest barriers in construction financing—coming out of pocket to get started.
Just as importantly, it gives brokers a message that wins deals quickly. Builders understand it immediately, which accelerates decisions and keeps projects moving forward.
The simplicity continues after the loan is approved.
“A significant advantage of CoFi is allowing builders to utilize debt to expand their projects from one or two houses a year to potentially six.”
Builders are able to move forward with construction while CoFi handles much of the administrative work behind the scenes. Instead of managing invoices and paperwork, they submit photos of completed work and request draws through the platform.
“Take a picture of the work and they’ll pay the invoice. CoFi takes care of the backend.”
This streamlined process reduces friction during construction and creates a smoother experience for builders, many of whom return for future projects.
Since incorporating CoFi into his lending toolkit, Jack has built a steady and repeatable pipeline.
Today, his brokerage closes approximately two to three CoFi construction loans per month. Loan approvals typically take 30–45 days, which aligns with industry expectations, but the difference is in the consistency and predictability of outcomes.
For Jack, it isn’t speed or process that drives this volume—it’s the structure itself. When builders realize they can move forward without bringing cash to the table or making payments during construction, more deals naturally follow.
“We get more deals because we can get builders to the closing table without money out of pocket.”
Beyond individual deals, CoFi changes what’s possible for builders.
With traditional financing, many builders are limited to one or two projects per year because their capital is tied up in each deal. By removing the need for additional cash at closing and eliminating monthly payments during construction, CoFi allows builders to take on multiple projects at once.
In some cases, that means scaling from one or two builds per year to five or six.
Jack has seen this play out firsthand with builders who use CoFi as part of a repeatable strategy—purchasing land with cash, funding construction through CoFi, completing the project, and refinancing into a long-term loan to free up capital for the next build.
CoFi has also become a competitive advantage for Jack in broker-to-broker scenarios.
In one recent deal, he competed against multiple brokers offering different financing options. After reviewing the numbers, he found that even with his broker fee included, the CoFi structure still delivered the strongest outcome for the borrower.
“Other brokers lose deals to us—and then they start calling CoFi.”
That level of competitiveness has helped him win more deals and generate additional referrals.
For Jack, success as a broker comes down to delivering the right outcome for the client.
That perspective is one of the reasons he continues to rely on CoFi. The platform is consistent, reliable, and easy to work with, allowing him to deliver results without unnecessary complexity.
Builders understand the product, deals move forward efficiently, and clients come back for future projects.
At the center of it all is a simple value proposition that continues to win deals.
“The strong part of CoFi is simple—no cash up front. Just go build your house and sell it.”
-Jack Leachman
© 2026 Construction Finance Corporation (CoFi)*.
