Steve M asked:


Hi, I bought my house in 2006 for $450k with no down. Interest rate for the first loan (80%) is 6.5% and I got the 2nd loan with 9.5%. Now the estimated home value is ~$400k. I know the interest rates these days are less than 5.5%. Can I get a refinance?

CARLTON

Kennyb asked:


I have less than 15% equity in my home and need to consolidate some bills. My FICO is right at 530 and I have one late mortgage payment about 3 months ago. The amount I need is about 10% equity in my home, but can’t find a lender willing to let me have the money with such a low score. At this point in time, the interest rate is not as important as getting some things paid before they begin to affect my credit even more. Anyone know of any companies out there that will go with a 100% equity loan with my bad credit score?

HAROLD

Marsha Claire asked:


Few of us are familiar with the idea of selling our household items to earn money—if you’re not too sure, let’s take a recap. Ever remember having your furniture items sold in a garden sale? Ever sold things from your home to earn a little extra cash? Well, not most of us but there are some who can certainly relate to these situations. These are little instances that put us in the ‘dire need of money’ category. Why not use a slightly different concept to make your money instead? —Take a Home Equity Loan!

Taking a Home Equity Loan is like taking what’s rightfully yours. Home Equity Loans can be taken by homeowners only. They involve borrowing money against your home; for which you do not have to sell your house. Most of us live in houses that are bought on mortgage—partly paid for and the remaining still on repayment. The value of your home is the equity it holds.

In a Home Equity Loan, homeowners can borrow money against that value of the house that has already been paid for. You can estimate this amount by calculating the current value of your home and taking away from it that value that you currently owe through your mortgage. Typically, you would stand to get 80% of the amount already paid on your home and not a full 100%. However, there are 125% Home Equity Loans too, where you can even get 125% of the value that you have already paid on your home. These loans would typically charge a higher interest rate compared to Home Equity Loans offering 80% of your home’s paid value.

A Home Equity Loan is therefore taking what’s already yours! What better than to borrow against your own assets?

The money obtained from Home Equity Loans can be put to use for any purpose you think important. It can be used to pay up your outstanding bills, pay your insurance premium, make your credit card payment, medical bills, etc. Although the money can be used in any direction you think necessary, it is important that you use it to clear your dues and not for a luxury vacation. Borrowing money against you home may be simple, but taking advantage of easy opportunities would be silly. Ensure that you use this money to repay a bill or make an urgent payment. Remember that you are paying interest on the amount you borrow, so make sure it’s for the right reason.



CLAY

Stefan Hyross asked:


A home equity can be a great way to to get some money fast. Home equity loans are also sometimes called second mortgage. They allow a homeowner to borrow money from the equity they have in their home. Home equity loans can be for as much as $100,000 allowing homeowner to borrow to do renovations, pay off debt, etc. The interest on a home equity loans is tax deductible which has made this type of loan quite popular in the 1990s. Let’s look at how they work. Home equity loans come in two types. There are fixed rate home equity loans and line of credit home equity loans. In both cases, the terms vary from five to fifteen years. However, in both cases, the loans must be repaid in full in the event that the house is sold. The fixed rate home equity loans option gives the home owner a lump sum payment from the equity. The home owner will then repay the loans over a pre-determined period of time at a fixed interest rate. In most cases, the repayment is made monthly and the interest rate and the monthly payments remain the same over the life of the loan. In the case of the line of credit home equity loan, the principle is much the same as with a credit card. In fact, this type of loan often comes with a credit card. The home owner will be notified of the maximum limit of the line of credit and he or she can spend the money either by using the credit card or the cheques that the lender provided. Just like credit cards, line of credit home equity loans work on a variable rate of interest, which is determined monthly. Repayment of the loan must be made monthly, based on the amount borrowed that month. Once the life of the line of credit is over, the outstanding balance must be repaid in full. Home equity loans are a great source of money for home owner that need access to cash quickly. The money can used for anything at all but most borrowers will use the money to do home improvements, send kids to college, pay off another loan, etc. Home equity loans can be very appealing as their interest rate are almost always lower than other types of loans and certainly lower than credit cards. Someone with a credit card loan would benefit from taking a home equity loan on their home in order to repay the credit card debt. Not only will the home owner reduce his interest rate, the loans will be consolidated into one month bill and the interest rate on the home equity loan is partially tax deductible. Home equity loans are a great financial tool. Particularly for home owners looking to do renovations or with unforeseen expenses. They provide fairly easy access to money at a relatively low interest rate. However, remember that the loan must be repaid and that if you sell your home, the amount that you borrowed will not be profit in your pocket.



