Home Equity Loans - second mortgage

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Can You Get A Home Equity Loan If You Are Self Employed?

August 21, 2010 By: admin Category: Finance

Milos Pesic asked:




If you are self employed you may be wondering if you can take out a home equity loan? The answer is that you can. In fact, it is a lot easier to do so today than in previous years since self employment is so common now. However, the process that you go through will be somewhat different than if you have an employer and W2 forms to submit as proof of income.

You might find that the regulations are a little tighter when applying for a home equity loan through a traditional lender such as a bank. For example, they might require that you have been self employed for 2 or even 3 years. They will want to see your tax returns for the years you have been self employed so they can get an overview of how stable your income is.

It is possible you can find it easier to work with a mortgage lender who specializes in home equity loans for the self employed. These types of lenders sometimes offer a ‘no proof of income’ loan which is very friendly towards those who are self employed. In this instance, you won’t have to worry about proving your income stability, but usually in order to compensate for that freedom, you will have to make other concessions. For example if it is a first mortgage, you will likely have to put up a large down payment, and for home equity loans, you will probably not be able to borrow 100% of your equity.

It is important as a self employed individual that you keep good records of your business. Those records will come in handy at times like when you are applying for a home equity loan. The more thoroughly you are documented, the less risky you seem to be and therefore more banks will be willing to take a chance on loaning you money. It could also mean that your loan will have a lower interest rate if you are not considered a high risk.

One thing is for certain, self employed home equity loans are not uncommon today. Self employment is at an all time high and financial institutions are aware of this fact and have special programs and regulations in place to serve this group of borrowers.

Just remember to follow the guidelines of responsible borrowing whether you are self employed or not. Don’t borrow more than you can comfortably afford to repay, shop around for the lowest rate and be sure to understand the terms before you sign. With a little work and attention to detail in your record keeping, you will likely find that in today’s world it is easy to qualify for a home equity loan if you are self employed.

Joy
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Best Home Equity Loan Rates - 4 Tips

July 13, 2010 By: admin Category: Finance

Susan Willis asked:




Having an even 3-point better interest rate on your home equity loan can save you over $1,000 in annual debt payments (on a loan of $50,000). Here are 4 tips for getting the best-possible home equity loan rates.

Tip #1: Pull your credit report: Even though your loan will be lent against the equity in your home as collateral, the rate for which you are eligible is still based largely upon your credit score. If you have not pulled your credit score in months or years, go ahead and do so now. You can get a free copy of your report at the Federal Trade Commission-authorized Web site.

Tip #2: Polish your credit score: If you have poor or fair credit, improving your credit score just 50 points or so can save you $1,000 or more in annual home equity loan payments. While an applicant with good credit might have a rate of 1/2 point below prime, someone with fair or poor credit might pay 1 to 5 points over the prime rate. Bonus: borrowers with better credit can often avoid application or appraisal fees as well, which can add up to significant savings.

Tip #3: Consider a home equity line of credit as an alternative: Before you apply for a home equity loan, consider a home equity line of credit as well. This is a great option if you are not sure exactly how much you will be borrowing over the next couple of years. The potential risk factor is that the rate is not fixed and as it is usually tied to the prime rate.

Tip #4: Compare rates: Once your credit score is in tip-top shape and you have decided that a home equity loan is your best option for securing cash, I suggest starting with your current mortgage lender to find out their best rate. Then, use that as a point of comparison and go online to shop for rates. There are a number Web sites that allow you to compare rates. Before selecting a loan on a given site, be sure to read the fine print about associated costs and fees.

For homeowners, a home equity loan can be a great way to secure cash. To get the best rate, be sure to check and then improve your credit score. Once you have decided that the timing is right to apply for a loan, shop for rates on any credible Web site that will allow you to compare among multiple lenders. And, be sure to read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.

