• Home Equity Loan   • Home Refinance Loan   • Home Purchase Loan   • Second Mortgage Loan   • Debt Consolidation Loan
Home Equity Loan Store «A website where you can find the lowest interest rates on home loans with absolutely free quotes from multiple lenders»
::

Risk It With A Bridging Loan?


How many times have you been casually going about your business, seen a great property and thought, "that would be a really nice place to live"? Then you snap out of it, knowing you can't lay your hands on the money fast enough. Well what if you really wanted this property? You discussed it with the agent, your emotions got the better of you and you made an offer.

This has to be a fast sale or the vendor will sell it to someone else, what will you do? How will you find the cash at such short notice? Unless you happen to have thousands of pounds lying around in some bank account you forgot about, you're going to have to borrow some money and fast!

Did you expect the financial industry NOT to have a product for people just like you? Of course not. They've thought of everything. The answer is a bridging loan!

A bridging loan provides a temporary window. As is suggested by the name, it bridges the gap between the amount of cash you need now and the amount you currently have. What you earn normally has no bearing on the matter. How much your current property makes on open market again does not come into it. Your bridging loan takes care of your what you need right now.

If you apply for a bridging loan you can buy the property immediately. You will pay it back when you sell your current property. So, you see, you can have the best of both worlds. Just make sure you read the small print. Make sure you're not being charged extortionate amounts of interest. I always make a point of reading the small print, no matter how long it takes.

Usually, a bridging loan will be a short-term loan with a repayment cycle of one week to six months. There should always be a clause allowing the customer to repay the full amount as soon as their current property is sold.

More often than not, a bridging loan uses the customers current property as security. As the customer, you have options. You will generally have the option of securing the loan on both properties or either one of them. This gives you a little flexibility.

These guys usually move fast. The brokers' valuer will assess the property and come up with a figure on which your bridging loan will be based. This figure will depend on many factors. At the top of the list, you'll find the usual suspects: location, number of bedrooms, size and the general condition of the place, to name but a few.

As soon as the valuation is complete, the lender is in a position to advance the cash to the customer. If you choose a good broker this will happen fast. As a rough rule of thumb, expect to be able to borrow up to 65% of the value of the property. Lenders offer as much as £25000 to some million pounds on a bridging loan.

Where's the best place to get a bridging loan? Ask your financial advisor and look around, especially on the internet. More and more lenders are coming online these days and there are always some really great deals to be had as lenders try to "out-offer" each other. Get quotes from as many different lenders as you can. Draw up a quick rate comparison sheet to help you decide. You will find that there are many different fee levels for this kind of loan. Sometimes it may be better to pay a little more if the terms are more favourable. Again, always read the small print.

One of the main deciding factors for you will be the speed at which the cash will be forthcoming.Always make this the most important factor in your decision. No point going through all this to be pipped at the post because you were waiting for the money. The whole reason to get a bridging loan is to get instant cash. Choose a lender who specifically states how fast they deliver after signing. You will find many lenders are less than acceptable on this point.

So, a bridging loan can help you out in a tight squeeze. However, there are always two sides to the coin.

Bridging loans are perceived as "higher risk" by most lenders. Interest rates are generally higher because of this and you may find that the one-off charges are also higher than with a conventional loan. Usually because this is the customers' only option and the term is short, the rates will be accepted. The best way to approach a bridging loan is to keep the term short thereby minimising costs.

A further risk when using a bridging loan is counting on your existing property being sold quickly. Should the market drag for you, you will end up paying lots of interest on your bridging loan. This will be your situation until your home is sold.

To conclude, a bridging loan may seem like a great way out and used correctly, it often is. However it is not without it's risks. The risks are very real and deciding to take out a bridging loan should be a measured decision. For these reasons, it's highly recommended that you talk to a good independent financial advisor.

