Bridging vs Development Finance: Which Is Right for Your Project?
Bridging vs development finance is one of the most common questions in property, and getting it wrong is expensive. Bridging and development finance get lumped together, and it is easy to see why. Both are short-term, both are secured against property, both move faster than a high-street mortgage, and both are used by investors and […]
How Much Can You Borrow on Development Finance? A Worked Example
Development finance is quoted in percentages that sound reassuring until you try to turn them into an actual number. Seventy per cent of cost, sixty-five per cent of value, some equity from you: fine, but what does that mean for the site in front of you, and how much cash do you actually need to […]
First, Second and Cross-Charge Bridging Explained
First, second and cross-charge bridging decide how a loan is secured and how much you can borrow. When you start arranging bridging finance, one phrase comes up again and again: the charge. First charge, second charge, cross-charge. It sounds like legal background noise, but it is actually central to how a bridge is secured, how […]
Bridging Finance for a Broken Property Chain
A broken property chain can cost you the home you want, and bridging finance is the fix. There are few things more frustrating in property than losing the home you want because of a problem that has nothing to do with you. Your buyer pulls out, or their buyer does, and suddenly the chain collapses. […]
Bridging Loan Exit Strategies: How to Repay on Time
Bridging loan exit strategies are your plan for repaying a bridge on time, and they matter more than the loan itself. Everyone focuses on getting a bridging loan. Far fewer think hard about getting out of one, which is odd, because the exit is the part lenders care about most and the part most likely […]
Development Finance for Conversions and Change of Use
Development finance for conversions funds the messy middle when you turn a building from one use into another. Some of the best property opportunities are hiding in plain sight: the tired office block that would make a smart row of flats, the old shop nobody wants as a shop, the barn or warehouse crying out […]
Refinancing a Commercial Property: Your Options and the Right Timing
Owning a commercial property is not a set-and-forget decision. The mortgage you took out three years ago may no longer be the best one available, the deal might be coming to the end of its term, or there could be equity sitting in the building that you would rather have working elsewhere. Refinancing a commercial […]
Regulated vs Unregulated Bridging Loans: Which One Applies to You
Regulated and unregulated bridging loans look identical until you need one, and the difference decides who can help. Start looking into bridging finance and you quickly hit a fork in the road: regulated or unregulated. It sounds like small print, the sort of thing you nod at and move past. It is not. Whether your […]
What Commercial Mortgage Lenders Look For: How to Get Your Deal Approved
You have found the property, you have a rough idea of the numbers, and now the only question that matters is whether a lender will say yes. Commercial mortgage lenders do not work like the residential high street, where a computer scores your salary and spits out a decision. They underwrite the whole picture: the […]
Semi-Commercial Mortgages: Funding Mixed-Use Property
Semi-commercial mortgages are built for property that is part business and part home, the kind the high street struggles with. You have found a shop with a flat above it, or an office with a couple of apartments on the upper floors, and it looks like a smart buy. Two income streams, one building, one […]