Home Equity Loans – second mortgage

Jon Spears asked:




The state of Texas has some pretty interesting refinance rules. This is especially true when one wants to pull cash or equity out of their home.

There are two types of mortgage refinances. The first type is called a rate and term refinance. This is simply when someone wants to lower their rate or change the term of their original home loan. For example, someone with a 30 year mortgage at 7% may want to refinance to a 5.25%, 15 year mortgage.

In this instance they are not pulling cash out they are just changing the rate and/or the term of their original loan. During the “refinance boom” (2001-2004) many loan officer and mortgage brokers did dozens and dozens of rate and term refinances because mortgage rates dropped so low.

Most people refinance when their home loans when the market rate is much lower than their current mortgage rate. A good rule of thumb is when you can save about 1% it may make sense to refinance.

The second type of refinance is called a Texas Cash out Refinance. This is when someone wants to pull cash out of their home in addition to lowering or changing the rate or term.

Texas once outlawed the ability to pull cash out of one’s home but now allow this as long as the loan meets these criteria:

80% Texas Cash Out Rule: This rule states one that the loan can not exceed 80% of the home’s appraised value.

For example, if one’s home is worth $100,000 and the current mortgage owed is $50,000 than an equity loan can go up to $80,000 (80% of 100k). Thereby netting the borrower $30,000, less closing costs.

3% rule: This rule state that the total fees can not exceed 3% of the loan’s value. For example, if someone does a 100K equity loan the total fees can not exceed $3000. This means broker, title, survey, appraisal, underwriting, doc/prep (everything!) can’t exceed 3%. This law was intended to protect borrowers but it actually penalizes lower loan amounts making it difficult for those with small loans to take advantage of their equity.

This is a great example of regulation doing the opposite than what it was intended. So for those with loan amounts under 100K, it’s very difficult to do a home equity loan as state law also requires one to purchase a new title policy each time one refinance. Title policies usually run 1% of the loan amount.

However, it’s important to note that the 3% law does not apply for those doing an investment cash out home equity. So it’s actually easier to do a home equity loan on an investment property than on an owner occupied property in Texas!

12 Day rule: This is one of the more unique rules. Whenever you do a home equity loan your loan officer or mortgage broker will ask you to sign a 12 day form. This form states that the loan can’t close until 12 days after the date of the application. I guess the state of Texas wants you to have 12 full days to think about your loan!

3 day rule: Then, after we wait 12 days, we are required to wait 3 days until we fund. Not to mention one is required to look and sign the final HUD (settlement statement) 24 hours before closing.

So to make things simple: The loan can’t close for 12 days. Then, once the HUD is prepared by the title company the borrower(s) must review and sign the HUD 24 hours before we close. Then we can’t fund the loan for 3 full business days.

These rules are why it often takes 30 full days to fund a Texas Cash out loan.

Oh, and by the way. The final rule…one must wait 12 full months between home equity loans. So if you do a Texas cash out one year and the price of your home goes up significantly you must wait a year before refinancing.

Because Texas home equity loans have so many rules it is important your mortgage professional truly know the rules so everything goes smoothly with your refinance.

Susan

Alan Fernandez asked:




The Home equity Loan or HELOC has been around for many years and in the past has been a useful tool in helping middle class families do improvements on their home, send a child to college or even help provide starter capital for a small business.

The concept is based on the idea that your home is worth a set amount in the current market, for example $250,000. Your mortgage balance is a portion of that market value, for example $ 100,000 leaving you with $ 150,000 in equity. This equity can be accessed via a loan or line of credit up to a certain percentage of that equity amount. Any debt against that equity lowers the value of the equity above total debt (mortgage and Home equity). So a $50,000 loan against the equity would lower the available equity for future loans to $100,000. Or a line of credit (more common use of HELOCs) where $20,000 was actually used would lower available equity to $130,000.

Home equity loan repayments are tax deductible to the consumer and in a stable economy where interest rates are low a family with substantial enough income to make the payments or pay off large chunks of the loan can do well.

