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It’s no secret that operating within the construction industry is capital-intensive. Construction business owners need to shell out money in order to make money. Fortunately, you don’t have to finance construction projects out of pocket. Construction business loans are available to help contractors financing the costs associated with construction projects such as on-site facilities, materials, equipment and machinery, payroll, and working capital.

While it’s possible to bootstrap initial operations, eventually, you may need to apply for construction business loans to facilitate the growth of your construction company. But before anything else, it’s important to know what you’re getting into.

Factors to Consider in Choosing the Best Construction Business Loan

You’ll need to invest in the growth of your business before taking on new clients and accepting more projects. With that said, it’s important to have quick access to working capital for contractors in the construction industry.
There are different factors that determine the best type of loan for your business. As you search for the perfect construction business loan, here are six things to consider:

• Cost: Not all high-APR loans are bad. In fact, sometimes, it’s wiser to apply for short-term loans with higher rates to control your cash flow.

• Speed: If you need immediate funding, do know that working with traditional lenders take time. Check out alternative loans from online lenders instead. Application and funding process takes as little as 24 to 48 hours.

• Flexibility: Make sure to know what your company needs so you’d know which type of loan is best for you. Many business owners take on a business line of credit because of the flexibility it provides.

• Loan Amounts: Some business owners look to borrow as little as $500 while some want to borrow $5,000,000. The type of loan you’re going to pursue also depends on the amount you’re looking to borrow.

• Specifications and Requirements: The requirements vary depending on the type of loan. Make sure to ask your lender about this.

• Terms and Rates: Again, the terms and rates depend on the loan. You may have to make monthly or weekly payments; fixed or not fixed. Make sure to match loan payments to your income to prevent cash flow shortage.

Top 5 Construction Business Loans for Your Company

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a loan, it’s now time to narrow down your search. Here are the top five most common small business loans for contractors.

1. Business Line of Credit

As mentioned, a business line of credit is one of the most flexible financing options available. With a business line of credit, lenders assign you to a predetermined revolving credit line. You can repeatedly repay and withdraw from the line without having to reapply. Furthermore, you only have to repay the funds you’ve withdrawn plus the interest – not the entire credit limit. A business line of credit is great for contractors who need immediate financing to pay for expenses on a new or ongoing project. You can use the funds from the loan for any business purpose.

2. SBA CDC/504 Loan Program

We all know how hard it is for small business owners to secure funding from traditional lenders. Therefore, the government – the Small Business Administration (SBA) created loan products specifically for small businesses that struggle to qualify for funding.

One of the SBA loans is the CDC/504 loan, which happens to be one of the most popular construction business loans. SBA loans, including this one, come with low down payments, competitive interest rates, and longer repayment terms than traditional loans. SBA-approved lenders will loan you 40% of the costs to needed for the project – renovating existing facilities, building new ones, or purchasing land. Another lender will give you 50% of the project costs, while lenders expect you to provide the 10% or 20%, depending on the lender you’re working with. Repayment terms can go as long as 20 years and the interest rate depends on the U.S. Treasury market rates.

3. SBA 7(a) Loan Program

Another SBA loan suitable for construction companies is the SBA 7(a) program. You can use the funds for almost every business purpose, including the purchase construction equipment and commercial real estate. Just like the CDC/504 loan, you can receive up to $5,000,000 and the repayment terms can go up to 25 years. The 7(a) loan is one of the sought-after business loans because of its flexible use of funds, longer repayment terms, and lower interest rates.

4. Short-Term Loans

Short-term loans are great for contractors who need working capital for predictable business expenses. With short-term loans, borrowers are given a lump sum amount which can be repaid regularly, whether weekly or monthly. However, these loans can have a higher APR compared to long-term loans, but the key is to repay the loan within a year to save on interest rates. You can use a short-term loan for immediate purchases, as well as for daily business expenses, such as hiring new workers, making payroll, paying for utilities, and other business expenses.

5. Equipment Financing

In every construction project, you’ll need equipment to get the job done. However, construction equipment can be expensive and startup companies or newer firms may not have the funds to finance all the equipment needed to complete a project. Equipment financing provides you with the funds you need to lease or purchase construction equipment. Similar to traditional loans, you can repay the loan in regular installments. However, you don’t need to put up personal or business assets since the equipment being financed serves as collateral. In case of default, the lender will have the right to repossess the equipment.

Apply for Construction Business Loans Today!

Construction business loans can help keep your business afloat while you wait for your clients to pay you for services rendered. Banks loans take weeks or months before you can receive the funds. If you need cash quickly, SMB Compass offers construction business loans in as little as 24 to 48 hours.

