Driving a vehicle is important to most people, mainly because it provides them with a sense of personal control or autonomy. It’s important to note that when it comes to shopping for an auto loan, your credit score will have a significant impact on your overall car payment. If you want to boost your creditworthiness, you should learn more about what nonprofit credit counseling could do for you.

What You Should Know About Car Loan Eligibility

Since cars don’t come cheap, affording a new ride often requires people to find financing. In most cases, they finance through a lender in the form of an auto loan. The fact that an auto loan comes with fixed payments and ends with the full ownership of a vehicle makes it a good kind of debt to hold.

When it comes to determining whether to approve your auto loan application, lenders will have to check if you have good credit. Since your credit score shows them your overall credit history, it’s an excellent indicator of how likely you are to pay your loan on time and in full. While high credit scores denote relatively low risk for lenders, lower credit scores indicate more significant risk.

Your chances of securing a loan, with reasonable interest rates, are generally higher if your credit score is above 740. Although lenders may still decide to approve you for a loan, even if your credit score is less-than-ideal, they’ll likely attach a higher interest rate to your loan or require a co-signer who has solid and established credit.

You can always find lenders that specialize in working with individuals who have bad credit scores. However, these loans can be costly. The best thing you can do before you apply for a car loan is to work on improving your credit score.

How a Credit Counselor Can Help You Move Toward Qualifying for an Auto Loan

Credit counseling is a service that accredited nonprofit organizations provide to help consumers achieve their credit and financial goals. This service is designed to offer guidance on money management, budgeting, debt management, and consumer credit. Credit counseling involves a thorough review of your monthly budget and credit report along with suggestions on how to improve your personal financial condition.

If you’re looking to find an opportunity to take specific action to increase your credit score, you should work with a credit counselor. A certified credit counselor understands the importance of having a good credit score when shopping for an auto loan. They know how your credit score reflects your creditworthiness, as any lender might see it.

After reading your credit report, the counselor explains everything, as they go through the review with you, and answer your questions. The counselor will also help you go over your budget and recommend the best course of action for the timely repaying of your debt.

Do You Need Nonprofit Credit Counseling?

Coming up with a long-term plan to stabilize your financial situation and learning how to boost your creditworthiness will require you to know how to access your credit report, read it, and get your FICO score. Moreover, enlisting the help of a skilled and knowledgeable credit counselor will go a long way in helping you make the best possible decisions, for you, in eliminating your debt while helping your credit score.

DebtHelper is an IRS-approved 501(C)3 nonprofit organization that’s committed to helping you learn how to improve your credit score so that you can move toward qualifying for a car loan. Schedule your free credit counseling session today!