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Paying High Interest Rate To Control Valuation

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Is it worth paying a higher interest rate to have more control over your valuation?

This is a subject that I discuss frequently with clients, so I thought it deserved a spot on the grid!

When clients call me to discuss what products are available for a project, the conversation about valuation methodology is becoming more important – and as you should know by now we really aren’t a rate-driven broker so there are always options to cover this as well as the route of least resistance.

So what can you achieve from your valuation when you aren’t focused on the cheapest option?

The aggregate value for blocks of flats up to 10 units – can add 10% to your value

A commercial or hybrid valuation on small HMOs (5-6 bedrooms). We have seen again and again recently how this means you can pull so much more out of your property.

How does it work?

  • We have access to the lender’s panel of surveyors and are able to give you a few quotes for you to decide who to use.
  • Due to our experience, we are able to let you know who we have used before and our positive and negative experiences with them!
  • We can ask for a quote from a valuer you have used previously if they are on the panel.
  • You are able to call the surveyors to gauge their methodology for your property.

How does that compare to a standard lender?

  • High street and fewer specialist lenders won’t have any of these options.
  • You pay less for your valuation, in some instances, they are free (with an admin fee).
  • But you aren’t given any options, and it’s likely that Allied or Connells will carry out the valuation.
  • They are great surveyors for standard residential properties, but anything outside of that needs a more specialist company to look at their true value.

CASE STUDY: Lenders’ Flexibility In An Uncertain Market.

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Why flexibility with your lender is so important in an uncertain market?

 

What do I mean by FLEXIBILITY?

Most lenders will tie you into a product with early repayment charges if you leave it.

The only alternative would be a tracker rate, but they are rare and expensive. And don’t offer you much certainty with the base rate on the move currently!

So, how can you get the flexibility to refinance when you need to??

Why would I need flexibility??

With an uncertain market, would you like the option to refinance and pull some more money out at a point that suits the market rather than a fixed date?

Do you want to do some work on the property, but not yet so you don’t want to put it on a bridge yet?

Is your property tenanted so you can’t complete work until some point in the future?

How does it work?

We have a lender who will allow you to refinance with them at any point and they will waive the early repayment charges.

They will offer a new product, with a reduced arrangement fee and legal, but a new valuation (the one thing you need!)

This allows you true flexibility when you choose to refinance, and you can move to and from a bridge to carry out work at a much lower cost.

 

As an example…

A client bought a property to convert to a 6-bedroom HMO with a bridge (before they knew about us!)

They refinanced to a term mortgage with a yield-based valuation in December 2020 when the market was so uncertain and valuations weren’t the best! The value was £570,000 (in Bath)

They are currently refinancing now that valuations are more positive and we have just got the new figure of £695,000.

We lent 75% of both figures, so that’s over £90,000 released for another project!

Common Mortgage Mistakes

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Common Mortgage Mistakes: How to avoid them?

I am often asked to ‘fix’ issues that have come about from clients not using the right mortgage, and it is sometimes pretty tricky to do. So I thought I’d run through some examples of things you shouldn’t do as a property investor…

Use a Residential Mortgage for an Investment Property

This sounds like an obvious one, but you would be surprised how much it comes up!

Yes, there are some tax advantages to buying your home over an investment property – but that doesn’t mean you should do it!!

Once you have lived in a property (or your credit file looks like you have) it can be difficult to obtain a BTL mortgage on it, particularly if it’s an HMO.

So please don’t do it!!

Use a Standard Mortgage when You Intend to Refurbish or Convert the Property

This is probably the most common mistake I see made by investors.

You’re going against the terms of your loan. The lender won’t like it and may not want to work with you again.

If you are looking to refinance and you haven’t let your property out then the new lender will see this on your bank statements and it could present a problem.

Not Speaking to your Broker before Instructing Solicitors

There are many types of solicitors, each with their own specialism – and bridging/development is very different from residential mortgages!

Using the wrong solicitor can stop your mortgage from completing, so it’s really important you get the right person for the job.

Some lenders will allow you to use the same solicitors to act for them and you, saving you time and money so check if you can do this before deciding who to use.

Not Exploring all the Options before you Commit

We have had a few cases recently where the client has paid for a valuation or received an offer before realizing that the product they are looking at doesn’t work.

This may be because the rate is too high, it doesn’t release enough inquiries or the terms just don’t seem right.

It’s important to know that you are working with a broker who does that type of business and ask for examples of previous cases.

It’s expensive to swap halfway through!!

so please speak to us (or a broker who does lots of what you are looking to do) before you start.

and if it sounds not quite right, then it probably is!!

Precise have expanded their bridge to term product!

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How does it work?

  • You have one valuation carried out to give you a today figure and a GDV. 
  • You receive two mortgage offers – for the bridge and the term.
  • You have the offer for the term before you start.

For the bridge:

You can borrow 75% LTV to purchase the property

They allow a light refurbishment, including a change of use to an HMO

You have 6 months to move to the term mortgage

For the mortgage:

You can borrow 75% of the GDV figure.

The fees are reduced across both products.

There are very little legal fees to move from bridge to term and it is quick!

What are the benefits?

  • It keeps the costs down of bridging – arrangement fees, legal fees, and valuation fees are reduced
  • It offers certainty over the exit.
  • The process to move from bridge to term is quick and simple.

