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.



Thanks to Dina Wilson for contributing this article to our Equity blog:

Real Estate Asset Management

You have tightened your belt during the time you are saving for your house. Now, that you have enough equity in that property, you may loosen up a bit by making use of your equity through Home Equity Line of Credit.

Home Equity Line of Credit or HELOC, can help you in myriad of financial necessities. It can help you have a fund when you need it and for whatever purpose you may need it.

Although, you should be careful because putting your house as collateral may cause you to loose your house if you fail to pay your debt. This should make you think many times before you embark on taking money through home equity line of credit.

However, if your purpose of taking out money by means of home equity line of credit is to pay for medical bills or children’s college education, these expenses are inevitable. Thus, taking out money by means of home equity line of credit can be your best bet.

Additionally, if you want to consolidate your debt, HELOC or home equity line of credit may also be beneficial. This is because compared to credit cards and other unsecured credit facilities, the interest rate in a home equity line of credit is somewhat smaller. Another benefit of this means of taking out money is that consumer credits interests are tax deductible.

However, having said the benefits you may have from acquiring a credit through home equity line of credit, you may also need to look at the possible consequences if you fail to pay your debt.

The most important consideration is the possibility of loosing your house to pay off the debt.

It is thus recommendable that while you are considering the flexibility of a credit line, if you need a lump sum fund, you may consider taking out a Home Equity Loan instead. This is because in a home equity loan, you pay the interest and part of the principal debt regularly.

This is in contrast to the variable interest rate that applies in a home equity line of credit. Additionally, in a home equity credit line, your payments balloons at the end when you need to pay the principal amount of debt.

The flexibility of the home equity line of credit extends up to paying only the interests and paying the entire principal loan at the end of the term.

This makes it quite hard, and if you are not ready for such balloon payment, the risk of loosing your house is intrinsic in this case.

This is the reason why financial experts recommend that before you sign any contract that puts your house as collateral, you may need to scrutinize yourself a bit.

Will you need the money lump sum? Ask about Home Equity Loan.

Do you need fund periodically? Ask about Home Equity Line of Credit.

Consider also asking for payments terms, interest rates and what conditions will make the lender consider you in default. These questions once answered may help you realize if putting your house as collateral is the best solution to your monetary needs.



Thanks to Nela Odarijew for contributing this article to our Equity blog:

Have you claimed your Genesis site?

It may sound strange, but it is possible to purchase a car by using the money obtained from a home equity loan and you may end up saving a lot of money in the long run by doing so. Home equity loans compared to car loans are inexpensive sources of finance and also, they are a lot easier to qualify for. Thus, if you have equity left on your home and you are planning on buying a car, keep on reading.

A home equity loan has no specific purpose and thus can be used for purchasing anything you want or need. In this case, you can use the money to buy a new or used car and by doing so, you’d be reducing the interest rate you will pay for the money borrowed. Though car loan and home equity loan are both secured loans, the loan conditions of home equity loans are more advantageous.

Benefits Of Equity

Equity can provide a lot of benefits when you need to borrow money. Home equity constitutes better collateral than a car and thus the financial transaction backed up with home equity implies less risks for the lender. Thus, you will be able to obtain better interest rates and better loan terms like higher loan amounts, longer repayment programs and lower monthly payments while saving money in terms of interests at the same time.

Also, equity as collateral has less possibilities of destruction or damage compared to a car. Thus, the costs on insurance will be significantly lower. Anything that reduces the risk in the financial transaction pushes the interest rate down because the rate is the way the lender compensates for the risk that lending money entails.

Moreover, for the same reasons expressed above (the risk reduction on the loan transaction) the requirements for approval will be lessened. When it comes to credit requirements, truth is that as opposed to car loans, if you have equity left on your home you can obtain financing even if you have extremely bad credit, no credit at all or a bankruptcy on your credit history.

Disadvantages Of Using Home Equity Loans

The main problem of using your home equity for purchasing a car, is that the means are way above the purpose. It is just like using a bazooka to kill an ant. Thus, if you ever need to resort to this form of financing for other purposes like making home improvements or consolidating debt, you may find difficulties because you have already obtained a home equity loan for purchasing a car.

The other problem, maybe the most serious one, is that since home equity loans use the equity that is left on your home as collateral for the loan, you are risking repossession of the property if you even fail to repay it. It works just like mortgage loans. In the event of defaulting on the loan, the lender has the legal right to seize the property and sell it in a public auction in order to claim the money lent. Thus, you should make sure that you will be able to afford the monthly payments.



Thanks to Amanda Hash for contributing this article to our Equity blog:

Have you claimed your Genesis site?

You’ve certainly heard the ads on television that tell you to ‘tap the equity in your home’ when you need fast cash for home renovations, emergencies and even family vacations. There are two main types of home equity loans, a standard home equity loan, and a home equity line of credit. Before you decide to tap the equity in your home, you should understand what home equity debt is and how you can use it to finance the important things in your life.

Borrowing against your home equity

Most homes are purchased through mortgages, a loan taken from a bank or lender and then paid back over a course of ten to thirty years. As you pay back that money, a certain portion of what you pay goes to the bank as interest, and the rest is applied to the principal. The amount paid on the principal builds ‘equity’, which is, in simplified terms, the amount of your home that you own. The amount of equity you have in your home can be used as collateral for a loan to finance college, pay for a wedding or make home improvements, among other things.

