Business Equipment – Financing With Leases Or Loans?
Many business owners jump on lease offers when it comes to installing new equipment for their business. However, financing is a much better option than leasing. This article will give you a few tips about financing equipment although it might first help you a little to understand why financing is a better option than leasing.
Leasing of equipment has a couple of problems. First and most obvious is that you do not retain ownership over the equipment once the lease term is up. Secondly, if you have a long lease period, you might be stuck with outdated equipment. A lease agreement will usually make it difficult for you to cancel the lease which will mean that you will be stuck with old equipment or have to pay high costs to sign up for a new lease that will come with new equipment. The problems related to leasing can be avoided with purchasing. Purchasing equipment can be very expensive although you have the following financing options available for you.
The SBA or the Small Business Administration will make it possible for you to obtain loans under its 7(a) program. Under this section, they will be able to award loans that will cover the purchase of equipment, machinery or furniture and fixtures. The SBA will also be able to provide loans for land and buildings, working capital and even debt refinancing in certain cases. However, you should know that the SBA does not directly lend money to you, the small business owner. Instead, it will provide a guaranty with which you can seek a loan from a private lending institution such as a bank. A SBA guaranty will greatly increase your chances of getting a loan.
In some cases, your local State or county boards might also be able to help you out with equipment purchases. If these government entities are convinced that the purchase of equipment will result in the creation of jobs in your company, they might arrange for a low interest loan with which you can affordably buy equipment that you need for your business.
A business owner can also seek out what is called a sale-leaseback to obtain funds for equipment purchasing. This is where you use equipment that you already own as collateral to seek financing on new equipment that you are interested in.
Buying new equipment can provide you with more than just updated technology that will offer better productivity. One can write off expenses of up to $25,000 as tax deductible expenses when they purchase new equipment.
So, when should you lease equipment? The answer is really only when you can’t get a business loan to finance it. Equipment leases are much easier to obtain, so many end up going this direction regardless of whether it is the best choice or not.
