With any remodeling and construction projects you do on your home there are many payment options available for most home improvement remodeling projects. For example, you can get your own loan such as a home equity loan or credit equity line or ask the contractor to arrange financing for larger projects. For smaller projects, you may want to pay by check or credit card.
For the larger projects a home equity loan, or a credit equity line also known as an equity home line of credit, can be a good solution because the interest rates are often better than other types of loans or credit and, depending on the amount of equity you have in your home, you might also be able to use it as a debt consolidation loan at the same time to pay off high interests credit cards and other high interest debt so you can be relatively debt free with just the equity home line of credit at a lower interest rate and improve your home and bring up its value at the same time.
What is the Difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit?
A home equity loan is a loan that is secured by your home. It is also sometimes referred to as a closed-end home equity loan or a second mortgage and is a fixed amount of money that must be repaid over a fixed term just like your original mortgage. You get the entire loan amount upfront all at once. You have predictable, consistent monthly payments.
A Home Equity Line of Credit in many ways is similar to a credit card. It is a a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. You can borrow as much as you need, whenever you need it, by writing a check as long as your total borrowing does not exceed your credit limit.
Because it is a line of credit, you make payments only on the amount you have actually borrowed, not the full amount available. What makes a Home Equity Line of Credit so popular is that interest paid is usually tax deductible under federal and most state income tax laws.
Whether you use a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit for a home improvement project or as a debt consolidation loan or both it’s a great way to make your debt tax deductable and improve the value of your home at the same time.
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Money from your house through Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit
December 24th, 2009Do you own a house? If so, you already have realized the Greatest American Dream, which many of us continue to work hard to have. Additionally, because you already have a house, you already have easy access to money through Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line Credit.
It is thus easier for you to acquire funds for myriad of reasons. Lenders can provide you a credit of up to 75% of your total equity.
Funding children’s college education or renovations for your house or even for purposes of paying off the entire balance of your primary mortgage may be available through home equity loan or line of credit.
You may even opt to consolidate your debt, like your credit cards and other unsecured credits with the options available in a home equity loan or line of credit.
This facility is getting to be very popular nowadays because of the convenience of owing only one institution and the added advantage of lower interest rates. In addition, interests in consumer loans like your home equity loan or line of credit is tax deductible.
The facility of acquiring loan through home equity loan or line of credit is flexible in various payments terms depending on the institution that is providing you with the loan.
All of these flexibility and advantages of acquiring a home equity loan and line of credit notwithstanding needs some intelligent decision-making. This is because even with the numerous advantages available in a home equity loan or line of credit, the only one and most important factor to consider is the fact that you put your house as collateral.
Consequently, failing to pay your debt may cause you to loose the most precious asset you have, your home.
For this reason, before you embark on the convenient way of acquiring a loan through home equity loan or line of credit, you may need to consider if you really need this facility.
There may be other loan facilities available where you can choose from, thus you may not need to put your house as collateral. However, admittedly considering taxes and interest rates may lead you back to home equity loan or line of credit. In this case, you may need to seek additional advice.
I have been mentioning home equity loan or line of credit. This is because the two differ in one most significant factor. Home equity loan is a facility where you get the proceeds of your loan lump sum. On the other hand, home equity line of credit is a facility where you have a credit line, just like in a credit card, where you may opt to get funds only when you need it.
However, in a home equity loan, you pay equal installments throughout the duration of the paying period and you pay part interest and part principal loan. In the case of home equity line of credit, the interest rates are variable and you may choose to pay interest only.
The negative side of this is that you need to pay a balloon payment at the end of the term, which may be hard for you if you are not ready to pay such a huge amount. You may end up taking another loan, which will put you at a disadvantageous position later on.
Finally, financial experts recommend that before you embark on acquiring a home equity loan or line of credit, you may need to do your homework by shopping around for the best terms, payment options, and conditions where the lender may consider you in default. Analyzing your needs may be an additional advantage for you to make the intelligent decision.
For additional information and advice, you may refer to various financial management websites before you decide if home equity loan or line of credit is good for you. You may find other loan facilities that will not be as risky, but understanding what you need and how you need it may be necessary.