Jessie
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Home Equity Loans Explained

July 04, 2010 By: admin Category: Finance

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

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Choosing Between A Second Mortgage And A Home Equity Loan

October 09, 2009 By: admin Category: Mortgage

Joseph Kenny asked:


There are some alternatives available to the homeowner who needs financial help but does not want to refinance their present mortgage. There are however, at least two main options if some sort of equity loan is desired. You can obtain an equity credit line or a second mortgage loan and there are specific advantages and disadvantages with each one. Money can be saved over time if you take time to choose the loan that best fits your needs. Whatever you decide you will need to know the exact reason you want to borrow and the amount you need to make the loan for.

One of these loan options could be just the right thing to help solve your financial problem. You need to take a close look at both types of loan in order to see which one will give you the best type of service.

The most common form of equity credit is the Home Equity Line of Credit and this option gives the borrower the greatest amount of flexibility. If you want to do much needed repairs or renovations to your home, the best way to make this happen is to use the equity available in a loan that contains an equity line of credit. An equity credit line often comes with a debit card option that allows you to access more money when it is needed. Home improvements can often be estimated to be less expensive than they end up being, so the ability to draw on funds from the equity on your home is a very convenient option of a home equity credit line.

There are some disadvantages of the Home Equity Line of Credit. There could be a higher variable interest rate than with a second mortgage. The lender could make an adjustment in the credit rate at any time because the rates are variable and the changed interest rates could result in higher monthly payments. The interest is not tax deductible, so there are no tax advantages to HELOCs.

There are some definite advantages to a second mortgage. You may choose this option over the Equity line of credit. The interest rates on second mortgage loans are usually fixed rates and this is the main difference between the second mortgage and the equity line of credit. The second mortgage will allow you to borrow a fixed amount instead of having an open account from which to access funds and possibly put yourself into debt. The second mortgage loan can be used as a way to get out of debt. It can be used to consolidate outstanding debts and bring it all under one low monthly payment. You can also use the interest on a second mortgage as a tax deduction.

The biggest risk you encounter with a home equity loan is the fact that you are using your home as collateral for the loan. This is to protect the lender in the event that you fail to meet your loan payment requirements. The decision could be made to foreclose and you could end up loosing your home. Be sure you know just what is at risk when you take out a home equity loan of any type.



COURTNEY
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30 year loan paid in 5-6 years?

June 30, 2009 By: admin Category: Renting & Real Estate

beach_babe972 asked:


does this sound good?

you can buy a house now, and have it payed in 5-6 years. you can buy your vacation house now, or retirement house, and rent it, and the rent will pay the mortgage. and it will apprechiate by the time you retire.

you can reverse the compounding interest on a 30 year loan. (average daily balance). just like banks will take your payments and pay the lower interest loans first. when you do a 30 year mortgage, the lender takes monthly payments after the interest coumpounds the most. so instead you can take out a HELOC (home equity line of credit) as a second mortgage, a credit line of 30,000 for example, and use it to pay $15,000 towards the principle. now you lowered the principle amount by 15,000. so the interest is less. then use your monthly income to pay down the HELOC. when the HELOC is back to 0, pay another 15,000 to the principle with the credit. and your paying down the principle a lot faster than if you just made monthly payments to the loan. and the first month on the HELOC after paying it back down to 0, is 0%. the balance has to go past 30 days to have finance charges. since your always paying it down every few months, you’ll always have 1 month with no interest.

if you only paid monthly payments, after the first 10-15 years on a 30 year loan, you barely paid anything to the principle becuase most of your monthly payments go to interest.
if you have a 500,000 loan for 30 years, your actually paying $1,000,000 after 30 years because of the interest on the average daily balance of the loan.

so with the HELOC, you lowering the principle amount way faster then you could just making monthly payments.

and since your renting your retirement house, theres still monthly payments to the loan from the renters.

then in 5-6 years you will have some apprechation, and most of the loan will be paid, and you can live in it almost free, or sell it and have $200,000-$300,000 tax free.

CHUCK

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