Tag: how do loans work

Posted on by Mel Grimes Posted in Business Growth, country homes, Finance, Luxury Lifestyle, News, Private Asset LoansTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on The country home

Luxury lifestyle  and the country home.

Right up there with the luxury car, high end watch and designer yacht is the country home.  Is it just a status symbol or an actual investment? Is it true that all country homes crumbling in front of their owners eyes?

It’s no great surprise that large homes, mansions and stately houses, are expensive to own and operate. 

Following the second world war the traditional large country home slid into rapid decline. With many demolished, converted into commercial and institutional use such as corporate headquarters, nursing homes, or colleges.  

Some did survive, either by becoming an attraction themselves, or by theme parks and zoos, such as you see today. Some did stay as family homes, but really only if there was another means of income  such as farming and tenanted properties supporting the house. 

Theres a fairly modern trend with some houses being converted back from commercial use into grand family homes once more. Usually there is still a compromise to be made, with shooting parties, occasional weddings or exclusive hire. The idea being that for one or two events a year, there could be 10 or 11 months of relative peace but still an income.

The unfortunate Covid situation has also caused a great new interest in large, more rural houses. People are finally realising that if lockdowns occur its much better with your own outside space than in a town house, however glamorous.  Estate agents report clients with larger single budgets, wanting to purchase one larger permanent residence in the countryside rather than both a smaller second home and a city home.

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Just before covid lockdown hit, country houses were already experiencing their strongest growth rate since before 2018. Combined with the reasoning above and the fact everyone is trying to work from home and wants a pleasant space to do so, it looks like a country house is indeed currently a good investment. Experts claim they will rise steadily in value too.

Agents like Savills have said its not just UK town residents that are searching for a UK rural home but that plenty of overseas buyers are looking here too. Now might be the best time to snap up a country home bargain before they have all gone. 

 

Posted on by Mel Grimes Posted in Business Growth, Finance, Loans, Private Asset LoansTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on It all began with a loan…

All great businesses start with an idea. 

And funds.

And therein lies the problem; to start a business or to grow a business you need capital. All businesses require certain amount of money to get them off the ground – and to keep them going. A small business loan.

Even the big guys had to start once.

 In 1971 Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel and Gordon Bowker put all their money together – $8000 – and took out a small business loan to start selling coffee beans. Nine years later they were the biggest coffee roasters in Washington state. Two years after that Howard Shultz joined the team and had the idea they shouldn’t just roast it, they should sell cups of it to drink there, just like he’d seen in the cafe culture in Italy. By 1992 the company was so successful they went public. Now with more than 24,000 stores across the globe, Starbucks’ current market cap stands at around 85 billion dollars.

Finally managing to get a bank loan of around £5000 Anita Roddick purchased the ingredient for her own home made skin care products. She wrote a little story on each item before her and her daughters began to sell them in Brighton.  Taking a stand on animal welfare and environmental issues became her selling point and huge success followed. In 2006 Roddick sold the Body Shop to L’Oréal for £650 million. 

Dropping out of school early Mike Ashley was told he wouldn’t make much of his life. After all, all he was interested in was sports. Becoming a squash coach didn’t make him much money, and neither did trying to sell ski gear in a small shop. But a £10,000 loan and a wider approach to selling all kinds of sports gear did. He founded Sports Direct – UK’s largest sports retailer – and has a reported £3.75 billion worth of earnings. 

After taking a $5 correspondence course on how to make ice cream, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their ice cream store in Vermont. This was in 1978, with  just $12,00 dollars investment cash. Now of course you can find their pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in pretty much every grocery store.  In 2000 they sold their company to Unilever PLC, maintaining huge shares themselves and insisting the company continuing with their community orientated project foundation.  

Nine out of ten startups will fail. And its lack of money that kills them. Times are tough but these stories show you it IS possible for any sort of business to start and to grow – as long as it’s fuelled by unbreakable determination and some financial aid. Bank loans are increasingly hard to get, loans via friends is never a good long term idea, but how about raising money on assets you already have,  small business loans via assets– speak to us here at Almagrove Private Asset Finance.

 

Posted on by Renaud Posted in Finance, Loans, News, Private Asset LoansTagged , , , , , Leave a Comment on Private asset finance loans – what are they and how do they work?

If you’ve hit a gap in your cash flow, or set your sights on the perfect property but the coronavirus has left you out of pocket, there might be the perfect solution for you.

A frequent trend once only amongst the world’s super-rich has slowly filtered its way down to us mere mortals – use your luxury asset as loan security.

So what is an asset? An asset is an object or resource that has a high value -luxury items’- and can be converted into cash. Assets can be owned by a company or individual.

Don’t have a Monet or Jaguar sports car lying around? That’s okay- valuable luxury items vary from yachts, auction house fine wines, and artwork, to houses, classic cars, jewellery, watches  and specialist equipment/plant machinery.

Private asset lending does just that – it lends against these valuable items.

In a world where more and more people, such as small business owners, are asset rich but cash poor, people are finding short term or long term solutions this way.

It’s a great alternative to bank loans or overdrafts, not only a much quicker process but there’s no lengthy forms, nor any credit checks.
You fill in the details online, the private asset company sends an estimated quote back. If you’re happy with the quote you then send your item securely – all arranged and insured by the company, and once your item has met the expert checks to ensure it is what you claim it to be, you accept the offer and the money wings its way to you.

Items are kept securely, insured and returned to you safely once the loan is over. The fees are kept transparent and interest is only charged up to the date of repayment.

Individuals like the discretion assured by private finance, plus the expert level valuations and the tailored-to-you service that comes with it.  Now everyone can borrow against their assets.

Posted on by Renaud Posted in Business Growth, Finance, Loans, News, Private Asset LoansTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on How private asset finance can help businesses grow

If you can see the potential for growth in your business, but there’s not enough readily available working capital to pursue the opportunities. Or you are reluctant to wade through all of the bank’s red tape, then what can you do?

You can release the equity from your – or your company’s –  luxury items.

Over the past few years, asset finance has become the fastest-growing finance option for businesses of all sizes, across all industries. Especially now in the end of the lockdown period, where trade has been non-existent or sparse for most businesses. And its popularity is no surprise – it’s easy, it’s straight forward and it’s fast. No credit checks, no lengthy forms and no obligation.

Here at Almagrove Ltd we apply our expertise to help you and your business grow, valuations are done at specialist level, the offers and quotes are discreet and all types of luxury high-end items are considered.