A good idea is to start with your local Chamber of Commerce. Chambers usually have some great resources on financial institutions and you might even be able to find a lender who is a member of the local Chamber. Another good spot to look is the Better Business Bureau. But do be careful, businesses that run afoul of the BBB tend to change names quickly so it pays to find out as much info about your lender as possible.

There are definite things to look out for when securing your financing, does the lender explain everything? Do they take the time to walk you through the terms of your loan, detailing everything from start to finish? Do they seem to want to rush the process and have you sign quickly and without much explanation? One of these approaches should be setting off alarms. Make sure that the lender explains the type of loan you are receiving. The last thing you want to do is sign your agreement, only later to discover that you have signed up for a "balloon loan" where the balance of the loan is due after only 5-7 years when you were expecting a standard mortgage spread over 20-30 years.

The best practice is to use lenders that are recommended by the Chamber of Commerce and the BBB. Stick to institutions that have a longstanding reputation in the community and have the references and customer testimonials to prove it. If you are dealing with established banks then usually the bank's reputation will speak for itself but in utilizing private lenders be sure to do the homework.

Posted by Regina Rose on December 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM

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