Carrie Reeder asked:




When you apply for a home equity loan, lenders consider your creditworthiness when deciding whether or not to extend a loan. Your creditworthiness is assessed based on three things: credit history, income, and loan-to-value ratio.

Credit History

As with any loan, your credit history will have a major effect on home equity loan availability and loan interest rates. Fortunately, qualifying for financing on a home you already own is much easier than qualifying for a new home loan. If you have good credit, you should have no trouble qualifying for a home equity loan. You should also be able to obtain a relatively good rate. If you have bad credit, you should still be able to obtain a home equity loan, but your rate will probably be a bit higher. Before applying for a home equity loan, take time to pull your credit report. If possible, improve your credit rating by removing mistakes and old debt.

Income

Even though the equity that has built up in your home belongs to you, lenders will still want to make sure that you can pay back any amount that you borrow. To determine your ability to repay, lenders will assess your monthly income and your total debt-to-income ratio. (Debt-to-income ratio is a term used to describe how much of your monthly income goes towards paying your mortgage, credit card debt, loan installments, and other financial obligations, including the home equity loan for which you are applying.) Most lenders will want to make sure that your total debt does not exceed 38 percent of your monthly income.

Loan-to-Value

The loan-to-value ratio is the amount you owe on your house versus the amount your house is worth. For example, if your house is worth $100,000 and you still owe $70,000, your loan-to-value ratio is 70 percent. When you get a home equity loan, the value of your home is re-assessed. The lender will add your current mortgage balance to the requested home equity loan amount, and divide the sum by your home’s current value. The final amount is the new loan-to-value ratio. Many lenders want to keep this amount below 80 percent. However, some lenders are willing to loan you 100 percent of your home’s value or more. Here is a list of recommended Home Equity Lenders online. It’s important to use a reputable lender online to make sure your personal information is secure.

Dan

Louie Latour asked:




If you are a homeowner considering a home equity loan, a second mortgage might be a better choice than a home equity line of credit. Second mortgages have several advantages in today’s economy. Here are the basics you need to make an informed decision regarding your home equity loan.

Interest Rates Are On The Rise

When you opted for a home equity loan with a fixed interest rate you are locking in this rate and payment amount for the duration of your loan. If you opt for a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), your loan will have a variable interest rate and will change when the lender adjust your loan. Locking in your interest rate will guarantee your payments will be fixed regardless of interest rate changes.

Borrow Only What You Need

Home Equity Lines of Credit are risky because of the temptation to keep spending. These loans provide the borrower with a debit card they can use to make purchases that is tied directly to the equity line. This ease of access to the equity causes many homeowners to overspend, borrowing more money than they intended. Using a second mortgage allows you to borrow a fixed amount, eliminating the temptation to overspend.

Fixed Payment Amounts

Because second mortgages come with fixed interest rates you can count on your payment staying the same for the duration of your loan. This will allow you to budget for the additional payment and keep better control over your finances. If you choose a home equity loan with a variable interest you run the risk of an ever increasing payment as interest rates rise. You can learn more about choosing the best home equity option for your financial situation by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.

Brittany

Joel Gray asked:


If you are planning on buying your dream home, a second or vacation home, or even planning to relocate with a new home purchase, there are definitely a variety of home loan options to check out.

Many banks, financial institutions and private lenders offer home loans; home equity loans, private loans or equity line of credit loans. All good lending programs will consider this, as it helps you to borrow the money, just by using your home on collateral basis.

What is equity?

In financial jargon, it is said to be the difference between the cost of home and how much you owe on the mortgage or combined mortgages, in the case where you have a second mortgage out on the property. In other words the value of your home is the equity you have built into it.

Home Equity Loan Rates

You can find out what current home equity loan rates are, compare them with several different financial institutions and use handy online calculators at BankRate.com: http://bankrate.com . For example, as per the current statistics of the Bank of America, their home equity loan interest rates are as follows:

1. 30 year with a fixed rate is 5.81 percent on the amount taken as loan.

2. 15 year with a fixed rate is 5.51 percent on the amount taken as loan.

3. 30 year with a fixed jumbo is 6.12 percent on the amount taken as loan.

4. 15 year with a fixed jumbo is 5.78 percent on the amount taken as loan.

The monthly payment of a loan is calculated to be around $400 to $1000.

Home Improvement Loan

If you want to fix up your home, then you will want to search for information on a home improvement loan. These types of loans are designed for the people who want to finance their home repairs, renovation of their homes, room additions to their old homes, etc. without going for equity loans.

The benefits for this kind of loans are:

No or limited requirement of collateral.

Interest rates are competitive and are lower than line of credit loans.

Approval of loans is faster

Information of the loan and the transfer of the balance both are can be done through online banking.

Transfer of funds for the payment of loans can be done through online banking access.

Now that you have been shown the ins and outs of getting a home loan, what do you think that next thing you should do is?

So get a loan and get ready to move into your dream home today!



NOAH