How to get a loan to buy a business?
To get a loan to buy a business, your strongest path is usually an SBA 7(a) loan, up to $5 million, typically 10% down, underwritten on the target business's cash flow as much as your own finances. Business term loans and seller financing round out the picture. Acquisition deals are time-sensitive: sellers entertain other buyers, and financing that drags can kill an agreed deal. The buyers who win are the ones who show up with lender options already lined up. Quordx Capital matches you with acquisition-friendly lenders from a 50+ lender network so the financing keeps pace with the deal.
Last updated · Reviewed by Cody Dreis
50+ Lenders|Funding in as little as 24 hours
How Business Acquisition Financing Actually Works
Lenders evaluate two things: the business you're buying and you. For the business, they want its tax returns and financials showing cash flow strong enough to cover the new loan payment with room to spare. For you, they look for relevant experience, decent personal credit (650+ for most SBA lenders), and a down payment, typically 10% of the purchase price on SBA 7(a) acquisition deals.
The SBA 7(a) is the workhorse here: up to $5M, terms long enough to keep payments manageable, and current variable rates roughly 10.5%–14% depending on loan size. Expect a thorough process, business valuation, document-heavy underwriting, that rewards preparation. Many deals also layer in seller financing, where the seller carries a note for part of the price, which lenders often view favorably because the seller keeps skin in the game.
Financing Options for Buying a Business
SBA 7(a) loans: (up to $5M): Best for most acquisitions, with low down payment, long terms, and competitive rates. Slower, but worth it.
Business term loans: ($10K–$500K+): Best for smaller acquisitions or buyers who need to move faster than SBA timelines allow.
Equipment financing: ($5K–$5M+): Best when the business's value sits in machinery or vehicles; finance the assets directly.
Commercial real estate financing: ($100K–$10M+): Best when the deal includes the building, sometimes structured alongside the acquisition loan.
How Quordx Capital Works
You complete one application, around five minutes, and upload documents for yourself and, when available, the target business. Quordx Capital's matching process identifies 3–7 lenders with genuine appetite for acquisition deals, ranked by your approval odds. Initial lender decisions typically come back within 24–48 hours, so you know quickly whether your deal has legs.
What to Expect
Acquisition lending is slower than a working capital loan, SBA deals especially, so expect a real underwriting process, and start before your letter of intent if you can. Expect straight talk about whether the deal's numbers support the loan; Quordx Capital won't submit a deal that doesn't pencil. The matching is free, lenders pay Quordx Capital only when a deal funds, and exploring options costs you nothing.
Apply for Funding
No obligation · Takes about 10 minutes
Apply for Funding
No obligation · Initial inquiry doesn't impact credit · Takes about 10 minutes
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Important Disclosures
Quordx Capital is a business funding broker, not a lender. We facilitate introductions between U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and lenders or capital providers in our network. All credit decisions, funding amounts, rates, fees, repayment terms, and timelines are determined solely by individual lenders based on their own underwriting criteria.
Funding figures and timelines shown on this page are illustrative and represent ranges within our lender network, they are not guarantees and individual outcomes may vary based on business profile, industry, time in business, revenue, credit history, and lender availability. Not all applicants qualify for every product.
The initial inquiry does not impact your personal credit score. Some lenders may perform a hard credit pull during underwriting; Quordx only authorizes such checks with your specific consent for the lender presenting an offer. Applicants are protected under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because all or part of an applicant's income derives from any public-assistance program.
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