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Ashley Ilsen

Magnet Capital joins ASTL

By Blog

Specialist development finance lender Magnet Capital has become the latest lender member to join the Association of Short Term Lenders (ASTL).

Vic Jannels (pictured), CEO of the ASTL, said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Magnet Capital as the latest lender to join the ASTL.

“Development finance is an important element of short-term property lending as it’s the driving force behind small and medium (SME) developers, who play such a key role in delivering the additional housing we so desperately need as a nation.

“Having a diverse mix of lender members enables us to better represent the needs of all lenders in our sector, whatever their particular area of specialism.”

Sam Howard, co-chief executive officer and co-founder at Magnet Capital, added: “Magnet Capital’s experienced team of development finance experts is laser focused on delivering on what we promise.

“Our dedication to working with customers aligns with the ASTL’s commitment to high standards and we are delighted to become members of the association.”

Ashley Ilsen, co-chief executive officer and co-founder at Magnet Capital, said: “At Magnet Capital, our focus is on consistently delivering the best outcomes for customers, and this aligns with one of the objectives of the ASTL.

“We pride ourselves on being transparent in all of our practices and this is why we’ve developed such a strong brand in the development finance sector over recent years.”

5 Things to consider when securing development finance in 2024

By Blog, Development Finance

1. Financial Stability

Portraying your net asset position goes a long way and has become more important as the previous 3 years has shown. Liquidity to mitigate any delays, cost overruns or slow exits helps reduce the risk of a project being put on hold. Having the ability to inject a healthy amount of equity into a project also shows a lender your ‘skin in the game’ providing your lender with the reassurance on your financial commitment to a project.

2. Know your exit

To understand and assess your exit strategy for a project is a key step to a successful development, speaking with your local agents, understanding your preference and understanding the local market go hand in hand. Your finance broker will be able to advise on current exit rates for refinancing, ensuring the most cost effective options available to you. Having a ‘Plan B’ reduces the risk of the need to extend your term or having to consider quick get-out options which don’t always provide the best returns. Planning early can be a helpful way to ensure a smoother exit, early marketing with CGI’s or ensuring you’ve researched refinance exits and even obtained preliminary terms.

3. In the eyes of an Underwriter

Whilst ‘the beauty is in the eyes of a beholder’, the underwriting process is a detailed analysis and due diligence of your project. Their knowledge and expertise mitigate risk of your project facing
unnecessary delay or burden. This process looks at all aspects, from survey reports to title deeds, ensuring there is nothing preventing your development being a success such as covenants on a title or cost mismatches in a development appraisal. If something comes up, our underwriters will try to work with you to find a solution.

4. Build Cost Contingencies

A contingency fund should sit between 5%-10%, this is to cover unforeseen costs, risks, events or changes in scope which could affect the overall project. More complex projects should have a larger
contingency, as the likelihood of an unexpected event taking place or increased costs are more prevalent. If you are using a contractor for the works, it’s preferential that you are agreeing on a fixed price or guaranteed maximin price contract, as this will pass on the liability for unexpected costs to your contractor.

5. Know your lender

We’re not talking about what their logo looks like or their fancy branding, a lender can help keep your project on track so it is imperative you know them from the inside out. Flexibility; do they
operate like a bank or are you able to directly access decision makers. Funding; are they lending their own funds or are they funded and if so, by who? Are there more than one funding lines and are they UK or internationally based? Your lender choice really becomes more important when there is a challenge to overcome. You want a lender who will work with you to resolve and get your project over the line.

Magnet Capital funds “LABC Best Small New Housing Development” in East Anglia

By Blog, Development Finance

Magnet Capital’s recent development at Low Street Glemsford, Suffolk, has been awarded the Local Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards for East Anglia. Following this the award has been nominated for the prestigious LABC National Award, the final of which will take place in London in January 2023.

Magnet Capital provided a 12 month facility of £456,000 for a two x three bedroom bungalow scheme built by highly regarded developer David Slater of DJ Slater Limited, a long standing client of Magnet Capital. The project was completed within 12 months, despite it being during covid.

