The average person juggles numerous bills each month–credit cards, auto loans, personal loans and more! If you’re getting buried beneath paperwork, you may want to consider a debt consolidation loan. Instead of dealing with multiple creditors, you’ll only have to pay one bill each month. And you can get a debt consolidation loan–even if your credit is not-so-perfect–if you secure it with some type of collateral. Here’s how to get approved:

1. Decide on your collateral

Whatever item you choose as collateral for your loan should be one you’re willing to risk, since the lender could take it if you can’t make your monthly payments. One of the least expensive options would be your home, since you could get a home equity loan, a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage. If you’re not willing to risk your house, you could also use an automobile or a boat. Some lenders will accept stocks or bonds, or even expensive belongings such as jewelry or electronics.

2. Find a lender

You’ll need to find a lender that accepts the type of collateral you’re using to secure your loan. Most major lenders and banks offer home equity loans, and many offer personal loans secured with a vehicle or boat. You may have to dig a little deeper to find a lender that will accept jewelry or other belongings as collateral. Check with your local banks and credit unions, and do a search online to find an appropriate lender.

3. Compare loan rates and terms

Before you sign up with any lender, make sure you compare their rates and terms with similar loans. Some unscrupulous predatory lenders may try to take advantage of your situation by charging you a high interest rate or extra fees. It’s always best to compare at least two loans to ensure that you’re getting the best possible rate.

Try using one of ABC Loan Guide’s Recommended Lenders For A Secured Debt Consolidation Loan.

Secured Debt Consolidation Loans are possible even for those with less-than-perfect credit. By using an expensive item you already own–house, car, boat, jewelry–as collateral, you become less risky as a borrower, making it more likely that you’ll get approved for a loan.

You can use a mortgage refinance calculator to find out your savings if you switch to a new mortgage. The new calculator will help you determine whether the new plan that you are considering is suitable or not.

Advantages

You may wonder: what is the use of a mortgage calculator? The mortgage calculator will help you project the amount you will be paying over the loan term. This will help you decide if you should take a new mortgage or not. If your current mortgage has high interest rates, and you wish to take a second mortgage with lower interest, a calculator will help you find how much you can save.

Prerequisites

The calculator will ask you for information regarding the current loan amount, loan term and interest rates. You also need to provide information regarding how long you have had this mortgage, and the remaining loan term. You also need to provide information about your new loan, such as loan term, interest rate etc. What you need to do is provide all the information to the calculator, and it will do the hard work for you.

Finding A Calculator

Thankfully, the mortgage refinance calculator is just a mouse click away. You can make a search for it online. Once you find a website that hosts a calculator, you can fill in the information and wait for it to come up with the results.

Pay attention to the break even date. This is the time when cost of the new mortgage is recovered through the savings on it. You do not want to go in for a scheme where you cannot recover the cost through savings – it would be a loss-making proposition for you.

If your break even date falls after the loan term expires, it might not be a good idea to take the loan. If the opposite is true, then the loan can help you. If you think the loan figures do not add up to your liking, you can do the math again by putting in different figures. This will help you arrive at interest rates and loan terms that will help you.

A mortgage refinance calculator will help you find the best rates. It will give you an estimate of how long it will take for you to clear your debts. It will also help you plan your finances according to the loan term. This invaluable tool is easy to access, easy to use, and is free. What else can you ask for!