You have decided to take the plunge and realize the dream of your life and your family: buying your house. Congratulations ! Here are some little tips for making the right purchase, even before applying for a mortgage loan.

Liking the place where you are going to live with your family is fundamental

Choose a place that you like and where you feel good.This little list will help you ask yourself the right questions:

• Quick connections with public transport
• Distance to highway
• Distance from workplace
• Schools nearby
• Shops in the surrounding area
• Sports infrastructures
• Quiet environment
• Noise and odor pollution

Visit the property several times

Consider visiting at different times and if possible with and without sunlight, in order to estimate, for example, the level of noise pollution (neighbors, planes, etc.) and the brightness.

Also bring a friend or family member with you, who will certainly have a more objective eye than yours. If you plan to carry out work, an architect’s assessment will not be superfluous.

Just as if you want to be reassured in your choice, you can always call on an expert, it will cost you around €200 but it is an excellent investment, which can save you from having to buy a house with hidden defects or defects that you had not noticed, or a property whose price is overpriced.

Seven essential points to check

The external environment

It is not trivial to ask yourself if your future purchase is well located. The proximity of public transport, the presence of shops and schools are assets that enhance the property. As well as green spaces and parking facilities if the property does not have them.

Is your accommodation close to your workplace? From the children’s school? Also analyze the neighborhood and the condition of surrounding homes. Listen carefully and check possible sources of noise pollution (trams, buses, businesses, major roads, etc.)

Solidity

How old is the house? Check the condition of the walls, ceilings (cracks, sagging, etc.) and floors (faults in the flatness of the floors may reflect weaknesses in the structure of the building).

Waterproofing and ventilation

The waterproofing of a home is the management of the natural humidity of the air, the soil and the flow of runoff water.Check the ambient condition of the home.

Have the walls been repainted recently? Ask to know why, perhaps the paint is hiding mold or moisture stains. Bad smells, feelings of cold, halos are all signals that should warn you.

Condensation on windows is more of a problem of ventilation and ventilation than of sealing. Find out about the ventilation system and check that the air extraction vents are working properly by placing a thin sheet of paper in front of them. If the leaf is sucked into the mouth, the test is successful.

Brightness

What is the orientation of the property? But also what is the distance between the opposite? Are there trees in front of the windows? In short, so many elements to check before buying.

Acoustic comfort

Often overlooked, checking that there is not too much noise pollution is not a luxury, especially if the building is old.

You want an apartment that is located in a building that is still empty, ask that someone walk, talk, jump in the apartment located above and/or next to yours.

Is the building inhabited? What about the ambient noise from the common areas and other apartments. Visit the premises at different times of the day and remember that noises that may be acceptable during the day can become very annoying at night.

Also check the sound insulation of windows: open a window and close it gently to notice the sound differences.

Electrical installation

To assess the electrical installation, an electrical diagnosis had to be carried out by the previous owner. So ask to check the current state of the circuits. Also request access to the electrical panel, which can prove to be a good indication of the general condition of the electrical installation. Also check the grounding, the number of sockets in the rooms and their condition.

The thermal installation

What type of heating is used? Individual or collective? Ask to check the boiler to judge its age and brand and whether it also heats water. Check the condition of the radiators, their position and their power. Also remember to check the insulation of the walls, roof,

Establish a realistic budget

There can be a big gap between the house of your dreams and the one that suits your budget.Don’t forget that all kinds of costs are added to the sale price such as taxes and notary fees, as well as maintenance costs and unforeseen events. Don’t make the mistake of buying a house that’s priced beyond your means.

Crédit Populaire Européen will be your trusted broker to carry out your project.At Crédit Populaire Européen we have a specialist in mortgage credit(Ms. Jacqueline Legrand – 30 years of experience) whose professionalism and availability has already made many of our clients happy. It is the tailor-made individual approach that is the recognized trademark of Crédit Populaire Européen.

You have just taken out a consumer loan or a personal loan in Belgium or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in one of our agencies. You wonder how long after the money will be in your bank account or if you can receive it directly in cash.

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On the other hand, you would like to know from what date you will have to start paying your monthly premium.

Here is a brief article which will provide you with all the clarification on these practical questions.

Always in a current account, never in cash

For obvious security reasons, your lender will never pay you the money in cash in your hands upon signing your credit contract.

Your money is paid to you in the vast majority of cases into a current account opened with your banking establishment.

In certain cases, however, money is paid:

• from your car dealership when it comes to new car financing;
• from your notary if it concerns a mortgage loan;
• with a banking establishment if it concerns credit repurchase or credit consolidation.

After how much time ?

If it is a loan or credit in Belgium, the waiting period is two working days after signing your credit contract.

If it is a payment to be made internationally, the deadline is 3 working days after signing your credit contract in one of our agencies.

