Can a Bridging Loan Really Complete in Less than 24 Hours?

Most bridging lenders emphasise their speed of service when advertising short term loans. Providing funds within 24-48 hours from application to completion shows the flexibility of non-status bridging loan products and the providers. Can a property deal really be financed in such a short time-scale? Well, the answer is yes, but I wouldn't bank on it!

To achieve such a fast loan completion much of the background work needs to be already available, such as a property valuation that is acceptable to the potential bridging lender with most of the necessary legal work ready and waiting at your solicitors, i.e. search, title deeds etc. Representatives of both the lender and borrowers need to be in a position to move quickly. Even when everything is available things can still go wrong, for example, an unexpected question arises from the documentation provided.

Our simple recommendation is not to get into the position of needing a bridging loan in such a short timescale, even where a more relaxed 5-10 day timeframe is available, the unexpected can cause delays. Where a customer needs to raise cash and a high speed bridging finance solution is the correct loan option then the borrower should minimise the risk of delay by keeping in control of what is in their own domain i.e. own solicitors and providing all requested information at the start of the process as delay here can extend time to completion resulting in a missed deadline.

If you need finance quickly then a good bridging loan broker should be able to help reduce the potential for delays.

Bridging Loans - Not quite as good as they were?

Bridging Loans being heavily marketed

I have been receiving an awful lot emails from new web sites and lenders pushing the virtues of short term bridging loans. They are all putting out the same message, telling me how good they are and encouraging people like IFA's to introduce new business to them.

As an established commercial finance broker we are well aware of the value bridging finance can offer to potential users and of course the dis-advantages of short term finance. When it's right for our customers then a commercial bridge will be offered as the best option.

So why might Bridging Finance not quite be as they were?

Well along side all this marketing more than one Bridging Lender has quietly reduced the Loan To Values they now offer. Indeed one that was ahead of the pack has dropped right back into the middle, perhaps even lower end when the prices rises for lower geared loans are taken into account.

So the credit crisis slowly rolls quietly out into the market place, but there is a glimmer of hope, that is if confidence in property is the key to salvation. I've just read that property prices in central London have grown by 7% over the last quarter, so perhaps things are not as bad as they seem!