Debt consolidation means taking one
big loan to pay off various other small loans and a debt consolidation loan has
various advantages because under this the person has the convenience to pay
only one loan and along with this he also has the advantage of having to pay a
relatively lower rate of interest which is of a fixed rate.
Debt codification might be from various
unsecured loans to another unsecured loan but debt consolidation often involves
a secured loan which is secured against an asset and the asset serves collateral.
This asset against which the loan is secured is most commonly a house. By using
a house as collateral, a person can use the advantage of having to pay a lower
rate of interest than he would have to pay without it. This is because by using
his house as a collateral, the person makes it more secure for the lender as
the lender can sell the asset and recover the amount in case of a situation
where the borrower is not able to pay.
Debt consolidation firms may also
discount loans in a situation where a debtor might become bankrupt. In a such
situation where there might be a bankruptcy, the firm may buy the loan at some
discount. But consolidation affects the ability of the debtor with which he can
discharge debts and so great care should be taken.
There are many different types of
debt consolidation loans and these are given below.
Home equity loan
A home equity loan is a easy way to
get rid of debts. Under home equity loans, the house is used as collateral and by
using the house as a collateral, you have to pay a smaller amount of interest
and you can use the money to pay your expenses. But taking a home equity loan
can be dangerous because you may lose your house if you do not manage to pay
back the loan. Also, even though the interest that is paid on this loan is
income tax deductible, it can be limited in many cases.
But even despite these
disadvantages, home equity loans are a good option if you want to pay off your
creditors but you should just make sure to pay the amount on time and make sure
that all the details of the loan make sense.
Zero percent credit card
This is another option of debtconsolidation loans which is available and it can be used by people who do not
own a house but even in this case, great care should be taken and prudence is
required.
Companies use the rates as teasers
and they are a tool for them to make you change credit card vendors. If you
qualify for zero percent or any single digit rate, you should remember that it is
not everlasting and you should get sufficient information about when the rate
will change and also about what the new rate will be. You s should also be very
careful about any hidden fees and charges that you might have to incur.