Friday, February 29, 2008

Home Equity Loans Spotlight

Home equity loans are taken where the borrower uses the home as collateral. These loans may be useful for home repair, medical bills or even for education. Most home equity loans require good to excellent credit history. Home equity loans come in two forms, closed end and open end.

Both of the above types are considered as second mortgages as they are secured against the value of the property just like any mortgages of traditional type. Home equity loans are usually (but not essentially) for a shorter term than first mortgages. In United States, Home equity loans interest can be deducted on one's personal income taxes.

Closed end home equity loan

The borrower will receive a lump sum on sanction but cannot borrow further. The amount of money that can be borrowed are normally depends upon certain variables like appraisal value of the collateral, credit history of the borrower, income source of the borrower among others.

Normally, the borrower can take up to 100% of the appraised value of the home less any liens, although there are lenders that may go above 100% when doing over-equity loans. However, state law governs in this matter. Closed end home equity loans have fixed rates normally and generally amortized for periods up to 15 years.

Some home equity loans offer reduced amortization and at the end of the term a balloon payment becomes due. These larger payments may be avoided by paying minimum payment or by refinancing the loan.

Open end home equity loan

Revolving credit loan of this nature is also referred to as a home equity credit loan where the borrower has the option to choose when and how often to borrow against the equity in the property and the lender setting a initial limit to the credit line on the basis of some criteria as mentioned above for closed end home equity loans.

Similar to closed end equity loans, it is possible to borrow up to 100% of the value of the home less any lien. These line of credit are normally available up to 30 years at a variable interest rate. The minimum monthly payment may be as low as only the due interest rate and the interest rate is based on the prime rate plus a margin.

Home equity loan fees

Following are the list of possible fees that may apply to home equity loan: Appraisal fees, originator fees, stamp duty, title fees, arrangement fees, closing fees, early pay-off, and other costs are added in loans. Surveyor and valuation fees may also apply to loans, but some may get waved. The survey and valuation costs can also be reduced provided the borrower provides his own licensed surveyor to inspect the property under consideration.

Title charges in secondary mortgages or equity loans are fees for renewing the title information. The borrower should read and ask questions about the fees being charged to make himself sure about the fees since all these loans have some sort of fees tagged

Joe Kenny writes for Rebuild.org, offering home equity loan deals, they also have some great offers on mortgages

Visit today: Loans at Rebuild.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Kenny

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Refinance vs Home Equity Loan

If you find yourself in need of a large sum of money for some reason, you may be considering using the equity in your home by either doing a cash-out refinance or getting a home equity loan in order to gain access to the money you need.

With the federal government beginning to slowly lower interest rates, you may be wondering if you should do a cash-out refinance in order to get that lower interest rate as well as gain access to the money you have in equity. This may be a tempting situation, but a lower interest rate is only one of the things that you should take into consideration.

When you refinance your home, you are taking out an entirely new mortgage. You use this new mortgage in order to pay off your original mortgage. In the case of a cash-out refinance, you borrow more on your home than the original mortgage balance, using your equity as collateral. You can then use the money left over after the refinance is completed to do anything you'd like. You can pay off credit cards, take a vacation, make home improvements, etc.

There are drawbacks to cash-out refinancing. First of all, your mortgage balance will be bigger and will most likely be extending your loan term. Mortgages are written with either 15 year or 30 year terms. If you only have 8 years before you pay off your mortgage, refinancing to even a 15 year mortgage is nearly doubling your loan term.

There are also considerable fees involved when you refinance. It would be worth your time, and sometimes a great deal of money, to find the best deal on fees that you can find.

With a home equity loan you are using the equity in your home as collateral on a loan. Home equity loans can be for a set amount or you can get a home equity line of credit, which is an open-ended loan that can be used just as you would use a credit card, keeping in mind that when you use that line of credit, you are using the equity in your home.

Home equity loans are easier to get than a refinance, especially if you have bad credit. The interest rate is also usually lower than a refinance, and the payments sometimes qualify as being tax deductible.

No matter whether you choose a cash-out refinance or a home equity loan, be sure to do some research on the companies you are considering working with. The best way to choose a good company to work with is to ask your friends, family and coworkers for recommendations. Ask not only about the process itself, but about how they were treated by the people they were working with. Were they rushed into decisions, or did they feel that they were given good information so that they could make the final decisions themselves? Remember that you are the customer, and when you are taking a large amount of money out against your home, you shouldn't be rushed into anything.

If you are interested in learning more about mortgages and refinancing then please visit our site at http://www.refinancingright.com/ - There you will find a wealth of information to help you get informed on issues related to your home loan.

