Everybody knows that unsecured loans carry higher interest rates than secured loans. Most people think that large amount unsecured loans carry monthly payments that are too difficult to afford and that only those with a significant income can come up with the money for meeting the monthly installments and seize the benefits from unsecured financing. But truth is that unsecured loans can also be affordable.

 

Interest Rate On Secured And Unsecured Loans

The interest rate charged for secured loans can range between 5% and 10% depending on several factors. Secured loans can be subsidized and thus, the interest rate can be as low as 5% or even less. These subsides can be from the government or private institutions and the idea is that the subsidizer takes care of the difference in the interest rate so the lender can offer a lower rate.

The other factor that will certainly push an interest rate upwards or downwards is the credit score of the loan applicant. Those with a perfect credit score can easily get an interest rate as low as 5% but those with a poor credit history and many stains on their credit report most certainly will get an interest rate close to 10% or even more for secured loans.

When it comes to unsecured loans, the history is the same. Though there are not many subsidized unsecured loans, the credit score and history of the applicant will affect the interest rate charged. And the interest rate for unsecured loans can range from 7% to 15% or even more if the applicant has poor credit history or selects a loan type that does not require a credit check.

 

Monthly Payments Affordability

The loan affordability will depend on the amount of the monthly installments. There are a couple of ways you can obtain monthly installments suitable for a regular budget without having to make huge sacrifices. Moreover, these two can be combined in order to get really affordable monthly payments that can almost pass unnoticed.

The first thing is to get a low rate. In order to do so you can try to improve your credit score as this will greatly reduce the interest rate you’ll be charged. Improving your credit score is not such a big deal. Timely payment of your debt, and closing unnecessary accounts, credit cards and store cards will help a lot.

Also, you can get a lower rate by requesting as many loan quotes as possible and comparing what the different lenders have to offer. You can always bargain a little with lenders in order to get a better rate. If a lender knows you are contacting other lenders and comparing, and if you show him a lower rate quote, chances are he will improve his offer.

 

Loan Length

Finally, in order to get an affordable monthly payment you can also extend the length of the loan repayment. Unsecured loans can be repaid in as many as 10 years. Thus, if you need affordable payments, you can select a repayment schedule long enough to reduce the installments so your budget won’t suffer.

By combining the above methods, you can get really low monthly payments easy to afford without sacrifices. And always remember that unless you really need higher loan amounts, it is always better to avoid risking repossession by applying for unsecured personal loans.