If you’re just living paycheck to paycheck, paying the minimum due on your credit cards, debt consolidation may be the boon for you. Debt consolidation loans are personal loans that allow you to combine many debts into one monthly payment. Your monthly payment will be smaller than the total amount you were paying before. However, it will take longer to pay off all the debts. The interest rates may be high, depending on your past credit history. There are two types of personal debt consolidation loans, secured and unsecured. An unsecured loan is basically just a promise to pay back the money borrowed. A secured loan means you put up something for collateral. If you don’t pay back the money, the lender can repossess that collateral. For instance, if you put your house up for collateral and you fail to make payments, you can lose your home. If you have a mortgage, you can use that to consolidate your debt. You can consolidate your outstanding debt into a new first mortgage or you can take out a second mortgage. If you are unable to keep up with the payments, though, you risk losing your home. You can also apply for a home equity loan. This is a loan based on the value of your home. If you still owe on your mortgage, the equity is the difference between the value of your house and the amount you still owe. With a home equity loan, you are using your home as collateral. Here too, there are chances that you may loose your house, if you don’t pay. The advantages and disadvantages to both a second mortgage and a home equity loan are similar to that of a personal debt consolidation loan. However, the interest rates are usually better. If your credit is poor, if you’ve been late in making payments on credit cards, or even if you’ve filed bankruptcy, you may still qualify for a debt consolidation loan or for a second mortgage on your home. Don’t be afraid of applying because of bad credit. Yet another way to consolidate your debt is to work with a consumer credit counseling agency, also known as debt consolidation services. These agencies work out payment arrangements with your credit card companies. They then combine all of your monthly payments into one payment. Debt consolidation services usually get paid by the credit card companies for collecting your money, but some also charge consumers a fee. To find debt consolidation services agencies, type “debt consolidation company USA” into Google or any other search engine. There are some debts that usually can’t be included in personal debt consolidation loans, second mortgages, or home equity loans. These include things like student loans, money owed to the IRS, and child support. These usually are not included in arrangements made by consumer credit counseling agencies, either. As you can see, there are a number of options for consolidating your debt. You’ll need to investigate them carefully to see which one is right for you. In some cases, debt consolidation may not be enough and the best choice may be to file bankruptcy. Talk to an attorney to find out more about that.
KJ specializes in helping homeowners receive competitive home loan quotes.
For a free Mortgage Refinancing Advice and Quotes and to find the best mortgage rates visit www.homeandfamilybills.com
Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of ArticlePros.com and/or its partners.
