Meet Scott West, director of Propertyze
Tell us a bit about your business.
We’re intentionally different. While we’re often referred to as innovators and industry leaders, to our team, it’s just another day of nurturing our clients’ goals.
It’s never been about how many deals we can stack under our belt – it’s about acting as the crutch beneath our client’s portfolios, opening the door to large-scale developments, and pushing the boundaries of possibilities, transforming the finance market for future generations.
To us, ‘client-first’ isn’t a marketing gimmick; it’s woven through our every move.
Centred on seamless client journeys – from our open lines of communication, commitment to managing expectations, and flair for unlocking world-class terms to our deep desire to take your wildest goals and bring them to life – we live and breathe the art of cutting-edge finance solutions.
Your portfolio, your way.
Put simply, we won’t just hear you – we’ll truly listen. Combining our industry experience and rich cross-border network with an unwavering passion for securing lucrative deals, we’ll lead with a focus on your short, medium, and long-term objectives.
Refusing to settle for a one-size-fits-all approach, we’ll hand-build a strategy in-line with your goals, creating a portfolio that is as future-proof as it is lucrative.
Where are you based and where do you operate geographically?
We are based right in the City of London at Tower 42, which is also conveniently located right next to many lenders head offices.
What are the main issues impacting your local market?
The biggest changes in the last 18 to 24 months has been the risk appetite of many lenders.
This has naturally increased pricing across the board, and reduced the availability of higher risk, or creative product solutions.
This meant that we had to be ever more creative in our problem solution and resolutions that we offered our clients so that we could still meet their objectives.
What challenges are you facing as a broker?
Managing expectations has been one of the hardest elements in the same period as above.
Lenders offering terms on a Monday and withdrawing them or changing criteria and appetite sometime during the application.
Valuer taking what we would consider to be overly conservative positions which has impacted several client transactions.
These changes ultimately impact our relationship and can sometimes lead to clients querying the competency or transparency of our relationships with lenders.
Thankfully, the markets are settling down, and we are currently not suffering the same volatility that we’ve recently had.
What are the main opportunities for brokers in your area and nationally?
We are able to cater to a very wide host of enquiries globally thanks to our extensive relationships within the sector.
However, most clients don’t realise how easily some of these assets can be financed or leveraged.
A solid factfinding of the client’s global position, and wider business plans can really help to identify other opportunities to save the client money, or help them achieve those plans quicker.
What could lenders do to help further your business?
Transparency. This is absolutely vital.
Whilst we work with and can access all lenders across the UK and globally – it’s no surprise that the ones that we work with more frequently are the ones that enable us to liaise directly with either credit, or the underwriting team throughout the process.
This enables us to mitigate any concerns and risks the lender has during application and request any criteria exceptions that may be needed for either the client or lender.
What sets you apart from the competition?
Relationships and presentation. It’s the biggest and most vital part of our whole business model.
We pride ourselves on building exceptional relationships with the lenders, which enables us to speak with the right people at the right lenders regarding the clients’ needs and wants.
The presentation of the details is probably the most important element though, even a good case, explained poorly will be declined.
Identifying any issues with the case and presenting these early to the lender along with any mitigating information is key to getting a lender comfortable with the application.
We are then able to build the client-lender relationship up for future lending applications to expedite the process going forward, and even obtain bespoke terms and criteria.
For clients that aren’t quite there, but want advice on how to get started, or their first deals – we offer free advice and a host of contacts that may be able to assist them with various elements of their new business ventures.
How should potential borrowers contact you?
We can be contacted through our website contact page, or directly at [email protected] or 07852 416 924.
