Short-notice business funding for deals that won't wait

Why do good deals come with short deadlines?

Because the other side needs something quickly. A wholesaler wants a slow line off the floor before stocktake. A business that’s closing wants its machinery gone before the lease ends. A head contractor needs a subbie who can start Monday. The deadline is real, but it’s their deadline — and that gives you some room to ask questions.

Before anything else, get the deadline and the terms in writing. An email that says “the price holds until 5pm Friday with a 30% deposit, balance on collection” is worth far more than a phone call. It also becomes the key document for any funding.

How do you test an opportunity in an hour?

Speed tends to crowd out judgement. Three questions keep it in check:

1. What’s the margin, honestly? Use the price you’ll really sell at, not the best case. Include freight, storage, installation and any extra labour.
2. Where does the repayment come from? Sales of the stock, a contract payment schedule, the extra capacity a machine adds. Put a date on it.
3. What if it goes wrong? If the stock sells slowly or the contract is delayed, can you still meet the repayments from normal trading?

If all three answers are comfortable, the deal is worth chasing quickly. If one is shaky, it may still be worth doing — but for a smaller amount, or with a longer repayment runway.

What’s the realistic funding pathway by deadline?

Time until the deal closes	Realistic pathway
Today	Property-secured, $20k–$250k possible same day; smaller unsecured amounts possible same day
1–2 business days	Property-secured up to $5m possible within 24–48 hours; unsecured if statements are ready
About a week	Either path, with time to compare structure and amount
Longer	Time to negotiate the deal itself — payment terms, staged deposits

Property-secured loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000 as first mortgages, second mortgages or caveat loans. Unsecured and cash-flow options typically run from $5,000 to $500,000 for trading businesses, sized on turnover and bank statements. If you’re weighing both, secured or unsecured when time is short sets out the trade-offs. Or put the deal in front of a real person now.

Can you reduce how much you need on the day?

Often, yes — and the other side may welcome it. Try:

• A staged deposit. Pay a holding amount now and the balance on collection or delivery.
• Split collection. Take and pay for part of a stock parcel now, the rest in two weeks.
• Supplier terms on the balance. A wholesaler clearing stock may accept 14 or 30 days on part of it.
• Progress payments on a contract, so the head contractor funds some of the materials.

Every dollar you don’t need today is a dollar that doesn’t have to be funded at speed. Our page on how much to borrow helps with the sizing.

An illustrative example

Illustrative only. A commercial cleaning company is offered the fleet and equipment of a competitor who’s retiring: three vans, scrubbers and a set of contracts, for $210,000. The seller wants a decision by Friday and settlement the following Wednesday. The owner’s home has good equity.

The owner asks for the offer in writing, checks that two of the contracts transfer with the sale, and works out that the added contract income covers repayments with room to spare. With the written offer, bank statements and property details ready, a property-secured loan is arranged in time for Wednesday — and the deposit is paid from existing cash on Friday.

What are the red flags?

• A deadline that keeps moving closer when you ask questions.
• Payment requested to a personal account, or bank details that change by email. Always confirm details by phone using a number you already have.
• Stock or equipment you can’t inspect.
• A “discount” that only exists if you pay today in full.

A real opportunity survives a few sensible questions. If it doesn’t, you’ve probably saved yourself money.

What should you prepare before you call?

Deals move fastest when the lender can see the whole thing on one page. Before you enquire, gather:

• The written offer or contract, showing the price, what’s included and the deadline.
• Your margin calculation, even if it’s a few lines in a notes app — sale price, costs, and what’s left.
• The repayment plan: which sales, contract payments or savings clear the loan, and when.
• Your standard documents: six months of business bank statements, ID for each director and your ABN or ACN.
• Property details if relevant: address, rates notice and current mortgage statement.

Having these ready turns the first call from fact-finding into decision-making, which is where the time is saved.

Is a line of credit useful for opportunities?

If your industry throws up regular short-notice buys — clearance stock, auction equipment, bulk discounts — a standby line of credit means you can say yes without a new application each time. It’s set up once, costs little when unused, and turns opportunity funding from a scramble into a routine decision.

Seize it properly — see if you qualify

Good opportunities are one of the best reasons to borrow, because the money earns its keep. Tell us what the deal is, the amount, the date it closes and what security you have. There’s no credit check when you first enquire, we don’t pass your details around a row of lenders, and a real person looks at the deal with you and calls. Please be accurate on the form — the amount, the deadline and any property — so the option we find can close before the other side moves on.

See if you qualify →