Sam Howard Co Chief Executive, “We are delighted for David who we have known for many years and the award is a testament to the quality of his housing developments. I visited the site personally numerous times during the 12 months of this project, so I knew it was a special development, but it is great he is getting the recognition for his work.

This project was an excellent demonstration of our ability to work closely with the client and provide him with the funds he needed to complete the project as quickly as possible and to the highest quality.

As a genuinely specialist development finance lender, we are laser focused on building long standing relationships with our clients and proving time and again our added value. We wish David every success in the final of LABC National awards”

David Slater Director of DJ Slater, “The Low St. Development saw the demolition of redundant agricultural building, transforming into useful, modern, efficient and environmentally friendly affordable housing in a rural environment within walking distance of a thriving village.

The success of our development project was a testament to the team we were fortunate enough to work alongside. A special thanks to Sam Howard of Magnet Capital, whose longstanding good relationship with myself, expert knowledge, advice, and lending support assured that every step of this development process met us with ease and total professionalism. We highly commend Sam Howard and the team at Magnet Capital and look forward to working with them again in the future”

Magnet Capital target £60m of new development loans in 2022

By Blog, Development Finance, Lending

Specialist development finance lender Magnet Capital have today announced their 2022 target of £60m of small development finance loans. The North London based lender has grown consistently since their launch in 2018, and are now aiming for their biggest year yet. The lender recently announced the incoming of new staff to bolster both operations and sales sides of the business.

Magnet Capital Chief Executive Ashley Ilsen commented, “We’ve carved out a great niche in the specialist lending market, focussing on development finance loans below £2m. We’re still seeing this area as poorly served and still hear some concerning stories about the quality of lending practices in this part of the market. At Magnet Capital we put a tremendous emphasis on transparency and quality of service. This includes the ability to be genuinely flexible throughout the loan which is needed for development projects now more than even. Our ability to consistently deliver has put us in a fantastic position going into 2022”.

Magnet Capital have also recently launched a new website to help speed up the process of handling incoming enquiries.

Also why not check out…

Magnet Capital expands team – theintermediary.co.uk

ashley-ilsen

2020 So far…. The development finance market

By Blog, Development Finance, Opinion

I think it’s fair to say at the turn of the year no one expected that we’d be stuck in our homes for several months and the immediate future of our economy would be looking far from rosy. In fact, going into January and early February, Brexit was still the buzz word on everyone’s lips in the industry. I think the way we responded as an industry was admirable. Had something of this nature happened say seven or eight years ago I don’t think we would have been as well placed to take it on the chin. I believe we’ve matured as an industry in recent years and as a result we are more robust in our lending practices and our ways doing things.

 

As I’ve often complained about before, for me one of the key things the development finance sector needs to deliver is constancy. Without consistency we don’t have housebuilding and new homes being created. Initially it was disappointing to see that some self-styled development finance lenders were unable to decide whether they’re in or out. This is not bridging and the risks are much higher. I strongly believe that if you can’t be in the market offering development finance during the bad times then don’t operate in the market when it’s performing well.

 

The biggest losers from this level of unpredictability is the consumer and, after all, the main goal of the development finance sector is to assist SME builders and developers create new homes. Similarly, I found there to be a high level of frustration amongst brokers unable to place deals with lenders who had suddenly dropped out the market. The deal flow was still there, but some of the lenders were not. However, the majority of us stood firm, with tweaks made to LTVs and some lending criteria understandably tightened. It was great to be able to report that Magnet Capital had one of our strongest months for new business in May, and we weren’t the only ones setting PBs during the lockdown period.

 

One of the criticisms I’ve had of the development finance space over recent years is that we’ve lacked innovation. The most successful lenders over the coming years will be the ones that can innovate and provide new and exciting ways of doing things. Development finance lenders have been on a slow curve to absorb and start using new technologies, so it was interesting to watch the Covid-19 crisis accelerate this movement. Lenders suddenly had to be equipped to have their whole force work from home.

