Articles About Finance And Refinancing

A Home Equity Loan – Is It For You?

Home equity loans are often touted as being the solution to so many things – giving you access to money for home repairs or improvements, a way to consolidate debt, finance a sudden family emergency, or even as a way to start an investment portfolio. There's a lot to think about, though, before you go and sign up for the first home equity loan you see.

A home equity loan is like a second mortgage on your home. If your home is currently worth $130,000, and you have a mortgage against it for $70,000, then you have $60,000 of equity available. Some home equity loans may allow you to borrow up to 80% of your home's value, others may go higher in special circumstances. In this example, you would be able to borrow another $34,000 as a home equity loan and still have only borrowed 80%.

So the first step is to get a reasonably good idea of what your home is worth on the market. Your friendly realtor may help with this, but be aware that sometimes they can inflate the value in the hope of getting your business. You can also look at what price similar houses close by have sold for. Or you can pay a qualified valuer to assess your home.

Now you have a starting figure, you can work out how much equity you have in your home. The other important figure to work out is how much you need for whatever purpose you have in mind. Hopefully that works out to be less than the equity available! It's even better if it's less than 80% of the available equity.

At this point it's important not to get carried away. It can be all too easy to say, well, I have $50,000 available and I really only need $30,000 to complete the repairs, so why not borrow $40,000 and blow the rest on a holiday? Remember – the more you borrow, the more it will cost you in repayments. It's very easy to borrow too much, only to find yourself struggling to meet the payments and maybe even losing your home.

You also need to decide what type of home equity loan you want. There are two main types – a closed end loan and a line of credit. A closed end loan is basically the same as a standard home mortgage – you borrow the amount for a set period of time, and make payments over time to gradually pay off the balance.

A line of credit, on the other hand, is like having a credit card with a big limit. Some banks will require you to make minimum payments each month, others only require payments if you're at your limit. Either way, the loan will only be for a set period of time, and at the end of that you will either have to extend the time period or refinance the loan with another lender. This type of facility can be useful if you're disciplined with your money, but if you're the type of person whose credits cards are always at their limits, it may not be a good idea at all to have ready access to such a large amount of credit.

Next, you need to work out how long you want to borrow the money for. This will vary depending on how much money you are borrowing, the type of home equity loan and how much you can afford to pay. There are lots of good mortgage calculators online that can help you to work this out. If borrowing the money over 5 years for a closed end loan means you won't be able to meet the payments, then see if spreading the loan over 10 years becomes more affordable for you. You will pay more in the long run, but at least you won't default on your loan.

When you know what you want, it's time to go and find it! It may be worth starting with banks recommended to you by friends and family – at least they'll be able to give feedback on their experiences. You can also shop around online, looking for the best deal.

Finally, when you have chosen the loan you want and are ready to proceed, do two more things. Firstly, check for fees. Banks are aware of the need to be competitive, and will often avoid charging up front fees for that reason. However it's amazing what can be hidden in the fine print of a contract. So read any loan documents thoroughly before signing. If you can, get the contract explained to you by your legal advisor.

Home equity loans can be a wonderful tool when used correctly. Do your homework first, find the loan that best matches what you want, and go for it. Just make sure you don't over extend yourself or sign documents that will give you nightmares forever.

Copyright Felicity Walker 2005

Investing and finance are two passions of the author. To find out more, check out http://www.homeequityloanzonecentral.com for more information.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

Types of Mortgage Loans with the Lowest Interest Rate
When you're shopping and comparing for a mortgage loan there can be a lot of discrepancies between what lenders offer. Some may offer lower rates with strings attached, others can offer the same terms but with a much higher rate. Shopping around, comparing and negotiating are key skills in getting the type of mortgage loan with the lowest interest rate.

Refinancing Mortgage Loan - Get The Lowest Interest Rate You Can When Refinancing
Refinancing can be a very simple process. You fill out a few applications, take the best offer and you're done.

