Home Equity Loans - Can They Help You?

Cash can be hard to get, at times, and the debt can pile up, but if you own your own home it may be much easier than you think. A home equity loan allows you to take out a loan based on the built up cash value of your home. Here is what you need to look for in order to get a good deal on a home equity loan.

How It Works

A home equity loan is worth the amount of money that you now have invested in your house. For instance, if you house is worth $250,000 on the market, and you still have $155,000 on your existing mortgage, then you have an equity value of the difference - $95,000, in this case. That means that many lenders would be glad to give you a loan worth up to $95,000, as a second mortgage, or home equity loan.

Two Kinds of Mortgages

When you apply for a home equity loan, there are two kinds that you might get. The first kind, called a home equity loan, simply gives you the money - like any other loan. You are free to use the money as you want. The other kind is called a home equity line of credit, often referred to as a HELOC. Both of these are also referred to as second mortgages, since they are secured by the house itself.

The Simple Home Equity Loan

A home equity loan, or second mortgage usually is tax deductible, and is often based on the entire amount of the equity of the home. Generally, it is at a higher rate than the first mortgage, and usually has a maximum of 15 years to pay it back. Many homeowners use a balloon payment with this type of mortgage, or a large payment that is due at the end, in order to keep their payments low.

Line of Credit

This type of home equity mortgage gives to the homeowner a credit line that they are free to draw on - when needed. The ceiling amount is pre-approved by the lender, and then they are free to draw out money as they need it - or if they need it. Up to 100% of the equity value can be borrowed, and interest is only paid on the amount borrowed. The rate of interest, though, will vary, depending on what the rates are at the time you withdraw any money. These loans are generally held open for up to 30 years.

Like with any other loan, you need to take the time to shop around in order to ensure that you get the best deal. Not only should you compare interest rates, but also the various fees that are involved. Separate the actual loan from the fees and compare them other loans - fee against fees and loan costs. Do not make the assumption that since the home equity loan has no closing costs, that they are not in there somewhere - they are.

About the Author: Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store who are specialists in finding the best loans in the UK and offer specific loan types including home loans, secured loans and others. Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

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Home Equity Loan - Factors To Consider

Your home provides you a wonderful means of securing a huge amount of credit by using your home equity as collateral. In recent times, more and more homeowners are viewing home equity loan as the most convenient way to consolidate their other debts, to make repairs or extension to the home, or to meet additional expenditures such as wedding expenses, education expenses and so on. There are various reasons behind the growing popularity of home equity loan, such as the growing number of easily accessible financial institutions, fairly reasonable interest rates and fees, and reasonable terms and conditions, tax deductible features and so on.

Despite these benefits, home equity loans, like any other types of loans are not completely devoid of risk. And risk factors are even more magnified if you fall into the hands of unscrupulous moneylenders, who woo you with their lower interest rate, only to rip you off. But the security of your home should be your prime consideration and for that you should be careful of certain things before settling on any financial institution.

You are required to pay a fee to obtain your home equity loan, and this fee is generally low. The costs of obtaining home equity loan involve 1% origination fee in addition to fees for attorneys, surveys, and other related services. If any lending institution asks for an exorbitant fee, just stay away from it. It will be wiser to shop around and compare to find out the best deal.

You will find many institutions offering you a loan on an unbelievably lower rate of interest. But do not be deceived by this, as the payment period may actually be stretched over a longer period than you originally thought, and in effect extracting from you a larger payment amount. So carefully read all the clauses in the agreement before entering into a deal with any financial institution.

You might have heard of those balloon payments. It is the enormous amount due at the end of the loan period including both the interest and principal amount. This occurs when the lenders attract your interest with lower monthly payment rate by making you pay only the interest each month. There are even instances where the homeowner unwittingly assumes he only has to pay the interest only on the loan, only to discover the burden of the entire amount of the loan at the end of the loan period.

Comparison shopping over the internet can provide you with valuable insight of the terms of various financial institutions. This only can prevent you from becoming the target of predatory lenders. Referrals from friends are also an effective way of locating the good home equity loan provider.

About the Author: If you need a loan with low interest rate go to Great-Interest-Rates.info.

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Can A 125% Home Equity Loan Really Help You?

