The best way to obtain a low rate loan is to go for a secured loan. A secured loan is given against a property. The rates of interest on secured loans are much lower than the rates on unsecured loans. If you are a homeowner, you can put up your house as a security to get a secured loan. Such a loan is known as a homeowners loan. If your house is already mortgaged, you can apply for a home equity loan. For instance, if your unpaid mortgage balance is, say 80% of the value of your house, you can apply for a home equity loan on the remaining 20% of the value of your house. This value, which is not covered by the mortgage amount, is known as home equity.

A home equity loan can be used for any purpose. Since it is a low rate secured loan, it can be very useful in consolidating your debt. The basic purpose of a debt consolidation loan is to replace your high rate loans into a single low rate loan. Therefore, a home equity loan is ideal for debt consolidation.

A home equity loan can be used as a business loan. Because of a high rate of failure of new businesses, lenders are reluctant to offer business loans. Since a home equity loan is a secured loan, it reduces the risk for lenders and they easily offer such a loan for business purpose. Home equity loans are also a convenient way of obtaining bad credit loans. If you have a poor credit score, a home equity loan can help you avoid a high rate of interest.

A home equity line of credit is a type of home equity loan. In case of a home equity line of credit, the borrower is allowed to borrow money against his house up to a certain limit. The borrower does not have to pay interest on the entire amount. He has the freedom to use a part of the entire loan amount and pay the interest on only that much amount which he has used.