Marcus Lunt

What do you enjoy about the specialist finance market?

Building relationship with his contacts, colleagues, and clients is clearly important to Marcus. But what exactly is it he wants to achieve here?

“For me, it’s about providing solutions,” he said.

“At some of my previous firms, things were a bit rigid. It was so frustrating not being able to help people do what they want to do, or achieve the things they want to achieve.

“But when you work in specialist finance, that is literally all you’re doing. You help support great ideas, innovation, and avoid mainstream lending difficulties.”

What is it you think you offer to the brokers you work with?

Marcus is all about the service he provides to his clients, and he is particularly meticulous.

“I’ll always have a high attention to detail, a high quality of service. I’ll always get back to people as soon as I can, even if it’s just a quick text, email, or phone call”

Marcus is known for “WhatsApping” after hours. While we always encourage our teams to switch off when they can and not end up burnt out, we know Marcus’s clients always appreciate his commitment.

“Whatever it is they’re after, I’m always available for my brokers, and I think they really like that.”

What would you like to see introduced or prioritised in the specialist finance market?

Marcus focused on the borrower’s perspective in his response to this question. A solid precedent, considering we’re ultimately here to serve them.

“I think it’s always worth fee exploring,” he said.

“I think it’s really, really hard for brokers in this space to fully assess their options because there’s so many different ways that lenders can disguise fees. I do think there needs to be more transparency on this across the industry.

“There should be some kind of standardised way of describing exactly what a fee is, along with limitations on how many layers of fees can be stacked on top of each other.

“If we could get on top of this, I think it that will raise confidence in the whole industry and increase business for everybody. There is an untapped market out there who will still only work with mainstream banks, despite the potential pitfalls. It’ll also remove some of the bad press that emerges off the back of poor lending practices.”

This is something we like to believe MFS is already ahead of the curve on. Every one of our deals are underwritten from day one. Meaning, our clients are never hit with unexpected costs or fees. We’re completely open with our fee structure from the get-go.

Marcus broke down exactly why this matters.

“Our fees are very transparent, but I know it’s not like that across the board. Say one of our competitor’s Manchester bridging loans has a seemingly low rate. A lot of brokers and clients may just look at that rate and think they’re getting a good deal. But that lender might be including a hidden exit fee, monthly fee, processing fee, admin fee and the rest of it.

“It can all just add up. The whole industry would benefit if there was a standardised way of displaying all the fees involved.”

Where do you think there’s opportunity for property investors, and where would you like to see more funding directed to?

Clearly, Marcus has one eye on his brokers, and one eye on the economy.

“We’re in a cycle. So what I’m finding right now – with interest rates being where they are – is that borrowers are targeting higher yielding assets.

“We’re back to looking at HMOs, multi-unit freehold blocks, serviced accommodation, student accommodation etc. These seem to be the flavour of the month at the moment.

“What you’ll likely find is that as rates hopefully start to dip, your standard buy-to-lets will be more appealing. It’ll be interesting to see what happens as rates come down, this is just the cycle – nothing lasts forever.”

Are there any typical borrowers or cases that you tend to work with?

A short and sweet response from Marcus here: “No”.

He explained that he’s fortunate enough to work with a variety of borrowers, from first-time buyers, through to established landlords with 30 properties in their portfolio.

“I wouldn’t say that MFS has a standard client, and I think that’s probably the reason why we’re able to help to many people.”

What do you do to get your mind off the world of property finance?

As is the case with many of our Northern based staff, Marcus likes to get outside.

“I’m a bit of an outdoorsy person. So usually what I’ll do to let off a bit of steam is take the dogs with the girlfriend up to the lakes, or we’ll go to North Wales for long walks. Then we’ll head to the pub for some nice grub. It clears the mind and soul!”

So, if you want to discuss what changes need to be implemented in the Manchester or Liverpool bridging scene, while feasting on a Sunday roast, Marcus is your man.