Price vs Flexibility vs Speed plus Certainty
The Property Funding Trinity is a valuable tool used for prioritising and decision making when it comes to establishing your financial needs as an investor or developer.
A similar tool is used for project management across many industries, whereby the same principles apply but with alternative variants. For example, in construction the variants are price, speed and quality.
In property finance, the funding trinity consists of three factors:
- Price – How much are you willing to pay and how much will the lender/investor charge you? This is the bedrock of all business decisions and largely determined by your circumstances, budget and requirements.
- Flexibility – How flexible can you be, or can your lender/investor be with you to secure the right product with the best terms and features that suit you?
- Speed – How quickly do you need the finance? Things can always be faster by utilising more resources; however, this comes at a cost.
The basic premise is that these are the three main factors to consider when making decisions about property finance.
In an ideal world achieving all three would be great, but in the real world it’s just not possible. You can pick any two, but you can’t have all three.
Here are three different ways you can secure finance:
- Quick and cheap – but it won’t be flexible.
- Cheap and flexible - but it won’t be quick.
- Flexible and fast - but it won’t be cheap.
As an investor, it’s crucial you understand this from the outset and how it relates to your situation and needs. When defining a project there are boundaries and values that we need to work within and it’s vital we understand what the key priorities are.
Do you need the best rates on the market or is it more important to secure the finance you need quickly to get the deal done?
Do you have bad credit and require more flexibility from the lender which means you’ll have to compromise on price and speed?
Or maybe, you meet the lender’s criteria allowing you to secure a good price, but it may not be quick due to the additional checks they need to do.
There is always a compromise to be made and it comes down to what you value most - price, flexibility, or speed.
There is also a fourth factor that we believe to be essential at Merryoaks – Certainty.
Without adequate amounts of certainty, you actually stand to have potentially nothing. There is always the risk of something going wrong and there is no guarantee a funder will deliver on what they offer. No investor wants to spend their valuable time and money without a level of certainty. Ultimately, you want to know that what you’re doing will result in the outcome you are intending. Without certainty, analysing the other three factors in the triangle is almost worthless as you may secure the terms you are overall satisfied with, but the deal does not materialise as certainty was not provided and you are stuck at square one.
A specialist finance advisor will provide a layer of certainty required to give you the best possible chance of getting the deal done. They will have experience, know-how and valuable relationships with lenders and investors to make the process run smoother, minimise issues and solve problems if they arise.
At Merryoaks, we can work with you to understand your priorities and tailor your finance application so that it is aligned with your needs and goals – thus increasing the chances of successfully financing your project.
Our aim is to help you fund your next investment or development project and be part of your on-going growth to bigger, better, and more aspirational deals.
To find out more, speak to our team today.
