When thinking about a term loan, just about everyone wants a loan with high capital and low interest, but that’s not the only thing that could make a loan appealing.In order to know which type of loan is right for you business, you need to ask yourself and be able to answer a series of pertinent questions.
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1. Your Business and Profit Margin?
An institutional lender like a local bank or a national bank will want a robust record of your business’s success if you want them to lend you a long-term loan. That’s because they need to know that your business has the revenue to pay back an amount with interest over five, ten or even twenty years.Without that strong evidence of sustained profitability, you aren’t likely to get a loan from a bank. All in all, this means you need to be well-qualified for a long-term loan. Most likely you have a very thorough business plan in place if you’re thinking of taking out a long-term loan. But if you don’t, it is a must-have before signing for a loan. What are your two, six, ten-year profit margins likely to be?How much can you afford personally every month if your business does not make the profit you anticipate. The stress of managing a loan will diminish exponentially if you have a strong plan for your business in place and can foresee your profit margins for years to come.
2. What’s Your Credit Score?
You hear a lot about credit score being the thing that makes or breaks all kinds of financing.A low credit score can hinder your ability to move up in your personal or business goals. And there’s truth to it when talking about a possible term loan. Typically, your credit score needs to be higher for a long-term loan vs a short-term loan. That’s because a lender wants to know you have a history of financial responsibility.There are ways to increase your credit score to qualify for a loan, and the best way to do that is to talk directly with a loan or finance specialist.
3. How much can you afford to pay back per month?
With short-term financing, your payments per month will be higher.Does your business have enough profitability to afford higher monthly payments?Obviously, the last thing you want to have happened is for your loan to go into default because you couldn’t pay your monthly fees.There is variability, but for the most part, short-term loans need to be repaid within a year. That means you must have the profits to pay it back.There will be terms and conditions to your loan, which can make your interest rates fixed or varied. Running a business has stresses of its own, so minimize your potential stress by knowing exactly how much you can afford to pay back (plus interest) each month.
4. Loan Amount?
A lot of people want a long-term loan because they can receive a higher amount and be able to pay it back in smaller chunks over a longer period of time.But a few things are important to keep in mind when you’re thinking about the amount of money you need. Long-term loans pay out higher amounts but the terms and conditions are more stringent and they are also more difficult to qualify for.Another thing to take into account is that your business might not need as much capitol as you think. A short-term loan is characterized by smaller amounts of money in a short amount of time. And it’s essential to remember that you’ll actually be paying more money in interest with a long-term loan.
5. Do you have collateral to afford a long-term loan?
It’s a very real condition of a long-term loan that your business be able to offer collateral if the worst thing happens, i.e. you default on your loan and can’t repay it.A lender will want a detailed list of assets. This is called a secured or collateral loan.If you need a short-term loan very quickly, assessing your collateral is imperative.That could mean real estate, business equipment and supplies.You’ll need to consider what you own that could be considered collateral for your business loan. Here is a word of caution for you. Make sure you have completely accounted for the risk of not getting your goods/items back if you default on the loan.
6. Talk to a Lawyer or Financial Planner
If using repayment plan app isn’t enough, consult an expert to help you stay current with your debt repayment. An expert will take into account all areas of your life to help you see where you might be falling behind in finances.Don’t underestimate the value of another set of eyes.When it comes to a long-term loan you’ll probably want a debt lawyer to help you read the fine print and conditions of your loan.This is someone with knowledge, credentials and experience to guide and help people who are struggling with loans and debts.Debt lawyers can explain the fine print of your loan and if you happen to have an unethical lender, a debt lawyer is someone you’ll want on your side to help you navigate through it.
There are many options for loans if you are looking for finances for your business. The right loan, whether short-term or long-term is out there for you, but you need to make sure when you approach a lender, whether online or in person that you know the facts about your finances inside and out.Be able to attest whether your company has the profit margin to enable you to pay back the loan.Be very familiar with your credit score and how much you’re able to pay back per monthly billing cycle.And most of all, have professionals on your side who can help steer you through new term loan waters.
