Home Equity Loans – second mortgage

Kate Ross asked:




There are many issues involved in this decision. These issues include the amount of money you can save on interests, the possibility to loose those savings due to changes in market conditions, the possibility to end up paying even more than what you projected, the possibility of being unable to repay the monthly installments and having to refinance your loan.

Home Equity Loans

Home equity loans are secured loans that guarantee the lender repayment of the loan with the remaining equity on your home. Equity is the difference between your home value and the outstanding debt guaranteed by the property (usually a home mortgage). The secured nature of these loans provides the borrower with many benefits.

For starters, with home equity loans you can obtain higher loan amounts than with unsecured loans. Moreover, you can obtain longer repayment programs and thus, lower monthly payments than with unsecured loans. But most importantly, these loans have lower costs because the interest rate charged is significantly lower than the rate charged for unsecured loans. All of this is due to the lower risk that the use of collateral implies for the lender.

Interest Rate

As Explained above, due to the lower risk, home equity loans feature lower rates than almost any other kind of financial product. These loans offer rates lower than credit cards, store cards, unsecured personal loans, pay day loans, cash advance loans, overdrawn agreements, etc. Probably the only loans that feature lower rates are home loans and some subsidized student and business loans.

Not only the interest rate is lower than almost every other financial product, it also comes in two shapes. You can obtain a home equity loan with a fixed interest rate or with a variable (adjustable) interest rate. There are some differences between these two kinds of interest rates than can be very important when it comes to deciding which loan best suits your needs.

Variable or Fixed

A fixed interest rate stays unaltered through the whole life of the loan which in turn implies fixed monthly payments over the whole life of the loan too. This provides a lot of certainty to the borrower that can budget the loan payments with confidence knowing that they will stay the same each month. But, it doesn’t provide such certainty to the lender who can suffer from inflation and loose money to a fixed rate. That’s why fixed rates are always higher than variable rates at any given time.

Variable rates on the other hand, will change every three or six months according to the market conditions. Almost always these changes are moderate and don’t alter monthly payments too much. However, if an increasing tendency subsists on the market, a variable rate can turn a home equity loan into a very onerous deal.

Bernice

Rick Swanson asked:




When applying for a home equity loan, keep in mind that like most loans, there are always a host of fees. Usually the interest rates for this type of loan are much lower than those of a credit card which is a plus but be sure you understand all costs that will be associated with the loan before you sign on the line.

The main cost to consider is the interest rate. Different types of home equity loans come with different types interest rates. If you are getting a closed home equity loan, which is a single loan, it traditionally will have a fixed interest rate. If you are considering a home equity line of credit, know that it usually will have a variable interest rate. The two types of loans are quite different so expect a discrepancy in the rate of interest for each.

With the home equity line of credit, often every time you borrow from that line, you may be asked to pay a transaction fee. But with all fees, it never hurts to ask for them to be waived or reduced. Often lenders waive certain fees as an incentive to use their company. So do your research!

Both of these loans are treated much like a mortgage. So like your initial home loan, expect that you will have closing costs, attorney fees (if they prepare the legal documents) and insurance fees to pay. You’ll more than likely also encounter an appraisal fee. It’s usually required to have an official home value established before the loan amount can be properly determined. Just keep these all in mind when deciding on whether or not getting a home equity loan is right for you.

Unfortunately, fees are a necessary evil when it comes to getting any type of loan so be prepared to analyze the whole picture. There’s always more to consider than just your monthly payment. And since it’s your home you are putting on the line, it’s so important to understand every fee that will ultimately be associated with the loan. There are so many options out there for home owners. Just be a savvy consumer and get all the information before committing to anything.

Marie

Bill Stone asked:




There are home equity loans for people with poor credit. If you own a home and have been paying down the mortgage you, most likely, have equity. The balance between what you owe and the current market value of your home is your equity. For example, if your home is valued at $100,000 and you now owe $80,000, then you have $20,000 in equity. This would satisfy most lenders’ requirements of at least 20% equity for home equity loans for people with bad credit.

If you don’t know what your homes’ market value is, many online lenders have home value calculators on their websites. If there is one available, you can use it to get an instant estimate of what your homes’ market value is.

