Bridging loans are another term for short term financing.
If your property is established and surrounded by doctors and dental surgery's but is still zoned as residential, a simple application for re-zoning and if the request makes sense to the local authorities, your property has just become more valuable to anyone from day care centre operators, to doctors, dentists, pathology labs, and a host of other businesses that may be located in the area.
If the lender wants any money upfront, especially before you've been approved for the loan, be very cautious.
The interest rate is generally dependent on credit history, value of collateral placed and loan term.