Background:

A workforce housing developer pursuing multifamily acquisitions across the Eastern U.S. needed to secure a $15.5M property in Crawfordville, FL while continuing to build out the institutional equity and debt relationships required to close.

The challenge:

The acquisition required a $200,000 earnest money deposit with a 45-day due diligence period, tying up significant capital in escrow before equity was confirmed. For developers running an active acquisition pipeline, this is a recurring constraint: equity commitments take weeks to months to finalize, leaving liquidity unavailable for other opportunities during due diligence.

The solution:

Rather than tying up operating capital in escrow, the developer used Duckfund to finance the $200,000 earnest money deposit. With the deposit covered, the developer secured the property and proceeded with due diligence within the 45-day timeline, while liquidity remained available for other acquisition activity and the capital stack was finalized in parallel.

Signed documents:

• Purchase Facilitation Agreement Signed by: The Client, Duckfund
• Option Agreement Signed by: The Client, Duckfund
• Personal Guarantee Signed by: The Client
• Purchase and Sales Agreement (PSA) Signed by: The Seller, Newly registered LLC
• Assignment of LLC Membership Interest Signed by: The Client, Duckfund

Deal summary:

$200,000 EMD funded for an affordable housing acquisition in Crawfordville, FL

Key Benefits of Partnering with Duckfund:

Bridged the gap between site control and equity commitments:EMD financing allowed the developer to secure the property under contract while institutional equity commitments were finalized in parallel.

Improved capital allocation efficiency:Internal funds remained available for operating needs, relationship-building, and additional pipeline activity instead of being concentrated in escrow.

Maintained transaction momentum:The deposit structure aligned with the seller's timeline, allowing due diligence to proceed without delays or extensions.

Conclusion:

This transaction highlights how Duckfund helps workforce housing developers move on acquisitions before the full capital stack is finalized. By financing the earnest money deposit, Duckfund enabled the developer to secure site control, maintain acquisition momentum, and continue advancing equity and debt relationships in parallel without concentrating internal capital in escrow.