Once you know the market value of your home, a home equity loan calculator can help you figure out the percentage of equity you have. An equity loan calculator can also help figure out interest rates and monthly payments on home equity loans for people with poor credit. By entering different repayment terms like 10, 15 or 20 years into the calculator, you can see how it will affect your monthly payments.

The longer the repayment term is, the lower your interest rates and monthly payments will be. Home equity loans for people with poor credit can often be as competitive as their good credit counterparts. This is due to a drastic increase in lender competitors who are now offering lower interest rates and loan terms.

Searching for Loans

There are many places to find home equity loans for people with poor credit. You can search through many lenders online. With many lenders offering borrower incentives such as no closing costs, low fees, low interest rates and flexible repayment terms, you can see up front which ones are right for you.

There are also many lenders who specialize in lending to people with poor credit. These lenders will often have higher interest rates. Being that your loan will be secured with your house, you can apply to a variety of lenders to see what offers will best suit your needs and budget. Knowing your credit score can help by eliminating lenders who have credit score requirements that you don’t meet.

If you don’t know your credit score, you can obtain one online from any of the major credit bureaus. Many offer you a free look at your credit score when you subscribe to a free 30-day trial to their credit monitoring services. Another option for home equity loans of this nature is their mortgage brokers.

Often, a mortgage broker can get you interest rates comparable to that of your mortgage. If you have a good history with them, and you are using your house to secure the loan they are sometimes better able to approve you for a home equity loan. The equity in a home can be the deciding factor in acquiring home equity loans for people with poor credit.

Lucille

Gressly Stevens asked:




Are you looking for a home loan, but you are not sure which one is right for you? There are many different types of home loans and it can be very confusing to try to pick the best option for yourself. Here are 7 different types of home loans and what they should be used for.

The first one is the traditional purchase mortgage. This is a home loan you get to buy an existing home. Be careful not to do the 100% financing option because you will start with no equity and it will take you 10 years or so to build any real equity. You should always put at least 10% down.

The second type of home loan is a refinance loan. This is a loan that is used to get a lower rate, pay off debt against your home, or to add on to your home. This is a first mortgage that is usually between 80% and 90% of the value of your home. Make sure the benefits of your refinance out weighs the loan itself.

The third loan is the second mortgage. This is similar to a refinance, but can go up to 100% and sometime 125% of your home value. These are used in emergency situations, especially the 125% loan because the rate is much higher and you will be tying up all your equity.

The fourth different type of home loan is the construction loan. This is a loan that is used to start building a home. It has 4 stages of funding as the home is build and if you are not quite wealthy, then you are wasting your time building. It usually takes a new home around 10 years to appreciate to the value of the original construction loan.

The fifth type of loan is the first time home buyers loan. This is a purchase mortgage that is designed for anybody that is purchasing their first home.

The sixth type of loan is the home equity loan. This is similar to a second mortgage, but many times the rate is prime plus a percentage. These are good for people that just need a little bit of money.

The seventh different type of home loan is a line of credit. This is a revolving account that works much like a credit card only your home is the collateral. These are good for people with a business or with an addition to their home because if either one gets more expensive than planned for you can take out more money on your line of credit.

There you have it, seven different types of home loans. Now you just need to pick the right one for you and start applying.

Daniel

KarenB asked:


I own my home, but do not have enough equity built to refinance and get $50K to pay off credit card debt-what are my options? Someone told me a second mortgage may work, but I have only owned my home for 14 months. Balance on my current mortgage is $77K, home value is max $90K.

WALTER

Amanda Hash asked:


When you need finance for a home improvement project, you’ve many options at your reach. However, one that is not often considered and can turn out to be a very cheap source of founds is to take a second mortgage on the same property you are planning to improve. Home equity loans or second mortgages are the right tool for financing home improvements.

The fact that these loans are based on equity and that you are planning to improve the property that is guaranteeing them has several implications that need to be taken into account. Both the lender and the borrower will benefit from the fact that the loan will be used to improve the asset that is guaranteeing the loan.

