Milos Pesic asked: If you are self employed you may be wondering if you can take out a home equity loan? The answer is that you can. In fact, it is a lot easier to do so today than in previous years since self employment is so common now. However, the process that you go through will be somewhat different than if you have an employer and W2 forms to submit as proof of income.
You might find that the regulations are a little tighter when applying for a home equity loan through a traditional lender such as a bank. For example, they might require that you have been self employed for 2 or even 3 years. They will want to see your tax returns for the years you have been self employed so they can get an overview of how stable your income is.
It is possible you can find it easier to work with a mortgage lender who specializes in home equity loans for the self employed. These types of lenders sometimes offer a ‘no proof of income’ loan which is very friendly towards those who are self employed. In this instance, you won’t have to worry about proving your income stability, but usually in order to compensate for that freedom, you will have to make other concessions. For example if it is a first mortgage, you will likely have to put up a large down payment, and for home equity loans, you will probably not be able to borrow 100% of your equity.
It is important as a self employed individual that you keep good records of your business. Those records will come in handy at times like when you are applying for a home equity loan. The more thoroughly you are documented, the less risky you seem to be and therefore more banks will be willing to take a chance on loaning you money. It could also mean that your loan will have a lower interest rate if you are not considered a high risk.
One thing is for certain, self employed home equity loans are not uncommon today. Self employment is at an all time high and financial institutions are aware of this fact and have special programs and regulations in place to serve this group of borrowers.
Just remember to follow the guidelines of responsible borrowing whether you are self employed or not. Don’t borrow more than you can comfortably afford to repay, shop around for the lowest rate and be sure to understand the terms before you sign. With a little work and attention to detail in your record keeping, you will likely find that in today’s world it is easy to qualify for a home equity loan if you are self employed.
Joy
