Financial solutions for Property Selling Agents

Commercial property sales can be very rewarding, and running your own business can mean making the most of your skills, experience and connections - but it can mean a wide range of financial challenges. Cashflow can be erratic, a downturn in the economy can affect the number of sales you close, and clients and customers can sometimes prove elusive.

However, even though you may be working on sales deals with large budgets, securing the funding you need to support your own business can be challenging.

At Rangewell we work with property professionals across the UK. We know the challenges you face - and the financial solutions that can provide the most effective answers to them.

The funding options you need as a property sales agent

You may need to find the right type of  funding option to help you with:

• Setting up a new business
• Buying into an existing property business
• Acquire premises
• Acquiring equipment and assets
• Provide working capital
• Cashflow finance
• Finance growth
• Deal with tax
• Dealing with problems

Setting up a new property sales business

If you are ready to set up your own property sales business, you may feel that your funding needs are relatively small. Your skills, experience and your contacts are your stock in trade. However, even if you have profitable clients to bring to your new operation, the first weeks and months may be slow in terms of revenue.

You may be working hard to find new clients and to close deals, but achieving the level of actual sales you need to create real profits from your new venture could take years.

During those years, you will be faced with costs. Simply taking on a serviced office will require an upfront payment, while renting a small office will mean acquiring pieces of equipment from a desk and chair to a computer. Overheads - electricity and business rates - will have to be paid for and you will need to invest in marketing and setting up a website. You will also need a vehicle. Suddenly the costs soon mount up.

These days, your bank may not be able to lend if you’re starting up a new business venture. An overdraft used to be a versatile solution for fledgeling businesses but, since the credit crunch, these may also be increasingly difficult to arrange.

At Rangewell we understand the challenges - and know the lenders who can support new business ventures. Find out more about new business funding for property sales businesses.

Buying into an existing property sales agency

Buying into an existing business as a partner, or even buying it outright, could be simpler than starting up yourself, and gives you the opportunity to own a business that is profitable from day 1. The costs involved may be high - they will depend on the turnover of the business and the potential it offers for the future - but lenders may be more sympathetic, because they see the risk of lending to an established business as much lower.

We can help you secure a number of solutions to let you buy into an established practice. These include funding for Partner Buy-ins and Buyouts, which will let you become a partner or acquire an entire business, and business acquisition funding, which often takes to the form of a secured loan.

Expanding by acquiring a property sales agency

Alternatively, if you already own an established practice, you might want to consider acquisitions, mergers or expansion. The costs involved may be substantial if you want to acquire a complete profitable business - but the rewards may make the investment worthwhile.

Alternatively, we can also provide solutions to let you selectively acquire assets - such as the goodwill and client list - from an existing property sales business closing down for reasons such as retirement.

Funding premises for property sales businesses

As a property professional, you know the importance of having the right premises, and the size of the investment it might take to secure them. Naturally, the actual cost of renting even a small office will depend on your location, and the square footage you need - it may be best to take on more space than might be necessary to let you expand in the future.

Remember, there may be service charges and business rates on top of the bare lease. You may need to provide upfront funding to secure the agreement - and we can provide a number of solutions to help you.
Renting will mean ongoing costs, and leaves your business at risk of rent increases. Buying with a Commercial Mortgage could decrease your monthly outgoings, and provide a valuable asset for the future.

Commercial Mortgages could put the property you want in reach. Of course, all commercial property finance is arranged on an individual basis - but as a property professional, you should have no difficulty in securing rates that reflect your status. We can provide solutions which will let you buy the premises you already operate from or buy a new freehold property to use as your offices in the future.

Refurbishing premises for your property sales business

Buying premises may be a good tactic for your business, but you may need to make an additional investment to bring premises up to the standard you require.

We can provide solutions which will let you fund refurbishments - from light decoration to major building work and extensions.

Funding for equipment

Even a small property sales business may face a surprisingly large bill for equipment. Your IT setup, your computers and printer will be expensive items, and you may need specialised software with operating licenses and renewals, training and maintenance.

The right computing hardware and software has become central to almost every activity, and your hardware, software and network will all be major costs.

