At just five years old, Bravo Capital has already established itself as an industry leader.
Launched in 2021, the award-winning firm boasts a record that includes complex construction financing, HUD loans, mezzanine deals, office-to-residential conversions and multifamily projects nationwide. We sat down with Bravo Capital and Bravo Property Trust CEO and founder Aaron Krawitz for a conversation about the firm’s recent success, interest rates changes and Bravo will always keep one foot firmly planted in New York City.
The full package
Bravo Capital offers a menu of lending options from land and construction loans to lease-up financing or permanent HUD loans with 35-year amortization. The firm provides bridge loans to support its own projects as well as those from other lenders.
“We built Bravo so a borrower never has to leave the building to find a solution,” Krawitz says. “Bridge, mezzanine, HUD, construction — it’s all here. The idea is not optionality for its own sake; it’s that certainty lives inside choice.”
The firm’s access to high-quality capital enables both flexibility and structure. Earlier this year, The Real Deal reported that Bravo Property Trust, an affiliate of Bravo Capital, secured $400 million from a Middle Eastern investor for U.S. property loans.
To date, the firm has financed projects ranging from $3 million to $170 million, not only across loan sizes but also across varying positions in the capital stack, and has closed more than $1.8 billion in financing.
“The most sophisticated borrowers and owners are using us and that’s for a reason,” says Krawitz.
Bravo has issued loans nationally with strong activity in the tri-state area, along with Florida, the Carolinas and Texas. It focuses on multifamily and healthcare, with an emphasis on skilled nursing and assisted living.
Bravo’s HUD platform has garnered particular attention. The firm was named “Innovative Firm of the Year” last year and “Alternative Lender of the Year” in 2024 and 2025 by PERE Credit.
Bravo has an active refinancing practice, including cash-out refinancings, and has executed several high-profile deals in markets such as Texas and Ithaca.
The need for speed
A hands-on CEO, an underwriter just a phone call away, and rapid turnarounds in an industry not known for speed are among the hallmarks of Bravo Capital’s client experience.
“Usually there’s a 30-day diligence arc,” Krawitz says, “but when a deal’s clean and the counterparties aligned, we can compress it without cutting corners.”
Bravo can offer a quick closing; its current internal record is nine days.
“You’re always talking to our A-team,” Krawitz says. “There’s no labyrinth to navigate, no hierarchy to wait on. It’s rare to have a small-firm feel with large-firm capital, but that’s the point. It’s the best of both worlds.”
In a volatile lending environment, Bravo is able to offer stability and value in financing. Through its HUD platform, the firm offers 35-year fixed-rate, fully amortizing loans at up to 80% loan-to-value (LTV) among the lowest rates in the market.
“And we can provide rapid refinancing through the 223(a)(7) program, which makes it easy to ratchet down rates when the market shifts,” Krawitz says. “Many sophisticated sponsors are closing HUD loans with us now, knowing they’ll be able to refinance quickly when rates come down.”
The HUD advantage
One area where Krawitz feels Bravo has a significant edge on the competition is with its HUD financing program, which gives borrowers a sense of security when taking out a loan at today’s high interest rates.
“There’s intellectual conviction that rates will fall,” Krawitz says. “No one knows when. HUD lets you be patient — to wait for the future without betting your project on timing.”
Bravo’s approach has resonated with sophisticated investors who recognize the strength, scale and stability of HUD-backed lending.
Krawitz explains how Bravo can help borrowers bring down their interest rate on existing loans as the Fed slowly issues basis point cuts.
“We’ve benefited from the current climate,” he says. “Many sophisticated sponsors are closing HUD loans with us with the idea that interest rates will come down dramatically.”
New York grown
While Bravo has built a national reputation, it has delivered transformative projects close to home, financing multifamily developments in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Jersey City.
In March, Bravo Property Trust financed a $125 million senior construction loan in Brooklyn’s DUMBO for an office-to-residential conversion. Prior, Bravo backed a landmark multifamily project in Jersey City’s Journal Square, providing nearly $170 million in financing alongside Westdale Construction, Lanterra, Alltree and LanTree Developments.
Krawitz has a lot of confidence in the New York City real estate market.
“There will always be people ringing alarm bells about New York,” Krawitz says. “But this city renews itself by force of will. As a construction lender, it’s good practice to build a piece of your book in your own backyard; the feedback loop is faster, and so is the accountability.”
Over the next decade, Bravo aims to be among the very top U.S. lenders and potentially expand abroad.
“We’re not chasing scale for its own sake,” he says. “We’re building permanence — a platform known for execution, integrity, and imagination.”
To learn more, visit https://bravocapital.com/.