Smart Loan Shop

If you’re like most people, you don’t have a lot of time to futz around when getting a car loan. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do to decrease the amount of time you’ll spend getting the loan you need.

No matter what your credit score or history, these tips can help you save time when getting a loan:

1) Make sure you’ve got all your paperwork together. You’ll need a recent paystub to prove your income, and a recent bill from your phone, electric or cable service to prove your residence. If there are any problems with your credit, such as collections or bankruptcies, get the paperwork for that too. Bring everything with you in an envelope when you go to see your lender. That way, you’ll only have to make the trip once.

2) Get references. You’ll probably need to give your lender the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least three friends or family members not in your household. Finding this information ahead of time will save you time when you’re completing your application, and you won’t have to stress to figure it all out on the spot.

3) Talk to your boss, office manager, or human resources department. When you apply for an auto loan, most lenders will call and verify your employment. Let the person in charge of employment verification know that you’re expecting an auto lender to call about you - that way they’ll be ready to provide what the bank needs quickly and accurately.

4) If you have a trade-in, find out your exact payoff. Many times, when people apply for an auto loan, they estimate their trade-in payoff. The trouble with estimating your payoff is that your new lender may use your estimate as an exact value. If your payoff is actually substantially higher than you estimated, your loan may need to be re-approved for a higher amount. If your payoff is lower than you estimated, your interest rate might be higher than it should be. Save everyone some time (and yourself some money) and find out your exact payoff before you apply for a new loan.

5) Be honest! Your loan application may require you to list information about former residences, employers, etc. An accurate application will be processed quickly, but if you lie about your credit history, the lender will probably find out. This will lead to a long delay while the creditor goes through every aspect of your credit history, and may even result in your application being turned down.

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