Home Equity Loans (Second Mortgages)

Home equity loans or second mortgages are based on the remaining equity on your home. Basically, equity is the difference between the home value of your property and the outstanding debt guaranteed by that property. Home equity loans use this equity as collateral to guarantee the loan just like home loans use the property as collateral.

This implies that the risk involved for the lender is reduced due to the guarantee and thus, the interest rate charged is low. These loans along with home loans are probably the lowest rate loans of the private financial market. This in turn, implies also low monthly payments which are perfect for financing home improvements so you don’t have to pay high lump sums every month.

Also, since these loans are guaranteed, the lender is willing to offer higher loan amounts. However, the loan amount will be limited by the equity left on your home. Higher loan amounts are also very useful for home improvements because generally, home improvements are rather expensive and an important amount of funds are needed to undertake home improvement projects.

An Alternative: Home Equity Lines of Credit for Home Improvements

These lines of credit are revolving sources of funds that are also guaranteed with your home equity. Instead of a fixed loan amount, what you are offered when requesting a home equity line of credit, is a flexible source of funds with certain credit limit. Up to this limit you can request as much money as you need and repay it the way you want. Generally, the minimum payment is the interests charged for the money you withdraw.

Once you repay the principal, you can withdraw it again as many times as you want as long as you don’t exceed the credit limit. This tool provides a lot of flexibility that comes in very handy when making home improvements that have costs that you can’t always predict and thus having a fixed amount can seriously limit your project.

The main difference as regards the terms of home equity loans and lines of credit is that home equity lines of credit always carry a variable interest rate that is altered every three months according to market conditions, while home equity loans can carry either a variable rate or a fixed interest rate that will remain the same all through the life of the loan.



ALTON

MLS Reverse Mortgage asked:


Seniors today often live with a great deal of financial uncertainty. The retirement they imagined may not be consistent with the reality they face.

Incomes are flat or declining, living and medical expenses are higher than ever and few income boosting alternatives exist.  Even those who have heard about Reverse Mortgages may be unsure about how they work or what questions to ask. As they search for information, they often turn to their financial institution for guidance and information. By becoming familiar with the product, you can be an even more valuable resource to your clients providing them with income supplementing alternatives to drawing down assets.  

 

What is a Reverse Mortgage?

 

A Reverse Mortgage is a special type of loan that allows a homeowner to convert a portion of the equity in their home into cash they can access. The funds are not taxable to the homeowner and typically don’t interfere with eligibility for Social Security or Medicare benefits. (However, in the federal Supplemental Security Income program, beneficiaries must keep their liquid resources under certain limits.) The customer retains title to the home as well as right to any appreciation in home value when the loan terminates after it is paid off. The loan remains in force until the last titleholder dies, permanently leaves the home or sells the property; the borrower can’t be forced to sell or move by the lender. The loan may be repaid at any time. But unlike a traditional home equity loan or second mortgage, no monthly payments are required. Instead of putting further pressure on an already stretched budget, a Reverse Mortgage can free a senior homeowner of monthly debt obligations.

 

Most Reverse Mortgages today are Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) and are FHA-insured and guaranteed. Because HECMs are subject to FHA lending limits, proprietary products have also been developed to help homeowners with properties in excess of the FHA lending limits.  

 

Who qualifies for a Reverse Mortgage?

 

All titleholders must be 62 or older and own a home with some equity. There are no income or credit qualifications. Existing mortgages or liens must be paid off, but are often paid with proceeds from the Reverse. The homeowner must also remain current on insurance and property taxes, but these can also be paid with proceeds from the Reverse.

 

How can a borrower use the money?

 

The funds can be used for any purpose from making ends meet to living retirement dreams.  The top reasons for funds used given typically by borrowers are:

 



Paying off debts, primarily mortgage and credit cards

Home repairs and remodeling

Living expenses

Travel

Health care or long-term care

Easing the financial burden on children

Education

Hobbies

Escalating property taxes



 

The amount available depends on the borrower’s age, the value of the home, interest rates and local FHA lending limits. Older borrowers can receive a higher percentage of their equity than younger borrowers. Funds can be received in a lump sum, a monthly payment or a line of credit.

 

What are the costs?