As for the response to your credit request, you get it within the day.

After how long do monthly repayments begin?

After signing your credit contract, the funds are paid to your current account within 2 to 3 days.

The lender will then ask you to start monthly repayments within the month following the payment date at the latest.

For example: If the funds are paid into your current account on April 10, you must have paid the first monthly payment no later than May 9 and so on until your credit is paid in full.

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Please note, when two monthly payments are not paid, your lending organization is required to cancel the credit contract and file it with the National Bank of Belgium.

Other practical questions?

If you have other practical questions regarding credit, do not hesitate to visit our FAQs on our website. You will find all the practical answers to your questions.

The CPE offers you unique credit assistance in Belgium. Meet our team now.

At Crédit Populaire Européen, our brokers take your consumer credit application or your mortgage loan application in several languages: we process our files in Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian!

Furthermore, we welcome you to Mons, Arlon and Luxembourg. In some cases, our brokers can even come to your home.

We have our files signed in Mons every day, in Esch-sur-Alzette on Tuesday and in Arlon all day on Friday.

Our team is available every day of the week, including weekends. We answer the phone all the time.

But did you also know: our team offers you a range of unique services: from economic and financial advice to legal assistance. We have a lawyer on staff to whom you can ask any legal questions that pose a problem to you. A simple visit to our blog will allow you to see the level of quality, regularity and timeliness of our financial advice.

At CPE, you are in the hands of a serious, competent and diligent broker! Enough to start 2014 reassured!

Our entire team wishes you a happy Christmas Eve!

The Central Personal Credit Center is a state body which is part of the National Bank of Belgium. As soon as you take out a consumer loan or a mortgage loan, you will be concerned by the role of the Central Personal Credit Office. Let’s take stock of this institution that everyone talks about but that very few really know in practice.

What is the Personal Credit Center?

The Centrale is, above all, a tool to combat over-indebtedness. It records all consumer credits and all mortgage loans which are signed by individuals as well as all payment defaults (better known as “filing”). These are loans only taken out for private purposes and therefore it does not list contracts for commercial or professional purposes. It must be consulted by credit professionals before granting a loan.

So, in practice, lenders must inform the Centrale of your identity and the credit contract as soon as it is signed. Likewise, in the event of non-payment and termination of credit, lenders must inform the Centrale which then carries out the filing.

The Missions of the Personal Credit Center

The Centrale’s essential mission is to record and make available to lenders information aimed at strengthening the means of prevention in the fight against over-indebtedness of private individuals and individuals. The recorded data is communicated by banks, insurance companies and financing companies.

What information is communicated?

The information communicated concerns all consumer credit contracts and mortgage loans concluded by persons for private purposes as well as all payment defaults.

Last recorded data

You will find the latest credit data recorded at the Personal Credit Center.

The Centrale therefore contains data on 6,236,412 people and 11,437,787 credit contracts, a slight increase compared to 2011. In 2012, 1,424,406 new credit contracts were registered, a decrease of two thirds compared to 2011. The origin of this decline lies in credit openings, of which 522,277 contracts were recorded in 2012 compared to 3.2 million the previous year. The sharp increase in 2011 was the consequence of the obligation to communicate overdraft facilities on current accounts.

In 2012, the Centrale also recorded 20% fewer new mortgage loans. This trend can undoubtedly be explained by the elimination, at the end of 2011, of state aid in favor of energy-saving investments. But with 321,261 new contracts, the 2012 level is nevertheless almost 20% above the annual average over the period 2007-2009.

The number of new loans and installment sales is down by 9% and 25% respectively. The economic crisis certainly contributes to this decrease, but for installment sales, it marks a strengthening of the annual trend that began in 2006.

Final word on the registration

After two unpaid installments, the lending organization is obliged to cancel your credit contract and proceed with your filing. Once registered, you will remain registered until you have closed the credit contract and even once your credit has been repaid, you will remain registered for 12 months. There is therefore no question of obtaining a credit during this period unless you are the owner of a property free of charge (Owner’s credit).

—”Hello, am I at the Crédit Populaire bank?”
—”Certainly sir, you have correctly formed the number of Crédit Populaire Européen, how can we be useful to you?” Find out what a credit broker is.

To begin with, everything is fine! Except that Crédit Populaire Européen is not a bank but a credit and insurance intermediary. Then, a credit intermediary is also called a credit broker.

Banks, credit institutions, credit companies, credit intermediaries, brokers: the public then gives the impression of confusing these notions which therefore cover different services.

So let’s take stock together to help you understand what’s behind the “CPE” door that you just pushed! Today we say “It’s not rocket science!”

Credit institutions / credit companies

Consumer credit can be offered by bank lenders – i.e. banks and credit institutions – and non-bank lenders – i.e. credit companies.