A home equity line of credit is not exactly a loan. Rather, it’s a promise from a bank or lender that they will loan you money up to a specified amount when you need it at the interest rates agreed upon. Unlike a home equity loan, where the bank loans you a chunk of money and you pay it back, a home equity loan of credit allows you to borrow money as you need it, like a credit card.

Using a Home Equity Line of Credit

For example, if you take out a home equity loan for $10,000, you’ll get a check from the bank for $10,000 all at once. The interest clock starts clicking as soon as you sign the papers, and if you find that you need to borrow more money, you will need to apply again. If you really only need $2,000 of that money, you’ll still be paying interest on the entire $10,000 because you have the use of the entire $10,000.

With a home equity line of credit, the bank promises to lend you up to $10,000 over the next however many years. You haven’t actually borrowed any money when you sign a home equity line of credit agreement. It’s more like signing a credit card agreement. You won’t owe any interest until you actually use your home equity line of credit to borrow money. Once you’ve established a line of credit, if you find you need $2,000, you can draw that money from your home equity line of credit. At that point, you’ll owe the bank $2,000 and will start paying interest on a $2,000 loan.

There will still be $8,000 remaining on your line of credit. In other words, the bank has promised that it will loan you up to $10,000 during the term that the line is in effect, so you can still borrow up to another $8,000 as long as your loan remains in good standing. Even better, as you repay your loan, that money becomes available to borrow again, just like with a credit card.

So if you use $2,000 of your line of credit, you’ll have $8,000 remaining. If you then pay back $500 of it, you’ll be able to borrow up to $8,500 if you need it. You’ll only pay interest on the amount that you have actually borrowed, but you’ll have up to $20,000 available to you to use without having to apply for a loan every time you need one.

Why choose a home equity line of credit?

Establishing a home equity line of credit before you need one can be an excellent idea. Unlike a standard home equity loan, you won’t be paying any interest on the money that’s available to you unless you actually use it, and you’ll only be paying interest on the amount that you actually borrow rather than on the entire $10,000 amount.

There are a few circumstances where a home equity loan makes more sense than a line of credit. Since standard home equity loans generally carry lower interest rates than a home equity loan of credit, it makes sense to use a home equity loan if you will be paying out all or nearly the entire loan amount in a short period of time. In other words, if you need $10,000 to pay for something up front, then it makes more sense to take out a home equity loan for $10,000. You’ll pay less in interest that way.

If, on the other hand, you predict that you’ll need about $10,000 to complete a project over the next year, but won’t need all of it at once, a home equity line of credit makes more sense. While your interest rate on the line of credit may be slightly higher than on a standard loan, you’ll only be paying interest on the amount that you actually owe each month.



Thanks to Brian Jenkins for contributing this article to our Equity blog:

Reverse Equity Mortgage

Do you know what a 125 home equity loan is? I’m sure you know all about traditional home equity loans where you can borrow money using the equity in your home as collateral for the loan. These home equity loans provide many people with cash for a wide range of uses. Of course there are other types of equity loans besides the traditional home equity loan, and the 125 home equity loan is one of these options. A 125 home equity loan lets you get even more cash than usual based on the equity in your home.

Let me first define what equity is. Your home equity is quite simply the difference in what you owe the bank still and the value of your home. For example, if your home is valued at $300,000 and you still owe $150,000 to the mortgage company then you have $150,000 in equity. One nice benefit is that in a rising real estate market you gain additional equity simply through the rise in your homes value.

Traditional Home Equity Loans vs. 125 Home Equity Loans

In a traditional home equity loan you are offered a loan that does not exceed the amount of equity present in your home. So, if you have $25,000 in equity you’re able to get a loan for $25,000. This loan can be used to pay for anything you want from home improvements to education or even a vacation if you choose.

The difference between the traditional home equity loan and a 125 home equity loan is in the amount you can borrow. With a 125 home equity loan you can borrow up to 125% of the present equity value in your home. In this case if you have $25,000 equity in your home you would be offered a loan of $31,250. In the past many lenders would shy away from this type of loan since part of it is unsecured and increases their risk. These days however more and more lenders, especially online lenders are offering 125 home equity loans. If you’re thinking of applying for this type of loan you should know that a high credit score will help you greatly in getting approved.

125 Home Equity Loan Warning

The 125 home equity loan is especially suited for those who need access to a large amount of money. If you are thinking of using the money to start a business or take on a large home improvement project a 125 home equity loan could meet your needs quite well.

Keep in mind that as long as home values continue to rise or at least stay stagnant you’re in little danger from this type of equity loan. However, if your home value declines your equity will decline as well and you could actually end up owing more than your home is worth.

It really depends on your needs and circumstances to determine how much sense a 125 home equity loan makes for you. As I said previously, it can be very useful for those starting a business, particularly if you expect the business to have good cash flow. It is also useful for large home improvements since they are likely to increase your home’s value and also your equity. Just be careful that you don’t overextend yourself when taking a 125 home equity loan.



Thanks to Steven Walters for contributing this article to our Equity blog:

Home Equity Refinance