It can be hard to dig yourself out of credit card debt when the interest rates come in and suddenly, you find yourself paying the minimums each month and never having an impact on the overall debt.
You might consider a debt consolidation loan to clear the credit card debt and allow you to have just one monthly payment on one loan. But can you get the personal loan you want? How can you choose between the loan options available to you?
The first thing you need to think about is how you can get a personal loan in the first place and what factors need to be considered. When you go to a lender here are some of the things that might factor into whether or not you get the loan, and what the terms may be.
Credit Score
Your credit score is going to tell the lender a lot about you and your history. If you have a bad score, you might be a risk to them. They might offer you a loan, but it may have high interest rates. They might not be able to offer you a loan at all. In those cases, you may have to find a lender that does not check credit scores at all. But you need to watch the interest rates and other terms they put into play as well.
Income
If you can prove your income to a certain degree, that is going to help you secure a debt consolidation loan. You can show the lender what your normal budget looks like and you can prove that you can handle the payments for the personal loan you are asking to have. That will make them feel good about giving you the loan you need so you can have the debt consolidation loan and get rid of your credit card debt. If you work on commission, or are self-employed, it might be hard to prove your regular cash flow, which can make some lenders leery of giving you a loan.
Credit History
Your credit history can also show lenders that you are responsible. If you have good credit in your past and it only soured because of your recent debt, they will see that you can be reliable in your payments. If you pay your mortgage on a regular basis, that’s another line of proof to show them that you know how to take care of debt.
Choosing The Personal Loan
Once you’ve done some research and you have several personal loan options before you for your debt consolidation loan, you need to know how to choose the right loan for your purposes. First, you need to compare apples to apples. You can’t compare two loans as equals if they have different terms.
You might have a lower interest rate on one loan, but there are added fees, for example. That loan could end up costing you more. Compare like loans to one another in order to get the best option for your needs. Watch for any small print, extra fees, termination charges, and other such things to get the best choice for your consolidation deal.
When in doubt about debt consolidation loan options, it’s always best to work with a reputable professional who can help you weigh the options, look at the details, and come out with the best answer for your situation. You may not have handled your credit card debt well thus far and it is a good idea to have a financial expert weigh in on what the best options are for your financial future now that you are trying to clean things up. They may see things in the loans that you didn’t notice and point out the options that are going to give you the most success in meeting your goals.
