Friday, September 19, 2008
How To Compare Secured Loans
When you are thinking about taking out a loan, you need to think about which kind of a loan. There are basically two types you can choose from: secured and unsecured. Secured loans require a form of security to guarantee the loan. This is commonly your house, which makes secured loans only really suitable for homeowners. But all secured loans are not equal. You need to carefully compare secured loans that you find on offer to get the best deal you possibly can.
Secured loans have the big advantage of having lower interest rates than unsecured ones. The downside, or potential downside, is that your home can be put at risk if you default on the repayments. For this reason you should always compare secured loans and choose one that also offers some form of payment protection insurance.
This kind of insurance can be purchased separately, but may be offered as part of the package. However, this is another situation where you can shop around and get the best deal you can. Payment protection insurance is sometimes known as accident, sickness and unemployment insurance, which refer to the three main situations that you may face that could prevent you from repaying your loan. This is why it is vital that you have some kind of protective insurance cover in place to allow for the worst event possibly happening.
With any type of loan, and a secured loan is no exception, the main element you should look carefully at is the interest rate. Depending on who is offering you the secured loan, you will find that the interest rate will vary, sometimes quite substantially so. You can, of course, do this work by yourself, or you can obtain the services of a broker to do it for you.
A broker will search all the companies offering loans and compare secured loans on your behalf. You will usually then be presented with the most favorable option. This should be the one that offer you the best interest rate and repayment conditions. You should look for flexibility here. The more flexible the conditions are the better.
For example, although you will agree to repay the loan over a set time period, suppose you suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself with a lot of money to hand. You may have had a lottery win, or inherited from a wealthy relative. While the details are not important, you may in this hypothetical situation wish to pay off your loan earlier than originally agreed. If you then discover that there are penalties in place for early repayment, it will make sense to continue paying off the loan at the agreed rate.
However, if when you compare secured loans you also seek out the offers that have flexibility built into early repayment, you would be able to pay off the loan at a time that suits your financial situation without penalty, and you would thereby save some money by not paying continued interest rates.
It is important that you carefully compare secured loans to find the best one for you. They are not all equal, though they are fairly similar in nature. Shopping around while being fully aware of the pros and cons is wise, especially as you are dealing with your hard earned money.
Different Types Of Loans And Loan Options
A loan is the redistribution of money between a lender and a borrower. As a borrower, you receive an amount of money from the lender, which you will have to pay back later. This service is provided at a cost, referred to as interest, or annual percentage rate (APR).
Installment loans are loans that are repaid in equal monthly payments within a specific period of time. Installment loans come at a cost. This includes the APR (an interest rate) and the finance charge. Cars, furniture, computers or household appliances can be purchased with installment loans. Compare fixed-rate loans, where the interest rate stays the same throughout the loan term, with variable-rate loans, where the interest rate can change during the period of the loan.
Secured loans imply that the borrower offers a guarantee, or collateral, for the loan. The borrower has a claim on this collateral as a repayment source if a loan is not paid pack in cash as agreed. For example, a home mortgage is a secured loan - the bank loans the majority of the purchase price of the home, but retains a lien against the home for as long as the loan is outstanding. Unsecured loans are loans that are not secured by collateral, such as credit cards. Because the lender holds no collateral, unsecured loans hold significantly more risk for the lender, which is usually reflected in a higher interest rate.
Rent-to-Own Services allow you to rent an item for a period of time, in exchange for weekly or monthly payments. These agreements are not loans, so no interest is charged. However, typically you pay 2 to 5 times more than the cost of the same item at a store. For example an electronic store sells a TV for $1,500. A nearby rent-to-own store offers the same TV with a payment plan of 52 payments of $55 every other week. If you multiply 52 weeks x $55 payments, the total cost for the TV from the rent-to-own services is $2,860! If you miss a payment you can lose the item and all the money that you have already paid towards owning it!
Payday loans are cash advances given in exchange for a written check from your bank account. Your check is held until your next payday and then cashed. These loans are costly with a typical payment of $15-$35 for every $100 you borrow. This might not seem like a lot of money but imagine that for a $200 loan you agree to pay back $260 in 2 weeks. You pay $60 in interest which is the equivalent of a 782% annually!
TIP: Before you take out a loan compare fees and interest rates. Make sure you understand if the interest rate can change over the life of the loan. Remember there are alternatives to payday and rent-to-own services. Your community organization, bank or credit union may offer small, short-term loans at more reasonable rates. Paying for an expensive item in three or four installments could save you money! Shop around before you buy and never feel pressured to make a purchase.
