How To Choose A Debt Consolidation Company

How To Choose a Debt Consolidation Company by Randy DeHetre

There are plenty of adverts on TV and the radio from companies offering you peace of mind by rolling all your debts in to one easy to manage loan but how do you know you can trust them or that it is the right option for you? The thought of getting immediate money to pay off your high interest debts might sound tempting but before you run off and secure your house against the loan, consider these factors to help you choose a debt consolidation company.

Do You Qualify For a Consolidation Loan?

Most debt consolidation companies won’t even consider your application if you are not a homeowner so save time and disappointment by considering if you are likely to be approved or not. A loan already secured on your home is likely to affect your chances of getting the loan as is a poor credit history. If the company does approve your application you are likely to get interest rates not much better than what you are paying on your credit cards.

What Are The Interest Rates

Let’s get one thing straight right now: the attractive rate the company advertises is not the rate you will pay unless you are part of the 1% that qualifies for that rate. It pays to shop around and no matter how understanding or helpful the company appears to be when they are trying to give you a loan make sure you know what the market rates are for someone in your position. This means going to various websites or calling up companies and getting a no obligation quote.

Is It Really A Consolidation Loan?

Read the terms carefully because some debt consolidation companies will contact your creditors on your behalf and arrange to repay your debt at a reduced rate or even negotiate a discount on your debt and charge you the difference. You might think you’ve paid off your credit debt with the loan but actually the loan company is making the repayments on your behalf at a reduced rate and pocketing the difference.

What is the Repayment Period

Most consolidated loans last for 5 years or more during which time you end up paying more in interest than you would on your existing debts. You also need to find out the terms of early repayment as one never knows when you might come in to some money to pay off your debt.

Is the Company Legitimate?

This might sound like a strange question but the debt consolidation has given rise to a large number of boiler room operations who will attempt to extort more money out of you than you bargained for. Before signing any documents make sure you do a check on the Internet for the business name and find out how long they have been in business. Another place to check would be your local Better Business Bureau.

Randy DeHetre is the owner of britespot.info which provides a wealth of infomation about debt consolidation.

www.britespot.info

www.good-deals-today.com

Article Source: How To Choose a Debt Consolidation Company

Is Debt Consolidation A Good Idea?

Is Debt Consolidation a Good Idea? by Randy DeHetre

Debt is enough to cause anyone sleepless nights and stressful mornings when the mailman arrives with the latest bills that have to be paid. Money worries can affect family life and take a heavy toll on individual health – particularly if alcohol is consumed to avoid having to confront the mountain of debt many of us find ourselves in.

You may have considered debt consolidation as the answer to your problems as it rolls up all the credit card and store card debt you have accumulated, gets the creditors off your back and could lower your monthly outgoing payments. For some people who are usually very good with money and have got in to debt through no direct fault of their own – maybe the health bills racked up or there was a period of unemployment – then debt consolidation may be the answer to managing your debt and reducing your monthly expenditure.

However, if you got in to debt because you were using cheap credit to fuel your lifestyle then debt consolidation may actually be a bad idea because you are exchanging unsecured debt for secured debt and if you continue living how you have been then your home may be in real danger. In this case it may be worthwhile contacting your creditors to explain your situation and take a hit on your credit score rather than risk becoming homeless. A credit score can always be repaired, losing your home is catastrophic.

Before applying for a debt consolidation loan there are some factors you need to consider. The first is that you may be charged a fee to process the loan, the second is that even though the interest rate is lower and fixed the duration is much longer which means that in the long term you end up spending more on interest than if you simply paid off your credit cards. Finally there may be no option for early repayment or they may charge high fees to pay the loan off early, whereas a credit card company will gladly accept a lump sum payment with no fees if you are paying off your debt.

There is just one question to ask yourself if you are considering getting a consolidated loan which is: are you changing your lifestyle to get out of debt or will you continue to need credit cards to survive? If the answer is that you will need to keep using credit cards then debt consolidation is definitely not the right option for you. If you are committed to cutting up all your credit cards and sticking to a strict budget then consolidating your debt may be the way to help you become debt free within 5 years.

Randy DeHetre is the owner of britespot.info which provides a wealth of infomation about debt consolidation.

www.britespot.info

www.good-deals-today.com

Article Source: Is Debt Consolidation a Good Idea?