Tag Archives: charge
Homeowner Loans – Are They Different From Secured Loans?
Let’s face it, getting a loan can sometimes seem traumatic. Where do you go to get a loan? How much can I borrow? What sort of loan is best for me? …and i’m guessing that these are only some of the questions you’ve asked yourself recently, right?
If you’re a homeowner, it’s even worse in some respects because there’s a much wider choice available to you and yes, it includes homeowner loans and secured loans.
So, what’s the difference?
Well, the truth is – “not a lot”! There are many providers out there, lenders and brokers, that use either one or the other term, but in reality, they mean the same thing. So, if you’re looking for a loan and intend to use some of the equity you’ve built up in your property, then a homeowner secured loan could be for you. (Sorry – that means the same as homeowner loan and secured loan as well! Getting a little carried away with the choice thing there for a minute!)
If you don’t have a mortgage, ie you own your home outright, then you cannot opt for a secured loan. This is because in the loans industry, the correct technical term for a secured loan is a 2nd charge loan; so called because a mortgage is a first charge. If you defaulted on your mortgage, the mortgage lender would be able to foreclose on their loan and receive proceeds from the forced sale of your property, equal to the amount they are owed, before a 2nd charge or secured loan lender was able to claim their share of the proceeds to cover their loan to you. So, you can’t have a 2nd charge on your property if a 1st charge doesn’t exist.
Similarly, if you rent your home, ie you’re a tenant, you cannot apply for a homeowner or secured loan because you do not own the property. You will have to go for a personal loan or an unsecured loan (by another name). Confusing isn’t it?
What can I use a homeowner loan for?
The most common purpose for a homeowner loan is debt consolidation (converting lots of existing credit into one secured loan). This happens at any time of the year but is especially common just after Christmas and the summer holidays, when many people have decided that they can reduce their interest payments on credit cards by opting for a homeowner loan.
The next most popular reason is home improvements. If you’re having the builders in or even doing it yourself, you could use the bricks and mortar you already have to help you to raise the cash necessary to cover the costs of the changes you want to make.
..and other common reasons for taking out a homeowner loan are:-
– a luxurious, far off holiday – a new car, caravan or motorbike – a wonderful wedding to remember, – or just to treat yourself to something special.
So what are you waiting for? Go on, pamper yourself! A homeowner loan is easier to apply for now than ever. It’ll only take a few seconds to enquire with an online loan broker and you could have a decision in principle back to you within minutes. Of course, you’ll still need to complete and sign a credit agreement and make sure that you allow enough time for the loan to complete which is typically around 4-6 weeks. Happy hunting!
How Much Does Your Personal Loan Cost?
A personal loan is a big commitment for your financial future, one that you’ll be living with for years. If you choose the wrong loan package, then the effects will be felt for the full length of the loan term, so it’s obvious that you need to take care when deciding which loan to apply for, and from which lender.
It’s also obvious that getting the cheapest loan possible should be a priority, but how can you properly compare the costs of loans? The first factor that most people look at when determining how expensive a loan or other form of credit is is the APR, or Annual Percentage Rate. This is the interest rate that will be charged on a loan, and the higher the figure, the more expensive the loan.
Although the APR figure is intended to give an accurate picture of the overall costs involved, there are several different ways of calculating it, and so when you compare the APRs of two loans side by side, you might not actually be comparing like with like. Because of this, you should also take a look at the other factors involved in how cheap or expensive your loan will be.
One major thing to look out for is whether the lender or broker will charge an arrangement or setup fee. This is a one off charge which is made when your loan application is approved and completed, and the fee is usually added on to the loan balance and repaid over the term of the loan. This means that not only do you have to pay the fee itself, but also interest, which will make it even more expensive than it initially looks. Arrangement fees are common on secured loans and mortgages, far less so on unsecured personal loans.
The length of a loan term will also have a major bearing on the cost of any loan. While a lower interest rate might be attractive, a low APR over a long term may actually lead to more interest being paid overall than a higher interest rate over a shorter term. It’s usually a trade off between a lower monthly repayment and a lower overall amount of interest paid – the choice is yours.
Many loans and mortgages feature something called an early repayment penalty or fee which is charged if you clear your loan before the originally agreed term. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the outstanding balance, and is most commonly found in loan products that feature an initially discounted rate, or a long term fixed rate, and is put there by the lender to discourage borrowers from taking advantage of an introductory deal and then immediately switching to a new loan, so costing the lender money in terms of lost interest charges. The period in which an early repayment fee may be charged is usually limited to the first few years of your loan, and will be made clear on the loan agreement before you sign.
Even if there is no early repayment charge, many loan companies will charge an ‘exit fee’ of a few hundred dollars if you repay your loan early, perhaps as part of a debt consolidation program. This fee is intended to reflect the administration costs involved in closing your account, but recently there are suspicions that it has come to be seen as another way for lenders to squeeze a little extra profit from the loan.
Finally, one thing to beware of when taking advantage of the payment holiday option available on some loans is that although you don’t have to make a repayment that month, interest will still be charged on the balance – so in effect you’re paying double interest for that one repayment. If you use this option a lot then, over the term of the loan, the effects could add up to produce a substantially higher APR than that quoted when you took out the loan.