Whether you are taking out a personal loan to travel, to make improvements on your home, or even to open a business, securing a personal loan can help achieve your goals. The only issue for many in Australia is that loan programs are a dime a dozen, and gaining the advantage takes expertise. As consumers, it is impossible to know everything about financing, but there are a few things that you can do to ensure that you get the best possible deal. You can use a Personal loan borrowing calculator to know how much you can borrow and at what interest rate.

Having a great job with a high-paying salary is good and so is establishing some sort of credit history. In fact, there are numerous ways that consumers can prepare their applications well in advance of actually applying for a low interest personal loan. In addition to the usual requirements, consumers can go a step further to guarantee their applications are approved and are approved for a low-interest rate.

Let’s take a closer look at just a few things you can do to snag a great low-interest rate on a personal loan. 

Pay Down Existing Debts

One way to make your application a contender for a low-interest loan is to pay down existing debts. All of your debts are reported on your credit report, and every debt eats away at the income you have to pay on the prospective loan. By reducing the existing debts you have, you then reduce your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), which can adversely affect your credit score. When banks look at your application, they are likely to charge interest the higher your DTI. 


Clean Up Your Credit Report

Consumers should routinely check their credit report for discrepancies and derogatory remarks. If you are late with or miss making payments, slow-payer remarks can adversely affect not only be approved for a loan but your ability to snag a lower interest rate. Similarly, if you have charge-offs (delinquencies), these remarks severely affect your credit rating as well. Before even applying for a loan, make sure that any remarks are cleared up because these remarks can seriously affect your FICO score. 


Focus On Your FICO Score

Pay attention to your FICO score because this is the score (credit rating) that many institutions use to determine credit risk. The score ranges between 300 and 850, with the former being very low and the latter being very high. The lower the score is then the higher you are as a credit risk, and the higher the score is then the lower you are as a credit risk.

Most lenders do not approve applications with very low scores, and when they do, they typically ask for collateral (secured loan) or alternatively charge a higher interest rate. One way to avoid either is to contact creditors and make payment arrangements and clear up any other erroneous marks on the file. 


Build Up Your Savings

Finally, consider building up your savings. A savings account is one way to get the banks to see that you do have some financial acuity. Furthermore, it is one way that institutions measure how much risk you are. While you do not typically place any money down on a personal loan, a savings account can help hedge some of the risks associated with taking on personal debt. 

Building Up Your Application

Getting a personal loan is not difficult today because many institutions have made the process so easy and unintimidating. However, to get a great deal from a loan that has a low-interest rate, consumers only need to create a file that says to lenders that they are not a credit risk. Your FICO score, a clean credit report and even savings are the best hedges against financial risk.