It doesn’t take long to rack up a lot of debt. You buy a home, purchase a new car, and have student loans and multiple credit cards. Unfortunately, before you know it, all of your money coming in is going straight out the door. Once you reach this point with your finances, it’s only a matter of time before you are unable to keep all of your bills in good standing. The good news is that, if find yourself currently in this situation, there are ways to work towards becoming debt-free.

End the Late Fees

It’s a vicious cycle when you fall behind on your bills. You finally make the payment and now there are additional fees added. In order to stop the fees, you need to get current on all your bills. You can borrow money from a family member or try to raise the money by having a garage sale. If those are not an option, you can apply for a loan. Bad credit installment loans direct lenders take into consideration your income, whether you have an active checking account and are a U.S. Citizen. So even if you have a low score, you still have a good chance of getting an approval.

Ways to Reduce Your Debt

With a tight budget, paying down your debt may seem like an impossible task. It’s not. You can take on a part-time job until you get your debt under control. Or, if you have many credit cards, apply any extra money to the one with the highest interest rate and, once you pay that one off, move on to the next one. If you have too much debt divided between many places, you can always contact a debt relief agency.

Reduce Your Spending

Most people spend more than they need to on any given day. Maybe you buy your coffee each morning on the way to the office and you order take-out food at least once a week. Just those two items can cost over $200.00 a month, money that you can apply to your debt.

Lower Your Household Bills

There’s always room for improvement with your household bills. Take advantage of the de-regulation laws that have passed in many states which now allow you to shop around for the best rates on your utilities, etc. Review your utilities, such as the gas, elastic and water, and then contact other service providers in the area to see if their rates are better. The same goes for your cell phone and cable bills. Shop them around to see who can offer you the best deal. If you own a home and a car, try bundling the insurance with the same carrier. In most cases, you can save 10 or even up to 20 percent.

Establish a Savings

In order to prevent you from falling behind on your bills due to an unexpected expense, you need to create an emergency fund. Even if you can only contribute $5.00 or $10.00 a week, if you leave it alone, it will add up quickly. And then, the next time you have an unforeseen expense, instead of taking money allocated for your bills, you’ll pull the money from your savings.

Stop Impulse Spending

In life, there are things you need and things you want. The things you need, such as a roof over your head, you must take care of. However, the things you want–like a new 50″ TV can wait. Stopping the impulse spending and learning how to save up money for big-ticket items will help you stay on track, reduce your debt, and pay the exact cost with no interest or penalty fees added.

Becoming debt-free is something that you can accomplish. If you work towards paying down your debt, reduce your spending, learn to shop for services and create a savings plan, you’ll slowly start to see more of your hard-earned money.

If you are in debt, chances are high that you are looking for a solution to be debt free as quickly as possible. The three most common forms of debt solutions are debt consolidation, debt management plans, and debt settlements. Debt relief can also involve:

• extending the terms of loans
• lowering loan interest rates
• partially or totally reducing the amount of the outstanding principal

Typically, creditors will opt for debt mitigation if it’s a better alternative than debt default when the repercussions are too severe.

The 5 most common Questions asked by Debtors

While every debt relief case is different and no two debt relief companies are exactly alike, there are 5 questions that every individual usually asks when exploring their debt relief options. These are:

Are there any guarantees that all of my debt will be settled? Unfortunately, NO. Every debt relief case involves some type of negotiations. No debt relief company can guarantee that kind of an outcome or how the negotiations are going to proceed. The success of the debt relief company is usually based on the debtor’s ability to save enough money each month to cover the payment amount that will be due.

Can I negotiate with my creditors? YES, you can, if you want to save anywhere from 18% to 25% off the debt you owe. Most debt relief companies are going to charge you between 15% to 25% depending on how much you currently owe and the state you live in. Many people call debt relief companies so they can avoid dealing with creditors as much as possible or because they lack the confidence to negotiate with them.

How much time is involved in becoming debt-free? That typically depends on how long it takes you to accrue the funds and save up the settlement amount. Debt relief programs can range from 24 to 48 months. So, the faster you can save up the money to make that settlement offer, the sooner you’ll be out of debt and feel financial relief. Just remember that it would take 10 to 20 years to pay off a credit card if you only make the minimum payment each month. Plus, you could wind up paying 2, 3, or even 4 times the amount you originally owed.

Will debt relief impact my credit? YES, in varying degrees depending on the debt relief option you choose. Typically, the immediate impact to your credit score will range from relatively minimum or small to severe damage while the long-term impact ranges from a minimal to extremely long recovery period.

