Posts Tagged ‘Loan Balance’

How Exactly Does a Home Equity Loan Work?

Posted in Finance on 10/16/2010 05:52 pm by admin
Derek Farley asked:




A home equity loan is a loan that is secured by the equity of the borrower’s home. Because the borrower’s home is used as security, the lender will usually offer an interest rate that is lower than it would be for an unsecured loan. The most common reasons for getting a home equity loan are paying for home improvements, paying off other debts that have a higher rate of interest, and paying for other expensive items such as a college education or medical bills.

A borrower should only seek a home equity loan if they are sure that they can repay it. If the borrower defaults then the lender could foreclose on the borrower’s home and sell it to recover their losses. A borrower must have equity in their home before applying. If the borrower’s home is worth less than the balance on their current mortgage(s) then there is no equity to borrow against.

There are two types of home equity loans – a closed end, and a line of credit. A closed end home equity loan is a lump sum that is repaid in monthly payments over five or ten years, and usually has a fixed interest rate. If the rate is fixed then it is easy to create a loan amortization schedule that shows the balance remaining on the loan after each payment. Variable rates are uncommon for this type of loan because the payments are fixed, so a change in the interest rate might mean that the payments are no longer enough to cover the interest expense. This would lead to a negative amortization, where the unpaid interest is added to the balance.

A home equity line of credit works like a giant credit card, except that there are minimum withdrawal amounts as well as fees for each withdrawal. The interest rate on this type is usually variable. Therefore, the monthly payment amount will change depending on the current interest rate and the current loan balance.

Currently, home equity loans are difficult to get unless the borrower has excellent credit and a lot of equity in their home. This is because the home equity loan will be in second position behind the first mortgage, which makes it difficult for a lender to recover any money if the borrower defaults. However, it is much easier to get if the borrower does not have a first mortgage because the equity loan would then be in first position. In that situation a borrower may find it easier to get than a traditional mortgage.

There is also a tax advantage to getting a home equity loan. The interest is usually tax deductible if the borrower’s primary residence is the home offered as security. The borrower should check the tax code or ask a tax professional for advice if they want to take advantage of this tax deduction.

Hazel
 

Home Equity Loans Explained

Posted in Finance on 07/04/2010 11:53 pm by admin
Paul Hockney asked:




Home equity loans are fixed rate home loans that allow you to tap into the money (equity) you’ve already invested in your home to finance debts or other purposes at a lower interest rate than most revolving credit options.

With house valuations increasing considerably over the last 10 years many UK homeowners are unaware of equity loans as a way of raising finance.

For example if you are a homeowner with a house valued at

 

Second Mortgages Instead of Cash-out Refinancing

Posted in Mortgage on 05/24/2009 04:19 am by admin
Amanda Hash asked:


Many advise to obtain a cash-out refinance loan when you are in need of cash and you want to obtain inexpensive funding. However, under certain circumstances it is smarter to resort to second mortgages as these loans can provide equally inexpensive funds without altering the conditions of the previous mortgages.

Second mortgages are home equity loans which use the remaining equity on your home to guarantee repayment. Thus, the previous mortgage loan remains unaltered as only the remaining equity is used and not the one used to guarantee the mortgage loan balance. This is particularly important under certain circumstances when the outstanding mortgage loan has very advantageous terms and it makes no sense to refinance it.

Second Mortgages and Home Loans

Second mortgages are loans based on equity that use only the exceeding equity that is not guaranteeing the outstanding mortgage loan as collateral. Thus, with a home equity loan you can obtain additional cash out of your property just like with cash-out refinance home loans but you do not need to touch your outstanding home loan.

Compared to home loans or first mortgages, second mortgages charge slightly higher interest rates and do not offer such advantageous terms. With a home equity loan or second mortgage you will not be able to obtain repayment schedules of up to 30 years like with home loans but you can get up to 15 years without difficulties.

When to Resort to Second Mortgages

Cash-out refinance loans are an excellent option. They provide all the funds you need while refinancing your outstanding mortgage balance. Besides, as home loans they provide very advantageous terms. And you end up with a single monthly payment instead of having two payments like you do with second mortgages.

However, this is true only if your new refinance home loan has better or similar terms as your previous mortgage. Otherwise, refinancing your home loan may not be to your advantage and the cash you obtain from a cash-out refinance home loan may turn out to be significantly expensive compared to getting additional funds with a home equity loan or second mortgage.

For example: If you obtained your current mortgage loan under good credit and market conditions and thus you have a fairly low interest rate, chances are that by refinancing your home loan and due to the fact that you want to obtain additional cash via a cash-out refinance home loan, you will end up paying a higher interest rate.

If the amount of money you still owe on your mortgage loan is significant, you may end up wasting thousands of dollars more towards interests and you need to ponder that when you analyze the costs of refinancing. Instead, with a second mortgage, you are just paying interests for the money you are actually requesting and not also for the amount of your outstanding mortgage that remains with the same interest rate and fees as always. Thus, when analyzing whether you should go for a second mortgage or a cash-out refinance home loan you need to take into account APRs, Outstanding balances and the costs of each financial transaction.



BERNIE