Home Equity Loans – second mortgage

Rebecca Oconnor asked:




According to a Federal Reserve Bank report published in 2002 thirty-five percent, the biggest share, of home equity loan dollars goes back into the borrowers house through home improvements and maintenance projects. Considering the benefits and the ease of leveraging the equity you already have through a second mortgage or mortgage refinancing, this is hardly a surprise. ”The cake itself is the equity, and that is the important part of ownership,” Richard Wakelin, of Wakelin Property Advisory. If you are smart about building equity you can earn it even faster and with less investment. Some of the best ways to increase equity are simple such as:

1. Buying a home in the right neighborhood is critical. If the real estate values are rising, you could build equity without doing anything more than holding on to the property.

2. Curb appeal is key to raising a home’s value. It doesn’t take much money to install irrigation and landscape a property, but the first impression from the outside can be worth a lot. If you have some equity in your property already, a home equity credit line may be a better way to fund these smaller improvements than using a credit card. The interest is lower and so are the payments.

3. Remodel the kitchen if you really want to increase the value. Buyers are willing to pay more for a home with a gorgeous cook-friendly kitchen. If you are looking to do a remodel, mortgage refinancing is a good way to cash out on the equity that you already have and invest in building further equity. (Likely with a tax break on the interest as well.)

4. Master bedroom and bathroom improvements are also a good way to increase equity and can also be paid for through a refinance.

5. Don’t forget small improvements with “sweat equity” either. Just a little bit of capital and a lot of muscle can greatly improve a home through painting, wall papering and other do-it-yourself upgrades.

A little bit thought and effort can go a long way in making your property your best investment!

Stacey

Mary Wise asked:




You may have taken out a home equity line of credit to help you cover the expenses of life – anything from adding an additional bedroom to your home to putting your twins through four years of grad school. But if you suddenly received a letter stating that your home equity line of credit has been frozen, you are probably wondering where to turn next.

Most home equity credit lines bear the stipulation that the creditor can freeze your line under situations that are outlined in Regulation Z, under the Federal Reserve Board’s codes. For many home equity lenders, this is interpreted as being able to shut you off from your available line of home equity credit if market conditions in your area make the value of your home decline, or if your income has been reduced to where they feel you are at great risk of defaulting on payment to them for credit already extended.

Get Around Regulation Z

You have several options. You can argue with your lender to attempt to persuade them to reinstate your credit line. You can back up your argument by pointing out your good payment history (if payments have come due under your agreement); or by listing homes in the area that have recently sold at or above market value. Discussing the freeze with customer service for your lender has a small, but not impossible, chance of getting your credit line unfrozen.

Your best option is to vote with your feet by choosing a different lender. True, you may have to pay additional closing costs over what you have already paid for your current, now-useless credit line, but you can switch lenders.

In fact, there are online lenders who deal very effectively with taking on borrowers who have had a frozen credit line. With less strict stipulations regarding market values, these lenders can refinance your current line while making the additional credit you need available to you.

Apply Online For the Credit Line You Need

To apply, you will need to gather all the information pertinent to your current home equity line of credit. Visit the lender’s secure online site where you can begin the application process. You will be asked to verify certain things – like your income, employment, etc. Most of the needed documentation can be either emailed or faxed to the new lender.

As with a your original home equity line of credit, your new credit line will allow you to use your home equity line of credit for up to twenty five years. At the end of that period, you will have the opportunity to renew your credit line, or begin repayment. Oftentimes, you can pay during the time that your home equity line of credit is open; this greatly reduces the amount that you will owe at the end of the term.

If you have had your home equity credit line frozen, voting with your feet by choosing a new lender can not only make a bold statement to the lender that you have other options, but can also save you money by the possibility of getting better rates online.

Franklin

Greg asked:


WASHINGTON (AP) — In a troubling report, the Federal Reserve said Americans’ equity in their homes has fallen below 50% for the first time since 1945.

Home equity is the percentage of a home’s market value minus mortgage-related debt.

The Fed’s flow of funds report shows home equity slipped to a revised 49.6% in the second quarter 2007 and fell further, to 47.9%, in the fourth quarter. It marks the first time homeowners’ debt on their houses exceeds their equity since the Fed started tracking the data in 1945.

Does Bush still want to take credit for the “housing boom”?

Bush seeks to increase minority homeownership
By Thomas A. Fogarty, USA TODAY
In a bid to boost minority homeownership, President Bush will ask Congress for authority to eliminate the down-payment requirement for Federal Housing Administration loans.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/housing/2004-01-20-fha_x.htm

Bush took credit for the “housing boom”. Now that boom is bust, do we let him have it both ways?
Hey, I didn’t say the housing boom or bust was his doing. I am just pointing out that he took credit for it while campaigning in 2004, and he made it worse by extending the problem to FHA.

JONATHON