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Posts Tagged ‘loans’

Traditionally, anyone with a house to sell in the U.K. would use an Estate Agent. As they were ranked 2nd in a Radio 4 poll of “least respected workers” (M.P.’s were 1st!), for many people they are seen as a necessary evil.

A small minority of people manage to sell their house privately by doing their own advertising and putting up their own For Sale board, but as their property does not appear in the Estate Agent’s press adverts or websites, this is very much a hit and miss affair.

Even when a sale is secured, the legal system in England & Wales means that until contracts are exchanged – typically many weeks later – the sale can fall through. In fact one in three agreed sales do not complete, meaning that the sale process has to start all over again.

For anyone relocating or emigrating this is frustrating and annoying as plans have to be put on hold. For people with financial difficulties or in danger of having their house repossessed, it can be very serious indeed.

A realistic alternative to Estate Agents

At last there is an alternative to using an Estate Agent. Using a specialist property-buying company offers the speed and certainty lacking if selling on the open market through an Estate Agent.

Companies like A Quick Sale (http://www.aquicksale.co.uk ) are now offering a service that more and more people see as a better alternative than waiting and hoping for an elusive buyer. They will normally make an offer to buy a property within a few days, completing at a date to suit you, so that people can move on with their lives.

So, what’s the catch? Well, the main one is that they will be looking to buy the property at a reduction from the open market value. How much of a reduction often depends on the type and size of property but is likely to be at least 10%.

The other thing to watch out for is that some of these companies charge an upfront valuation fee of several hundred pounds. Whilst this is usually refundable if you go ahead and sell to them, it is quite possible that their offer on your property will be unacceptable to you, leaving you out of pocket!
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They say that knowledge is power and so far, I have yet to see it proven false. Of course, there’s another old adage that says what you don’t know won’t hurt you, but hello? That’s like prolonging the inevitable and since we’re talking about clichés, I’ll use another one: the truth would always come out, secrets don’t last forever and no stones are left unturned.

But enough about clichés or we’ll never end. So with the point of knowledge being power now established, we jump to what we should know more about and that’s debt consolidation. It’s the Age of Information today, so information of just about anything and everything under the sun, debt consolidation included, abounds. It wouldn’t hurt to know more about debt consolidation before figuratively jumping to the boat.

Where to find the information?
That’s easy. First you hit the Internet. I say, there is nothing about anything that can’t be found in the Internet. It’s only a matter of typing the right keyword and looking at the right places. With debt consolidation, it’s better to choose information that does not come from debt consolidation companies themselves. Over the internet, you can find various kinds of information available, ranging from the pros and cons to the list of debt consolidation companies you should avoid. Second place to look for more information would be magazines. Business magazines, in particular. Learn from the experts and see what they have to say about debt consolidation. Check the dailies, too, for information regarding debt consolidation. Third is to ask around. Go to government facilities that entertain inquiries regarding financial help. Ask your bank for information about the debt consolidation programs they have. You can even ask your friends or people whom you know have tried debt consolidation. Firsthand information is always better than secondhand. And lastly, go avail yourself of those free consultations being offered.
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Sometimes referred to as a paycheck advance, payday loans are short-term loans that are designed to provide the borrower with immediate cash in exchange for a promise to repay the loan on your next payday. Typically, these types of loans do not require a credit check and are, therefore, ideal for many who have little or poor credit. What is more important, however, is a steady job with a guaranteed paycheck. As such, payday loans are not usually approved for individuals who are self-employed or who have unpredictable/sporadic work schedules.

If you are approved for a payday loan, you will most likely be given cash in exchange for your postdated check that reflects the amount of the original loan plus interest. Typically, the lender will cash the check on the day of the applicant’s next payday unless other arrangements are made. An example would be if the payday lender were to offer the borrower an opportunity to refinance the loan instead of having their check cashed. For an additional fee and interest, many payday lenders will grant this option for their customers.

While some national corporations offer payday loans, the majority of lenders are locally-owned companies. In addition to simply running short on cash, there are many reasons why an individual may need to request payday loans. Among them, unexpected car or home repairs and doctor visits. Quite often, it is difficult to survive from one paycheck to the next and, when life happens, many find that payday loans are their only answer for quick cash. After being granted a payday loan, the money can be used to help pay for groceries, gasoline, electricity or other utilities, insurance or other necessities.
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Nearly half of all first-time homebuyers financed the entire cost of their home, rather than paying a hefty down payment. And many of these zero-down buyers did so thanks to the so-called 80/20 mortgage plan. This is a relatively new type of loan that was especially designed to help buyers who want to avoid paying down payments. As housing prices have skyrocketed, more and more buyers with good credit and strong income find that they cannot afford a home because of the difficulty in saving up enough to make the large down payment. On a home worth $200,000, a 20 percent down payment is a whopping $40,000. To respond to this challenge, mortgage companies began offering the 80/20 option.

Sometimes the 80/20 is referred to as a “piggyback” loan, because in reality it is two loans working in tandem as one. The first part works in a conventional way, and is for 80% of the purchase price. The 2nd part – the smaller one – is a 20 % loan. So when you apply for your mortgage, the lender actually qualifies you for 100 percent of the purchase price of your home, and then divides the loan into two sections.

For example, if you want to buy a house worth $100,000, the down payment of 20 percent will cost $20,000. With an 80/20 mortgage, the lender gives you $80,000 at one interest rate, and then gives you the 20 percent down payment of $20,000 at a somewhat higher rate, for a grand total loan amount of $100,000.

The reason for splitting up the mortgage into two distinct parts is to help you qualify for the loan without a down payment. Normally you have to put 20 percent down to get a conventional 80 percent loan, so with this rather clever mortgage plan, the lender is letting you borrow your down payment. Then the same lender can turn around and let you borrow the rest of the loan.
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