Home Equity Loan » loans

The Use of Home Equity Loans – Wise or Not Wise?

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:43:56 +0000

Over the past few years many Americans have established lines of credit secured by the equity in their homes or have borrowed a lum sum amount secured by their home. For marginal borrowers this can turn out to be highly risky as it exposes these families to the loss of their homes.
Lenders tend to quickly change colors from friend to foe in times of financial crisis and will “take it away if you can’t pay”.
Prior to mortgaging or refinancing a home you should consider what your families finances would look like if one or more of your family members living in the home lost their job or came down with a serious illness.
How long could you keep the home payments current if there was an unfortunate long term loss of family income?
In spite of the dangers of refinancing or taking out a home equity loan there are times when it may in fact be wise.
Perhaps credit card debt has gotten out of hand. You can get a home equity loan at much lower rates, pay off the credit card debt, and lower your monthly payments, perhaps as much as by 50%.
A word of warning, however. You must not run up your credit card balances once again or you will end up in even worse financial shape than you were to begin with. The second time around trying to carry high credit card debt and a home equity loan payment may be more than painful. It may be financially fatal.
It would be far safer to avoid temptation by cutting up your credit cards and using a debit card instead.
There are other occassions when a home equity loan may be justified. Perhaps you wish to start your own business and are willing and able to take the risk that things may not work out as you plan.
Your home equity will likely be the cheapest source of start up capital that you will find other than going hat in hand to family members. For most families a “friendly” family loan is not recommended as the resulting strife that often takes place if things don’t go as planned causes painful family problems.
Even when all does go well you may get tired of listening to advice from your unofficial business partners.
Perhaps you wish to purchase an existing business, one that should earn you a good income for a long time to come. Again your cheapest source of capital would likely be a home equity loan.
In general, one should consider a home equity loan when the loan proceeds are used to very likely improve ones financial position. This would be a wise use of the loan proceeds.
One should use extreme caution in using a home equity loan to purchase additional consumer goods, say a large expensive flat screen TV set or a new SUV.
The worst example of the use of a home equity loan that I know of was a couple who took out a loan in order to go to the Superbowl. Just think of how much that Superbowl trip will really cost over the years
as interest payments are added in. What a terrible short sighted financial decision.
My advice. Use a home equity loan only to improve your financial position or to raise funds in a true emergency situation. Using a home equity loan to purchase things that will only lose value is a misuse of the loan proceeds that could cost you what is probably your most useful and valuable possession . . . your home sweet home.

Financial Advantages Of Home Equity Loans

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:38:15 +0000

You may be fortunate enough to already own your dream home. From time to time though you may wish that you have additional funds on hand to help you attain your other dreams and goals. Owning a house may be the answer to your prayers in that it can provide you the basis for borrowing more funds to help you achieve your goals. This can be done simply by making a home equity loan.
But why is this type of loan the best option for getting additional funds? To understand the answer to this question it will help to first learn how it works. Even as you repay the mortgage amount for your house, your home builds up its asset value. This is the “equity” of the home. The equity refers to the difference between the current market value of the home and the outstanding mortgage amount. Even if your home is mortgaged to any financial institution, you are eligible to use the equity of your home as collateral to obtain a large amount of credit.
There are several reasons why you should consider this type of loan as the best option for getting additional funds. Firstly, you can get a loan at a reasonable home equity loan rate even though the interest rate may seem a bit higher than that of your first mortgage. This is because the bank providing the loan would only have second claim on the property in case of default, and this is why the home equity loan providers charge a risk premium. This appears as the additional interest in your loan agreement.
Secondly, this type of loan allows you a significant tax deduction. As opposed to consumer loan interest, home equity loan interest is tax-deductible. For this reason, it makes more financial sense to use home equity loan to consolidate your loan rather than taking out a consumer loan.
You may also have others debts which involve paying off huge amount of interests. It will be much wiser to take out a home equity loan to consolidate these debts, such as credit card debt or debts incurred for expenses like paying off medical bills or paying off for your child’s higher education.
There are a number of financial institutions that offer these loans and to get the best rate, it is a good idea to shop around first. Various kinds of repayment methods are available depending on your financial situation and the type of interest rate you seek, namely variable or fixed rates.
Before taking out a home equity loan make sure that you have all the means at your disposal to repay the loan off as quickly as possible. Do not unnecessarily risk losing your home, unless you feel that this financial burden is surely going to add some long-term value to your life.

How to Find the Best Online Home Equity Loans

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:35:03 +0000

Finding the best online home equity loans does not have to be as hard as it may seem at first. It is important to know some basic information about home equity loans before you begin your search though. Here are some things to look for when you are searching for the best online home equity loans.

It is important to know your options. Fist determine what type of loan will best suit your needs. A home equity loan usually has a fixed rate and term, although some lenders offer variable rates. The longer the term, the lower your payments will be, but the higher the rate. These loans work well for someone who knows just how much they need and will be using the funds fairly quickly.

A home equity line of credit is more flexible. The rate will be lower than a traditional personal loan usually, but because it is a revolving credit line, the interest is figured differently so it may not be cheaper. These are usually the best online home equity loans for people who are not going to use all of the funds but want it available, or are not going to use the funds right away. With these loans, you only pay on the portion of the line that you use. There is usually an annual fee associated with home equity lines of credit.

A home equity loan or line of credit is generally the easiest type of loan to qualify for. Many lenders are willing to take more of a risk because they have collateral (your home that the mortgage is on) that only increases in value. That being said, beware of lenders who specialize in high risk loans because many of them will charge you high interest rates and outrageous fees. Try to keep your total loan to value as low as possible so that you can get the best online home equity loans possible.