If you have questions that we don't answer feel free to contact us by email and we will be happy to answer your questions. Our policy is to give you the very best information so you can be informed and get the very best mortgage refinancing deal.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Suffie

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Home Equity Loan Online - Comes With Multiple Soothing Factors

Financial helps are integrated in one's life naturally. For several reasons, you may need an external financial help. Usually, when you are ready to put something for the security against your help, you always have a preferable term and condition. So to avail a better deal for your loan facility, you can utilize your home as collateral. Such loan facilities are available as home equity loan online in the market that can reach you instantly as well.

Home equity loan online is a secured loan that requires you to put your home as collateral, while availing the loan. The equity of the home, here is considered for the collateral that is freed after the full repayment made by you. The equity value of a home is that part of your home that is free of any obligations and has a market value.

Here, the loan amount depends upon the equity value of your home, and can be up to the total value of the equity value. However, the general amount that is available here ranges from £3000 to £100000 that can be repaid over a flexible period of 25 years.

Home equity loan online has always a lower interest rate, as the lent money has less risk for the collateral put against it. These loans are processed online to deliver it fast. Several lenders are available online that can be accessed any time and can also be asked for the loan by a simple online application. This loan can be obtained for multipurpose that help you invest the loan amount without any restriction. The most common utilities of this loan are, paying outstanding bills, buying a car, renovation of home, meeting the wedding cost, and debt consolidation.

Your credit status is not a matter of hassle, while availing home equity loan online. So, even with the condition of your bad credit, you can apply for this loan without any hesitation.

A loan facility on a preferable terms and conditions is the need of your financial condition. A low rate and longer repayment duration can make your loan option affordable and help you in avoiding the worry of unwanted burden on a loan. Home equity loan helps you get viable financial options, as it has multiple factors that soothe you on your repayment.

Dina Wilson is an expert loan advisor at online home improvement loan. She has done MSc Management and Finance from University of Whales.To find Home Equity Loan Online, home loans, home equity loans, online home loans visit http://www.online-home-improvement-loan.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dina_Wilson

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Home Equity Loan Comparison - Choose Wisely

Are you refurnishing your home, and need a bigger amount of money? Well, you can wait and save up money, and wait some more, and then you will be able to make all the big repairs and buy new furniture for your home. But until then you will have to live in the house that you have now, and won't be able to enjoy it as much as you would if you could do all the new stuff right now. Well, think about getting a loan that will enable you to make all the repairs now.

There are great loans out there, and what would be the best for you is a home equity loan. Because you are refurnishing your home, you obviously are the owner of it. With that you can use it as collateral for the loan. If you make the home equity loan comparison, you will see, that this is probably the best way for you to get the money and that this is the best way for you to start enjoying your home as the home as you like.

There are reasons that you can use the money for. One of them is to repay your medical bills. Unfortunately the medical system in the US does not cover all the medication and procedures that you need to remain healthy, so you need to find the money by yourself. With that you are left on your own, but taking a loan can help you. Again, you can take the procedure immediately and you do not have to search for the cheapest deal, but you can take the one that will provide you with the best quality. And you really can't afford to look for the price when your health is at stake.

This way, if you make the home equity loan comparison, you will see, that for your medical and other health bills, using your house as a collateral and getting a good loan is the best way, and the way that will help you to get the medication that you need and the quality procedures that you need.

For more information about Home Equity Loan Comparison, feel free to visit us at: http://www.about-home-equity-loans.com/Home-Equity-Loan-Comparison.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Ronzon

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

4 Best Tips to Home Equity Loans

There are a lot of benefits when you have a home equity. First of all, it increases the value of your home. Moreover, you can make use of it so you will be able to improve your credit rating should you decide to apply for a home equity loan.

But do you exactly know how to make good use of your loan? Just to help you out, here are 4 tips for you:

1. Be careful when you're applying for a home equity loan. If you're familiar with standard bank loans, then you will know how this works. When you're going to apply for a conventional loan in a bank, you will have to provide collateral, which can then function as your secure deposit. It lowers down the risks of banks in entering on a loan with you. Thus, they can provide you with a mortgage with lower payment terms and interest rates. However, if you ever miss payments on your loan, or you can no longer cope with them, there's huge possibility that your collateral will be taken away from you. It's the same case with your home equity loan. If you aren't too careful with it, you will likely lose your own home.

