Making Sense of Secured Personal Loans
You may not know this, but if you’re a home owner, you’ve got an edge on getting a loan. Lenders are keen on you borrowing, and despite the shoddy market, the competition is growing daily. The secured personal loan caters to home owners that need a larger amount of money. It could be for serious medical costs, or over-hauling your house, but if you’re ready- they’re waiting.
What it is: a secured personal loan is borrowed against your house equity or property, in the event you don’t pay it back. That’s why it’s called a ‘secure’ loan- it protects the lender. Which is why they’re excited at the prospect of lending to you.
Even if you have bad credit, you can re-finance a loan. A mortgage is one type of secured personal loan, with a lower interest. If your credit score is good and your equity is high, it means a lower APR and a quicker repayment plan.
Be a diligent shopper, and put in applications to those companies that look most promising. They’ll send you a quote (you can do it online) and you’ve no obligation to them. Look for the lowest rates and requirements. You can also try a ‘comparison’ service, which will calculate it for you.
Ask about the APR- it’s the interest rate the loan costs every year, plus the charges of services. It may help to know that the usual APR is about 5% over the Bank of England’s Base Rate. Many of the secured personal loans are on variable interest rates. Ask.
The clearest way to compare is by using the TAR (Total Amount Repayable) amounts of each offer. This is the end cost including the loan, interest and fees.
After choosing a secured personal loan company or bank, don’t sign until you’ve read all of the contract. This is where fees and requirements are hidden. And be careful with paying them on time, because if you don’t, they have the option of repossessing your house or property.
Tags: personal loansRelated posts
Filed under: Articles | No Comments »