The list of equipment you need will not stop there. You will also need to furnish your office, and you will need a vehicle. You may need a vehicle which helps support a professional image for your business.

Asset Funding can usually provide the most cost-effective solution for most business equipment needs. There are several types of Asset Funding. Hire Purchase may be ideal for items that you will wish to keep, such as desks, chairs and document storage. Leasing may be more appropriate for your IT, as it will allow you to update to use the latest and most reliable technology whenever you need it. Contract Hire might help you reduce the costs of providing vehicles.

At Rangewell our experts can help you help you find the most appropriate Asset Funding solutions for your property sales business, with both HP and lease agreements, together with business Contract Hire for your vehicles.

We also have specialised funding to help you provide and upgrade your IT equipment.

Cashflow Finance for property sales businesses

Cashflow support and Working Capital Finance may be necessary to provide cash to deal with overheads, especially during the early stages of a business. It can help you deal with the bills while you are waiting to make that big sale, and is usually designed to be repaid in the short- to medium-term, once your business has developed enough to provide the cash you need.

Even when your business is up and running, the nature of commercial property sales may make cashflow difficult to predict. A large property deal may take weeks or months to finalise, while bills keep coming in. Solutions exist to act as a safety net for successful businesses which experience a temporary downturn Find out more about cashflow finance for property sales businesses.

Growth Finance for property sales businesses

As soon as your property sales businesses is has found its feet, you will probably be thinking about growth. Large-scale finance can be required if you have plans such as taking on more staff, and especially if you are planning on acquiring a competitor.

Growth Finance is structured to help support this growth and can provide upfront cash which will be repaid once your business has started to enjoy the growth you planned. Lenders may require an established trading history and record of profits, but it may be possible to arrange Growth Finance based on your profit projections, rather than on your trading history. Find out more about Growth Finance for property sales businesses.

Insurance for Professional Indemnity

Dealing with large sums of money may make it essential for you to have professional indemnity insurance. This may be a major expense, particularly if you work in the corporate commercial sector where liabilities may potentially reach into the millions. There are a number of ways to provide for the costs. Find out more about professional indemnity solutions for property sales businesses.

Tax Loans for property sales businesses

Property sales businesses can face large quarterly VAT or annual tax demands which cause problems with cash flow, particularly when it falls at the same time as other costs. Tax Loans help you to spread the cost of your tax demands into affordable regular monthly payments which can be easier to deal with, offering better control of cash flow, and avoid issues with HMRC, potential penalties and professional liabilities

See how a Tax Loan can mean better control of cash flow with fixed monthly payments.

Invoice Finance for property sales businesses

Property deals may take months to finalise and clients, especially large corporate clients, will then often take months to pay. With an Invoice Finance arrangement, you can draw down cash as soon as you invoice for a sale you have arranged. It means that your business can rely on a flow of cash that keeps pace with the amount of business you do - supporting growth as well as dealing with cashflow worries.

Find out more about Invoice Finance for property sales businesses.

Dealing with problems

Even the best run property sales businesses can run into financial difficulties. A cash flow problem can be triggered by a slow-paying client or a downturn in the sector, and discovering that you cannot meet your immediate commitments could mean that problem escalates.

At Rangewell, we know the solutions which can help your business deal with this kind of challenge. We can provide funding solution if your business has run into difficulties - and even if you have a damaged credit history or CCjs, we know the lenders which can help.

Find out more about finance for Surveyors and Valuers facing financial difficulties.

How we help property sales agents capitalise their business

Getting the capital you need to run your business is key to its success. At Rangewell, we know that finding the most appropriate solution for your needs takes a thorough understanding of both the lending market and the products available from it.

We know the lenders who can offer the most competitive rates for businesses in the property sector for all types of finance, including Professional Loans, Unsecured and Secured Loans. As well as conventional loan products, we can help you find Alternative Funding, using new loan providers and innovative funding solutions.

Whether your finance need is straightforward, or you require a complicated ‘Jigsaw’ funding plan made up of a combination of different finance products, we can work with you to find the answers that are right for you and your plans for the future.

Call us now to get our experts working for you.