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Secured loans are a popular way of raising funds for homeowners, and there’s no denying that taking one out can be a great way of organizing your finances. Debt consolidation, financing home improvements, even paying for a new car – secured loans can be used for all of this. However, as with any financial agreement, it’s only sensible to take your time when deciding whether to proceed. After all, with a secured loan, you could be betting your home on a successful outcome. So what things do you need to consider before finalizing your application?

Firstly, as just alluded to, it’s an inescapable fact that taking out a loan that’s secured on your home could potentially put your home at risk. Should you fall behind on your repayments, the lender can apply to seize your property, evict you from it, and then sell it at less than market value to clear the debt. Scary, huh?

This is, of course, a fairly rare outcome, and most lenders are happy to work with you if you do get into trouble, using repossession as a last resort, but you should consider this carefully before taking out a loan, especially if you’ll be converting existing unsecured debt into secured though debt consolidation.

The second problem with secured loans is that they tend to be for fairly high amounts, and repaid over a fairly long term. This means that the amount of interest you’ll pay over the entire term may be substantially higher than you might think. Even with a low APR, secured loans aren’t necessarily a cheap option.

Thirdly, if you use a secured loan to wipe out some existing unsecured debt, you may get the illusion that your debt levels have lessened. There’s then always the temptation to use your credit cards etcetera to build up fresh debts, so you now have secured AND unsecured debt hanging over your head, and you’ll be in a worse position than ever before.

A fourth problem with a secured loan is that you’ll by its very nature be removing equity from your home. In other words, the value of your home and the amount of debt secured on it will be much closer. Considering that today’s property prices are at record highs, and that many experts are predicting a fall in the near future, you could then be left in the unenviable situation of owing more than your home is worth – that is, you could fall into negative equity.

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These days, more and more people are availing secured loans. But before applying for a secured loan, one needs to have a clear idea about these loans, especially about its basic features, pros and cons, application process etc. Through this article, one can understand secured loans and its features clearly.

What are secured loans?

Secured loans are the loans that are the given to a borrower against a collateral. As a collateral, home or other real estate, automobile, saving accounts, or any valuable objects can be used. With a secured loan, one can borrow up to 125% of his/her collateral that could go up to £75,000. And the repayment period is generally ranged from 5-25 years.

Interest rate on secured loans:

Usually, the interest rate on secured loans is lower than unsecured loans, as these loans are available against a collateral.  Besides, if the worth of your collateral is higher than your borrowed amount then lenders may charge a relatively low interest.  So, choice of collateral is an important matter to get the best deal.

Purposes for using secured loans:

Wide-spectrum usage of Secured loans has made it more famous nowadays. From, business expansion to higher education, from making your dream home to buying a new car, the list is endlessly increasing. Even, secured loans are provided recently for wedding and holiday purposes as well.

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Unsecured debt consolidation loans are loans that individuals take out from a bank without placing any collateral for the loan. Such loans are availed to pay off credit card debt or medical bills. Normally, debt consolidation is undertaken to reduce and eliminate debt by paying off a high-interest unsecured loan, like credit card debt, with a low-interest secured loan like a home equity line of credit. Debt consolidation thus helps in lowering interest rates, which works in the long run to eliminate debt faster.

Unsecured debt consolidation loans are not secured by any collateral like a home or a car. These are mostly in the form of personal loans. Personal loans are one way of paying off credit card debt if one does not own a home or a car. Many banks offer such plans for their customers who have a satisfactory banking history with them. However, interest rates on unsecured personal loans would be higher than a secured home-equity line of credit.

Usually, the amounts disbursed as unsecured debt consolidation loans are lower than what would have been if the debt consolidation loan was secured. Wells Fargo Financial, for example, offers its customers home equity lines of credit for debt consolidation starting at $10,000, whereas unsecured personal loans for debt consolidation at capped at $10,000. So unsecured debt consolidation loans are essentially for those individuals who carry lower credit card debt, but still want to consolidate it and eliminate it completely.

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