Amanda B asked:


My husband I are looking to borrow about $35 thousand dollars out of the equity of our home to help finance our son’s college and to do some small renovations. We bought our house ten years ago for $170 thousand. It was recently appraised at $320 thousand and we have payed our mortgage down to $130 thousand. We are wondering if it makes more sense to refinance and pull $35 thousand out or if it makes more sense to take out a home equity loan. We are looking for the option that raise our monthly mortgage payment (or loan payment) the least.

ELIAS

jeff asked:


I am currently in a bad financial situation. I have terrible credit and can’t even get approved for a new credit card. My monthly payments on my car and credit cards are too much for me to handle. Recently, I have even been having trouble making my mortgage payment. The sad thing is that my mortgage payment is currently only $900. I currently owe $12,000 on my mortgage and my house is worth anywhere between $600,000 and $800,000.
I want an equity loan of $100,000. I will use this money to pay off all other debt and help fund my son’s college education. I do have steady income and will have no problem making the payment on this loan.
Are there any good company’s that will finance my loan? I am afraid that if I apply to too many places I will ruin my chances of getting the loan because I know that each failed application has a adverse affect on my credit score. Any help is appreciated.

HECTOR

Susan Jan asked:


There comes a time in many people’s life when we crave for more financial stability and wealth, but a limited fund prevents us from securing what we so earnestly desire. But if you are lucky enough to own a home already, this asset can provide you the means for furthering your dreams through the home equity loan.

You might have heard of people taking out home equity loans for various reasons such as for making home improvements or paying for medical bills or children’s college fees. These types of loans are also widely used for the purposes of debt consolidation.

Your home is the most valuable asset out of all that you possess. You can borrow money against your home on the basis of the value or equity of your house. But what does the term Home Equity actually refer to? In the United States, residential properties are most commonly bought through a mortgage. The mortgage amount can be paid over quite a long stretch of time. After you clear the entire mortgage amount, the property belongs to you. In the meantime, your property builds up a value of ownership; this value is the “equity” of the homeowner. This equity is worked out on the basis of the current market value of your property. The value of equity is calculated by subtracting the outstanding mortgage balance from the current market value of the home. You are eligible to get a home equity loan against this equity value of your home. One thing to remember though is that while your the equity of your home cannot be sold, the financial institutions do not mind lending you money against it.

You have to opt from two main types of loans, namely the traditional home equity loan, popularly known as second mortgage, and the home equity line of credit.

The traditional home equity loan will enable you to borrow a lump sum of money that is to be repaid over a fixed period. On the other hand, the home equity line of credit provides the borrower with a checkbook or a credit card which can be used to borrow cash against the equity of the home.

It is important to make an informed decision before you choose a financial institution from which to take out this loan. It is often not the case that the institution that granted you the first mortgage will offer you the best deal the second time around. So shop around on the internet and choose a bank only after making a thorough comparison.



BEN