Secure Your Development Site With Urgent Short Term Finance
Secure the site now, and move to a construction loan once your approvals and pre-sales are in place
Experts in strategic, short-term finance
Good development sites rarely wait for a bank's credit process. If you have found the right site and need to settle quickly, we can fund the purchase in as little as 24 hours, with or without a development approval.
We lend to developers and builders across Australia on sites for townhouses, apartments, subdivisions and commercial projects. We fund the site purchase and the holding costs. We do not fund construction, so the loan is usually repaid when your construction lender takes over.
When developers call us
- •The site is under contract, and the construction lender will not fund the land on its own
- •The seller wants an unconditional contract and a short settlement
- •You want to secure the site now and lodge a DA afterwards
- •Your capital is tied up in a project that has not sold yet
- •The bank wants pre-sales before it lends, and marketing has not started
- •A joint venture partner has withdrawn close to settlement
What we fund on a site purchase
- •The site purchase price, or the part the bank will not cover
- •Stamp duty and settlement costs
- •Holding costs such as council rates, land tax and interest
- •Consultant fees for the DA: architects, planners, engineers and surveyors
How we value a development site
We value the site as it is today, based on its zoning, any approvals and recent sales of similar land nearby. We do not lend on the value of the finished project, because that value only exists once it is built and sold. A DA usually increases the site value, so an approved site supports a larger loan than the same site without one.
Steps from enquiry to settlement
Enquiry. Send us the contract, the zoning and any approvals. We give you an indicative offer within hours.
Valuation. Our in-house team, which includes people with direct development experience, values the site on its current zoning and approvals.
Letter of offer. We issue it as soon as you accept our terms.
Settlement. We can settle in as little as 24 hours from a signed letter of offer.
Documents for a site purchase
- •The contract of sale, including any option deed
- •The zoning and any DA, or your planning timeline if you have not lodged one
- •A summary of your development experience and past projects
- •Your repayment plan: the construction lender, a sale or another settlement
Which loan suits a site purchase
- •First mortgage: over the site, up to 70% of its current value
- •Second mortgage: over another property in your portfolio, to add to the site loan
- •Bridging loans: to buy the next site before your current project has sold
- •Caveat loans: to pay a deposit quickly using equity in a property you own
Site purchase loan terms
| Loan feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Loan size | $250,000 to $10,000,000 |
| Interest rate | From 9.7% p.a. on a first mortgage, from 11.95% p.a. on a second mortgage |
| Term | 1 to 24 months, interest only. Interest can be capitalised while the site earns no income |
| Maximum LVR | 70% of the lower of the site's current value and the purchase price, never the finished project value |
| Security | A first mortgage over the site, plus other property in your portfolio if needed |
| Settlement | From 24 hours |
Moving to a construction loan
Most site loans are repaid when a construction lender funds the build and pays out our loan. Some developers sell the site with a DA in place instead, or repay us from the sale of another project. We set the term to allow for your approval timeline and agree the plan before settlement.
Site purchases we have funded
“With a site purchase, we lend on the land as it stands, not on the finished project. That keeps the loan realistic. What we want to understand is the path to the construction loan: where the DA is, who the builder is, and which lender will fund the build. If that is clear, we can settle quickly.”
Gino Tabila
Associate Director
Frequently Asked Questions
Get an indicative offer within hours, not weeks.
No credit check. No obligation.
Why Secured Lending?
Are you a broker? Find out why brokers love working with us.
Case Studies
$400K Second Mortgage Repaid in Full After a Flexible Two-Month Extension
$1.8M First Mortgage Releases $980K of Working Capital for a Solar Business
$2.3M Second Mortgage Refinances an 18% Facility for a Glass Manufacturer
$800K Bridging Finance for Simultaneous Property Transactions in 48 Hours
$300K Second Mortgage for Dental Practice Working Capital in 5 Days
$700K Working Capital for a Technology Start-Up Settled in 72 Hours
$3M Working Capital for IT Business Expansion Settled in 2 Business Days
$1.9M Commercial Property Acquisition for Growing Doggy Daycare Business
Get an indicative offer within hours, not weeks.
No credit check. No obligation.
Why Secured Lending?
Are you a broker? Find out why brokers love working with us.
Other Urgent Loans We Fund
Each page covers one deadline: what we fund, what to send us and how quickly we can settle.