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When it comes to unforeseen expenses, emergencies, or investments, $12,000 personal loans can be a viable option. For anyone who needs a loan and wants to ensure they can make their payments, there are many suitable options on the market.
How $12,000 personal loans work?
A personal loan is when you obtain money from a lender. The borrowed sum will be returned over a set repayment period, and the money will be repaid not just in full but with interest. Every personal loan has different terms and conditions. A secured loan necessitates collateral. An unsecured personal loan is when there's no collateral involved at all.
If you choose to pursue a secured loan as an option with more advantageous terms, there are two common secured personal loans on the market: home-backed and auto loans. The first implies you'll get a loan based on your house's equity. It can be suitable for those seeking lower monthly payments. Putting your vehicle as collateral is also a good strategy if you want lower rates and good terms for a longer period.
So, it all boils down to what personal loan you're more interested in. It's a wise strategy to shop around for a loan, as different lenders have diverse interest rates, minimum credit score requirements, and other terms and conditions. You can check their websites for different offerings, and there's also the ability to prequalify for this sort of personal loan.
How to get a $12,000 personal loan?
The process of obtaining a personal loan can be broken down into five steps.
- Examine offers from online lenders. It makes sense to check out several personal lenders online. Even if your situation calls for immediate action, you still should make enough time to study the loan offers. If you go with the wrong personal loan, it could cause additional costs for you.
- Prequalify with multiple lenders. Many lenders allow you to prequalify for loans of $12,000 or more. This means you can input information regarding your current financial situation, and they will produce an offer based on it. Your credit score will not be affected during online lender pre-qualification.
- Decide which offer is the best. Desired loan terms, interest rates, flexible repayment terms, and other factors will impact your decision. Once you have the right lender, you're ready to proceed with the next step.
- Finish the application process. Be sure to examine the loan agreement and ensure there are no hidden loan fees. While some companies don't do a hard credit pull, other lenders will investigate your credit score. The credit report will lower your credit score, but it's not permanent.
- Get the full loan amount. You will receive the money as a lump sum, which you will have to pay back in equal payments over the term of your personal loan.
Qualifying for a $12,000 personal loan
Like with most personal loans, you must meet requirements to get a loan for $12,000, including a minimum credit score requirement. Your interest rate and other lending terms will depend heavily on your credit score, besides your financial history, current salary or earnings, and debt-to-income ratio (DTI).
If your DTI is higher than 40%, you're unlikely to be approved for a personal loan without a co-signer or a co-borrower. The minimum income requirement can be as low as $15,000 per year, but you won't be able to qualify for the best deal if you barely qualify for the loan.
You will be eligible for personal loans up to $12,000 and beyond, with a relatively high income and low levels of debt. The best loan terms are offered to individuals who not only meet the minimum requirements but exceed them. An excellent credit score and proof of sufficient income can get you very advantageous loan terms and prices.
Credit score requirements
Many factors are considered before deciding whether an applicant is eligible for a loan. The lenders put most of the weight on one financial indicator: credit score. Even the most lenient lenders that charge bigger-than-average interest rates expect you to have a credit score of at least 550. It's possible to get a personal loan with a bad credit score, but it will take time, effort, and willingness to work with less-than-stellar terms.
The funding time
Different lending companies work with various financial institutions. They are not all tied to a single bank or loan processing company, which means they have different funding times. On average, it doesn't take over 7 business days if you lend from banks or credit unions.
The often-mentioned online lenders offer a shorter timeframe: they can get your money in less than 5 business days. For payday loans and car title loans, the financing time is even shorter: funds are usually available on the same day.
Most $12,000 unsecured personal loans are funded swiftly: most borrowers receive the full loan amount on the same or the next day.
Where to get a personal $12,000 loan?
Personal loans are offered by many online lenders and banks. These lending providers help you obtain the best personal loans on the most suitable terms. When comparing personal loans, most future borrowers turn to the following companies:
BestEgg. The maximum loan terms for personal loans can't exceed $12,000. The interest rates can be as low as 5.99%. Credit score requirements are also lax, and the only major downside is that origination fees are applicable.
SoFi. Income requirements are a bit steeper: you'll need to make at least $50,000 a year to qualify for a loan. On the positive side, there are no origination fees, and annual percentage rates can be as low as 5.99%, similar to BestEgg.
LendingUSA. You can qualify even with fair credit, and the loan amount can be as high as $35,000. All the downsides involve higher interest rates (14%) and an origination fee.
These three lenders are only a few of the many personal loan lenders in the market, but they are believed to be a good place to begin your search.
How to get a $12,000 personal loan with bad credit?
Even with bad credit, it's not impossible to qualify for a loan, so in case your credit score range is between 550 and 600, you may get a personal loan for major expenses.
You might be asked to put collateral on your personal loan, property, or vehicle. Secured loans are a great option for those that don't quite meet the minimum credit score requirements of the majority of lenders. Besides moving away from the possibility of taking out unsecured loans, there's also the fact that you might have to accept worse terms.
Higher interest rates, bigger monthly payments, prepayment penalties, and other unfortunate terms and conditions will be imposed on you if you have bad credit.
You might also need to consider the possibility of joint loans. Getting a loan with a co-signer or a co-borrower might help you qualify for a better loan term.
The cost of a $12,000 personal loan
Given that terms and conditions vary based on credit history, score, and other factors, the cost of a loan can be quite different. It's strongly advised to use a personal loan calculator as soon as you receive an estimated rate from any lender. Calculations can help you make an informed decision on a personal loan.
With an interest rate of 8% and a loan term of 3 years, your monthly payment will be $376.04. The personal loan will cost you approximately $13,537, excluding any fees the lender might impose. You will end up paying $1,537 more than you should. Of course, an 8% interest rate is almost the best-case scenario. It is only available for borrowers with high credit scores.
If, for instance, you apply with LendingUSA and meet their credit score requirements, you'll be settled with a personal loan rate of approximately 14%. That's a very realistic number for people with credit scores in the neighborhood of 650. If you take out a loan with a term of 6 years, your monthly payment will be $247.27. However, the total cost of your loan will be $17,803.
Be sure to set realistic goals for the interest rates you'll qualify for and use that information to figure out the real cost of your loan and optimize your monthly payments. Any personal loan calculator will easily help you do this.