 

At Magnet Capital it was no different for us. We make a strong point of meeting every single person we lend to face to face and for the first time in my career this was no longer possible to do with every borrower. Whilst Zoom was an excellent tool for staying in touch with each other, I don’t believe that there is a replacement for face to face meetings and contact. I’m delighted to report that our site visits and face to face meetings have started again where appropriate.

 

Looking forward I think development finance lenders need to avoid the mistakes of the past. There is no point of coming to market at LTVs you can’t sustain. We are almost undoubtedly staring down the barrel of an unprecedented drop in property prices. Development finance lenders with genuine expertise would have already factored this into their offering long before we reached this crisis. However, I will add that it’s not LTVs that cause the biggest threat to development finance lenders, but internal practices and attitudes to lending. I have seen via some of our introducer partners examples of the corner cutting that still exists in the development finance industry. These are the lenders that are going to be tested the most.

 

Brexit is also still a looming cause of uncertainty in the medium-term outlook. I’ve already seen many cases of building suppliers from the continent looking to raise prices for our builders over the coming year and this could seriously hamper many new build and heavy construction projects. Again, a development finance lender that understands the market will have already factored this into their offering.

 

Unfortunately I don’t have all the answer, but going forward we need to continue sensible lending practices at sustainable LTVS. We will need to continue to adapt. This is how we’re going to provide consistency to our brokers and consumers, and this is how we’re going to continue to thrive as an industry.

 

Development finance grade 7/10

ashley-ilsen

Opinion: Why lenders need to look to the past to successfully traverse the future

By Blog, Development Finance, Opinion

One thing I often discuss with colleagues is the use of the term ‘old school’. I like it. I take it as a compliment. I see it as a nod to having learnt and taken heed from past experiences. Most of my colleagues at Magnet Capital, like me, were trained at a previous lender that had been successfully lending money for several decades. Our schooling was in the fundamentals of lending; being measured, being considered and being the tortoise and not the hare. If you can balance this with an unparalleled service and a commitment to lend whether the sun is shining or not, then you have the makings of a very successful lending business.

 

However, over the last decade I’ve closely admired the transition of the specialist finance industry from ‘old school’ to ‘new school’. There have been many changes in how things are done and don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge advocate of innovation and finding new ways of doing things. Innovation is one of the key areas that will determine which business will be successful in the coming years, but perhaps as we move into testing times, with undoubtedly choppy waters ahead, we can navigate our way through as an industry by looking to the past.

 

Lending fundamentals are now going to be more important than ever. Cutting corners and taking unwarranted punts on the asset in question is probably the most common fools’ folly I’ve seen in recent years. As lenders we are all keen to grow our loan books and beat the competition. However, I’ve seen many recent cases where we’ve been asked to push our normal lending parameters to win a deal. Whilst we’re undoubtedly committed to servicing our broker partners, it’s this sense of needing to ‘chase the market’ that can really hurt lenders. Looking back at the 2008 financial crisis, the worst hit finance businesses were the ones that were happy to take on too much risk and cut too many corners when the sun was shining. This is even more true in the development finance sector which is inherently a higher risk style of loan.

 

There’s also the factor of top down pressure which can lead to lending errors. Some lenders have large instances of non-utilisation fees. This coupled with high business overheads can put the lender under pressure to make risk-based decisions that they wouldn’t normally do. Turning down business because it’s perceived as too high risk, or an unflattering return for the business is always a hard decision to make. My fear at the moment is there are still lenders lending money on behalf of private investors or institutions making decisions that aren’t feasible in the current economic climate.

