The property world can be very daunting, particularly the finance side. Join Mark today as he simplifies the hidden costs of property finance and talks you through what to look out for when looking to get financing. Mark discusses the advantages of bridging finances, the hidden expenses in fixed-rate mortgages as well as looking out for exit fees.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Bridging finance is something that people may choose to use on properties where there may not be any income and traditional mortgages are not available. Bridging finance is usually available on any sort of property and it is really just based on the loan to value, however, it is much more expensive. Often, bridging finance will get you in on the teaser of 0.5% per month, usually by the time you go to exchange it is likely to be more expensive, potentially up to 16%.

• Fixed rates are generally more expensive. They are more expensive because effectively it is like an insurance policy against the interest rate rises. The fixed-rate deals over time usually have ended up being more expensive than the variable rate. Generally speaking, the market is offering fixed rates at the premium to the expected average interest rate that you’re going to be charged during the term of the mortgage.

• Always look at any exit fees you may face. On investment loans there generally isn’t any, however on bridging loans you may get some for 1%-2%. With development finance, which is the type of finance you will be taking out to develop properties, there can be an exit fee. This exit fee may not always be a percentage of the loan, it could be a percentage of the gross development value of the project, which can be very significant.

• If you are going to be doing stuff that is a little bit outside of the box (perhaps you are doing a large HMO), you may find yourself looking towards an Aldermore or Shawbrook type product. They can be great on smaller deals that are outside the box, but they can be very expensive. They may be 5%-6% interest whereas if you went to a high street or to a commercial bank, they might be doing it for 2.5%.

BEST MOMENTS

“So often I get people coming to me saying ‘I’ve got this mortgage and it is a really low rate, isn’t it great!’ but it is only a two-year deal. You really need to look at everything in the rounds”

“I generally prefer variable-rate mortgages but I find that fixed rates are a good insurance policy, but you need to pay for that.”

“Just be mindful of that. Do you always want to do out of the box deals if it is going to cost you almost double the rate of interest?”

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark Homer is an entrepreneur investor.  He has worked with investment since he was 15 years old using the laws of wealth! He is a spreadsheet analyst with an impressive following from major publications including BBC Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, and co-authoring the UK’s best-selling property books.  Mark has always looked for the best investment vehicle, and at the end of 2007 with Rob Moore the co-founder of Progressive Property his joint portfolio produced more profit than any of the other investments he’d tried in the last ten years, combined.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: Markhomer@progressiveproperty.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive