Debunking the myths of bridging

It is fair to say that buying property since 2013 has become more of a sellers’ market. Open houses and block booking for viewings are the chosen tactic for estate agents on Saturday mornings now.  If you have been in this scenario recently you will recall the anguish of telephone tennis between offers being rejected and other interested parties increasing their bids, making the process of securing a property much more difficult. This makes the prospect of investing in property with this much competition slightly terrifying. Time is of the essence when offering an advantage against the first-time buyers with no chain. The eager purchasers are at the mercy of their chosen lender to package, offer and raise funds in a process that can vary between 8 to 12 weeks.  Mortgage lenders in most cases are often large organisations and with the amount of transactions going through the process can sometimes take time with the average decision from the underwriters taking 7 working days. Brokers up and down the country have been listening to their clients concerns and have pulled rank to diversify their offering with a quiet revolution in property finance.

Bridging is a term that surrounds a lot of mystery too most buyers. It is difficult to ignore bridging loans because the number of customers taking up the products has more than doubled. You can put into google ‘what is a bridging loan?’ but, you will still be left none the wiser. This article hopes to debunk the jargon on bridging, adding another string to the bow when competing for property investments.

Firstly, it would be best to address what a bridging loan means. They are short term loans for larger amounts of money needed quickly. You wouldn’t want a bridging loan for longer than 12 months because they have a higher annual rate of interest than the high street. If speed is what motivates you then this type of finance can be packaged in little as 24hours. Bridging loans can be used in a variety of scenarios including:

Buying a property without having sold your own.

Helping in between pension payments in lump sums

Looking to refurbish a property to sell on for profit

There are several types of bridging finance to consider because there are so many different uses. Selecting the right loan type can determine interest, loan to value and the security raised. Understanding the difference between an open or closed bridging loan is essential when selecting the right bridging finance. A closed loan is when a deadline is given an exact date to repay the loan and the lenders knows how you intend to repay, this is known as an exit strategy. The lender will need evidence that you can repay the loan within the time limit. Typically, lower interest rates are available with closed bridging loans in contrast to open due to a lower risk exit strategy. An open bridging loan on the other hand is ideal if you don’t have a clear exit strategy. The loan like a closed bridge will still need to be paid back by the deadline but won’t have a clear proposition for repaying. Naturally open bridging finance is deemed higher risk so to compensate the lender the interest rates are higher than a closed bridging loan. The minimum you can borrow with bridging finance is ￡10,000 with no maximum limit but some lenders set their own restraints how much they are prepared to lend.

Interest rates are not just dependent on the type of loan taken but also the loan to value ratio. Loan to value (LTV) is the amount of the loan to the value of the asset purchased. Most bridging loan specialists will have a calculator on their websites to work out an average cost of interest and fees. This will make shopping around a slightly more informative for the savvy borrower. As a guideline the monthly rates can start from 0.44% and reach 1.5% but remember this will ultimately change based on your circumstances and requirements.

Whether it’s a regular mortgage or specialist financing options that suit the current project the ability to tailor make borrowing has never been more versatile. If you’re interested in learning more about the choices readily accessible please contact our consultants at UK Property Finance.