Your First Guide To Personal Loans

By Martin Elmer

Personal loans (also called private loans) are money you borrow for private use from a lender. It can either be from and investment broker, a bank or a private lending company. You can find personal loans either on the internet or in your town.

You can use personal loans for a range of need like vehicle repairs, medical expenses, vacation, education or home repairs. They can also be used to pay legal bills and even debt consolidation.

The average personal loan maximum is $15,000. The amount you are eligible for will depend on the lending institutions guidelines for such loans, your income, and your overall credit rating.

Personal loans are regularly confused with a line of credit; and even though there are some similarities it is not the same. When raising a private loan you will be paid a lump sum of money, while you can access your funds up to your credit line with a line of credit. Then you can have the amount you need; when you need it.

Private loans can be either secured or unsecured. The difference is that with a secured loan you will offer the lender some kind of security that the can claim if you do not repay the loan. These can any kind of assets you own, like a vehicle or land. Unsecured loan means you do not offer any collateral. Because of the increased risk for the lender the interest rates for an unsecured loan is normally higher.

Normally the terms of a private loan are one to five years. The terms also depend on the amount of money and the lender itself. It is very important that you understand the terms of the loan before you accept the money.

While a longer loan term will result in lower payments, you will end up paying more for the loan over the life of it due to the amount of interest. Keeping that in mind, only borrow the amount you need for your specific purpose and pay it back as quickly as you can. Make sure the set monthly payment is something within your reach on a regular basis so you are not likely to default on the loan.

Consolidation of other debts is a typical use of a personal loan. Used the right way it is a great chance to only have one monthly payment and reducing the monthly expenses. But it will only work if you set up a budget and live within the boundaries of it. Sadly enough it is often so that a person who raise a private loan to consolidate their debt end in huge debt again very fast. And now they do not only have their old debt to pay again; they also have a new personal loan.

To avoid ending up in a situation like that, it is a great idea to enroll in a debt management course. Many non-profit credit counseling centers offers them for free.

A private loan is a great access to quick money. It is very simple to apply for it. Normally you will only have to verify residence, income and employment before the lender will hand you a credit check. It is even possible to qualify for a personal loan if you have no established credit or bad credit. In the last case you must be prepared to present some kind of collateral and pay higher interest rates. - 31377

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