Will I still get calls from bill collectors? Unfortunately, this is still a possibility despite the federal and state legislation that was designed to protect the consumer from being harassed by debtcollectors. Just keep in mind that the goal with debt relief companies is to get the creditors to call them and not you. That will save you hours of phone-calls and harassment.

Are you planning to make your first investment? If so, there are several things you need to consider to ensure that your venture is successful. As a first-time investor, you may face obstacles along the way, although these can easily be avoided if you stick to these guidelines.

Using capital you cannot afford

One of the biggest mistakes many first-time investors make is taking the approach of ‘go big or go home’, resulting in a significant investment that can bring with it financial difficulty. This is because they do not take all of their outgoings into account, as not only is a larger property more expensive, but it is also much more costly to manage.

The best advice for first timers is to start small with an apartment, or at least invest in a property you can afford. So, before choosing the property, you should consider every outgoing, including your purchase price, property management fees, renovation costs and more. You can then compare to this to your potential returns, which includes rental income and capital appreciation. This will allow you to work out your estimated net yield. First, take your expected annual income and minus your outgoings. You must then divide this calculation by the property price and multiply it by 100. This will help you establish whether your investment is worthwhile, or if your profits are not sufficient, you should look at properties elsewhere.

Lack of diversity

Once you’ve invested in your first successful property, you will most likely get the investment bug and want to expand your portfolio. This is when big mistakes are made, as many investors believe that because their first property was successful, they should invest in something similar. However, just because the first investment worked out well does not mean the same will happen for your second purchase. Instead, you should try your best to diversify, for example, if you invested in a semi-detached home the first time, why not consider purchasing an apartment next? This will cater to a completely different tenant market, and could even offer you even better returns.

To help you invest successfully, you should seek advice from property experts like RW Invest, who help their clients to diversify with their luxury apartments and off-plan developments, enabling an impressive portfolio. This allows investors to reduce their risk, especially if one type of property faces a decline, as they can fall back on their other investments and still reap lucrative returns.

Making impatient decisions

Whether you’re investing for the first time or the tenth, it is important to be patient and choose a property carefully. This avoids the issue of loss, especially with first-time investors who tend to go full-steam-ahead into an investment that they haven’t had the time to research.

Investors should remember to take the slow and steady route, especially in the beginning when you’re still getting to grips with the property market. Taking time to decide will also be more beneficial in the long-run, as being picky will allow you to benefit from both short-term and long-term financial advantages.

Economic freedom and a debt-free lifestyle is everyone’s dream. You can achieve financial freedom and increase your savings for future use through proper budgeting. No amount of money is ever enough to satiate your needs and irrespective of our income, you should always save money for rainy days. A carefully crafted budget and being disciplined in your plans will enable you to save money and get out of debts. The following are some money saving tips, which will lead you to financial freedom.

Planning

Proper budgeting is a critical step towards controlling your finances. You can quickly outline your expenses in a month to form the budget’s baseline. A reasonable budget should cater for some savings after allocating funds for all the expenses. Prioritizing your basic needs as well as other needs requires discipline. This will control your costs and enable you to live within your income.

Personal Savings

Coming up with a good plan will enable you to save at least 10% of your monthly income. Total expenses should not exceed your income, and in the case it does, you need to review the budget to cut back on the non-essential expenditures. You should make it a habit to set aside some savings for future use. For example, if you’re looking for English teaching jobs in Taiwan, you can use the saved money for your transport and accommodation expenses.

Account for your expenses

Every dollar spent should be accounted for to realize some savings. Keeping track of your costs can easily pick any wasteful expenditure, which you can quickly pinpoint and cut out. Categorizing expenses will help in meeting your needs and organizing yourself. Expenditures can be grouped in terms of monthly bills like electricity, gas, house rent to transport, food, and so on. Without a proper tracking mechanism, you may not be able to save money. Several tools can be used to track down your expenses like an Excel worksheet or mobile phone apps installed freely on your mobile device.

Never spend more than your income

This is the secret to achieving financial success, and without which, you will always be in debts. At no given time should your expenses exceed your income, and if it happens, you will have to borrow money with interest to cover your needs. Also, this will create a hole in your income as you have to cater to the loan and the interest amount. If the process becomes cyclic, you might take forever to pay up your credits.

Debts payment plan

To clear off debts, you should prioritize the debts to repay first. Outlining liabilities in terms of the highest debts, interest rate, or period of repayments can help you get out of debt faster. Doing secondary jobs will go a long way on your debt repayment plan as you will have some extra cash to pay for your debts.

Conclusion

The most important means of becoming financially independent is to spend less than you earn. Budgeting will help control your money. If you’re traveling to seek English teaching jobs in Taiwan, you can use your saved money for the expenses such as accommodation.