Home Equity Loans – second mortgage

Daryl Stewart asked:


A home equity loan closing cost appeal usually carry a lower initial interest rate than a home equity loan, but its rate fluctuates according to the prime rate, so there is always more of an interest rate risk. Unlike a HEL, where your monthly payment is a set amount, a HELOC enables you to borrow funds as needed and repay as little as interest only each month.

 

When deciding between a Home Equity Loan against a Home Equity Line of Credit, first we need to determine what the money is being used for and how much money are we going to need. Generally, a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) is a better choice for ongoing cash needs, such as college tuition payments or medical bills.

 

Home equity loan allows you to draw money whenever you need money, capped at a fixed limit. There is generally a minimum payment due each month, with the option to pay off as much of the line as you want. The two most popular types of home equity loans are called “open” and “closed.” The “open” loan or a line of credit sometimes called a HELOC.

 

In this loan usually the interest rate is variable tied to the prime rate and the term of the loan can range from five to thirty years. Because the rate is variable the payment amount is as well which might be problematic. Lenders often offer a special starting rate as an added enticement. The other type of loan is a “closed” loan where the amount is a fixed amount for a fixed period at a fixed rate with set payments so at the end of the term the loan is paid off much like a regular installment loan.

 

The rates and term of the loan are usually fixed but because the extra money is unsecured the rates are generally higher than a regular first or second mortgage rate but still lower than credit card rates. With a home equity loan, there are also closing costs that you need to take into account. This refers to the money paid at closing to the lender. It may include one or more of the following fees: a loan origination fee, points, appraisal fee, title search and insurance, survey, taxes, credit report charge and other costs assessed at conclusion.

 

One of the variations which have broad appeal is the 125 home equity loan so selected because the borrowers can get up to 125 % of the current combined loan to value (CLTV). This type of loan is mainly appealing to first time home buyers who may need to spend extra money on furniture, home improvements, landscaping, etc.

 

The extra money can be used for debt consolidation, medical expenses, or college tuition as well .There is such a wide variety of loans you can get using the equity in your home as collateral that it can be confusing. But if you do a little research you can find one that is just right for you and your needs.



SPENCER

puppiesnmarshmellows asked:


This is going to be embarrasing, but i don’t know if we are doing ok or not. I don’t know what the norm is for money leftover after bills but according to a debt/income ratio i did today we are at 34% which is good, i guess.

My husband makes 1333 twice a month (that is what we see after taxes) there is a addtional 125 going straight to our savings account each month on top of the 1333 twice a month.

Our bills are as follows

first check
car-291
insurance-62
elecric,gas,water 200
credit card 170
cable-93
which leaves 517 left for gas and groceries

second check
mortgage 600
home equity 103
home phone and internet 100
cell phone150
which is a little tighter at 380 for gas and groceries

total for the month we have 917 left in our checking, including the 125 that is in our savings its 1042 a month.
I just am curious how we are doing financially? I’m scared to death about this kind of thing and fear we are doing something wrong. We are military so no health ins.
well we’re military so no job loss..and no unexpected medical bills. we really don’t have to worry about that because its a secure job.
no credit card is what we decide to pay on it..that isn’t the minimum payment. We have a home phone and a cell phone because up until a month ago we only had a home phone. Effective the 26th we will no longer have that home phone. The second mortgage was to redo our home, its almost paid off now, it was only 10,000.
oh and why don’t i work? I have two small children and noone to care for them. We don’t live near our families. There is NOTHING wrong with being a SAHM parent.

ARNOLD

Joseph Kenny asked:


Home equity loans are taken where the borrower uses the home as collateral. These loans may be useful for home repair, medical bills or even for education. Most home equity loans require good to excellent credit history. These come in two forms, closed end and open end.

Both of the above types are considered as second mortgages as they are secured against the value of the property just like any mortgages of traditional type. Home equity loans are usually (but not essentially) for a shorter term than first mortgages. In United States, Home equity loans interest can be deducted on one’s personal income taxes.

Closed end loans

The borrower will receive a lump sum on sanction but cannot borrow further. The amount of money that can be borrowed are normally depends upon certain variables like appraisal value of the collateral, credit history of the borrower, income source of the borrower among others.

Normally, the borrower can take up to 100% of the appraised value of the home less any liens, although there are lenders that may go above 100% when doing over-equity loans. However, state law governs in this matter. Closed end loans have fixed rates normally and generally amortized for periods up to 15 years.

Some offer reduced amortization and at the end of the term a balloon payment becomes due. These larger payments may be avoided by paying minimum payment or by refinancing the loan.

Open end home equity loan

Revolving credit loan of this nature is also referred to as a home equity credit loan where the borrower has the option to choose when and how often to borrow against the equity in the property and the lender setting a initial limit to the credit line on the basis of some criteria as mentioned above for closed end home equity loans.

Similar to closed end equity loans, it is possible to borrow up to 100% of the value of the home less any lien. These line of credit are normally available up to 30 years at a variable interest rate. The minimum monthly payment may be as low as only the due interest rate and the interest rate is based on the prime rate plus a margin.

Fees

Following are the list of possible fees that may apply to home equity loan: Appraisal fees, originator fees, stamp duty, title fees, arrangement fees, closing fees, early pay-off, and other costs are added in loans. Surveyor and valuation fees may also apply to loans, but some may get waved. The survey and valuation costs can also be reduced provided the borrower provides his own licensed surveyor to inspect the property under consideration.

Title charges in secondary mortgages or equity loans are fees for renewing the title information. The borrower should read and ask questions about the fees being charged to make himself sure about the fees since all these loans have some sort of fees tagged



THERON

Jack Krohn asked:


Millions of Americans are up to their ears in debt. They struggle every month just to meet the minimum payment which just prolongs the debt. Credit cards have high finance fees. Hence, it is difficult to pay down balances. In most cases, the minimum payment barely covers the finance charges. This makes it difficult to reduce the credit card balance.

