As you research to take a small business online loan, you might encounter a few financing methods that you didn’t even know existed. Amid all that novelty, though, you’ll find at least one familiar phrase: term loans. It is because term loans are standard in business financing.
These term loans are a lump sum of cash that lenders deposit directly into a business bank account upon approval. Then, over a predetermined time, the borrower repays the amount, plus interest.
You might not know that there are variations on this theme, namely, long-term and short-term loans. Of course, long and short-term loans vary based on the length of their terms. Still, there are many less obvious differences, like eligibility requirements, loan amounts, and interest rates, which can vary dramatically.
Though one may seem more desirable than the other, in reality, the type of loan you’re thinking about might not be the best fit for your business at the moment. For example, you’re probably banking on a high-capital, low-interest, long-term loan. Still, a short-term loan might be the more affordable, more accessible, or simply the more appropriate form of financing for your business. Especially if your company is new and does not have several years’ worth of profitability and financial stability risk-averse, long-term lenders are looking for from their borrowers.
On the other hand, maybe you have the stats and time for a long-term loan. Either way, the decision can have a significant impact on your bottom line. So here are things you need to know about long and short-term loans.
The most apparent differentiation between a long-term and short-term loan online is the length of their repayment periods. Short-term loans are pretty cut and dry; they are loans that you will need to repay within 3 to 18 months, but usually less than a year. And as you might have already understood, long-term loans are intended to be paid off for a more extended amount of time.
However, the usual repayment period for long-term business loans is a little trickier to define. Generally, long-term loans can define as any loan that takes more than twenty-four months to pay off, but this time can get pretty liberal. It mainly depends on the lender, your business’s financials, your intended use of funds, and possibly the loan program you’re participating in, whether it is business or personal loans.
Concerning term length; A “long-term loan” can refer to a few different financing products in business lending. Two main types of long-term loans include:
- Medium-term loans
Banks and online lenders can both offer medium-term loans. Either way, here you are generally looking at a two to five years repayment period.
- Long-term bank loans
In truth, it is pretty tough to get a business loan from big banks, and it can be challenging to secure loans from your local bank, as well. But if you have been in business for a few years have a strong credit profile and revenue numbers, you will have more luck with institutional lenders. In addition, long-term bank loan repayment periods typically last five to ten years, even longer if you’re purchasing commercial real estate.
