Home Equity Loans – second mortgage

Joseph Kenny asked:


When it comes time to get the money you need to renovate your home, you have some choices to make concerning the financing of it. Both ways, either refinancing your first mortgage, or a home equity loan, will give you access to your equity. After that, though, a number of differences will clearly stand out. Here is what you need to know about these differences so you can intelligently choose the best one for your needs.

Features Of Refinancing Your First Mortgage

By getting a cash out mortgage, you can replace your first mortgage and obtain your equity. This means that you will have to pay the fees again that you paid when you bought the house in the first place. However, if you wait until the interest rates are down, you can get a better deal than you had before. The amount that you can gain could easily offset the costs of refinancing and save you thousands of dollars over the life of the new mortgage.

The interest rate for a first mortgage is always lower than what you would get for a second mortgage – which makes this the ideal choice. You also will have only one payment each month, which you could even make lower than what you have now by extending the time length on the mortgage. If you already have more than one mortgage, then this is also a good way to consolidate them and get your equity at the same time, as well as reduce your monthly payment.

If you currently have an adjustable rate mortgage that is about to run out of the fixed rate portion, then this should be the way you would want to go. Not only will it give you level payments with a fixed interest rate, assuming you get a fixed rate mortgage, but also your equity for the upcoming renovation project you have in mind. This means you could take care of more than one problem at once.

Features Of A Home Equity Loan

A home equity loan is considered a second mortgage. This means it will give you an additional payment each month. If you can afford the extra payment, this may be the way you want to go. It will also have a higher rate of interest than a first mortgage, and usually has a time frame of up to 15 years for repayment.

You can take out your equity but need to leave enough in there that is equal to 20% of the value of the house. This is true with any kind of mortgage, since you may need to pay private mortgage insurance if you go over this amount.

A home equity loan is mostly fixed rate, but some may also be adjustable. Your loan payments are fully amortizing, and money used for fixing up your home is often tax deductible. This type of loan is seeing some new variations come out recently, so you will want to see what is out there before you choose.

The Choice Is Yours

Obviously, only one of these choices will best meet your needs. After you choose a course to take, you will then want to get a few quotes – whether you choose to refinance, or get a home equity loan. You will need to look them over carefully and consider all aspects in order to find the one that is best for you.



PARKER

Joseph Kenny asked:


When you need the cash out of the equity of your home you may wonder which one is better for you – a cash out mortgage or a home equity loan. The truth is that both have their advantages – but probably one will be better for your situation than the other. This will mean that you need to know a little about each in order to make up your mind. Here are some differences between the two.

A cash out mortgage will involve refinancing your first mortgage. This could be a great way to go, especially if you can get interest rates on the refinance that are at least one percent (two percent is to be preferred) lower than your present mortgage rates. So not only could you get the equity you want, but also you will save thousands of dollars by getting better interest rates, too.

You get the equity you want in a lump sum when your cash out mortgage is approved. All you need to do is to refinance for the amount of the mortgage that is still outstanding, and add the amount of cash you want from your equity. You will want to watch and make sure that you do not refinance for an amount equal to 80% of the value of your house – that includes the equity, as well. The reason for this is simple, you want to make sure that 20% of the value of your home is left intact so that you do not need to pay the Private Mortgage Insurance. This could add thousands of dollars each year to your payments.

You can enjoy further savings if you decide to shorten the term length, too. If you make the remainder of the refinanced loan to be about 5 years less than what you have now, you could literally save tens of thousands of dollars more over the life of the mortgage.

A home equity loan is another way to get to the cash in your equity that you want. A home equity loan is a second mortgage, and you may be able to get it as either an adjustable rate mortgage or a fixed rate mortgage. While it obviously does not require you to refinance your first mortgage, it will give you a new monthly payment – and the cash you want. As a second mortgage, there will also be closing costs and other fees – with the possible exception of going through your present lender.

The interest rate will be higher than on a first mortgage, when you get a home equity loan. The interest rate, as well as the amount you can borrow, will depend mostly on your credit rating, and your ability to repay the loan. Make sure your credit report is accurate before you apply. If there are inaccuracies on the report it can hurt you and give you higher interest rates than you might have otherwise, or even cause your home equity loan to be rejected.

Before you agree to either a home equity loan or a cash out mortgage, you will want to shop around to find the best deal. It will take some time to do it right – but you are the one who will benefit from the savings. Check the various features, such as the interest rate, the fees, and the terms of repayment – including the monthly payments.

The choice is now yours. It can basically be summed up as – do you want to refinance your existing mortgage, or get a second mortgage? Both have their benefits, but only you can decide which one will work best for you.



MITCH

Joseph Kenny asked:


Fixing up your home is one of the most worthwhile uses of the equity in your home. Not only that, but it also adds comfort and beauty to your home as well – making it even more enjoyable to live there. Several ways exist for you to be able to get access to that money that is in your equity. Here are some ways that you can get that money and some things to watch out for along the way.

A home equity loan is one that becomes a second mortgage. As such, it has closing costs and other fees that apply to a regular mortgage. This means, too that there is an approval process and appraisal costs. It is like a regular loan in that you get all the money in the loan in one lump sum and then start making payments.

These loans are usually adjustable rate mortgages. This means you have no set interest rate and it will change from month to month – or from year to year. You can also get a home equity loan with a fixed rate if you look around, which will give you a much more stable payment, but will usually be higher than an adjustable rate mortgage.

One great feature of a home equity loan is knowing how much money you have to work with – you get it all at once. This does require you to know in advance how much equity you want, or you could simply take out as much as you can get. You will want to leave at least 20% of your home’s value in equity and not borrow against it. This is so that you do not have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance. It will also leave you a margin of money in case you ever should have to move. If you leave no equity at all in your house, it may become next to impossible to sell it – and you will be left with no money for a new downpayment.

You also need to know that, as a second mortgage, a home equity loan gives you a new payment to make each month. For this reason your lender will base the amount of the loan on both your ability to pay and your credit rating, along with your total indebtedness.

The amount of time that you have to pay a home equity loan is less than it would be with a first mortgage. Often for as much as 15 years, these loans can be adjusted to the time frame you want – even up to 30 years if you want to keep your payments low. However, you should also remember that the longer you pay – the more you will pay in interest.

When you go to get your home equity loan, be sure that you shop around and get the best deal you can. Besides looking at the interest rate, you will also want to notice the fees, closing costs, and other fees that will apply. Lenders can vary greatly in their terms and fees, so you should look them over carefully to find the deal that best matches your needs.



JESSE