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The A to Z of Homeowner loans

Not all of us are financially stable at all times and with the growing needs in the mind, we do need financial help. This financial help (loan) may be in the form of borrowings from our friends or even from the financial institutions.

It is always better to go for a secured loan than an unsecured loan, if your financial strength allows that. The reason: A secured loan comes with a lower interest rate than an unsecured loan and this eventually means low financial burden on your shoulders. This also means that you are left with enough money to meet your other financial needs and no further requirement of loans in the near future.

Getting a secured loan is also much easier than an unsecured loan as the lender (financial institution) has some security in exchange for the loan amount. The pledged security is seen by the lender as an effective guarantee for the loan amount. The security may be in the form of home mortgage, property mortgage or vehicle mortgage.

A secured loan can be obtained by the owner of a home while a tenant can only get an unsecured loan.

If you are planning to spend a huge amount of money on building, renovation or any other expenses for your home you can go for a Homeowner loan. A homeowner loan is a loan which is given by a lender to the borrower against a security (home). Anyone who desires of getting a homeowner loan must have the complete and undisputed ownership of the home (security). The lenders in the present day loan market scenario offer loans which are corresponding to the home equity. By home equity we mean the price which the home will fetch if it is sold in the marketplace.

Now let us have a look at some of the benefits of the homeowner loans. These types of loans carry a low interest rate and come with easy repayment terms. The loan period may also be favourable for the borrower and can be of any period between 3-25 years. You can take these loans for almost anything from home renovation to buying a car or from holiday debt consolidation to getting a second home.

These secured homeowner loans provide an effective platform to individuals for buying a new property or meeting any other financial requirements. However, an individual opting for the same must be clear in his vision and must analyse his financial strengths and requirements before signing on the dotted line. It is highly recommended that one must always compare secured loans to have a complete and clear insight about them. This will also help to get a low interest and budget-friendly loan. You can easily get the required information from the Internet and in case you require some advice you must not hesitate to seek the services of a professional expert or a financial analyst.

Variable Versus Fixed Rate Credit Cards

One of the first things you should always look out for in a credit card is the low APR and the low annual fees. Now, it is evident that you can’t have the best of both worlds thus you’ll just have to do with a balance between the two. You can either pay high annual fees year in and year out but save up on interest rates, or you can save on the fees but risk being charged a higher interest. Apparently, the best way out of this is just to clear your outstanding balances each month. However, many of us are not masters of our finances. Lucky for us though, there exists another way to get around the system and that is to obtain cards with variable rates.

Unlike fixed rate credit cards, variable rate credit cards impose APR that fluctuate according to indices such as the Prime rate. The prime rate is dependent on the amount of money that can be borrowed by banks in the United States from the Federal Reserve. Cuts made to these reserves will bring down the rate and thereby affecting the interest rate they charge upon your card. However, great care is taken against the rates falling too low and making the company suffer major losses. Thus, there is usually a floor-rate implemented on these cards. Unfortunately, when prime rates escalate, there are no ceiling-rates to protect card users. Customers have to literally go with the flow if they decide on variable rate credit cards.

On the other hand, it should not be assumed that a fixed rate card will impose APRs that will never change. The term ‘fixed rate’ here would be better explained as a rate that is stable for a longer period of time as compared to variable rate cards. Companies can merely issue you a 30-day notice in writing and your APR can suddenly jump a percentage or two, with or without your consent. One such example is the introductory low APR promotions that companies use to enlist new credit card users. After 6 to 12 months of 0% APR, card companies can immediately change your fixed rate credit card APR to a figure that is higher than most cards without the introductory 0% APR.