An interesting trend we’re seeing is that advisors are finding it easier to come to specialist lenders like Southern Cross Partners in the first instance, rather than looking at options with the bank first. As the banks tighten their lending criteria, house prices continue to rise, and demand outstrips supply, we expect this trend to continue.
We provide short term, flexible lending solutions that get your clients from A to B with the least amount of hassles.
The key thing for us is communication. We pride ourselves on a quick turnaround period and if a loan is a good deal, then we can sort funds quickly. There’s no harm in sending us an email or calling us to gauge our interest in a potential application and we can share our initial interest.
Given the current demand for specialist lending, we’ve outlined our top tips with what we look for in a loan:
Assets details. Give us as many details as you can about the property up front. One of the first things we do after receiving an application is a Google search to look for listing photos alongside a street view of the property to understand its location and get a feel for the property.
The borrower’s situation. The questions we want to answer is ‘will this loan put the borrower into a better position?’ and ‘what will borrowers exit to in about a year’s time?’ If you can answer these questions and identify a clear exit in your application on behalf of the borrower, then we want to hear it.
Loan to value ratio. We need to know how much your client wants to borrow and how much their assets are worth. The ratio between the size of someone’s mortgage and the property’s resale value ensures we have a buffer in case of any headwinds.
Realistic payments. Borrowers must be able to easily make their repayments with us, so this must be outlined in your application to us.
Within a few hours we'll give you guidance on if your borrower’s plan is something we can lend on. If it’s not, we’ll give you a good reason why and an alternative plan of attack where we can.