10 Options for Financing Your Development Project

Contrary to popular belief, the average developer doesn’t have an endless stockpile of cash just waiting to be put to use. Instead, the vast majority of property developers require financial assistance for the projects they undertake.

So it’s good news that there are so many options available to explore: Including the following 10 examples:

Conventional mortgages

First up, standard high street mortgages have the potential to be useful — assuming relatively extensive waiting periods are acceptable. Mortgages allowing large sums to be borrowed with no initial collateral be necessary.

Second charge mortgages

The difference with a second charge mortgage being that the funds are typically used to top-up existing loans. A second charge mortgage can be secured against the value of your property, even if you aren’t living in it at the time.

Commercial mortgages

As the name suggests, commercial mortgage products are designed specifically for commercial property purchases and development works in general. Similar to conventional mortgages, though exclusive to commercial borrowers and often more flexible.

Secured loans

These can be great for development finance, assuming you have the required collateral to put up. Regardless of the value of your property or assets, it is usually easy to borrow the equivalent value in the form of a loan for your project.

Buy-to-let mortgages

Another very specific type of mortgage, available exclusively for those purchasing properties to let out. Useful where available, though becoming increasingly difficult to successfully obtain.

Residential bridging loans

Residential bridging loans are typically offered in accordance with the collateral/security the borrower can provide. A fantastic and comparatively affordable option when development finance is needed quickly and can be paid back within a matter of months.

Commercial bridging loans

Pretty much the exact same concept as a residential bridging loan – large sums of money are made available for commercial purposes in a matter of days, in the form of a secured loan to repay back in full within a matter of months.

Bridge-to-let

A bridge-to-let loan is typically calculated and granted on the proviso that the borrower is able to achieve 100% rental coverage from the property itself. The exit strategy being usually to refinance using a conventional buy-to-let mortgage.

Private investment

Depending on the project in question, the developer may be able to secure the financial assistance required from private investors. Just as long as the merit and value of the project can be sufficiently verified, there are always plenty of businesses and individuals alike on the lookout for valuable property investment opportunities.

Crowdfunding

Last but not least, while it isn’t considered a ‘conventional’ approach to accessing financial assistance, crowdfunding nonetheless has huge potential. It’s simply a case of giving anyone wishing to do so the opportunity to invest in your project at a comparatively low level, in exchange for some kind of stake in its successful completion/fruition. It isn’t always easy to drum up this kind of support, but can be remarkably flexible and versatile if and when you can.

For more information on any aspect of development finance, get in touch with UK Property Finance today!