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How To Compare Loans
Not so long ago if you wanted to take out a loan you had little chance to compare loans, and little choice about where you borrowed. It was either the high street bank, or a building society or friendly society. And the amount you borrowed was severely restricted too. You were mostly relying on the generosity of the bank manager and hoping that your credit record was good enough. If not, then too bad - no loan for you.
Today you are spoiled for choice. Banks and building societies compete with each other endlessly. The situation has almost gotten out of hand with the people throughout Britain owing in excess of one trillion pounds. That's a whole lot of money! And that's why it's important that you carefully compare loans when it comes time to borrow any sizeable amount of money.
Loans are not all made equal. You have to read the small print carefully, or have someone who is qualified explain it all to you. For example, if you found yourself in a position in say a year's time to pay off a loan that was intended to run for five years, would you be able to do so without incurring a penalty? You should always try to build in as much flexibility as possible into any loan you take out.
Loans come in two basic flavors: secured and unsecured. A secured loan is one where something you own of value, usually your house, is used to secure the loan. If you fail to pay back the loan then your house, or whatever secured the loan, is forfeit by you. An unsecured loan, or personal loan, is one where there is nothing securing the loan. These kinds of loans are usually for lesser amounts, and your credit history becomes an important factor in the decision of whether or not you get the loan.
Both secured and unsecured loans can have many similar features that you should take into account when you compare loans. One of the most important things to consider is the interest that will be charged on the loan. Obviously, the lower the interest rate charged the better, as you will have to pay less back overall. Generally speaking, the better secured the loan is, and the better your credit history is, the better the chances are that you will get a low interest rate charged.
Payment protection insurance is common. As the name suggests, it protects your payment ability. If for whatever reason you become unable to make a payment, then you can draw on the payment protection insurance without incurring problems. Of course, you should always look carefully at your personal circumstances, both in the present and what you reasonably expect to be the case in the future. The unforeseen can always happen, and no one can guard against it, but you can prepare for what is likely or expected.
There is a lot to consider when you compare loans. You should never just accept a loan because it's from your bank who knows you well, which will make it easier all round. By looking carefully at what is on offer you can usually get a much better deal that will be better tailored to you. The organisations that lend money are not doing anyone a favour; it is a business transaction where you help them, and they help you. Always keep that in mind when you compare loans and it will help you to make the right decision every time.
Hard Money Loan: Financial Backing for Commercial Dealings
Have you been looking to buy a property for long and it is on sale now. To your disgust you are suffering from insufficiency to fund your dealing. If it is the case with you, then hard money loans can solve your problem. With hard money loan money is lent primarily to help you buy a commercial property. Hard money loan can be borrowed from private firms or even individual lenders. However these are not offered by government agencies.
Lenders disburse the money on the basis of the value of property you are buying. They are never concerned about your credit rating. Even people with CCJs, arrears, bankruptcy etc are eligible for hard money loans. So, it is better to look for a hard money loan instead of a traditional loan when you need a comprehensive amount and are in urgency.
Hard money loan is also a good option for those who need money to renovate their property before selling them. Once, your property is renovated, you can raise its market value and then you can easily repay your borrowed amount by selling the property.
Hard money loans come at little higher interest rate as they are meant for people looking to materialize some commercially viable opportunity and also for those who have poor credit ratings. Even then it is a better option to go for than to look for financial partners or to file for bankruptcy. Most of the lenders will offer you loan at a bit higher interest rate and it can be marginally higher than what you get with other traditional loans. It should not be misunderstood that hard money loans are difficult to be repaid. You can use the money to add the value of your property then repayment becomes as easy as any other loan.
Since majority of these hard money loans are disbursed by individual lenders and the approval entirely depends on their discretion .Once you get an affirmation it is a matter of 7-14 days that you can acquire the amount. There is minimal documentation involved and the process need not go through various official steps.
Hard money loans have a timed value of money as they are available when you need some for your commercial transactions. So if you find a lucrative property in offering or you simply wish to add value to your property to squeeze the maximum out of its resale value and you don’t have adequate finance you can opt for hard money loans.
Three Business Scenarios Regarding Commercial Hard Money Loans
The primary rationale for a business considering a commercial hard money loan is that traditional commercial financing options are not viable. There are three financing options for most commercial real estate scenarios: traditional banks, intermediate lenders and hard money lenders. In those situations where traditional banks and intermediate lenders both say "NO", it then makes good business sense to explore under what terms a hard money commercial loan might be available.
