Commercial real estate lending in Gainesville (Alachua County), FL
Alachua County is home to 281,751 residents with a median household income of $59,659 and 7.1% population growth over five years. Commercial deals here are underwritten to Florida's typical standards — around 1.25x DSCR and 75% maximum LTV on stabilized assets — with pricing shaped by the county fundamentals below.
Market character
The University of Florida drives nearly everything in Gainesville: student housing absorbs capital that might otherwise chase conventional multifamily, and UF Health's growth has made medical office a genuine institutional asset class. Outside the university's orbit, the county reverts quickly to rural land use — a split lenders need to underwrite deliberately.
Gainesville by the numbers
| Population | 281,751 |
| 5-year population change | +7.1% |
| Median household income | $59,659 |
| Median age | 32.2 |
| Median home value | $266,800 |
| Median gross rent | $1,255/mo |
| Housing units | 125,702 |
| Renter-occupied share | 45.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates (2023).
Underwriting a Gainesville deal
A Gainesville property clears the same four constraints as any Florida deal — 1.25x minimum DSCR and 75% maximum LTV on stabilized assets, an 8% debt-yield floor, and loan-to-cost caps on construction — with benchmark cap rates for FL spanning roughly 5.5% (multifamily) to 7.5% (hotel). The full state-by-asset-class table lives on the benchmarks page; run Gainesville numbers through the loan sizer to see which constraint binds.
Florida closing costs to budget
Financing in Alachua County carries Florida's documentary stamp tax and intangible tax — about 0.55% of the loan, due in full on every refinance. Insurance is the other Florida-specific line: wind and flood premiums increasingly decide whether a coastal deal's DSCR clears. Estimate a Gainesville deal with the closing cost calculator or read the doc stamps guide.
Financing a property in Gainesville?
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Analyze my deal freeFrequently asked questions
What DSCR do lenders require in Alachua County?
In Gainesville — a market of 281,751 residents where median gross rent runs $1,255 a month — lenders apply Florida's usual floors: typically 1.25x DSCR stabilized, 1.20x on acquisitions, 1.10x on bridge or construction. The county changes which lenders compete for the deal more than it changes the ratio.
What are typical commercial cap rates in Gainesville?
Statewide Florida benchmarks run roughly 5.5% for multifamily up to 7.5% for hotels; where Gainesville deals price inside those bands depends on submarket, asset quality, and tenancy — in a county whose median home value is $266,800, residential-adjacent product tends to price toward the wider end. Individual comps set real pricing.