All these lenders must have approval from the Federal Public Service Economy for the granting of consumer credit.

Consumer credits can be distributed by bank agencies as well as by credit intermediaries, that is to say brokers and credit agents, points of sale (stores: for example in household appliances, furniture, garages etc.) and remotely (for example via the internet).

Credit institutions

Credit institutions (savings banks) are defined by legislation as companies whose activity consists of:

• receive deposits of money or other repayable funds from the public and
• to grant credits for their own account;

Credit institutions are banks, the two terms are synonymous.

Credit companies

Credit companies are lenders which are not credit institutions and which have approval from the FPS Economy to grant credit.

Differences between a bank (credit institution) and credit company

A bank offers you a whole series of financial services (current account, savings account, home banking, investment advice, tax or wealth advice, etc.) while a credit company is a company whose sole corporate purpose is to grant credits on its own account (which of course a bank also does!).

Credit intermediary / credit broker

A broker or credit intermediary – the two terms are synonymous – is neither a bank nor a credit company.

The broker or credit intermediary does not grant credit. It simply connects a customer who is seeking credit with a bank or credit company which will grant them credit.

It is therefore a…credit intermediary!

The credit broker is now responsible for finding your credit at the best rate. He will work with you to find solutions adapted to your projects under the best conditions. Simulate your credit online.

What are the benefits of contacting an intermediary rather than a bank or credit company?

There are several interests:

1. The credit intermediary helps you prepare your file and submits it for you: he is your intermediary, your representative. He puts his know-how and his relationships at your disposal;
2. The credit intermediary brings several banks or credit companies into competition and therefore. It offers you the best offer on the market for your request and taking into account your specific risk profile.
3. The credit intermediary is in contact with the public: he can get you a decision in 48 hours, which no bank or credit companies can offer you;
4. The credit intermediary advises you in advance. It offers you the product which will be likely to be accepted by a bank or a credit company. It is our duty to advise.
5. In the event of difficulties in the course of your repayments, the broker is much more responsive and pragmatic than a bank or credit company. He defends your case like your insurance broker would in the event of a house fire. The broker is truly a close partner.

Crédit Populaire Européen, established since 1996 and specializing in personal and mortgage credit, is proud of its established presence in Luxembourg. Therefore, our Luxembourg customers are invited to visit us in our agencies in Esch-sur-Alzette or Mersch.

In addition, we offer a complete range of financial products, including personal loans, mortgage loans, loan consolidations and redemptions, homeowner loans, energy loans, etc.
Also, for more details about our services. We encourage you to discover our complete catalog and our online offers.

Furthermore, with its experience in the Belgian and Luxembourg markets, our family business benefits from the recognition of its financial partners. This privileged position allows us to offer the best conditions on the market. Finally, our team of senior collaborators, competent in French, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish, is ready to manage your files with expertise.

Crédit Populaire Européen Luxembourg

👉🏻 We can welcome you or our colleagues can also come if you wish:

• In Luxembourg: Mersch and Esch-sur-Alzette.
• In Belgium: in Mons, Tournai, Charleroi, Brussels, Arlon and Sprimont.

Our Agencies:

In Belgium, most companies are SMEs, that is to say Small and Medium Enterprises. When they suffer from cash flow difficulties, it is not uncommon for a request to be granted credit, over a short and specific period, to compensate for the temporary lack of liquidity. Unfortunately, many banks and brokers refuse to take out such a loan.

Focus on this subject.

Can an SME take out a loan?

An SME has the legal right to obtain a loan. Nothing prevents him from taking the necessary steps. However, few banking or credit organizations agree to grant a loan to this type of company. The financial situation of the SME is often in question. Indeed, the variation in the results of commercial activity as well as the instability of the firm’s income prevent the companies allocating the loans from having an overall idea of the state of the SME’s work.

What are the difficulties specific to SMEs?

Very often, the activity of an SME works wonderfully. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for it to temporarily lack liquidity. The one month deadline is therefore exceeded for payment of invoices and sometimes extends up to three months. This phenomenon then leads to a series of difficulties. Thus, the company finds itself obliged to make a loan request in order to remedy the various problems encountered.

How to resolve these difficulties?

Knowing that it is impossible to take out a loan as a legal entity (that is to say, as a company), another solution is then possible: request the allocation of the loan as a natural person. From then on, the loan is made by the managers or administrators of the company. However, in the majority of cases these are not employees but shareholders and also self-employed people. Consequently, some difficulties will hamper the allocation of credit.

What about credit for the self-employed?

Just like for an SME, an independent person is legally authorized to obtain a loan. However, taking out a loan is complicated. Indeed, the instability of their income as well as the variation in their financial situation cause numerous difficulties for this person such as the non-visibility of their work status by the credit broker. In addition, the deadline for payment of invoices also varies between one and three months.