It is also important to find a reputable lender who offers the best online home equity loans. If you choose a lender who is not honest, then you will end up paying for it in the long run. Ask for recommendations from friends and family, and look up the company you are considering on the Better Business Bureau’s website. Make certain that you read all of the fine print to be sure you are getting the best deal.

There is some debate on whether you can get a really good deal online, or whether going to a physical lender is better. There are advantages to both, however, online lenders have some unique benefits. When you choose an online lender, many times the fees are lower because they do not have to compensate for overhead costs. Online lenders will also often discount their fees to entice borrowers. You can also save a lot of time by using an online lender, since the only time you have to see anyone is when you sign the papers. Some, however, feel this is very impersonal and prefer to deal with a live person. This is a personal choice and there are benefits of each.

If you do your homework and know what you are looking for, finding the best online home equity loan can be simple. Find a reputable lender, ask questions about anything you are unclear about, watch out for hidden fees, and read all of the terms and conditions. If you are vigilant, you can find the best online home equity loans for you.

Secret of How a Home Equity Loan Can Help You Financially Revealed

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:34:25 +0000

As security, there will never be a need for you to give up ownership of your home or vacate it even for just the shortest span of time. Home equity loan allows you to maximize the benefit that you can get from your property, and the cash that you can get from it can be used according to the purpose of your choice, whether it is college education, medical bills, and home improvement among others.

Home equity loan is simply a loan that is drawn against the equity of your property. Therefore if you are a home owner, you can opt to make the best of it. A house is a very stable property and can provide you with many various benefits. When getting a home equity loan, you put your home as collateral which in turn provides you with the amount that you need for whatever project you are financing and working on.

Do not worry; even when it has become collateral, the loan does not mean you have to give up your house or vacate it. Placing your home as security is simply needed for the fast approval of loan according to the property’s equity value. The loan is actually helpful as it allows you to make good use of your home by supplying you with the needed amount of money for your project.

What’s the best use for your home equity loan cash?

You may be able to utilize the cash simply for any purpose you can think of. However, the most common use are for home repair and improvement, debt consolidation, car purchase, medical expenses and bills, travel expenses and even wedding expenses. What’s good about this loan is that there is no restriction imposed on you regarding its use.

Becoming a favorite among all loans

Home equity loan with all its great benefits has become one of the top loan favorites. The loan provides you with the enjoyment of borrowing large amount of money of your choice with a very flexible method of repayment, usually with duration ranging from 5 to 30 years.

As in most types of loans, borrowers are constantly worried about the possibility of increasing interest rates. However, with home equity loan, you can rest assure that the loan will be maintaining a low interest rate. Your monthly cash outflow will then be under your control as well as your personal budget.

Home equity loans for bad credit borrowers

If you are having second thoughts about applying for this loan because of your bad credit history, there is actually no need to worry as home equity loans are available even for borrowers with poor credit. Credit is actually not an issue when applying for this type of loan; you can either have a good, bad or even no credit at all. However, you are given the benefit of credit improvement once you are able to avail of this loan by making prompt payments of the monthly installments. As with any other borrowers, the loan is available for poor credit borrowers against the value of their home equity.

One of the easiest obtainable loans there is

Acquiring this loan needs no complicated processes and procedures. You simply go online and click on the lenders’ links. Just pick out the best; you will know which one is if it offers you what you think is the most appropriate loan for your financial needs.

Home Equity Can Equal Cash: Understanding Home Equity Loans

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:36:39 +0000

While cash-strapped homeowners sometimes struggle to make ends meet, our real estate has seemingly morphed into the local bank. We can tap into our home equity for everything from cars to vacations to college funds. Though tapping into your home’s value is one of the smartest ways to borrow money, there are still drawbacks. Moving Forward with Caution Drawing on your home’s equity is often suggested by financial advisers who show that the tax-free interest you pay on a home loan is much lower than what you’d pay on mounting credit card or consumer debt. However, it’s possible to overdo it. While there’s no law that says you have to pay off your mortgage before your retirement, it’s not always pleasant being left with home equity debt once you’ve stopped working. On the other hand, if you retire with a healthy nest egg and lots of home equity, you’ll limit your major expenses and have cash to fall back on. Timing is Critical The best way to access home loan financing while still retaining your retirement savings is to time the loan appropriately. Basically, you want to tailor the loan’s end date to coincide with your expected retirement. You can shorten a loan’s length significantly simply by adding $100 or $200 to your monthly payments. Extra payments can also mean major returns. For example, let’s say you take out a home equity loan with a 7 percent interest rate and you’re in the 27 percent income-tax bracket. After you figure in your mortgage-tax deduction, you’ll still bring in a 5. 11 percent return just by making extra principal payments. Consider the Advantages On top of added returns and despite rising interest rates and retirement risks, home equity loans are still more advantageous than other forms of credit. They offer quick access to funds at a cost that’s at least 5 percent less than a traditional low-interest credit card. In addition, that interest is often tax-deductible. A second consideration when deciding between an equity loan and a line of credit are your monthly payments. Typically, home equity loans offer a fixed rate of interest and a steady monthly payment that’s predictable. A home equity line of credit normally uses an adjustable interest rate that can go up and down with the changing market. So, if you prefer the stability of a steady rate, a home equity loan may be the better option for you. Preparation Ahead of Time Before you commit to a home equity loan, you ideally want to have owned your home long enough to build up equity, not be planning to move soon, have a stable employment situation and actually need the money that a home equity loan can give you. If you’re using the funds to pay off credit card debt, don’t let your consumer debt run back up during the ten or so years it will take you to pay back your equity loan. Finally, make sure you can afford the monthly payments. Any borrowing, especially on a home, needs to be part of a total household plan and worked within your family’s budget.