2. Take note of the length of your loan. You can have the power to take control over the length of your home equity loan. However, you should be wise with this. Logic can tell you that if you're going to extend your loan for so many years, you will be enjoying lower interest rates. Conversely, when you prefer shorter payments for your loan, you will increase your interest charges. Both, however, will allow you to save some money, but you have to determine which is the most preferable to you. Furthermore, you have to keep in mind that it's your property at stake. If you cannot pay your dues, it may be taken away form you.

3. Check your credit rating before applying. Your credit rating will play a crucial role to your home equity loan. If you have poor credit score, which means you have incurred missed payments on your previous loans and other dues, you may have to avail of the HELOC, or home equity loan line of credit. It means that you can still utilize the equity of your home to obtain a loan, but the interest rates are higher. Lenders view your bad credit rating as possible risks at their part.

4. Know the total worth of your home. The amount of money that you will obtain on your loan can be used to increase the value of your property or help you get rid of your debts. Nevertheless, you need to know the total worth of your home. This will help you determine how much you can borrow from the loan provider. You can ask help from an appraiser or a realtor. His expertise can give you the best estimate without taking into consideration the inflated value of your property.

Visit Home Equity Loan or Home Equity to get best financial advisors with regards to your loan. They can evaluate the real value of your property, come up with the best option for you, and make sure that you have the capability to pay your loan in the future. Check our website for their contact details.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Lim

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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Home Equity Assessment To Know How Much You Can Borrow

You surely have heard about home equity loans (those loans that use the remaining value of your property to secure additional funds). But, do you know how to assess your home equity? This is an important issue as it will let you know whether you can count on your available equity for expenses, investments or other purposes or not and also how much money you can obtain out of your home if you decide to refinance your mortgage.

The Calculation of Home Equity

The mathematical calculation needed to obtain the resulting available equity on your home is quite simple: to the actual value of your property, you need to subtract the amount of remaining debt on your mortgage. But though it is a mere subtraction, the complexity for those who are not familiar with real estate resides on the securing of the figures needed to perform the calculation.

Common mistakes are for example the use of the purchase price instead of the current value, or the matching of the debt already paid on your mortgage with the amount of available equity regardless of the facts that interests are included and that the property's value may have increased also. Therefore, it is important to know where to obtain the information you need.

Basically, the property needs to be appraised by a real estate agent. Many agents are willing to appraise your property for free but you can easily obtain a quite accurate figure by inquiring about recent purchase prices of similar properties on the neighborhood. And as regards to the remaining debt on your mortgage loan, you can ask your lender about this figure at any time and they are obliged to provide you with the information. You just need to ask for it.

With the above information at hand you can easily subtract both figures and obtain the amount of home equity available for requesting a loan. Each lender will require this info to provide you with a loan quote and pre-qualifying your for a loan. Thus, if you know beforehand which lender you want to apply to, you can leave all the trouble of assessing your available equity to them.

125% Financing Is Feasible?

You may have heard about 125% financing. This implies that your mortgage and the home equity loan combined add up to 125% of your property's value. How can this be done? Imagine that you take a secured equity loan till 100% is reached and you add up another 25% unsecured. The interest rate of the last one will be higher. But if you combine both loans into a single loan you can obtain a lower rate and the lender gets to secure the remaining amount once you have cancelled sufficient installments or once the value of the property reaches the amount of outstanding debt.

These loans however are not easy to qualify for because till the value of the property raises or the debt drops, a significant amount of debt remains unprotected. Therefore, you should expect approval only for those with fair to perfect credit. If your credit is below average, chances are that you will get declined.

Jessica Peterson is a Personal Loan Consultant with more than twenty years of experience. For more information about Unsecured Loans, HomeOwner Loans, Debt Consolidation, Home Equity Loans, Student Loans and others please visit http://www.yourloanservices.com


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Monday, February 18, 2008

Five Steps to Success in Finding a Home Equity Loan

As a homeowner, there will come a time when you will need a large amount of money to deal with an unexpected circumstance such as fixing your roof or any other home improvement related problem. Many of us look to home equity loans for dealing with these difficult financial times. They allow you to borrow money by using your house as collateral. Banks and other lenders look favorably upon home equity loans since can't default on the loan with the ownership of your house on the line. In other words, they will undoubtedly collect on the collateral since payments are a priority.