TIM

Joel Cohen asked:


People apply for home equity loans for several reasons. Amongst the most common ones is for renovating a house. In order to keep a home at the highest market value, people renovate at a certain period. Some renovate to see a change or to improve, while others renovate because they plan on selling the house.

How Can a Home Equity Loan Help Renovate?

We aren’t always in a position to take care of sudden expenses. A home equity loan will be found useful to any one in need for extra cash to renovate and then sell the home. A balloon mortgage plan will be great when you have a buyer waiting to buy once the house is completely renovated. You can apply for a home equity loan with a balloon payment and once it is sold you pay back the loan.

Home Improvements at the Best Rate

Credit ratings dramatically influence the home equity loans rate. The higher your credit score is the better rates you will be getting. Bad credit has a negative impact on the loan’s interest rate; if possible, repair your credit before applying for the loan. If you have a buyer waiting for the renovation to be completed, make sure you have a signed contract with him and have gotten a down payment.

Avoiding Home Equity Loan Scams

While home equity loans are a great source of cash, there are fraudulent activities in the equity lending market. To avoid them, compare rates from various equity lenders. By doing so you will get a better idea of how rates are determined and when you find a too good to be true rate, chances are it is just that! Remember to compare home equity loan rates before applying for the loan.



CLYDE

Alan Lim asked:


You may have heard the term home equity loan but are not really sure whether this type of loan will work for you. The first step is to understand the concept of home equity. Equity is the difference between the current appraised value of your home and the amount that is owed on the home. So, for example; if your home has recently appraised for $200,000 and you only owe $100,000 on it then you have $100,000 in equity in your home.

Many homeowners like the idea of taking out a home equity loan when they need to fund a home improvement or make some other type of purchase because they can often obtain the money they need at an interest rate that is lower than charging it to a credit card. In addition, there are also possible tax advantages as well.

When you take out a home equity loan you are taking out a second mortgage that gives you the ability to convert the equity in your home into cash. You can then spend that cash on any number of expenses including college education, medical expenses, debt consolidation, home improvements and much more.

You will generally need to decide whether you wish to take out a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit. These two terms are different. A home equity loan provides you with a one time lump sum of money that you will then pay off over a specified period of time at an interest rate that is fixed. It is much like your first mortgage.

A home equity line of credit, commonly referred to as HELOC, is more similar to a credit card. Instead of receiving the sum of money at one time, you will then have the ability to borrow up to a specified amount of money for the duration of the loan. That time period is set by the lender. As you pay off the principal amount of the loan, you can once again use the credit. In this regard, a HELOC is much like a credit card.

There are advantages to both a home equity loan as well as a HELOC. Many homeowners prefer the flexibility of a line of credit over a fixed rate equity loan. If they do not need all of the money up front, they are able to maintain control over how much money they draw down from the loan. The disadvantage to a line of credit is that it frequently features an interest rate that is variable. This means that the payment amounts will vary based on the prevailing interest rate.

In most cases, the draw period for a line of credit is between five and ten years while the repayment period ranges between ten and fifteen years. You will usually be able to access the funds of a line of credit with a credit card, check or electronic transfer that can be ordered by phone. Typically, an initial advance is required when the loan is set up.



ELLIOTT

My Dog Rowdy asked:


I bought my home in March of 2003, my mother co-signed for me, but does not live with us or pay on the mortgage. I would like to look into either a refinance or home equity loan, with a goal of perhaps borrowing $12-15,000 to pay debts, etc. Is it possible to do this and still maintain the same interest rate and monthly payment? Where would be the best place to inquire about the process, my credit union where I handle the rest of my finances, the company that I have the mortgage with, or an outside company?
No, I did not commit fraud thank you very much. I simply mentioned it in my question in case it made a difference. I’m no expert but I’m sure if it were somehow not legal to have a co-signer that did not reside with you then I would never have gotten the loan in the first place!