One approach for eliminating or reducing debts involves acquiring a debt consolidation loan. Although debt consolidation loans will not miraculously eliminate your debts, these loans make is possible to reduce your debts faster.

In 2005 the value of home equity across the US was $11.3 trillion. The percentage of home ownership in 2005 was 69% down slightly from the record 69.2 % in 2004. Almost 124 million Americans own their own home. There is plenty of money available to lend.

If you obtain a debt consolidation loan, all your credit balances are lumped into one loan. Furthermore, debt consolidation loans have reasonable interest rates. This enables you to become debt free within a few years.

There are various ways to obtain a debt consolidation loan. Individuals with good credit may qualify for a personal debt consolidation loan. If you own a home, it may be possible to get approved for a home equity loan. Home equity loans are ideal because the rates are low and the terms fixed. Usually, homeowners are able to repay the money in five to seven years – sometimes less.

Just beware that home equity does not automatically go up every month like some would have you believe. Several factors far beyond your control determine the value of your home. Just within the last six months or so the value of homes in some parts of the country dropped by 10% in a month.

Before you get a home equity loan you should know these facts.

• They are secured by a second deed of trust on your house.

• If your financial situation changes your home could be at risk of foreclosure.

• Having to make two payments on your home can be a lot of financial strain.

• A lot of unscrupulous lenders could care less.

• Keep your eyes open to what the local housing market is doing. Just recently many areas experienced a 10% decline in values in one month causing many homeowners to owe more than their home was worth.

It is essential to use the funds wisely and borrow only what you can afford to payback. Most Americans who use their home equity to pay off their credit card debt refuse to change their habits and lifestyles, and actually see their zero-balance cards as an invitation to go shopping – perpetuating the cycle.

Before you put your home at risk with a second mortgage understand the risks. Explore all the possibilities. Just because a home equity loan for debt consolidation seems so easy to do and easy to get, doesn’t make it the right choice for you. Don’t press the EASY button.



RICHARD

Grateful Believer asked:


Ok I’ll try to make this as short as possible (if it’s even possible)…

We have a first and a second mortgage on our home. I had developed somewhat of a friendship (via phone) with our broker over the years. He had done a 2 or 3 loans for me prior to the one’s I currently have. When we went into doing a good size remodel he did a 30 year fixed mortgage loan that was killing me financially during construction. So, during the end of construction May 05′ we refinanced into a Negative AM Loan and due to needing more $ to finish our project we took out a second in the amount of $25,000 ($20,0000 was what our contractor told us we needed for completion). The plan was that a Negative AM would give us a little extra cash if we needed it for the finishing touches. With this loan I could choose month to month to either make a Neg AM minimum payment, interest only payment, 30 year fixed or 15 year fixed payment. After a year we would refinance the 1st and 2nd into 1.

Well, I had called our broker 3-4 times in the months following the signing of papers concerning when the payment for the 2nd was due and for how much. 1st contact was about 1 month after completion of the loan to let him know I hadn’t recieved a statement for the 2nd. He said it was on his desk and he hadn’t gotten to it but will soon. I called at least 3 more times over the next few months and was told the same thing during the 2nd and 3rd contact. Then by the 4th contact he said don’t worry about it just appreciate it now. I thought ok I guess we’ll just deal with it later (yes, I know that sounds stupid and why would someone do that right?) I didn’t really think much of it because like I said we had developed somewhat of a friendship over the years. (And NO not sexual, I have never met the man in person and I am MARRIED)

A year came and went, then a year and a half came. I called him sometime in January or February 07′ to asked him when we were going to refinance the loans. He said let’s do it. I started the process of submitting all the paperwork and he ordered an appraisal which we paid for out of our pocket. The result was that we had plenty of equity to qualify but due to our credit scores at the time (which weren’t to bad but not great) he advised us to wait because the interest rates were continuing to drop and he was confident that we could get a better interest rate if we were to wait a little longer. We both agreed.

Another year went by. In January 08′ I called him again to start the process of refinancing. Again, I submitted the paperwork and paid for another apprasial. I shared my concern with him regarding the news of foreclosures and it making it harder for me to get refinanced. I let him know I didn’t want to lose my home. He understood my concern but was still confident and advised me not to worry. He wanted us to somehow cut our credit card debt down by 50%. He suggested to borrow money from our family or friends. Well, needless to say that was not possible. I don’t have any rich family members or friends that would let me borrow 6 or $7,000. This was so I could manipulate the balance of my close to being maxed out credit cards. So, that’s how we left it. I was to try and get my credit cards down. That was in March. I called him and July to let him know I wanted to get it done. He asked me to call him back next week. I agreed but didn’t. Not on purpose, but at my job, the summer is crazy.

Coincidentally, while our economy is going down the crapper, I recieved a phone call from him a couple of days ago letting me know we needed to come up with some kind of plan, he said I needed to come up with atleast $15,000 in 30 days!!!! If I do that he will wait on the rest so I can continue to pay down my debts and refinance me later. He told me if I didn’t, we would have to sell our house because, at this time I still have enough equity to pay him off.

So, after this long story my question is… can he force us to sell our home? I have been loyal in paying my 1st on time without default. I don’t have a problem paying him back, I did borrow the money. It’s not like I’ve ignored the 2nd completely either. I have looked through my paperwork and it doesn’t have any payment address or who to make the payment out to. Can he just all of a sudden demand this money to be paid to him? Can he force my family out on the streets? For a $25,000 debt I had inquired about a number of times and a first that has no default against it.

ENRIQUE