Difficult situations prompt us to take a loan, but the repayment burden it creates and the amount of extra payments, which we have to make in the form of interest and fees, worries us constantly. The first priority of any person should be to be self-sufficient. If he or she has to take a loan due to unavoidable circumstances, the borrower should make sure that he gets a low cost secured loan. The total amount he repays to the lender can be minimised if he follows some simple steps.

Many factors affect the cost of any secured loan you take. Getting a low cost secured loan is dependent on how well you understand these factors and utilise them to suit your needs.

A secured loan takes your home or property as the collateral. The property you pledge to the lenders has a direct effect on the total cost your secured loan will incur. If the value of your collateral is sufficiently high to guarantee the secured loan, the lender will not hesitate to give you a loan on better terms, which will bring the overall costs of the secured loan to the lower side. On the other hand if he feels that the collateral is not sufficient, he might charge high interest rate to offset the risk. This high interest rate will bring up the total cost of the secured loan.

Many of us think that they can take a loan from any lender and get away without paying it. The lending institutions make sure that everyone pays them back and those who dont are marked so that the lenders are not duped again. The credit report of every borrower is the benchmark of his creditworthiness. So, if you have a bad credit report be prepare to pay higher interest rates on secured loans. Conversely, if you have a good credit report and do not miss installments, you will be rewarded with low interest rates and discounts or incentives. Therefore, it is in the interest of the borrower to maintain a good credit history so that the lender confides in him and he gets a low interest rates.

Most of the lenders have their interest rates pegged with the bank rate. Depending on the nature of economy a floating rate might seem low at present but can increase if the economic condition worsens. This might increase the cost of secured loan. Lenders therefore, give the borrowers the options to choose from a fixed interest rate, floating interest rate, capped interest rate or discount interest rates. A judicious borrower should give every such offering a due consideration. He should calculate the effective cost of the entire loan with each of these interest options, if this sounds too mind-bending for him he can take the help of online loan calculators, most of which are free of cost.

There are many fees to be paid while taking a secured loan. The property valuation fees that are used by lenders to assess the value of the collateral according to market rates, the solicitors fee that is used to prepare the legal documentation, and the office charges are included in the cost of the loan. The borrower should take care that these fees are as low as possible. To get a low quote on this fees he will have to consult different lenders but the effort will be worth as he will be able to save a lot and get the low cost secured loan.

Following the repayment schedule closely can also reduce the cost of a loan. If at any time you feel that the loan can be done away with, do it. This will incur some prepayment penalty, but it can be negotiated with most lenders and the savings that the borrower will get over the long term will help him very much in bringing down the overall cost of the loan. Paying the loan early will also reflect positively on the credit report of the borrower.