At CPE, it is however possible to take out a loan as an independent person because our staff includes a specialist in this field. However, only mortgage loans are granted to the self-employed thanks to the guarantee provided by the mortgage. To do this, the self-employed person is obliged to be the owner of property free of any charge or to be a co-debtor with a person owning this type of property.

Not a day goes by in our various business locations where we do not receive a credit request from an unemployed person. Indeed, people who become unemployed are also faced with having to make major purchases and the unemployed, more than anyone else, therefore implicitly see their contributory capacity extremely limited. He, more than any other taxpayer, will therefore have difficulty paying cash for the price of a washing machine, a car or a computer: in short, to meet his basic necessities with a view to finding a job. Is it legally possible to grant a loan or credit to an unemployed person?
Simulate your credit online

A harsh reality…

When your unemployment benefit is around €1,400 and you have paid your rent, the balance with which an unemployed person must meet their needs very quickly becomes limited. Therefore, buying a basic necessity such as a car, a washing machine, a living room table, a refrigerator can prove to be a real challenge… However, finding a job requires showing up properly dressed and well-groomed for job interviews. selection, browse job offers and send application letters and a CV, tasks for which the use of a computer and a printer is essential.

Can we grant credit to an unemployed person?

What will determine the willingness of a financial organization to grant credit will be, in addition to the contributory capacity, the possibility of carrying out a seizure in the event of non-payment of monthly premiums. Belgian and Luxembourg legislators have decided to make unemployment benefits below a certain amount unseizable (except with regard to the recovery of alimony arrears). The unemployed person is therefore in some way guaranteed to keep their unemployment benefit.

This gift from the legislator, which removes responsibility from the unemployed, acts like a sword of Damocles hanging over the shoulders of the unemployed. Indeed, if, as we have explained, the unemployed person is protected from recovery of their unemployment benefits, their capacity to borrow is, by force of circumstances, extremely reduced.

Thus, very often, the unemployed will experience a refusal to their loan or credit request since the financial organization will not be able to carry out a seizure at source on their unemployment benefits in the event of non-payment of monthly premiums. .

Is there an alternative to allow the unemployed to access credit?

Regarding the installment loan

The unemployed person must obtain a guarantee, a guarantee or a guarantor if they want to obtain credit or a loan. In other words, the unemployed cannot borrow alone. He will have to find a co-signer, a co-borrower, that is to say a person who borrows with him and who must be perfectly solvent.

Regarding mortgage credit

The unemployed person who owns a house or real estate (land, building, etc.) will be able to take out a mortgage loan but on the condition of taking out a mortgage on the real estate.

This still means that the amount of the loan cannot be less than €25,000 because the costs of setting up a mortgage are so high that it would not be reasonable to take out a mortgage loan for a lower amount.

Are you looking for a job ?

Did you know that our website is full of advice to help you accomplish the major projects of your life, including finding the job you need. Consult our section on this subject: your projects, finding a job.
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The time has come for the 2014 school year to begin, and with it comes a host of additional costs. From September, our students return to school. We will have to wait until the end of the month for the academics to return to their classrooms and lecture halls.

The start of the school year is always synonymous with significant expenses and financial assistance proves useful and necessary to relieve the family budget. Fortunately, your CPE financial partner is at your side to give you a little help to ensure your children have the most comfortable return to school.

What are the additional expenses?

The cost of starting a secondary school year is estimated at nearly €750 per child. This expense relates to the purchase of a school bag, new clothes, shoes, textbooks and any expenses required by the school.

Of course the cost of going back to university is much higher. In 2014, the ordinary university fee amounts to €835. But here again the peripheral costs are numerous: rental of a kot (between €300 and €450 per month); purchase of syllabi, purchase of a small car sometimes etc…the cost of a university year can of course be quite high.

Crédit Populaire Européen offers you its credit solutions

We grant you credits and personal loans from €2,500.00.

You can therefore borrow a small amount from €2,500.00.

Examples of “back to school” credits

• Personal loan of €2,500.00. Repayable over a period of 30 months: monthly payment of €93.98 (APR 9.95%), cost of credit €319.14. Total reimbursement: €2,819.14. You can vary the repayment period: this credit is repayable over a period of 24 to 30 months.
• Personal loan of €5,000.00. Repayable over a period of 36 months: monthly payment of €160.22 (APR 9.95%), cost of credit €767.92. Total reimbursement: €5,767.92. This credit is repayable over a period of 24 to 36 months.

Use our simulator

Our website offers you numerous tools for your perfect information. Among all our services, use our simulator to get a more precise idea of your financial capacity and the credit solutions we offer you.

Our brokers are at your service to advise you

Our brokers will explain to you in person the documents you must present to us to establish your credit and will advise you on the formula best suited to your needs. Do not hesitate to call us for any information.