Melissa Kellett asked:


Not many know and understand the concept of home equity. And truth is that home equity loans are probably the cheapest source of finance out there. Many do not know that they can benefit from the equity they have built on their home by getting home equity loans instead of expensive unsecured personal loans, pay day loans or other financial products.

Provided that you know exactly how home equity works and how it guarantees home equity loans and lines of credit. Most of the drawbacks that these loans may have just fade away if you are responsible enough to prepare for unexpected expenses. And then, you can enjoy from inexpensive financing that you would not be able to get other way.

Home Equity

Equity is the remaining value of your property that can be used for further guaranteeing additional loans. If your property has no liens or mortgages, then the equity on your home is exactly 100% of the home value. This figure may be calculated according to the purchase price or, if some time has passed, a revaluation must be done.

However, in most cases, properties have at least mortgage loan attached to them. Thus, the equity on your home is the difference between the home value and the amount of outstanding debt that the property is guaranteeing at the time. This remaining value can be used as collateral for additional loans that have similar loan terms as home loans.

For example: If you own a property worth $100,000 with no liens or mortgages, then, the equity on your home is $100,000, the 100% of the price of the property. However, if you have a mortgage on your home with $60,000 of debt remaining, the equity on your home is $40,000, the 40% of the home value. This number is calculated by subtracting the outstanding debt amount to the purchase price or the valuation price of the property.

Equity Financing And Percentages

There is an additional complexity when it comes to home equity loans. In an Ideal scenario, you could get to finance up to 100% of your home equity or 100% of your home value combining your mortgage loan and any home equity loans. However, few lenders are willing to lend up to 100% of the value of the property (though some lend even more).

Instead, most lenders draw a line at an 85%. Thus, you can only get 85% financing; but 85% of what? And that’s another problem. Some lenders will define the credit limit on the 85% of the remaining equity on your home, but other will define it on the 85% of the home value. Thus, depending on the lender, the amount of money you can get differs.

For example: Say you have a property worth $100,000 and your current mortgage stands in $50,000. If the limit is 85% of the home value, then the amount of money you can get with your home loan and your home equity loan combined is $85,000, thus, you can withdraw up to $35,000 with a home equity loan.

But if the limit is fixed on the 85% of the home equity, then, you can obtain up to 85% of the remaining equity on your home ($50,000). Thus, you could obtain up to $42,500 which is a significantly higher amount. That being said, you should pay attention to the loan terms when requesting loan quotes from different lenders as what you can get out of a home equity loan differs from one lender to another.



MELVIN

devin066 asked:


I need to pay off about $30,000 in back taxes. Is it better to take out a home equity loan, cash in stock, or borrow or liquidate a 401K?

VON

Lesley Lyon asked:


Home equity loans are supposed to be a type of second mortgage loans. Money is borrowed against the value of the house. Even though it carries risk, it is worth taking it.

The common type of home equity loan is called as a “closed end” equity loan which allows a certain amount of money based on the value of the house. More money cannot be borrowed on the same equity loan. However, if more money is needed at a later stage another loan can be obtained. Many people prefer a home equity loan to clear off their debts as the money is borrowed against their houses. They get very low interest rate resulting in lower monthly payments than any other loans. It also helps to consolidate all the debts into one single debt, which can be handled with ease.

The other type being the home equity line of credit, which too works the same way as the home equity loan except for the fact that more money can be borrowed against pledging the house, some times even up to 125 percent of the value of the house. The home equity line of credit is for a person who does not have any idea of how much money is needed to borrow. With this option the person can get more money borrowed against his house very easily.

Home equity line of credit also helps the borrower to postpone the payment of principal for a certain period of time agreed upon by both the lender and the borrower or to get a special discounted interest rate. Some lenders even offer flexible interest rate where the borrower pays both the principal and the interest or avails fixed monthly payment plan. It is up to the borrower to choose from. The home equity line of credit comes with a shorter term payment plan. However the risk of losing the home in case the loan payment is defaulted should be thought about.

