A CHAT WITH MARK GREENBERG

TALKING ABOUT PRIVATE FUNDING & NON-TRADITIONAL FINANCE

There are many roadblocks along the building and development journey and finance is one of the first things that can bring a project to a grinding halt. So what do you do when the bank has said no but you’re not ready to give up on your project?

Our guest today is Mark Greenberg, Director of Lambert Capital, a Melbourne-based company specialising in non-traditional lending and advisory services to investors and developers. As a Chartered Accountant working in corporate and business banking, Mark became frustrated with the limitations of the banking system and made the bold move to start his own company which could serve developers without the rigidity of the more traditional financial frameworks.

In this episode, Kribashini talks with Mark about what non-traditional lending is, how it works and how it differs from big bank lending. Mark discusses the limitations of the traditional system and how projects are often knocked back based on a checklist. Whilst still ensuring a return on investment, Mark and his team assess each deal on its own merit, looking at things from a development level and are able to approve projects that have been previously denied funding from the bank.

We were very fortunate to find Lambert Capital during our hunt for a lender for the BuildHer8 Rathmines project. It took us a long time to sift through our options for our unique project, and Kribashini reiterates how it’s so important to find the right lender for your specific project. You might not be able to tick all the boxes, but taking the time to find a deal that suits your development is something you won’t regret.

Putting his money where his mouth is, Mark is lending his own family’s money to developers, which gives a real sense of confidence that they not only believe in their projects but will do everything it takes to see it to fruition. From the signing of contracts to ensuring the builders’ bank accounts are in check, Lambert Capital truly partners with their clients.

We will be chatting with Mark in more depth during our DevelopHers Inner Circle coming up, and look forward to learning more about lending options that are outside the traditional scope. If you’re sitting on a project waiting for finance to pull through, perhaps it’s time to consider non-traditional lending.

If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, contact us here.

SOME TOPICS THAT WE COVER:

  • [2:05]: Mark shares a bit about who he is and what he does
  • [3:38]: Why people might use private funding for their projects
  • [5:25]: The things Lambert Capital looks for when assessing a deal and how it differs from traditional bank lending
  • [7:58]: How Lambert Capital was established due to Mark’s frustration and limitations from working in a bank
  • [9:08]: Lambert Capital is able to approve deals that are outside the traditional bank’s checklist but are still good deals
  • [10:10]: How Mark is lending his own family’s money and therefore they have to believe in the deal and the project
  • [11:20]: The type of projects Lambert Capital has funded, particularly townhouse developments
  • [13:04]: Mark talks about who his typical clients are and how they have often been knocked back from the bank
  • [15:08]: How Mark and his team manage time frames with their projects and what action they might need to take to make sure things are moving along
  • [17:18]: How Lambert Capital partners with their clients to push through any hurdles that arise during the project
  • [18:30]: How Lambert Capital is ideally set up to assist tradies who want to undertake their own build
  • [19:15]: Mark explains what mezzanine financing is
  • [23:00]: How Lambert Capital is assisting the BuildHer8 Rathmines project and that it can often take a while to find the right lender for your project
  • [25:22]: The importance of flexibility and partnering with the right team

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

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