Lenders are making the market for new loans sound so good. Other types of loans are already on the market, and understood. So, how do you get new people to jump on your bandwagon? You offer something that sounds good, but one that not everybody yet understands. That seems to be the case of the 125% home equity loan, too.

The Promise

The promise that is made is to give you 125% of the value of your house for a second mortgage. This way you can enjoy having extra finances to use as you please. You can pay off other debt, fix up the house, combine both mortgages, go on a vacation, or whatever. The choice is up to you.

What, though, is the truth behind a 125% mortgage? Here are some details. Some of these companies actually want to lend you more money than your house is actually worth. Think about it. Are they really trying to help? With other lenders, it can actually be a little difficult to get 80% of the value of a house (they are the smart ones). Why are these agencies trying to push extra money in your face?

Extra Charges

A number of these companies charge 10% if you want to get a lower rate of interest than what is initially offered. That's just for starters. While they do offer lower rates than what credit cards usually go for, it actually may not be much more, since second mortgages are typically more than a first mortgage. Plus, there is an origination fee, closing costs, and more.

Stay Where You Are

With the extra charges, and owing considerably more than your house is worth, you can plan on not moving anytime soon. This puts you in a negative equity situation. Many people who bought houses even last year are finding out that this is not a good situation to be in. It is possible, in a day of unstable housing markets, that your house could also be devalued ? making it even harder, if not impossible to sell ? for years more. It could also mean going into greater debt.

It will also take you a few years just to recover from the various expenses of the mortgage - let alone bring your debt down to where you can make any profit on selling the house. And getting the downpayment for a new house while you owe so much - don't even go there - it will only be in your dreams.

An even greater problem may occur if you have an adjustable rate mortgage. Sooner or later, there is going to be a rate increase, and it could be as much as 50% higher than it is now.

Compare

If you still want to consider a 125% mortgage, then be sure to compare one company's product with another. You will be able to see the features that really stand out, and be able to see what features you may need, or want. Be wary of mortgages that promise no fees, because you can be sure that it has been added in there somewhere - and probably more things, too.

About the Author: Joe Kenny writes for SelectLoans.co.uk, a personal loans comparison site, visit us today for information on all loan topics including debt consolidation loans and links to leading UK providers. Our Site: http://www.selectloans.co.uk/

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Top 2 Reasons To Use Home Equity Loans For Debt Consolidation

Generations past used to enjoy tax benefits on their interest payments on certain loans such as consumer loans. Unfortunately, these tax benefits did not extend to this current generation, and even as we cough up a huge amount every month on interest payments on various debts such as your credit card debts, you can no longer enjoy the same level of tax relief. However, there is another option today that will allow you to consolidate all your high interest debts into one low interest loan and even to secure good tax benefits for repaying the interest on it. This option is the home equity loan, and it is open to any homeowner, who can then use the loan for more efficient debt management.

Homeowners often obtain home equity loans for the purpose of restructuring or repairing the house. It then becomes a kind of long-term investment. However, you may hesitate at the thought of putting your house up yet again for a second mortgage. But if you are to enjoy lower interest payments and some tax benefits, you should not hesitate at all at taking this loan, or even wasting your time looking into other forms of loans to consolidate your debts. If you are already struggling with managing all you debts, then a home equity loan is your best solution for refinancing and managing your otherwise unmanageable debt.

By arranging to refinance your debt through a home equity loan, you are not further adding to your existing debt amount. This debt consolidation plan allows you to transfer all your various debts such as your credit card debts, with all their different due dates and interest rates, to one lender. For the repayment of this consolidated second loan you are paying a lower interest rate as a part of a fixed repayment plan.

Thus the convenience of making a single payment at a lower interest rate to one lending institution is just one of the benefits of home equity loans. In addition to this convenience, you also get to enjoy a tax benefit. This tax benefit along with the financial gains of paying a lot less interest, indirectly adds to your net gain.

Before committing to home equity loan you should make sure that you are in a position to pay back all the debts within the given period. Otherwise you will be putting your home at stake. So be careful about your spending habits, and be particularly wary of accumulating debts on your credit card.

About the Author: For more information on how to use Home Equity Loans to consolidate debt, visit QuickHomeEquityLoan.info.

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