Mike Cook, chief mortgage officer, MFS
At MFS, we believe education is important. So much so, in fact, that we’ve dedicated many of our resources to producing as much educational content as possible in recent years.
It’s crucial for lenders to do more than just lend. Our philosophy here is simple: an informed market is an efficient market. A rising tide lifts all boats.
These ideas are, arguably, particularly important for the specialist finance industry. Our sector has gone from strength to strength in recent years.
Many investors are unsure of how to get involved. We’re here to amend that
At MFS alone, we’ve secured record amounts of institutional funding, grown our headcount massively and branched out into the mortgage market.
Economic surprises
Nevertheless, as much as the bespoke lending market has come to the forefront in recent years, there may still be those who are unsure, or unaware, of what we can offer.
We need to amend this wherever possible, especially where the mainstream market struggles against nasty economic surprises.
It’s during these challenging times that specialist lenders come into their own. We need to make sure our customers understand what we could do for them.
Nearly three-quarters of residential buy-to-let landlords say they are confident about the performance of the private rented sector over the coming year
To that end, MFS plays its part in providing as much insight as possible for would-be borrowers. We’ve upped our output in recent years, with weekly blogs, case studies and thought-leadership pieces espousing the benefits of the bridging scene.
We also produce independent reports on a quarterly basis, which gather sentiment from property investors across the UK.
What’s more, our comprehensive guides break down everything investors need to know about bridging, auctions, HMOs and more. These have been hugely popular in the market, showing the need for such information.
CPSP qualification
Externally, we also contributed to the Certified Practitioner of Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) (CPSP) qualification — the first of its kind.
It was launched as a joint initiative to “consolidate and build specialist property finance skills and knowledge, to help you work more effectively with brokers, lenders, solicitors and valuers”, and we’re proud to say that, already, more than 100 people have passed the qualification.
There may still be those who are unsure, or unaware, of what we can offer
And, of course, there’s our podcast. Launched in mid-2023, our ‘Let’s Talk Property’ podcast has welcomed experts from across the property landscape to share their knowledge with listeners. So far, we’ve covered the landlord/tenant relationship, the leasehold market, managing HMOs, and more.
We need to keep up these efforts for the sake of the market.
Growing confidence
A quick glance at the headlines in the press would convince you that the property market is in a state of constant freefall. But that’s simply not the case.
Confidence among UK investors is growing. A recent survey of global real estate fund managers revealed that 70% of global property investors planned to increase their exposure to the UK’s commercial market.
It’s crucial for lenders to do more than just lend
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of residential buy-to-let landlords say they are confident about the performance of the private rented sector over the coming year.
Mortgage approvals are increasing, buyer registrations and offers are picking up, and house prices are bouncing back.
Many investors are likely unaware of all this, or unsure of how they can get involved. We’re here to amend that.