Add Value to Property Through Bridge-To-Term Product

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Adding value to your property: How can a bridge-to-term product help you? 

What an amazing week we’ve had – we are still flying high from Wednesday night!! Roll on Sunday now…

This week I want to talk about bridge-to-term products specifically. Last week we covered bridging and why it is so important to add value to your property, but there is more to it – and there are ways to reduce your overall cost and this is a big one!

What is a bridge to term? 

It is a product that allows you to use the same lender for the bridge to purchase the property and then use it as an exit onto a term mortgage as well.

How does it work? 

There are two types:

  • You can have it as ONE product, which means that you have two offers at the beginning (one for the bridge and one for the term) and the valuation with cover both products too, so you have certainly over the end value and what you can work towards.
  • You can have it as 2 products, so you apply for them separately and have two valuations and offers (the term gets started once works have been finished). This allows a valuation to take place once works are completed so you often get a more favourable figure, it can also take into consideration the finished property, which really can help. As with the same lender it has the advantage of lower arrangement and legal fees.

What are the differences between this and a standard bridge?

From a cost point of view, you can save on valuation costs (in some instances), legal fees, and arrangement fees. This will help to reduce your finance costs and increase your ROI. As bridging can be very expensive, this is a good way to bring it down.

It also offers you some certainty around the exit for your bridge. The lender will underwrite the case for the exit as well as your initial loan, so any issues with the property should be picked up on before you buy the property. There’s never a guarantee with these things, but it does mitigate some of the risks.

How much can I borrow and what work can be carried out? 

This depends on the type of product.

We have a lender who will look at both parts as one product, as mentioned earlier. This is ideal for light refurbishments before letting out as a single let. For example where the EPC isn’t good enough, or it needs a new kitchen or bathroom. We will know the end value from the schedule of works and the valuer will confirm this. You can borrow up to 65% for the purchase, and then 75% for the refinance. This is a low-cost option and offers some security but does mean you are putting more in the upfront.  The 2nd valuation is only a revisit, to confirm the works have finished – it cannot change the GDV. You have to complete and refinance by 6 months maximum.

For more complex refurbishments, ie conversions from commercial to residential or to HMOs we have another product. This is set up as two products, a bridge to start and moving to a term facility when it’s finished.  The initial valuation will include GDV expectations from the valuer. For light refurbishment projects we can lend up to 85% of the purchase price (subject to some restrictions) and for heavy refurbishments, we can go up to 75%. Heavy refurbishment would also include anything requiring planning or building regulations. You also have up to 18 months to do the work.

For the term exit, we can generally lend up to 75% of the new value.

For both options, we do not need to wait 6 months from the purchase.

As always, give me a call to discuss individual cases and how we can make it work. Have a fantastic weekend and come on England!

Case study: Don’t be afraid of an ugly property if the yield is good

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We’re here at Friday again, nearly 3 weeks through however long this lockdown is going to last! I hope you’ve had a good week, we’ve been trying to find some happiness and laughter in each day to keep us going. We’ve also got a new American president this week, which has got to be a sign of a brighter future ahead.

This week I want to talk about ugly properties… in particular ugly blocks of flats.

I was approached by a client of ours late last year with a collection of four blocks of flats (32 units in total). The unit value is low (approximately £20,000), condition of the flats weren’t great, it had outside staircases (not balcony) and was let to tenants on housing benefit. Sounds like a great buy I hear you say!! Our client was drawn to the amazing 21% gross yield and gave us the task of finding a solution.

There were a few complications:

  • Various levels of experience and income from the 4 directors
  • A shareholder who would normally be expected to be a director and couldn’t be due to other work commitments
  • A complicated lease structure in place for the blocks of flats
  • The flats are in a variety of conditions, some have recently been renovated but some do need updating throughout
  • The majority were tenanted, but not all
  • Client wanted to avoid the bridging route

We researched the area; the client was able to provide plenty of reasons why this area was a good investment in terms of future regeneration. On cases like these, it really is important to be transparent with your broker.  To get a good outcome we really need to know the case and the applicants – warts and all… as we are the ones that need to sell it to the lender.

It is really important to know your lender’s appetite; we do work hard at our lender relationships, as that allows us direct access to the people we need, rather than putting into the system and hoping for the best.

We engaged a lender who we know are ok with low value properties and whom we trust to do what they say. They were able to look at the appearance and give us a good steer that they would be able to lend (subject to valuers comments). What we weren’t sure about was what the valuation would be and what loan to value we could get to.  Our client really wanted 75%.

The clients were happy to proceed so we instructed the valuation.  Although a purchase, we emphasised the importance of the clients meeting the surveyor on site which I think is really worth it if you can. It gives them confidence in you as an investor and you can talk them through your valuation methodology.

The valuation came back with the market value as the purchase price. The vacant possession and 180 day value were much lower though. The valuation read well and agreed with the client that it was a good investment with a good yield. We then had to wait for the lender to let us know what they could do, and they came back with an offer at 75% of the market value and on a term product. Best case scenario! The clients were very pleased.

Legals are going through now and we are hoping to complete within the next month.

So, the moral of the story… let your brain make the decision and not your heart.  An investment property is not your family home and it’s all about the numbers, so you must take the emotion out of it.

I hope this inspires you to look at some properties that perhaps are outside of your comfort zone to see what yield you could achieve.