Investor demand turns to commercial property

Mark Woolnough, ING Direct's head of third-party distribution, said the growing investor appetite for commercial property was a great opportunity for brokers looking to build a sustainable and diversified business.

“With investors increasingly turning to commercial property there will likely be a complementary surge in demand for professional support to help navigate the market and negotiate on commercial loans,” Mr Woolnough said.

“There is huge scope for brokers to meet this demand – they have relationships with lenders, access to market insights and are knowledgeable about the nuances of commercial loans.”

To support brokers to capitalise on this growing opportunity the non-major lender has established a specialist commercial property team.

Leading the team, as national partnership manager, is John Kolyvas. Mr Kolyvas has more than 25 years’ experience, most recently with Bank of Queensland, and has worked as a broker with Aussie.

The former loan writer will be joined by Richard Bennett as commercial sales manager for NSW, Adrian Lee as commercial sales manager for Victoria, and Donald Jamieson as commercial sales manager for Queensland.

Andrew Lim, who has been with ING Direct’s mortgage team for more than 10 years, will join the new commercial team as senior partnership associate.

“In the past 12 months our commercial business has grown strongly through supporting residential brokers who have been actively looking for opportunities to diversify,” Mr Woolnough said.

“By building a specialist team we are confident that we will able to support not only residential brokers looking to diversify but also those brokers who focus more of their business on commercial deals, accelerating the growth of the commercial aspect of our business.

“The experience of John and the team will be invaluable in providing tailored and specialist support to brokers and their clients, helping them to capitalise on the growing opportunities presented by commercial,” he said.

Mr Kolyvas said the new team was committed to providing a winning experience for brokers.

“Commercial property is becoming increasingly attractive to private investors, particularly simple-term lending, and anecdotally we know that these investors rely on their advisers, be they brokers or accountants, to help them navigate the commercial market,” he said.

“We want to make the finance process as smooth and efficient as possible, with a team of specialists who understand the varied complexities of commercial deals.”

ING Direct has also established a new credit specialist team to support brokers with more challenging submissions, workshop deals and to ensure a smooth credit experience.

In today’s rapidly changing market, smart loan writers understand the value of having additional sources of income. Discover how you can quickly and simply build your business to capture new revenue streams and rapidly expand your client base at The Adviser's new revenue streams boot camp. 

The one-day interactive workshop – exclusively created for brokers looking to grow their business – will give you the tools you need to capture more business from your existing client base and build a stronger more profitable business.

Click here to register now.

[Related: ANZ asset finance moves to electronic lodgement]