The important thing to do is get your homework done first if you are thinking about taking out some equity from. The time spent looking into your options can save you a good deal of money later on. Use these tips for trying to find the best home equity loan:

  • Shop for the best deal - The best place to start looking for the best deal on a home equity loan is with you existing bank or credit union. There are also various reputable online companies who can offer you some pretty good figures. The key is to keep looking around until you find something you like. Be aware of any scams or too good to be true promises. You'll end up regretting it in the near future.
  • Know the facts - One of the things you should know when looking for a home equity loan is all the things they can be used for and how to get them. For example, loans taken for home improvement reasons fall into the subject of either being a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit. While they both sound the same, there are a few subtle differences between the two. Know the basics of each before deciding on which works for your circumstances.
  • Always ask questions - You should know a good amount of information on all the factors that go into a loan such as points, APR, and closing costs. You'll find a detailed list of these items in the Good Faith Estimate. This is a document the lender must give you within three days of receiving your loan application. BE aware that that a home equity loan's APR includes the closing costs in it and a home equity line of credit's APR does not.
  • Choose the best rate structure - Did you know that the rates for a home equity loan can either be adjustable or fixed? Adjustable loan interest rates tend to fluctuate up and down which leaves you vulnerable to the risk of increasing payments. More people choose a fixed-rate loans since they come with less risk. The problem with these is it sometimes ends up costing more in the long run when homeowners chose to sell their home later on. If you are unsure about how long you plan on owning the property, consider going with a hybrid adjustable loan. They are sometimes beneficial due to the fixed introductory rate.
  • Know your closing costs - Another great piece of information you can get from your Good Faith Estimate is a quote on closing costs. Just remember, the actual costs at closing are more than likely to be different from the estimate. Don't budget for the amount of your estimate only to find yourself unable to pay more. The problem is that the majority of the fees involved are through third parties. Your lender has no control of them.

The Credit Exchange Corporation offers financial services such as Financial Analysis, credit card counseling and Debt Settlement through an affiliate network of debt consolidation companies and debt management companies. Visit us at www.thecreditexchange.com.


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Friday, February 1, 2008

Home Equity Line of Credit vs Loan

When deciding between a Home Equity Loan against a Home Equity Line of Credit, first we need to determine what the money is being used for and how much money are we going to need. Generally, a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) is a better choice for ongoing cash needs, such as college tuition payments or medical bills. These are recurring debts. When you need a set amount of money for a specific, one-time purpose, such as buying a car or a major home renovation, then you want to consider a HEL (Home Equity Loan).

When you're a homeowner, you have the collateral necessary to borrow against the equity value of your house through either a HELOC or a HEL. Both are essentially a second mortgage. The difference is a HELOC is a form of revolving credit, similar to a credit card. It allows you to draw funds whenever you need money, capped at a predetermined limit. There is generally a minimum payment due each month, with the option to pay off as much of the line as you want.

zWith a HEL, you receive a onetime lump sum of money and have a fixed monthly payment that you pay off over a specific time period. In each case, factors such as your income, your debts, the value of your home, how much you still owe on your first or second mortgage, and your credit history will all be taken into consideration to determine the amount you can borrow.

The appeal of both of these types of loans is in their interest rates. They are almost always lower than those of credit cards or conventional bank loans, because they are secured against the equity value in your home. In addition, the interest you pay on a home equity loan or line of credit, is often tax deductible (consult a tax advisor about your particular situation).

Unfortunately, both HELOCs and HELs usually carry a higher interest rate than that of a first mortgage. With a HEL, you may choose either an adjustable rate that fluctuates according to variations in the prime rate, or you may choose a fixed rate. A fixed rate enables you to budget a set monthly payment without worrying about increasing costs should interest rates rise.
With a HEL, there are also closing costs that you need to take into account. This refers to the money paid at closing to the lender. It may include one or more of the following fees: a loan origination fee, points, appraisal fee, title search and insurance, survey, taxes, deed recording fee, credit report charge and other costs assessed at settlement.

A HELOC will usually carry a lower initial interest rate than a HEL, but its rate fluctuates according to the prime rate, so there is always more of an interest rate risk. Unlike a HEL, where your monthly payment is a set amount, a HELOC enables you to borrow funds as needed and repay as little as interest only each month. Also unlike the HEL, there are generally no closing costs when you open a HELOC.

One important fact to keep in mind is your home is the collateral for both a HELOC and a HEL. If a HELOC's easy access to cash tempts you to run up more debt than you can repay, or if you fail to make your monthly payments on you HEL, you risk losing your house.

My name is Joseph V. Formale. Ever since I started my e-business, way back in 2007, I've always taken pride in the close relationship I have with my customers. My easy-to-contact philosophy has worked well, so I have no plans to change. So check out my website and learn more about refinancing your home, and where's the best place to do it online. http://www.only-reliable-reviews.com/HELOC_vs_HEL.html

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Home Equity Loan Calculator - Get The Best Lender With It

It is always good to search for the best offer whenever you are applying for a loan. This becomes very easy with the online application, tha...