Many viable business projects can be funded ONLY via a hard money lender. Before accepting "NO" from the traditional banks and intermediate lenders as the "FINAL ANSWER", a prudent small business borrower should determine if a hard money lender will say "YES".
Compared to traditional bank business loans, commercial hard money loans will generally involve a higher interest rate (prevailing range of prime rate plus 4-8% for typical scenarios), higher fees and shorter-term financing (one to three years). However, because many hard money loans offer interest only terms, the payments can be lower than a fully-amortized loan with a lower interest rate. Commercial hard money loans are typically completed more quickly than a traditional commercial loan.
Several common commercial financing scenarios using hard money loans are described below.
COMMERCIAL HARD MONEY LOAN SCENARIO # 1:
Need to Obtain Commercial Financing Quickly
Traditional commercial loans will normally require several months to complete. Hard money loans can be obtained within a few days in some situations. This difference will be critical if commercial financing is required within a short time frame.
COMMERCIAL HARD MONEY LOAN SCENARIO # 2:
Special Small Business Situations Not Easily Understood by Traditional Banks
• Foreclosure
• Bankruptcy
• Special Purpose Properties
• Tax Liens
• Losses
• Negative Net Worth
• Less than one year in business
• Environmental Requirements
COMMERCIAL HARD MONEY LOAN SCENARIO # 3:
Low Credit Scores
Most traditional commercial loans have very strict standards for acceptable credit scores by the guarantors for a commercial real estate loan. Hard money loans are much more flexible and low credit scores are acceptable.
As noted above, there are several common business situations in which a commercial hard money loan should be considered as a viable commercial financing option. The Commercial Mortgage Loans Guide (http://aexcfgllc.com) and The Credit Card Receivables Guide (http://aexcfg.com) will provide additional insights into viable commercial financing strategies for difficult commercial loan scenarios.
Copyright 2005-2006 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Commercial Hard Money Loan Education
As for the basic definition of a Commercial Hard Money Loan, it can be described as a Cash Finance Option or Business Loan for someone who has trouble getting a regular financial loan. They are always given to someone with Real Estate as the collateral asset. If the borrower can't pay back the loan, the Real Property is taken as collateral to ensure the Commercial Hard Money Loan eventually gets paid back.
The basic key of the various types of Commercial Loans can also be defined as Sub-Prime Lending, Near Prime, B-Paper or Second Chance lending options.
So affirmatively would someone take out a Commercial Hard Money Loan verses a standard Commercial Loan? It's because there are determining factors such as Moderate Credit Score, Organization History, demonstrated actual Income Level that would suppress someone from getting prime money financing or custom rates, so the debtor in these cases will settle for what they can get.
Some companies have a minimum amount they will lend you when helping you acquire a Commercial Hard Money Loan. The companies we have researched start out at $300,000 and go up into the millions for Commercial Real Estate Properties.
There are also what they quote Mezzanine Loans which is a an accommodation that's paid back after the transfer or refinance of the Commercial Property. It's possible for a lender to secure a portion of the proceeds upon sale of the Hard Loan debt. These loans tend to have preferable structures such as good debt and equity ratios.
Maybe you have or haven't heard of a Hard Money Bridge Loan. These types of loans basically "bridge" the gap so in essence you can get a project off the ground a lot faster. You will pay more for this type of loan, sometimes up to 5% more, but the key is you can get your project going now. You can get a loan like this for as much as you want, there is no upper ceiling on it.
There are also Hard Money Construction Loans, which is another distinctive Money Financing option that can be used for little home projects to larger Commercial Property projects such as the development of a strip mall or tract home development project. In most cases for construction projects there is a reserve account setup to make sure that money is allocated properly as the project keeps moving forward.
A Commercial Hard Money Loan is typically used in both Urban & Suburban areas. The current Prime Rates are from 11 - 16% verses the 6-7% for a standard loan. Usually all associated Points & Fees are included in the an accommodation and payments from these are dispursed upon closing the an accommodation. Also note these are Short Term Real Estate Loans that are usually given from 1-3 years.
I could write a small 100 page book detailing all the features regarding all the types of Commercial Hard Money Loans. The the main point you need to be aware of is that you should pay around 11-17% interest on one of these. If you are paying 20% upwards, that could be considered Predatory Lending. I was in a court room once where the judge and an attorney from a nationwide hard lending firm were battling it out for almost 40 minutes on what is and what wasn't appropriate interest rates to charge for these types of loans. Be careful and always investigate before making your move.
