Improving Your Chances to Qualify for a Yacht Loan
A few years ago, getting a boat loan was quite easy, but is a difficult to qualify for a boat loan now. It’s not impossible, however. Here are a few tips to improve your chance to qualify.
2. Check your credit score with all three agencies: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion (Each agency will give you a different score, and may even find different accounts). It is important that you run each one and check for accounts that you did not open or charges that you did not generate. If you find any you will need to dispute them with all three agencies.
2. Focus on your FICO score, which is the measurement of your financial stability and your ability to repay the loan. You can improve your score by paying down debt, having accounts with zero balances, and always paying your bills on time.
3. Increase the amount that you put down on the loan. By showing that the bank will not be the only one who will commit financially to the loan, you are able to show them that you are more likely to repay it. 20% or more is best.
4. Understand the way that a bank looks at your history. Yes, a bank looks at credit scores and your down payment percentage, but they will also look into your job stability, cash reserves, previous payment history, and borrowing experience. This means that you should not expect a loan dramatically larger than anything you have gotten at before.
5. Put together the documents detailing your current financial position. This includes your year to date earnings, your last two years of tax returns, and your investments including cash, stocks, annuities, IRA’s, 401k’s etc. Also understand that you are not just proving you capacity to pay back the loan, but pay back the loan and take good care of the yacht, because if you default the bank will own the boat.
6. Understand how bank look at your debt and income. A bank will want to see that your monthly debt payments are not greater than 40% of your monthly earnings.
7. Find the right company to represent you. Only a few lending institutions provide boat loans, and most independent brokers will request a loan quote with each of them. This means that having two agents will not help you (and can often hurt your chances of getting a good loan). It is important that you select an agent or brokerage that has a long history of dealing with yacht loan lenders and a good track record of successful loans. Remember, a good broker is your advocate.
Now is a exceptional time to buy a boat. There are ample opportunities to purchase boats at that represent an exceptional value, or may have been previously unaffordable. Take the time to prepare in advance, get “pre-qualified” for a boat loan so you know that financing will not affect your negotiations or timetable to purchase.
Tags: banking, boat, boat loan, boating, boats, business, faincing, Finance, financing, lending, yacht loan