It is not a big achievement to get a home equity line of credit, but the key lies in the effective utilization of funds. The house is the biggest asset for any person and the home equity loan helps in take the full advantage of it.

Home equity line of credit can be used for unexpected emergencies such as the medical expenses or even for a funeral expenses. The required money is got quickly without damaging the credit score.

Credit card debts, loans and so on can be effectively managed with the help of home equity line of credit. It is wiser to clear off the debts with higher interest rate like the credit card debts and loans and pay back the home equity loans with a lower interest.

Educational expenses are very expensive these days, even a community college will cost thousands of dollars per semester. Home equity loans can be very invaluable in paying these expenses.

For remodeling the house, the amount got through a home equity line of credit is best utilized. New additions like a bedroom, bathroom or remodeling can be done to increase the value of the house. As an owner, the person enjoys the benefits or updates and at the same time adding more value to his house.



PAT

eHow asked:

Interest rates for home equity lines are varied based on the value of the overall home and how much is being taken out of the value of the home. Find out how second mortgages can affect home equity loan interest rates with help from a registered financial consultant in this free video on money management and personal finance.

JAMAL

oh well asked:


I am filing for bankruptcy and have negative equity in my home.

MONTE

crisislooming asked:


If I can not pay a home equity line of credit with one bank but I continue to pay the 1st mortgage what action does the home equity line of credit holder take? Both loans are up to date, but I will be unable to pay the HELOC much longer. I do not live in the property in question. It is vacant and with a realtor but it is in Florida and the value is dropping almost daily due to the crisis in the real estate market in florida. Should I let the banks forclose?

OTHA

jmpoct03 asked:


my boyfriend and i have bad credit but we own a $85,000 home with no mortgage. the house is paid for. we were looking into getting a home equity loan to pay some back bills off and do home improvements. is there anywhere that we could get a loan even with bad credit?

RANDALL

Melissa O asked:


My husband and I are currently paying PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) on our mortgage. (We have no second mortgages.) I know we need twenty percent equity in order to eliminate PMI, but I don’t think we’re quite there. Is taking out a home-equity line of credit to pay down the mortage a good idea? I know that we’d then have two loans to pay, but the PMI would be eliminate and all of our payments (minus the interest) would be going toward the loan rather that insurance. Is it possible to get a home-equity line of credit for 6%?

PORFIRIO

Dina Wilson asked:


The equity of a house can at times come to the rescue of the owner. Without losing ownership, he can advantage from the equity of his home by taking home equity loan to meet urgent financial requirements.

Home Equity Loans are based on the equity of the home. In these loans the equity of the home is accepted as collateral. So a homeowner is only eligible for home equity loans. The equity of a home is the market value of the home minus the outstanding mortgages against it. So if the market value of a home is £200000 and the outstanding mortgages amount to £70000, then the homeowner has £130000 as the equity to get a loan.

Home owners can get these loans in two forms, as home equity loans and as home equity line of credit popularly known as HELOC. In home equity loans, the entire loan amount is given to the borrower as a lump sum. Interest starts accruing on the loan amount from the day it is disbursed.

However, in HELOC, borrowers can withdraw money according to his needs up to a maximum limit he is entitled to. The scheme acts like a credit card. Here interest is charged only on the amount used and not the entire amount.

In home equity loans, the borrower is generally entitled to get only 80% of the equity of the home. There are, however, borrowers who give loan amounts up to 125% of the equity. With home equity loans one can borrow money in the range of £5000 to £75,000. Repayment terms ranges between 5 to 25 years.

Home equity loans offer cash relatively fast and at low interest rates which control the cost of the loan. Another big advantage of these loans is that the interest is tax deductible.

Before taking a home equity loan the borrower should find out the equity of his home. For getting deals suitable to him, he should do proper research both offline and online. He should not rush in to grab whatever is nearer to his hand.



MATTHEW

felixjai asked:


I want to know if I can get more than one home equity loans at a time for a single house from different banks. Because I’ve applied for a home equity loan from a bank, but it seems to be not enough for me to do what I want to do with the money. So I thought I can apply for another equity loan from a different bank to double the amount. Is it possible?

NAPOLEON