Hard Money Loans - the Answer to Your Problems?
Continue for the recent post:
These days, nothing in our economy is certain. In reality, many people and businesses are still in good financial shape, but for many others things have gotten quite a bit more difficult in recent times. Some people have had to close their businesses, and been foreclosed upon. Unfortunately sub-prime mortgage loans have gone the way of the dinosaur, due to the recent nation-wide crisis of which they were the center, and it’s become more and more difficult to know where to turn when your financial wellbeing is on the line.
If you’re one of the many, stuck between a financial rock and a hard place (or a foreclosure and a bankruptcy, as the case may be), it may be advantageous for you to look into taking out a hard money loan. Hard money loans are utilized by many people facing foreclosure or similar financial disaster, as the criteria for lending is more relaxed than a conventional loan. While your credit history is still taken into consideration by the lender, it’s typically not judged as harshly because the loan is given based on the value of real estate property you already own.
Due to the slightly higher risk to the lender when dealing with hard money loans, they are not provided by banks but rather by private lenders, and as such, the interest rates of these loans aren’t based on bank rates. Typically the interest rate on a hard money loan will range from 15% - 25% (a little less for bridge loans, which are similar, but not necessarily used in times of financial hardship), which means that you probably don’t want to look to hard money loans as sources of long-term financing. In fact, the term is often fairly short. Think carefully about whether or not you’ll be able to handle the loan, as the rates may increase to the legal state limits upon default, which can be as high as 25% - 29%.
Typically the value of a hard money loan is about 65% - 70% of the value of the property. This is known as the LTV (Loan-To-Value). The average LTV used to be higher than it is now, however due to rampant lender overestimation of property values in the ‘80s and ‘90s, interest rates were raised, and LTVs lowered. Now, hard money lenders typically want to be in the "first lien" position (meaning their lien takes priority over all others) on a given property, so if the value of the property isn’t enough to cover the existing mortgage, the loan will need to be cross-collateralized with another property. These cases are often referred to as "blanket mortgages."
It’s important to review your financial situation thoroughly when considering taking out a hard money loan, and it might benefit you to talk to a certified mortgage planner before you make the choice to do so. In the right circumstances however, a hard money loan may be what it takes to tide you over, and keep your business from going under.
Hard Money Loans for Your Business
Nothing is certain in our economy these days. Many people and businesses are still in quite good shape, but plenty of others haven't been so lucky, and have had to close their businesses, and have filed bankruptcy or been foreclosed upon. And now, unfortunately, sub-prime mortgages aren't available for assistance they way they used to be, due to the recent subprime mortgage crisis. It's become much more difficult to know where to turn when it's your financial future at stake.
If you're one of the many, stuck between a financial rock and a hard place (or a foreclosure and a bankruptcy, as the case may be), it may be advantageous for you to look into taking out a hard money loan. Hard money loans are utilized by many people facing foreclosure or similar financial disaster, as the criteria for lending is more relaxed than a conventional loan. While your credit history is still taken into consideration by the lender, it's typically not judged as harshly because the loan is given based on the value of real estate property you already own. Due to the slightly higher risk to the lender when dealing with hard money loans, they are not provided by banks but rather by private lenders, and as such, the interest rates of these loans aren't based on bank rates. Typically the interest rate on a hard money loan will range from 15% - 25% (a little less for bridge loans, which are similar, but not necessarily used in times of financial hardship), which means that you probably don't want to look to hard money loans as sources of long-term financing. The term is, in fact, often fairly short. Decide carefully if you'll be able to afford the loan, as interest rates upon default may increase to the state limits, as high as 25% to 29%.
Typically the value of a hard money loan is about 65% - 70% of the value of the property. This is known as the LTV (Loan-To-Value). The LTV, on average used to be a bit higher than it currently is, but due to property value overestimation in the 1980s and 1990s, the LTV was lowered, and interest rates raised. Hard money lenders do usually want to be in "first lien" position (this means that their lien would take priority over any others) on a property, so if the value of that property isn't enough to cover your existing mortgage, the loan would need to be cross-collateralized with another one of your properties. Often, these cases are called "blanket mortgages."
It's important to review your financial situation thoroughly when considering taking out a hard money loan, and it might benefit you to talk to a certified mortgage planner before you make the choice to do so. In the right circumstances however, a hard money loan may be what it takes to tide you over, and keep your business from going under.
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