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Home Loans

What Happens When You Default On Home Equity Loans?

If you default on home equity loans, the consequences can be severe.

Maintain your financial health and homeownership with the help of this blog. We discuss the consequences and reveal 6 tips to avoid defaulting on your loan.

2 main consequences of Defaulting on Home Equity Loans

1. Collection Agency Involvement: When borrowers default on their home loans, lenders often sell the debt to a debt collection agency.

These agencies will attempt to recover the outstanding balance through persistent calls, demand letters, and possibly sending collectors to your home. This process can be stressful and damaging to your credit score.

2. Foreclosure: In more severe cases, the lender may initiate foreclosure proceedings to recover the money lent. Foreclosure means the lender can sell your home to recoup their losses. The primary mortgage lender takes priority over the home lender during a foreclosure sale.

If the primary lender holds the certificate of title, they are entitled to the proceeds first. However, depending on the completion status and holder of the certificate of title, refinancing complications can affect which lender gets paid first.

Bad credit

6 Tips to Avoid Defaulting on Your Home Equity Loan

1. Communicate with Your Lender:

Avoiding your lender’s calls or ignoring their letters will not improve your situation. However, being transparent about your financial difficulties can encourage them to assist you.

If you’re struggling with payments, contact your lender immediately. Explain your financial situation and express your willingness to find a solution. They understand that working with you increases the likelihood of recovering their money

They may offer to modify the loan terms, adjust interest rates, or restructure your repayment plan. This can help to make the loan more affordable so you can avoid defaulting on your home equity loan.

2. Explore Foreclosure Alternatives:

If you’re struggling with payments, you could explore alternative options to provide temporary relief and prevent foreclosure.

It is worth noting that you should only do this if you lack funds due to a short-term cash flow issue. If you can’t afford repayments full stop because your circumstances have changed or you have racked up an uncontrollable amount of debt, then taking out another loan will only add to this financial burden.

Alternative forms of finance that might be suitable to prevent foreclosure include:

3. Consider Debt Consolidation:

If multiple debts overwhelm you, consolidating them into one low-rate loan with manageable monthly payments can help you regain control of your finances.

4. Refinance Your Mortgage:

Refinancing can lower your monthly payments and interest rate, making staying current on your loan easier. However, carefully consider the terms, as extending the loan term can increase the total cost over time.

5. Consult a Financial Advisor:

A financial advisor can provide valuable guidance on managing your finances and exploring potential solutions. They can help you create a feasible financial plan to navigate through tough times.

6. Resell and Downsize:

While drastic, selling your home and downsizing can be a practical solution. Use the proceeds to pay your mortgage and secure a smaller, more affordable living arrangement. This option can alleviate financial pressure and prevent foreclosure.

Don’t Default On Your Home Equity Loan

Contact Australian Lending Centre today to learn more about your options and find a suitable financial solution available to you.

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Refinance and Refinancing

Will Lender Approve a Home Loan With Unpaid Defaults?

A lot of people think that repaying unpaid defaults is important when it comes to being approved for a mortgage, but this isn’t always the case. Yes, you can get a mortgage without your defaults because there are many flexible lenders who are more than happy to approve your application despite a poor credit score. But don’t jump at the first home equity loan available-because lenders aren’t created equal. Here are some factors to consider when applying for a home loan with unpaid defaults.

1. Payment status

Mainstream lenders look favourably to applicants that carry mortgages with settled defaults than those with unpaid ones. Some creditors are concerned with the date default was registered and not when they were paid. Others also use certain parameters in assessing your risk—which includes all other financial information that could boost your eligibility for a mortgage.

2. Existing credit issues

It is difficult to get a mortgage if you have other credit problems. Lenders consider your debt-to-income ratio. So, if your debts are too high, it would surely have a strong impact on your eligibility, loan rate, fees and repayment terms. If you’re using payday loans, it will also affect your chances of getting a loan.

3. Amount of the default

Before applying for a home loan with defaults, it is important to consider how much your default amounts to. Most lenders can approve a loan for you despite a small paid default which is less than $500. If you have a paid default which is less than $1,000 and you have settled it more than 6 months ago, even prime lenders can lend you money, especially if your financial situation is already stable. If you have a bad credit because you have over $1,000 unpaid defaults, you may not have the best of luck with mainstream lenders. Nonetheless, a specialist lender can give you reasonable loan terms. But beyond that amount, you need an alternative lending specialist like Australian Lending Centre, especially if you have more than $5000 of unpaid defaults.