 

One of the only ways to judge the future is by looking to the past. Property markets are intrinsically linked to the economy. The economy as we know moves in cycles, and we’re undoubtedly entering a period of great uncertainty and potentially huge economic difficulty. Unfortunately, even the so-called experts are unable to make accurate predictions. So, as lenders, we need to continue to back our brokers and the consumer. If this means giving up business and taking less risk, then so be it, but as I’ve said before now more than ever is it important to be consistent. There’s a great saying that I learnt during my time living in China and that’s ‘crossing the river by feeling the stones’. This idiom about moving forward whilst being cautious couldn’t be more pertinent to the specialist finance industry today.

ashley-ilsen

Opinion: Why development finance might not be the same again

By Blog, Development Finance, Opinion

They say the construction industry is the first to enter a recession and the last to exit. I use the ‘R-word’ reticently in that we are nowhere near understanding the true implications of the current Covid-19 Crisis, on values and on the wider property market.  The last few weeks has seen various lenders pull product ranges, with development finance being one of the hardest hit sectors. However, as of today government guidelines do not prohibit construction or activity on construction sites, as long as public health guidance is being followed. In fact, across many of Magnet Capital’s development schemes that we are funding, progress is still excellent.

 

We are seeing a hard-nosed resilience that was perhaps born out of the destitution of what many builders and construction firms went through after the 2008 crash. In fact, just today I conducted a wonderful virtual inspection of a large site we are funding in Kent which was full of activity, with an appropriate number of tradesmen on site that are respecting the social distancing guidelines. Naturally, we do have a handful of clients that have closed their sites and in many cases this has predominantly been down to our clients need to protect vulnerable relatives at home. We have also seen many complaints about supply chain which the government is yet to sufficiently address and could cause further disruption beyond the Coronavirus crisis.

 

Beyond all the usual struggles for SME builders and developers, access to appropriate development finance will now become a serious issue. I say appropriate because for every quality development finance lender, there seems to be a handful trying to cut corners in our market. The landscape for development finance has changed dramatically in recent weeks but the one thing the development finance sector needs now more than ever is consistency. Having what I call a ‘Hokey Cokey’ approach to financing, where lenders decide to be in one minute and out the next, can be hugely detrimental to our sector and damaging to reputations. Consistency is key because it breeds confidence, which in turn trickles down from our brokers to the consumer.

 

The development finance sector has come a long way since the 2008 crash and indeed since I joined the market in 2012. It’s a small world and I really enjoy sharing thoughts with competing lenders and being able to speak candidly with our broker partners. One thing I think we can agree on is that this is very much a pull-up-your-socks moment for the development finance industry.

 

At Magnet Capital we have always been known as being a cautious lender and years of being conservative in our lending means that we are currently in a very strong position to serve our brokers and our clients. Having a sudden nose-dive in liquidity in the sector will undoubtedly cause serious problems for the wider property market far beyond the Coronavirus Crisis. Let’s keep doing what we’ve doing for years and continue to back the construction sector; they’re going to need it.

new-property-checks

What checks do you need to carry out on a new property?

By Blog, Development Finance

When purchasing a new property, there are many things you need to consider. Forgetting to carry out necessary steps before you decide to buy a house and continue with moving in could cause you problems in the future. For example, undiagnosed issues with the house could run you up an expensive bill or affect the value of the property.

Here is some advice to guide you through the property buying process and the things you need to check with regards to a new property.

  • Checking the electrics
  • Check the gas
  • Water and drainage search
  • Spot signs of damp
  • Look for rot
  • Age of roof
  • Consider the plumbing

 

Checking the electrics

Making sure the electrics are in good condition is vitally important. A survey on your house will not look at the state of these so it is well worth getting an Electrical Installation Condition report. This report will carry out the necessary checks to make sure any electrical parts in your property are safe. An electrics report could help you save thousands of pounds, as rewiring can be expensive.

Check the gas

When buying a new property, get a gas safety record (also known as a gas safety certificate) for your new home. Asking the current owners for this record on all appliances in the property is vitally important for your safety.

Appliances that are unsafe to use could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, fires, gas leaks, and even explosions. Do not make the assumption that all gas appliances in your new house will be safe to use – always check.

If it has been over 12 months since the last gas safety record has been done, or the current owners are unable to provide a record, obtain one yourself. Contact a Gas Safe registered engineer prior to you moving in.

