What You Should Know About A Debt Consolidation Loan
By Alan Lim
Living with debts is a seemingly natural but a harsh reality in our lives. We borrow a little for college, some for our car and a bit more for weddings and honeymoons. Big or small, debts have a way of mounting. Which is why, sometimes it might be a good idea to look into a debt consolidation loan.
When you take a loan in order to pay all your existing loans or some of it, then that process is called debt consolidation. This can usually be done by putting together all your loans and then proceeding to create a single loan out of it. But in order to be granted a new loan to complete the part of the debt consolidation process, you also need to be able to put collateral with the lending organization.
Debt consolidation loan
Debt loan consolidation can be done in two ways; one may request either an unsecured or a secured debt loan consolidation. Both of these practices have advantages as well as disadvantages. Let’s take a quick glance at them now.
The secured debt consolidation loan
A secured debt consolidation loan can be requested for by putting a property as collateral. Sure, this does put your property, most commonly the home, at risk because in case you cannot pay the loan back you will lose your property. However, if you have home equity then you can use it to get a higher amount of loan. The interest that your lender might charge on the secured debt consolidation loan would also be generally lower than that charged on an unsecured loan.
The unsecured debt consolidation loan
When you apply for an unsecured debt consolidation loan, you are basically asking to be given a loan without having to put collateral with the lending company. While it puts none of your properties at risk of being repossessed by the lender in case you go bankrupt, the interest rate charged on your unsecured debt consolidation loan will be relatively higher than the one charged on a secured loan. Chances are that you will also be required to clear an unsecured loan in a shorter duration of time than a secured one. If you are sure of your financial situation for the future then this kind of loan is a good option.
Hopefully, this has given you some idea on the kind of debt consolidation loan you would be interested in. The kind of loan that you take out is a personal choice you have to make and often it is a choice dictated by your personal circumstance. But make sure you have shopped around at several lenders before deciding on one. The advantage of a debt consolidation loan is the fact that it can help you to reduce the payments you make every month. This is most likely done because of the lowered interest rate you will be paying on your consolidated debts. So keep that in mind when you do decide the kind of loan you want to be issued.