The Pros and Cons of Debt Consolidation

These days, it is particularly easy to get into financial difficulty. Credit Card, store cards and other loans are simple to procure. But they may be extremely tough to pay. You may end up living a paycheck-to-paycheck sort of life if you don’t fix the situation straight away. But you have to be careful if you want a debt consolidation. This might be beneficial. However it may be advisable that you attempt to make a realistic private appraisal of your monetary condition before deciding on acquiring a debt consolidation.

First, you may want to think about the real reason why you think a debt consolidation could be your sole way out. If the interest rate is the burden that even if you pay your dues, your requirement remains the same, then a debt consolidation could be your best shot. If you want to cut back your standard payments to only one, to avoid sacrificing other debtors in favor of another, then this can also be an incentive for taking consolidation debt. In addition, correct handling of a consolidation debt may speed up fixing of your credit standing. This could be a good benefit.

When you finally decide based on your private assessment that truly, consolidation of debt is a neat method to help take back your credit standing and credit rating, then you may want to choose this form of consolidation.

It could be a good advice to get the services of a credible and respectable lending establishment to agree for your consolidation debt, as there are some who may exploit you. Eventually, a good advice for taking a consolidation debt may be to get as many offers as you can. From there, you can appraise which one offers the easiest terms.

There are numerous Online Debt Consolidation Services available for you to choose from. If you own a home and have some equity in it, you have a couple of options that can be relatively low in cost. These are pretty straightforward.

1. Take out a home equity loan. A home equity loan can have the advantage of carrying a fairly low interest rate, currently in the high single digits, and what interest you do pay is tax-deductible.

2. Do a “cash-out” refinancing. Another option for those with home equity is refinancing your property for greater than the amount you owe and using the extra cash to pay off debt. You may get very low interest rates this way, but you may be stretching payments out over 15 or 30 years. The total interest cost over three decades can wind up being pretty huge, so you may want to think of this as a one-time-only (if ever) option.

3. Refinance your car. Most people may not think of it, but it is a secured loan and you can borrow against it. The danger there is that you may run out of the car before you run out of debt.

4. Get a personal loan. If you have reasonably undamaged credit, you may qualify for an unsecured loan.

Let us now consider option 1. A home equity or debt consolidation loan involves using your home equity, or ownership in your home, as collateral for the amount borrowed. The proceeds can be used to pay off existing debt such as credit cards, medical bills, car loans and other obligations.

Pros:

– Interest on the home equity loan may be tax deductible.

– Interest rates on home equity loans are generally lower than credit cards and unsecured personal loans.

– Proceeds form a debt consolidation loans can be used for a variety of purposes: consolidating existing debt, payment of school fees, improvement on your home, medical bills and a variety of other uses.

– You make one payment once a month on the consolidated debt instead of many.

Cons

– You may want to consider changing your spending habits that contributed to your current financial situation. If you don’t you could find yourself hopelessly in debt again this time with your home on the line. You may want to make sure your payments are on time, or else, if you default, you could lose your home.

– Loans of this type can be risky for new homeowners who have not established themselves in a career and are not used to managing a household budget. They can also be risky for senior citizens as they would be tapping into their nest egg close to retirement.

– If you choose a line of credit, interest rates can vary month to month.

– If the real estate market slows, the value of your home can drop resulting in you owing more than it’s worth.

– While payments may be lower on a home equity loan it could cost you more because payments are stretched over a longer time frame.

– You might not be able to lease your home during the term of your loan.

With a home equity loan you are converting short term debt into a long term obligation secured by your house. If you continue down the same path without making the needed lifestyle adjustment you may lose your home.

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Category: Finances
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