 

Water and draining search

Do not overlook the importance of checking water and sewage before buying a house. This is important, as it means you will not encounter unforeseen difficulties after you have purchased the property.

A Drainage and Water Search is typically carried out as part of the conveyancing process. Your conveyancing solicitor will contact the water company supplier for your home to check for things such as:

  • Whether there is a water meter
  • Where does the water supply come from
  • Are there sewers or water mains at the house
  • Are there any problems with water pressure
  • Who is responsible for drainage at the property

Does it have subsidence?

Subsidence can have a huge impact on a property’s structural safety as well as its overall value. Therefore, making sure it is detected before buying is key.

Subsidence is when the ground underneath your property sinks, over time this may cause your property’s foundations to become misaligned.

Signs of subsidence in your property include:

A crack in a property caused by subsidence will usually:

  • Have a width larger than 3mm
  • Be located close to a door or window
  • A diagonal crack wider at the top than at the bottom
  • Visibility is both on the inside and outside of the property

If you want to purchase a house that you suspected has subsidence issues, get a full buildings survey carried out.

 

Spot signs of damp

Damp can cause significant damage to your home, can be costly to fix and can also trigger health problems such as respiratory issues or allergic reactions.

 

crack-damp

 

As a result, checking for damp before buying a new property is well worth doing. Here are some ways you can spot the signs of damp:

  • Damp patches on walls and plastering
  • Water streaming down windows
  • Peeling wallpaper
  • Damaged plaster
  • Damaged skirting boards
  • Springy floorboards
  • Wall discolouration

 

Look for rot

Rot is caused when the timber has been exposed to wet conditions, and this can lead to a number of property problems. It is highly recommended you check for rot in the home-buying process. The signs of wet rot include the following:

  • Springy or bouncy floors – rot can affect floor joists or floorboards
  • Darkened timber – discoloration is caused by wet rot
  • Damp smell – rot can be a leading cause of this
  • Flaking paint or peeling wallpaper
  • Fungal growth – this is usually white, black or yellow in colour
  • Crack timber – usually linear
  • Spongy timber – when pressed

 

What is the age of the roof?

Checking how old the roof is on a property you want to purchase is another thing to consider. Replacing roofs can be costly, and newer roofs typically only last for 15-20 years in total.

 

Consider the plumbing

When viewing a property, ask if the pipes are lead and run the taps to see what the water pressure is like. You should also check if the boiler and radiators work in the building and how old these are.

bank-of-england

What does base rate cut mean for the UK property market?

By Blog, Development Finance

The Bank of England (BoE) has just announced a base rate cut of 0.5 percent following the outbreak of Coronavirus across Europe.  This represents the biggest cut since the financial crisis back in 2008. This emergency interest cut from 0.75 percent to 0.25 percent has been done by BoE to ease a possible recession and an overall slowdown in the economy if coronavirus spreads further into the UK.

What will be the expected impact for the property market following this base rate cut? Here is what is anticipated to happen.

  • Better mortgage rates
  • Will not apply to fixed-rate mortgages
  • Good news for landlords
  • Those applying for a mortgage will benefit
  • Positive news for property investors

Better mortgage rates

A historically low base rate will likely mean good news for those with mortgages. This is because a reduced base rate will likely then make interest rates on standard variable rate and tracker mortgages lower. This is down to the fact that the base rate is the interest charged by the BoE to borrow money, which is then reflected in the interest rates people in the UK pay.

The total amount that can be saved for a tracker mortgage will be dependent on if your mortgage is interest-only or not.

Unlikely to apply for fixed-rate mortgages

Unfortunately, if you have a fixed-rate mortgage (approximately 92.4% of all approved mortgages were fixed-rate in the final quarter of 2019) then the rate cut will not be passed on. This is because this mortgage term applies for between two and five years.

The only way you could potentially benefit is if you decided to remortgage your property. Think carefully if it is worth doing so, taking into account things such as cancellation fees.

