Snapshot
| Rate % | 9.99% |
| LVR % | 55% |
| Loan $ | $6,900,000 |
| State | QLD |
| Property Type | Various |
The Broker's Journey
An application for commercial lending popped into my mailbox from a credible Broker asking for nearly $7 million in mortgage backed loans on rural, agricultural land. Unfortunately, the customer had been growing fruit in a depressed market and their company was under External Administration.
The appointee was a big four Bank and the liquidators were literally “selling the farm”. The auction of plant & equipment was planned for the following week.
An impossible task and an improbable success story but, it was a credible broker. So, before I replied in the negative, I took a quick scroll through the attachments. I’m so glad I did, as sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it!
What wasn’t immediately apparent from the email presented was that the applicant owned 17 titles. Yes, there was the farm land with fruit he couldn’t sell, but more importantly, there were farmsteads with modern houses on two lifestyle blocks and an entire portfolio of semi-rural residential and commercial properties.
Before the liquidator could commence a lengthy dismemberment, we supplied a firm offer to pay out the bank; refinancing and settling the liquidator’s bill. This allowed the farmer the time he needed to sell down unproductive land and properties until he could get back to a level of debt to return to a bank.
Several years later he became a repeat customer with a growing business. And what’s more we became friends.
Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it!
lessons learnt
The Broker’s Journey provides lessons to us all. In this case a very thorough introducer simply made two mistakes:
Firstly, always simplify the commercial finance application into 5 bullet points:
- A list of Assets and Liabilities
- The loan sum required
- The purpose of the loan
- The borrower entity’s details
- Exit or Capacity to Service
This allows the lender to make a quick judgement.
In this case the Exit was clear: the borrower simply needed someone to allow him time to make an orderly sale, retain maximum value and save the business.
Secondly, never flick and send without putting the best simplification up front.
Commercial lending
Semper is a leading non-bank lender specialising in property-secured loans to businesses in any industry with loan sums from $250K – $30M 1st and 2nd mortgages Australia-wide up to a maximum LVR of 80%.
Semper offers a wide range of flexible products tailored specifically for you. We specialise in all your short-term and bridging finance needs.
We don’t do loans the banks won’t, but assist when the banks can’t, usually due to timing or circumstance.
COMMON LOAN USES
Managing cash-flow challenges, such as:
- Tax liabilities and ATO debt
- Replacement finance or deleverage from an existing lender
- Pre-insolvency issues/ release from administration and turnaround
- Creditor payments
- Release of equity
- Debt refinancing
- Seasonal trends
- Business emergencies
CAPITALISING ON AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY
- Bridging the gap between sale and purchase (residential or commercial)
- Rapid drawdown and equity release
- Buying a business
- Meeting the capital needs of a growing business