 

As with most any loan product, there are origination fees and closing costs, but they can be paid from the proceeds of the Reverse Mortgage. HECM loans also have a charge for the FHA’s Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP). There are usually no out-of-pocket costs to the borrower.

 

What consumer protections are in place?

 

Reverse Mortgages are non-recourse consumer loans – the loan payoff can never exceed the value of the home. To get a Reverse Mortgage, the customer must attend a mandatory counseling session and review their financial situation with a trained, professional Reverse Mortgage counselor. Many of the counselors are certified by the AARP. The counselor ensures that they understand the transaction, the costs and their other alternatives.

 

If you have questions regarding Reverse Mortgages or how they may provide life-changing benefits to your clients, contact MLS Reverse Mortgage at 1-888-888-4834 or www.mlsreversemortgage.com.

 

Fixed Rate Reverse Mortgage

 

MLS Reverse Mortgage

 



GARTH

Chong L asked:


Basically, like every other home owners out there. My wife and I took a line of equity several years ago. Our house is now under water, we owed more than what the home value is worth at today’s market value. We’ve tried to refiance with our lender but was told we did not qualify to refinance. What should we do? Should we let go the house or keep on paying the mortage, which we barely making it month by month. Please I need some honest opinion about my options. Thanks.

MATT

George Kane asked:


Are you a homeowner and looking for a new loan against your home at low rate? If it is so then go nowhere. Over the years your home value has gone up substantially and so has its equity. It is the equity build-up in home that you can use for taking a low rate loan. Such loans are known as home equity loans. One can say that through home equity loans you release equity in your home for any personal purposes including renovating home, purchasing a car, enjoying holiday tour, for wedding or going for debt consolidation.

Home Equity Loans are second mortgages as these loans are given against equity in your home with the home as collateral. Equity is the amount that you arrive at after subtracting balance payments towards home from its current market value. The lender will approve an amount that is almost equal to the equity. In case of payment default, the lender will surely get back the loan on selling the home. And so, home equity loans are considered as most safe loans for the lenders.

Since home equity loans are approved against equity, these loans carry low rate of interest as lenders are sure to get back the loan. Clearly home equity loans are source of less burdensome finance. But being equity based loans; these involve usually short repayment duration of up to 15 years. However on certain conditions you can return the loan in larger duration also.

Though lenders prefer giving home equity loans to good credit people as it is second mortgage, but bad credit history borrowers also are approved the loan without much fuss over credit. You should be looking for a suitable deal on taking rate quotes of the lenders and comparing them for lower rate. Make timely repayment towards the loan installments for improving credit score.



TY

Dina Wilson asked:


Suppose you have obtained a first mortgage worth ₤150,000 on your property. You have paid ₤70,000 in last 5 years. Your home value has also increased to ₤300,000 in these 5 years. So your home equity is ₤1, 50,000 (₤300,000 – ₤70,000). Now if you take a home loan worth ₤2, 30,000 keeping the home equity as security for the debt, then such loans are called home equity loans.

Equity is the difference between how much the home is worth and how much you owe on the mortgage if you have more than one on the property. Home equity loans are second mortgages that let you turn equity into cash, allowing you to spend it on home renovation and improvements, business extension, availing children higher education, debt consolidation, or other expenses.

There are many benefits of home equity loans. Followings are some:

•Low interest rate home equity loan

•Borrow up to 125% of your home value (amount ranges ₤3, 000-₤75, 000)

•Flexible repayment term (term of 5to 25 years)

•Make any use of the loan amount

•Free online advice for home equity loans

•Lower interest rates

Home equity loans are quite useful, and have several advantages over other types of loans, such as credit card loans or more traditional secured loans. The biggest advantage is that the interest on home equity loans is tax deductible. The interest rates on home equity loans are already pretty competitive, but the addition of the tax deduction makes them pretty hard to beat.

Home equity loan is risk less loans. The lenders use the borrower’s home as collateral security. Home equity loans allow users to access funds depending upon the borrower’s requirements in varying amounts up to their credit limit.

For this cause, there are innumerable lenders present online. With the respective terms and conditions, these lenders are going in for alluring borrowers one way other. Availability of home equity loans online has made availing rather time-saving and instant at processing.



HARVEY