 

Good news for buy-to-let mortgages

The base rate cut is good news for landlords, as almost all of the buy-to-let mortgages are provided on an interest-only basis. That means if interest-rates are reduced, it can only be advantageous for those with buy-to-lets.

 

Those looking to get a mortgage will benefit

If you are currently in the process of looking to buy a property and require a mortgage, now is the time to take advantage of mortgages being at historically low levels.

For example, the current base rate means this is a great opportunity to benefit from a low fixed-rate deal. A fixed-rate deal will mean that you can lock in a deal and if the base rate increases later on, you will not be impacted for the duration of the term.

 

Positive for property investors

Reduced interest rates are also better for property investors, as it helps to reduce the cost of borrowing for property development finance. It also increases the opportunity to boost profits in the longer term, thanks to the lower rate of interest.

gazumping-house

Gazumping – what you need to know about it

By Blog, Development Finance

If you are buying a property, or about to go through the process of doing so, you have likely heard of the term gazumping. But what exactly does it mean? If you are a buyer, making sure that you know what gazumping is key, so you are aware of the ways it may set you back, as well as what you can do to avoid it.

What is gazumping?

The act of gazumping is when another buyer puts in a higher offer on the property you are currently in the process of buying and the seller accepts this last-minute offer instead.

For anyone who has gone through the experience of having their offer accepted by a seller, only to have it suddenly rejected due to another buyer’s higher offer, can attest it is a difficult situation to be in.

 

What happens if I am gazumped?

For the majority of buyers who find themselves being gazumped by another buyer offer, there are really only two options.

The first is to make a higher offer than the other buyer who has gazumped you. This may mean having to pay a significant amount more, which may be out of your property budget.

The alternative, and for many there is no other choice, but to start all over again and carry out a new property search.

Is gazumping illegal?

No, as unpleasant as it is for buyers to go through, it is not illegal under English law. The property agreement only becomes legally binding once contracts have been exchanged, meaning that gazumping is effectively exempt.

You can see on a variety of property listings online are listed as ‘Sold STC’ meaning an offer has been received and accepted, but the sale is ‘subject to contracts’ meaning contracts have not come into exchange yet.

What are the consequences of gazumping?

Apart from the main consequence – losing the property you were buying-  other negatives include the high costs accumulated, as gazumping usually occurs later on in the property process. Buyers have usually already spent a considerable amount on surveys and paying a conveyancer, as well as arranging a mortgage.

When can gazumping happen?

Unfortunately, gazumping can take place at any time prior to contracts being exchanged between two parties.

The main reason gazumping occurs is, as previously mentioned, is because another buyer has made a higher bid than you. However, in a small number of cases, the reason could be down to timing issues. For example, if the property buying process is going too slowly (such as the conveyancing survey taking too long to complete) then the seller may choose another buyer who can move at a quicker rate.

 

How to avoid being gazumped

Here are the main ways you can reduce the risk of being gazumped:

  • Get the property taken off the market
  • Take out specialist insurance
  • Buy at auction
  • Move things quickly

 

Get the property taken off the market

When your offer is accepted by the seller, make sure you ask the seller to remove the property off the market. Ensure this been done in writing as otherwise, it will not be legally binding.

The same applies to estate agents listing the property. Ask them to remove signs from outside the house as well as removing the listing online.

 

Take out specialist insurance

If a seller decides to pick a last-minute higher offer from someone else and you do not want to outbid them, there is little you can do other than insure yourself. You can purchase home buyer protection insurance so that you can rest assured you can claim back things such as property surveys or conveyancing fees if need be.

 

Buy at auction

If you want to avoid the problem of gazumping outright, then consider buying a property at auction. However, make sure you are fully aware of how the process works, as it also comes with its own set of risks too.

 

Move things quickly

To reduce the risk of gazumping, it is in your best interest to make sure the process is moving as speedily as possible. What do we mean by this? Things such as making sure you are in very regular contact with your mortgage broker and conveyancing solicitors, as well as always responding quickly to information requests. You should also ensure forms are signed and returned promptly too.