COREY

Kinsey asked:


Okay I know that without specific numbers no one can really answer this question. But I just want to know how much more a monthly mortgage payment will be if a home equity loan is taken out for home repairs. Here is what I know so far: The house is appraised for 208,000. I dont know what the original down payment was or how much the original mortgage was for but I’m just going to guess 188,000. There have been 60 monthly payments of 1400 per month on I am assuming a 30 year loan. I don’t know what the interest rate was, but they want to take out a home equity loan of 18,000 to 28,000 for home improvements. If anyone can help me figure out approximately how much more the monthly mortgage payments would be that would be great. You can email me if you need any more info that can help.

CARLTON

Daryl Stewart asked:


Have you ever faced in an economic problem before where you spent over your limit on your credit cards, even reached the credit limit or may have had the card declined and then fright or felt uncomfortable and then right away done something about it to pay down the card?

Negative Equity is a situation where your home is worth less than what you are in debt on your credit. For example if you be in debt $500,000 on your mortgage and your home is worth $385,000, your negative equity is $115,000.

A home equity loan, however, is truly a loan taken out touching your own home. This means that your home itself is the instrument that secures the loan. Now your house has become the guarantee that you will have to keep on paying your loan. If you Stop payments for any reason – than may be you will lose it. A wise use of your home’s equity, though, is to leave it right where it is - building up even more equity that come will come in real handy when you sell it.

Sometimes you find yourself with negative equity and than no one plans for negative equity but often it is inevitable. The many problems overcome in front of us. Now the question is that how do you overcome these problems?

There are many helpful points by which you can handle situations:

• Please try to write everything on paper or other.

• Always talk with senior who is master in that particular area.

• In some situation make an offer so that customer can attract.

First of all we should know that what is home equity loan? A home equity loan is naturally a second credit. As such, it has a higher interest rate than a first advance, and a shorter time period to pay it back - up to 15 years.

It can be used for any purpose. There are so many advantage of home equity loan. It has bets value when you are going to get your home improvement or renewal. As well to add the price of your home, the portion used for your home improvement is usually tax removable, too. This brings down the interest rate more when used for this purpose.

A home equity loan can also be gained in two another ways. You can obtain them either as modifiable rate credit, or as a fixed rate credit. This makes it most suitable for us based on the wealth and your situation.

There are some better terms threw which you can get it easily. Lenders found their financial result largely on your credit score. You need to get a copy of your credit report Also, if you decrease your debt earlier and make corrections on your credit report, it can help you to catch a better interest rate and other more suitable terms.



SCOT

Dina Wilson asked:


Home equity loan online is a loan which you can avail be pledging the equity on your home as collateral. Home equity is the market value of your home free from any mortgage claim or any other obligation on it. For instance, the actual cost of your home is £170000 and there is a mortgage claim of £70000 on it, then the equity on your home is £100000. By offering this value against the loan, you will be able to borrow substantial amounts of money at reasonable repayment terms.

Home equity loan online can be used for a variety of purposes. You can take one to fund your debt consolidation, home improvement, and medical or education fees, wedding and holiday expenses and a whole lot of other ventures. Home equity loan online can be availed under two options:

Closed home equity loan online

If you want to borrow your money as a lump sum, then you can choose this option. Interest rate will be calculated on the total amount that you are borrowing.

Home equity line of credit (HELOC)

When you don’t want to take out the loan amount at one go, you can opt for                 

HELOC. From an agreed sum, you can withdraw the desired amount when you need it. Interest rate is calculated on the individual withdrawn amounts.

Home equity loan online lends money based on a percentage of equity of your home. Most lenders offer up to 100% of the equity. Generally, loan amounts into the range of £3000 and £100000. Repayment tenure for these loans tends to be long and may be extended for a period up to 30 years.

Home equity loan online provides valuable service at low interest rates. The best thing about them is that they are available online. You don’t have to run around town in search of the perfect loan. Online lenders provide free loan quotes and non-obligatory application. So, you will be able to compare a variety of offers at your home.



DREW