Fabio Marcell is a seasoned contributor to many online and offline journals specialising in the financial sector. He has many years experience in the loans industry and is currently sponsoring the following website: http://www.a1-low-interest-loans.info (for web reprints please ensure this URL is hyperlinked) (c) 2005 Fabio Marcell - All Rights Reserved


MORE RESOURCES:

Hybrid Cars News

Federally Backed Car Maker Hits Bump
Wall Street Journal
Fisker was promised $529 million in loans from an Energy Department program to boost development of electric vehicles. The Anaheim, Calif., company said it would use the money to retool a former General Motors Co. factory in Delaware to build a new ...
Fisker Stops Work on Car Factory After US Blocks LoanBusinessWeek
Fisker Loan Woes: Bump In The Road, Or A Big Pothole?Green Car Reports
Fisker is not another Solyndra ... yetCNNMoney
Hybrid Cars News -Fox News -Engadget
all 217 news articles »


Bloomberg

Bad Home Loans Top $72 Billion in 'Colossal Failure': Mortgages
BusinessWeek
The wrangling over the status of old loans has made some banks more reluctant to make new ones, even as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke appeals for action to increase lending and fix the US housing market because it's a drag on the economic ...
Faulty Loans Top $72 Billion as Banks Seek Deal With Regulators: MortgagesBloomberg

all 26 news articles »


UPI.com

Is Student Loan Debt the Next Bubble?
NBC Los Angeles
By Stephanie Elam and Samantha Tata The student loan debt crisis is being compared to the mortgage crisis by an association representing bankruptcy lawyers. Lots of families are in over their heads, and cannot pay back what they owe.
Are Student Loans the Next Debt Bomb?U.S. News & World Report
Student Debt: The Next Financial Crisis?Forbes
Student loans could be next 'debt bomb'UPI.com
Chicago Sun-Times -Huffington Post -LoanSafe
all 70 news articles »


Bloomberg

Auto and Student Loans Drive Borrowing Surge
Wall Street Journal
Household borrowing through credit cards, car loans, student loans and other installment debt—which excludes mortgages—rose at a seasonally adjusted 9.3% annual rate in December, following a 9.9% rise in November, the Fed said Tuesday.
New Bank Loan Standards Cause Hike in Consumer CreditGo Banking Rates
Consumer credit jumps by $19.3 billion in DecemberLos Angeles Times
Consumer credit surges in DecemberMarketWatch
New York Times -Fox News
all 283 news articles »


Quicken Loans ArenaCleveland, OH
SI.com
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Ramon Sessions scored a season-high 24 points as a last-minute replacement for injured rookie Kyrie Irving and Antawn Jamison scored 27, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 97-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

and more »


TribLocal

As acceptance letters start trickling in, a look behind changes in college aid
Chicago Tribune
That's because there's a vast patchwork of grants, scholarships and loans available. But a failure to properly compare the options and explore the alternatives could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in debt upon graduation.
Families must do their college loan homeworkStatesman Journal

all 193 news articles »


Itaú sees slower loan growth, no Redecard impact
Reuters
Redecard to remain separate, add little to earnings * Cuts credit growth estimate range to 14-17 pct * Sees operating expenses up 4 to 8 pct this year * Says loan delinquencies seen largely stable By Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Brad Haynes SAO PAULO, ...

and more »


Loans.org Accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating
Houston Chronicle
In order to further establish credibility, Loans.org made an appeal to the Better Business Bureau. The loan quote site is now accredited with an A+ rating. Loans.org, the nationwide loan quote gathering hub, is proud to announce it is now accredited by ...

and more »


For home loans, now pay a bigger pie of property value
Times of India
MUMBAI: Prospective home loan seekers will now have to shell out 25% to 30% of the value of a property as against 20% until now with the Reserve Bank of India asking banks to exclude stamp duty, registration fee and other levies from total cost.

and more »


Deadline for Physical Damage Disaster Loan Applications in Virginia is March 5
MarketWatch (press release)
The US Small Business Administration reminds homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations of the deadline to submit disaster loan applications for damages caused by the earthquake. The deadline to file an SBA disaster loan application ...
SBA 504 Loans Hit Record Low Interest Rate for FebruaryBusiness Wire (press release)

all 12 news articles »

Google News

Home Equity Loan | Home Refinance Loan | Home Purchase Loan | Second Mortgage Loan | Home Improvement Loan | Debt Consolidation Loan | Loans | Leases & Leasing | Personal Finance | Mortgage Refinance | Debt Consolidation | Debt Relief | Finance Resources
© 2006 Home Equity Loan Store | Loans Information | Loans Articles