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.
Posts Tagged ‘Own Business’
The Use of Home Equity Loans – Wise or Not Wise?
December 30th, 2009Home Equity Loans as a Source of Funds
December 23rd, 2009Home equity loans have become increasingly popular in the United States in recent years as home values have soared and home equity has rapidily and seemingly effortlessly accumulated. It has become common place for home owners to pull substantial equity out of their homes by using a home equity loan.
Perhaps it has become a bit too easy. Folks who use the equity in their homes to boost their living standards may well be setting themselves up for an eventual unpleasant day of reckoning.
If due to some unforeseen family economic disaster there is a loss of income and the family can’t manage their loan payments there is the risk of losing what is probably their most valuable asset — their home sweet home.
There are times when the use of a home equity loan is justifed and prudent. Perhaps you need the funds to put your children through college. The home equity loan may be the lowest cost funds available.
Perhaps you want to start your own business. The profit potential looks to be exceptional. You feel very confident that your proposed busines will be a success.
There are times when one has to go for it. If the equity in your home can provide the required capital at the lowest cost, well, get on with it.
Generally, the worst use for the additional funds provided by a home equity loan would be to purchase consumer goods that lose a big percentage of their value as soon as they arrive at your home. Forget about buying that new expensive flat screen TV or new big boat if you have to take money from your home to make the purchase.
Another real danger is to use a loan to live well beyond your means. You can burn up a lot of money by taking great vacations to exotic locations around the world and by going out to eat expensive dinners at classy restaurants a few times a week. But once you have consumed your equity you are going to have to go through a painful readjustment process.
It is important to remember that a home equity loan is like any other loan. The lender fully expects you to pay it back with interest. Frequently a lot of interest. As you reach retirement age the equity you took out of your home may well be money that you wish you had left intact.
For most folks, saving money is not nearly as much fun as spending. Using your home equity to go on a spending spree can be tempting. But paying off your home mortgage over time while letting equity accumulate rather than frequently tapping into your home equity like an ATM machine will let you live a lot more comfortably in your retirement years.
This is especially true if like most Americans you haven’t been able to stash away very much cash over your working years.
There are always exceptions to any general rule (Rule: retaining equity in your home is best) and some uses of a home equity loan may well be sound. As long as you don’t get too carried away with your new found “wealth” represented by your increasing home equity and manage to live within your income means you can afford to be flexible in the use of home equity loan funds when an important acceptable use is at hand.
Generally “an acceptable important use” would be to use your home equity to further increase your income with a high degree of certainly that you will achieve a favorable investment outcome, or to take care of a true emergency where life, or the quality of life, is more important than money.
I would recommend forgetting about tapping into your home equity to take that cruise around the world. The cruise would soon be over but your loan will remain. Counting on an ever increasing home value to replace the equity you consumed by taking the cruise may no longer be wise.
Every boom eventually comes to an end and you should ask yourself how you would cope with a flat or declining real estate market.
Yes, contrary to popular believe, it is possible for real estate prices to decline over long periods of time and they occasionally do. A good cushion of equity in your home provides a lot of comfort in a declining market so treat the acceptance, closing, and drawdown of a home equity loan as an important financial decision.
Is A Home Equity Loan Right For You?
December 9th, 2009You keep hearing about home equity loans.
The bills are out of control and you need a new car. “Maybe we can get a new carpet and paint the house”, you say to yourself. And, you keep hearing about home equity loans.
These are just a few reasons why home equity loans can seem like the solution to all your problems and are so popular.
Home Equity Loans: The Upside and Downside
Home equity loans can be a fantastic way to start your own business or to take advantage of an investment opportunity. They can also make your situation worse than it was before you got the home equity loan.
The reason’s for taking advantage of home equity loans are the most important part of the process. Take the time to sit down and ask yourself, “Do I really need a home equity loan? Do I want to go on a spending spree or am I really trying to improve my life?”
A Home Equity Loan is Like Having a Second Mortgage on Your Home
Suppose your home is worth $200,000 and you have a mortgage against it at $150,000, you will have $50,000 of equity available. Home equity loans allow you to borrow up to 80%, and sometimes more in certain situations, of your home value. In this situation you could borrow $80,000 as a home equity loan and still have only borrowed 80%.
This is why it is so important to take a good look at your situation before making a decision. You can see how easy it could be to get carried away with home equity loans.
A Home Equity Loan-Some Smart Reasons and Some Not-So-Smart
Let’s say you only need $20,000 for that new car and some home improvements. You decide to borrow another $15,000 of equity for that vacation to Hawaii you have been dreaming about. First of all, a vacation to Hawaii would not cost $15,000 unless you went on a first class, spare no expense vacation.
Using a home equity loan to buy a car may not be a great idea with today’s 0% interest rates and no money down loans. There is no sense in risking losing your home to buy a new car with these type of loan programs that are available in todays market.
On the other hand, a home equity loan for home improvements may be a great idea. This will add value to your home as long as you can afford the higher loan payments.
A business that’s doing great that you want to expand may be another good use of a home equity loan. As long as the business is already in profit and is not losing money.
Some solid investments can be a good idea if you have done your research before hand. The latest IPO may or may not be a great idea.
Consolidating high interest credit cards may be a great idea as long as you close the accounts and don’t run them back up. You really only need one or two credit cards in case of an emergency.
Educational expenses may be a good reason to take a home equity loan to get your children started in the right direction. Someday this type of an investment can pay off.
These are just a few things you can do with home equity loans. It’s very easy to borrow too much, only to find yourself having a tough time making the new payments.
The important thing to remember with home equity loans is to be logical and don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Again, take the time to sit down and research all your options. This way you can rest well at night and not have to be concerned about losing your home. You can enjoy the things you do with your home equity loan knowing you’ve made a wise decision.
By: Dean Shainin