Low Rate Home Equity Loans - Refinancing For A Shorter Term And Better Rate
Looking for a better rate is a common reason people choose to refinance their home equity loan. But did you know that shortening your loan term can save you more money than reducing rates? Combine the two and you will save yourself thousands in interest costs and trim years off your payment schedule.

A secured bad credit home mortgage loan comes with reduced interest rates
A secured bad credit home mortgage loan comes with reduced interest rates

A Low Interest Debt Consolidation Loan When Your Credit Card Interest Is Too High
You just didn't realize you were digging a hole for yourself. You were paying bills and buying ordinary things. Can you even remember when you did anything truly luxurious? Yet, your credit card spending still got away from you and if someone asked you, you doubt you could explain it. In fact, it would be hard to explain anything with the current level of fog in your brain; you wonder, should you ask a doctor for anti-depressants? Somehow, everything is harder; it feels as of you are walking through invisible treacle and there is no-one to rescue you. There is an answer and you don't need a rescuer. What you do need is a low interest debt consolidation loan.

Get Personal Loan, Home Loan, Car Loan after Bankruptcy at Low Rate of Interest
Do you feel your chances of getting approved for a loan after filing bankruptcy is bleak. Wait for a while, bankruptcy loan can help you even after filing for bankruptcy, getting approved for funds after a bankruptcy is not that daunting as you think.

Low Interest Rate Used Car Loan  Car at Simply No Cost
Introduction

Mortgage Loans, Construction Loans, Refinancing Mortgage Rate
TheLoansStore.com was created with the interests of the consumer in mind. If you have ever wondered if owning your own home or refinancing your current home would be possible, dont wonder anymore. From new Construction Loans to Mortgages Loans, Bad Credit Home Loans and Refinancing Mortgage Rate. Whether you have great credit, marginal or bad credit, theLoansStore.com can help. We know one size never fits all borrowers.

Student Loan Financial Group Announces Interest Rates on Variable-rate Loans Increasing July 1st
Student can take advantage of the lower rate if they apply before June 30th.

Credit Heaven Announces their Rate Busters Program to Slash Interest Rates for High Interest Loans and Credit Cards
The Rate Busters program is designed to achieve affordable and sustainable payments for borrowers by negotiating lower interest rates or periods of no interest on existing credit card, auto loans and mortgages. This in turn will maximize consumers' ability to reduce monthly payments, reduce debt, maintain or improve consumers' credit as well as reduce creditor's bad debt.

High Interest Rates Mean Mortgage Refinancing According to GuideToLenders.com
Professional master of business administration (MBA) role models such as Kathy Giusti and Rich Fairbank provide mentorship and advice online through education sites like MBA-Business-Schools.com. Future and current MBA students can prosper from the wisdom of successful business professionals and boost their careers through invaluable learning tools and resources.

Secured Loans: High Amount at Low Interest Rates
People avail secured loans for various reasons. Secured loans are loans that need collateral to be pledged. The collateral can be your house, property or any high value possession. There are various advantages of a secured loan which are discussed below:

Auto Loans Low Interest Bad Credit: Car Loan without Credit Problem
Owning a car is apart from necessity enhances your status in the society as well. Driven by the urge due to either of the two reasons, you may wish to own a swanky car but are restrained by financial constraints. Going for loans is a good option but if you are a bad credit holder than a fear psychosis of exorbitant rates or being discriminated may check your advances for the quest of normal loans. This myth is now unshackling as bad creditors like you can approach for bad credit auto loans available at low interest rate. These loans are especially fabricated for people having CCJ?s, arrears, any default payment or due payments. Some facts and figure The lender is more interested in your current repaying capacity rather than seeing the ...

Refinancing Mortgage: Low Payment And Low Interest Rates
Those seeking a financial alternatives are often caught thinking that low payment refer to low interest rates. They should be aware that low interest rates vastly differ from low payment. With this in mind, they can veer away from dubious loan agents who will rush them to a new mortgage with high interest rates and add-on fees.