Do not assume that. Identify the actual ownership, source and treatment of the proposed funds.
Keep the funding record precise
Separate the applicant’s capital, other funding, loans and charges. A combined business budget is not a complete qualifying-investment analysis.
Track investment capital and ongoing operating costs apart from government filing fees, legal fees, and family-related expenses, and confirm current official fees rather than relying on estimates from a different filing. Add the items that vary by location and by buyer: the actual lease terms, local construction costs, any equipment the franchisor does not supply, professional fees, and working capital sized for a realistic opening period rather than an optimistic one. Where money sits in escrow or under a contract with revocation or refund conditions, the effect on committed, at-risk capital depends on the specific wording and needs legal review; refundable deposits are not automatically qualifying or automatically excluded. Independent valuation and due diligence on a contracting business, legal work on the purchase agreement and the ownership structure, accounting review of the seller's records, and any environmental or licensing checks the trade requires are all real expenses incurred before the outcome is known.