Unfortunately, the current atmosphere for these loans is bleak. People borrowed on the equity of their homes for any number of wise or unwise reasons and saw the value of their homes shrink along with any available equity. Some saw the reduction so severe that the loans outstanding were more than the worth of the house.

Also, unfortunate is the rise of unscrupulous lenders and their agents and brokers who decieved people into loans they could not afford such as mortgage brokers who neglected to tell their client about the escrow (property taxes and homeowners insurance) that would be due on top of their regular mortgage payment thereby doubling the anticipated promised payment to something less affordable.

Or the bank who gave kickbacks to appraisers to over-appraise a home so that more equity would be available; equity often borrowed on at the closing. More business for the lender, bad for the borrower.

When looking at a home equity loan try to find a reliable lender through research, ratings and word of mouth. Next, look at rates. Some are set at the Prime Interest rate or slightly above. They vary from lender to lender as well as do the closing costs. Next, determine the length of time on the loan. Remember the loan will be structured to indicate the amount of your payments representing interest only. If you pay via that method you will be paying interest but not decrease your principal.

Most importantly, do an honest self appraisal of why you wish to use the equity in your home.
Many people use HE loans to pay back high interest credit card debt. What happens all too often is that the credit card is not destroyed as it should be, but used again later. Credit card debt thus increases and the HE loan still hasn’t been paid off and so total debt has increased.

Going into debt can be useful if well planned and thought out but many times the lender is plunged into a cold, murky place where no matter what…the loan has to be paid back.

Ralph

Constructionlenderca asked:

www.lendinguniverse.com Lending loan home equity loans and lenders equity loan is reputable website for mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders since 2000 which foster thousands of banks, credit union as well as thousands of brokers and private hard money lenders in every state of United State…

Holly

Steven James asked:


Home equity loans and lines of credit usually are repaid in a shorter period than first mortgages. Home equity loans are attractive to borrowers for a few main reasons:They typically have a lower interest rate (or APR)They are easier to qualify for if you have bad creditPayments on a home equity loan may be tax deductibleBorrowers can get relatively large loans with this type of loan.

Home equity loans have become popular for a number of reasons, including the escalation of property value during the 1980s and that many homeowners these days are remodeling their homes rather than selling them in today’s sluggish real estate market, bankers and mortgage brokers noted. Many lenders set the credit limit on a home equity line by taking a percentage (say, 75 percent) of the home s appraised value and subtracting from that the balance owed on the existing mortgage. Lenders sometimes offer a temporarily discounted interest rate for home equity lines–a rate that is unusually low and may last for only an introductory period, such as 6 months. On the other hand, because the lender s risk is lower than for other forms of credit, as your home serves as collateral, annual percentage rates for home equity lines are generally lower than rates for other types of credit.

Here is a brief list of possible fees that may apply to your home equity loan: Appraisal fees, originator fees, title fees, stamp duties, arrangement fees, closing fees, early pay-off and other costs are often included in loans. If your home has appreciated in value since you purchased it, or there is a substantial difference between the amount you still owe on your mortgage and the value of your home, a home equity loan may be a great way to unlock this money if you have a considerable expense to pay off. You of course do not want to sell your home just so you can touch the cash tied up in it and the home equity line of credit is the ideal way to do this without having being forced to sell.

When examining home equity line of credit options you should remember that different lenders have different policies and procedures and some will lend a higher percentage of the equity in your property than others. Some might even lend over and above the available equity in your house, so it’s important to compare the different deals out there so you get the amount you need and repayments that you can afford. But when homes sell for less than the value of their mortgages and home equity loans ? a situation known as a short sale ? lenders with first liens must be compensated fully before holders of second or third liens get a dime. The law prohibits a homeowner from having more than one home equity loan at a time, although a homeowner may have secondary liens from other sources, such as a home improvement loan or a tax lien.



DORIAN