4. Type of loan

Default on secured loans

What would happen to your home loan application if you default on your mortgage? First and foremost, let’s look at the nature of the loan. It has collateral—which is your home. In case of default, your creditor has the legal right to foreclose on your home after issuing a notice to a client in default and asking you to make good on your payment—and you failed to comply. If the bank takes ownership of it and puts it up for resale at a public auction-you can redeem your property by paying the full amount of debt plus fees. Or, you can refinance your home loan using Australian Lending Centre’s Mortgage Arrears program to pay the total amount due even before the lender decides to foreclose your house.

Default on unsecured Loans

Unsecured loans aren’t as risky on the part of the borrower-although the risk of not being repaid is high for the creditors since there is no collateral that they can take in case of default. Not paying after 60 days can cost you late fees and increase. If you don’t pay yet, you’ll definitely have to look for the default status on your credit file. But, the government does not leave you unprotected. You still have to receive a default notice first.

If you have missed payments on your credit card or from a personal loan lender, you have the right to receive a Default Notice which specifies the number of payments you failed to pay and other requirements of the credit contract that you haven’t complied with.

The notice specifies the amount to pay and the period of time you have to do so.  It will also warn you of the consequences of failure to pay within the period of notice-such as demanding repayment of the whole credit card balance or loan amount, not just the monthly balance you missed to pay.

How do I apply for a loan when I have unpaid defaults?

Default explanation letter

You have to increase your chances of approval by writing an explanation letter for your default with supporting evidence. For example, if you have missed payments because of sickness, temporary unemployment (but you’re employed now) you must provide evidence of the same. It will back up your explanation of why you defaulted on your loan.

Payment

Pay unpaid defaults and get the credit provider to update them into “paid” on your credit file before you submit your loan application.

Specialist lender

Apply with a lender like Australian Lending Centre that can accept borrowers with defaults. We can help with your home loan arrears, so we suggest that you talk to our financial specialists today at 1300 138 188 or Enquire now.

Categories
Mortgage

The Reality of Mortgage Repayments

In spite of the loan solution you carefully select, you should comprehend the way in which a loan works, and what it implies. Understanding the reality of mortgage repayments is the first step to making the right decision to fit your financial status.

Understanding Interest

Recently, Australians have benefited from low and attractive interest rates. So, how does this influence your mortgage repayments? Mortgage providers grow or diminish their rates, to mirror the movement exercised by the set cash interest rate. At the moment, interest rates are estimated at around 4.5 per cent, depending on the lender.

Although selecting fixed mortgage repayments over variable ones might seem the right choice, as it protects you from fluctuations, some other aspects should be considered. If you’re locked into a variable home loan, when the cash rate lowers, your interest will also decrease. Even though this is an unmatched advantage, Aussies should know that low rates don’t plan on staying this way forever.

To grasp the way in which this phenomenon influences your mortgage repayments, hear us out. A standard variable rate for a 25-year old loan of $200,000 would have a $1112 monthly payment, with 4.5 per cent interest rate. If this would change with as little as one per cent, it will either rise to $1228 or diminish to $1001.

Also, bear in mind that, over the life span of a loan, fluctuations may reach $100 per month. What we’re trying to say is that you should embrace a repayment plan with the right contingency measures, in the case in which the interest rate spikes.

When the Loan Matures

You should also note that the market conditions are due to change. That is inevitable. In this respect, you should take advantage of whichever opportunity you have to refresh your financial approach. An option might be to discuss with your financial advisor. But, before doing that, there are some solutions for adjusting your mortgage repayments:

  • Refinancing: When the interest rates are low, you can always consider refinancing. That may be a more convenient option. Even though there are exit and entry costs that should be factored in, as a general rule, you’ll recoup those expenses over the life of the loan.
  • Pay ahead: If the interest rates are low and your budget enables you, you should consider getting ahead on your mortgage repayments. If you manage to make a considerable repayment during this time, not only that you will decrease your overall loan balance, but you’ll save a lot on interest rate payments.
  • Fix your loan: If your credit conditions are permissive enough, we advise you to lock in the new low rate.

To conclude, comprehending the market conditions does pay off. When you sign a loan agreement, you should know what it implies, how the market is due to change and how it can affect you.

In spite of your current status, don’t hesitate to refresh your mindset, in the case in which the market alters in your favour. Why shouldn’t you take advantage of it? Nonetheless, bear in mind that you should discuss with your financial advisor before taking the leap.