Saturday, March 14, 2009 

Houston Car Theft Precautions - Part 8

I am not sure if this would be good or bad news to Houstonians that followed this article series, but only two articles are to follow this. As we have already discussed, Houston experiences a high number of car thefts year after year. Moreover, the right precaution in place will reduce the risk dramatically.

A quick recap then into business is the style I followed during this series.

Lets recap that thieves will look for those cars with a For Steal signs. Sign like leaving the keys in the ignition and or leaving the doors unlocked while you run for a very quick errand. Another sign is leaving valuables in the car in a way visible from the outside; among those valuables is a fancy stereo player with a detachable face. Moreover, in Houston you should park in well-lighted areas. Areas in which you know there is nearby traffic and people. Then I went on to discuss the types of alarms that you want to have in your car, and ones that you don't, a finally talked about tracking devices.

In order to further discourage thieves in Houston, you should consider investing approximately fifty dollars to install a steel locking collar. This goes around the cars' steering column, and would deter from hot wiring ignition. This will make it hard if not impossible to use a screwdriver in order to break into the plastic steering and bypass the ignition switch.

Khalid R. Mustaffa The owner of cars in Houston a website dedicated to serve the needs of Houston Used Cars Check Out the Car theft reduction checklist

 

Lower Bills with Debt Consolidation - Refinancing vs Home Equity Loan

Consolidating your debt can help you lower your monthly bills and
interest rates. While refinancing and home equity loans can both help you
pay off accounts, they have their own benefits. The best choice depends
on your current mortgage terms and future financial goals.

The Goal Of Debt Consolidation

The goal of debt consolidation is to pay off your current debt with a
new, lower rate loan. The lower your rates, the more of a savings your
pocketbook will see each month. But loan fees can eat into those
savings.

Extending your loan term can also lower your monthly payments. But your
interest costs will be higher over the life of the loan than if you
choose a shorter term.

For debt consolidation to be most affective, plan on paying off and
closing accounts as soon as your receive your loan amount. That way you
wont be paying interest on two account or be tempted to use your credit.

Refinancing Your Mortgage For Debt Consolidation

Refinancing your mortgage to cash-out your equity for debt
consolidation purposes will qualify you for lower rates than a home equity loan.
Having one mortgage is seen as less risky by lenders than by having two
loans.

But you also have to consider overall rates. If you currently have a
low rate mortgage, then refinancing for a slightly higher rate doesnt
make sense.

For example, if you have a $200,000 mortgage at 5% for 30 years, your
interest costs $186,513.24. Say you refinance for an additional $10.000,
but now your rate jumps to 6%. Your interest costs jumps to $231,677.04
an increase over $45,000. It would have been better to go with a home
equity loan.

Using A Home Equity Loan

A home equity loan allows you to use your equity without affecting your
current mortgage rate. In some cases, it can also protect you from
having to provide private mortgage insurance, an additional cost.

However, home equity loans, also known as second mortgages, have higher
rates than if you refinance your mortgage. This is only an issue if you
have a high rate mortgage. In this case, the better choice is to
combine the cash-out with a refinance.

In the end, you need to compare numbers to find what is your best
option. Luckily, lenders offer free online quotes to make this easy.

View our recommended companies for Debt Solutions.