Is it sound to take a loan? Well, “everybody” does it, so it should not be that bad… Mmm… dig into the subject a little and you will find many cases of disputes due to either small writing that you overlooked or a misunderstanding at the time of signing for the loan. Loans are good business, for both you and the lender, provided you take it seriously and check out everything thoroughly.

The Small Writing

Have you ever wondered why “small writing” is small? Some may argue that it does not affect the essence of the contract. Others may “accuse” the lending party of making it smaller so that YOU give it less importance and will not care to read it. Whatever the reason, small writing is WRITING, and writing was made to be READ. So get your glasses on and read it.

Never Heard Of

I have never heard of loan agents actually asking the borrower to read the small writing… Honestly, I would not venture a reason. However, the fine tuning of the loan or contract is in the small writing. So read it thoroughly and decide whether you accept those conditions or not.

Most small writing clauses are all the same, obtained from a template provided by the organisation that regulates the trade, so it can not be taken as a direct intention of the lenders to fool you. They're mostly protecting their business, since there are more laws that protect customers than there are to protect the lenders from “wise loan takers”.

The Real Essence

The real essence of the operation is business. If you're simply buying a car for pleasure, you are making business. Any transaction is business. The profit of buying a car is the satisfaction you get from using it.

The Other Way Around

Remember the saying about considering the glass half empty or half full? Well, it is the same case here. You need their cash, it is true… but they need the interest you pay, otherwise the will be out of business in no time. Lost of investors and lending agencies have tons of cash, but either it is not theirs, or they HAVE to put it to work, or they will end up consuming it and eventually go broke.

So Then?

Read everything and decide upon it. Do not let anybody hurry you. Find out the little things you can use to negotiate a better deal. Remember that a well-used loan can mean much more to you than it does to any lender. The lump sum you get can leverage big business. Even if it is a small loan, the proportional business it can give you is big, compared to your present condition.

Conclusion

When cataloguing lenders, rather than considering them good or bad ones, there are just “convenient” or “not convenient” ones for your situation. Stop thinking that they are trying to fool you. It puts you in a defensive situation and makes you feel weak. You are the customer and the lenders, dealers, brokers or whatever you wish to call them, need YOU.