Commercial Real Estate Mortgage Agent — Toronto and Scarborough
Toronto's commercial real estate market is one of the most dynamic and competitive in North America. From the densely built industrial corridors of Scarborough to the mixed-use intensification nodes along Yonge and Sheppard, the GTA demands mortgage financing that moves at the pace of the market — and a broker who understands it from the ground up.
CornellMortgages.ca is headquartered right here on Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. This isn't a market we service from afar. It's home.
Toronto Commercial Real Estate: A Market That Never Stands Still
Toronto's CRE landscape is shaped by intensification pressure, limited land supply, and one of Canada's most diverse tenant pools. Vacancy rates for industrial product remain among the tightest in the country, while multi-family demand continues to absorb new supply almost as fast as it's built. For investors and developers navigating this environment, the right financing structure is often the difference between a deal that closes and one that doesn't.
We work across every asset class in the Toronto market — multi-family residential (5+ units), industrial warehouses and logistics facilities, retail plazas, office buildings, mixed-use developments, and construction and land projects. Whether you're refinancing a stabilized apartment building in Scarborough or sourcing bridge financing for a value-add retail acquisition in North York, we structure transactions to match the asset, the timeline, and the lender appetite.
Scarborough: Industrial Muscle and Multi-Family Growth
Our office sits on Eglinton Avenue East — right in the heart of Scarborough's commercial zone. We know this submarket intimately. The Milner Avenue industrial corridor, Birchmount Road, Warden Avenue, and Kennedy Road anchors are some of the most active industrial real estate pockets in the GTA. Flex-industrial and warehouse properties in this corridor attract strong tenants from logistics, manufacturing, and last-mile distribution.
On the multi-family side, Scarborough continues to see strong investor appetite for value-add apartment buildings — older rental stock near transit corridors that can be repositioned for improved cash flow. Kennedy-Eglinton, the Scarborough Town Centre node, and the emerging Eglinton Crosstown LRT corridor are all areas where repositioning deals make compelling financial sense.
North York: Commercial Nodes and Intensification
North York's commercial real estate is concentrated along a handful of high-intensity corridors: Yonge-Sheppard, Yonge-Finch, the Wilson Avenue employment lands, and the Dufferin-Lawrence industrial zone. We've financed multi-family acquisitions throughout North York and understand the nuances of financing in areas with active rental replacement bylaws and Section 37 obligations.
Office conversions and mixed-use intensification are live themes in North York. Older office inventory near subway stations is increasingly attractive for adaptive reuse — and financing those conversions requires lenders who understand the transitional risk. We work with institutional, alternative, and private lenders to structure bridge facilities for these repositioning plays.
Etobicoke: Industrial Land, Logistics, and Value-Add Retail
Etobicoke's industrial lands along Kipling, Islington, and the Royal York corridor represent some of the last large-format industrial sites in the 416. The Rexdale submarket has attracted significant logistics and warehousing investment, and the aging retail strip malls along key arterials are generating investor interest for repositioning or redevelopment.
We finance industrial acquisitions, construction facilities for redevelopment projects, and multi-family value-add plays throughout Etobicoke. Proximity to Pearson International Airport makes this submarket attractive for air cargo, logistics, and cold-chain operators — asset types we've financed and understand from an underwriting standpoint.
East York and York: Emerging Intensification Markets
East York and York may be smaller in footprint, but they represent active markets for purpose-built rental development and small-to-mid-size commercial investment. Danforth Avenue commercial strips, the Coxwell and Greenwood retail corridors, and industrial pockets along Eastern Avenue all generate regular deal flow. We service both markets and understand the zoning and financing dynamics that shape transaction structures in each.
Downtown Toronto: Office, Mixed-Use, and Multi-Family Refinancing
The downtown core presents its own distinct set of financing challenges and opportunities. Office vacancy in the Financial District and King-Spadina has created opportunities for adaptive reuse and conversion financing. Multi-family demand in CityPlace, Liberty Village, and the St. Lawrence Market area remains resilient. Retail on King, Queen, and Dundas Streets continues to attract investors despite broader headwinds.
We work with institutional lenders, credit unions, Schedule B banks, and private capital sources to structure financing across the downtown Toronto market. High-value transactions, complex ownership structures, and development financings are our specialty.
Broader GTA: Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, and Brampton
Our Toronto coverage extends across the broader GTA corridor. In Mississauga, we finance industrial and logistics product in the Airport Corporate Centre, Meadowvale Business Park, and the Dixie-Dundas employment corridor. In Brampton, the Steeles-Airport Road industrial cluster and major distribution centres represent active deal flow for warehouse acquisitions and refinancing.
Burlington and Oakville are adjacent to our Ncompass Financial office at South Sheridan Way, giving us a natural geographic bridge between the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe markets we serve. Retail plazas, multi-family assets, and mixed-use developments throughout these submarkets fall well within our geographic and lender coverage.
What We Finance in the Toronto Market
Multi-Family Apartment Buildings (5+ Units)
Stabilized and value-add apartment acquisitions, CMHC MLI Select applications, refinancing of existing rental portfolios, and construction financing for purpose-built rental.
Industrial Warehouses and Flex-Industrial
Single-tenant warehouses, multi-tenant flex-industrial parks, manufacturing facilities, last-mile logistics assets, and cold-chain/climate-controlled properties.
Retail Plazas and Strip Malls
​Anchored and unanchored strip plazas, single-tenant retail, gas stations and car washes, and value-add retail requiring bridge financing during re-tenanting.
Office and Office Conversions
Single-tenant professional office, medical office, and transitional facilities undergoing conversion to residential or mixed-use.
Mixed-Use Development and Construction
Multi-phase mixed-use projects, low-rise and mid-rise construction loans, land financing, and development stage bridge lending.
Why Work With Cornellmortgages.ca in the Toronto Market?
Cornell K. Haynes grew up in the Greater Toronto Area and spent his career working in institutional commercial real estate before founding Cornellmortgages.ca. With 13+ years in CRE — spanning appraisal, private REIT valuation, and over $5.5 billion in transaction activity — he brings an institutional lens to every mortgage transaction.
Operating under R.D.M. Financial Consultants / Ncompass Financial, with principal broker Mark Hart's 35+ years of CRE lending experience behind every deal, Cornellmortgages.ca has the lender relationships and market intelligence to structure competitive financing across the Toronto market.
Whether you're an experienced CRE investor, a first-time commercial buyer, or a developer sourcing construction financing, we work with the pace and complexity the Toronto market demands.
Call Cornell K. Haynes at 647-923-7499, or reach out online at cornellmortgages.ca. Our office at 2739 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough is open seven days a week.