If you are thinking of borrowing money to buy a car, boat, for debt consolidation, home repairs, medical bills or anything else for that matter, here are some red hot tips to make the process much easier!

1. Be honest in your loan application
The process of entering your personal and financial details should not take more than 15 minutes to complete online. Being honest in your application, explaining things like why you are applying for a loan or existing debt considerations are essential for your bank to offer you a loan option that best suits your circumstances. There are an increasing variety of different types of personal credit available; car loans, commercial loans, leases, home equity loans, are just some of the examples. With complex credit rating analysis tools at a financial instituion’s disposal – honesty is the best policy!

2. Have the right information when applying
Documents typically include personal identification items (i.e. photo ID like a Driver’s licence or passport), rates notices, and employment wage pay slips or most recent Notice of Assessment. Further information to have handy include copies of recent bank statement and other loan accounts. These are often essential when applying for higher value personal loans. It is important that you confirm with the lender what documents you will need when applying or before attending to the interview.

3. Try lenders with whom you are a regular customer
Take advantage of the human factor. Being a familiar face or regular customer may mean you are offered a better rate. However, keep lenders competitive by shopping around for better value if your primary lender is not willing to play ball!

4. Know what interest rate applies
This advice seems simple enough yet all too often consumers get caught out with introductory rate discounts! Always be sure you know what interest rate applies over the complete term of your loan. Lenders may often ‘sell’ you their finance packages by quoting the monthly repayments only. This may disguise a high interest rate, so be certain that you know your ongoing obligations.

5. Know how much will be your repayments
Most personal loans require a repayment each month with most allowing you to repay weekly, fortnightly or on an ad hoc basis. Your repayment amount will be calculated by your loan provider and it will be depend on the interest rate, fees and term of your loan. The shorter the loan period the less the amount of interest charged will be, but the higher the repayment amount.

6. Know about the fees on your loan
If no fees are charged then the interest rate might be a little bit higher than a comparable loan from another provider. Most loan providers will also charge fees to end the loan early, for account keeping on a monthly basis or for making any extra repayments in general. Make sure you know what fees will or can be charged before committing to a loan. If you have extra funds available and are considering paying out your loan early, make sure you check before doing so as it may be more beneficial to hold off and only pay the required amount.

For a great personal loan comparison tool visit: www.ratecity.com.au