Home Equity Loans - second mortgage

Jane Addams asked:




With so many people of America who are in debt it is easy to understand why the Government has programs to help individuals that are in need. People are charging everything from gas to groceries and it seems that the problem is not going to end soon. Most people don’t know that thousands upon thousands of home loan grants are given out each and every year, to people who are just like them. But hundreds of thousand of other people go without a grant, not knowing that they may be able to qualify for one - and better yet, get the money that they need to do what they’ve always wanted with their home.

If you want to find out, you would qualify for home loan grants, you need to learn what they are and then find out what grants are available on the internet. In this article, you will find this information out to much help.

1. What Kinds Of Grants Are There?

The problem in today’s real estate market is that most people have no idea of what all is available or where to start in looking for it. However, when it comes to home loan grants, there are many available and once you know where to look, you will find the process of securing one quick and easy. If you need your home fixed, you will be able to find a home loan for that. As well as fixing up your home for looks and functionality. If you want a home loan, and need a down payment (This is one of the most common grants), but don’t have the money to save and spend on one, there is a grant for that. It’s actually easy to qualify for, and can give you thousands to put towards the home of your dreams.

2. Qualifications for Home Loan Grants!

The number one question have about home loan grants has to do with qualification. Remember that every grant is slightly different. There are even some grants that have some money, but not enough to help everyone out who applied. Even so, the basic concept of the grants is identical. There are a few grants out there that can give you up to $3000 dollars to help pay off back mortgage payments so that you won’t default on your loan and go into foreclosure.

- There are home loan grants for people that are disabled as well as veterans and those with a very low income level. You can check with the loan but these are all reasons that you may qualify.

- To qualify for home loan grants, you would need an income deemed to be at poverty level, which is not difficult in today’s recession.

- Grants are many times given to those with more personal debt problems, so apply even if you are having issues with money.

Jennifer

SBCT asked:


I purchased a home with a childhood friend. Both our names are on the title and both of our names are on the mortgage. We lived in the home together for approx. 1 year and then we moved out going our seperate ways and turned the house into a rental property.

I purchased a second home with my new wife that we currently live in. My childhood friend lost his job a while back and can not afford to pay his part of the mortgage for the house and i can not afford to pay the whole mortgage in addition to the mortgage on the house me and my wife live in. the rental income from the house helps a little but we still have an approx. $1000 difference every month we have to come up with (his half is $500 and my half is $500). what are my options? if we cant pay the rental houses mortgage anymore and it gets foreclosed upon, is my home i live in with my wife in any kind of jeopardy???

selling it is out of the question as the real estate market slide puts us in a negative equity situation.
California……..

How long does it take for my credit to recover from that? 5 year? 10 years?

WILSON

thechicagoloop asked:


I bought an older house in a poor neighborhood for about 75 K. Since then, the real estate market has ballooned (New Orleans area), and the neighborhood has improved a great deal.
I recently asked a lender to see how much I could get a home equity loan, and they said not much, as they appraised the house at about 80K.
Funny thing is, the house behind mine, which is a carbon copy of the house I live in, sold a year after mine for 150K!
Can I argue this point to the lender, or do I need to do another kind of appraisal?

FEDERICO

Alan Lim asked:


Ever feel lost when people talk about subjects like a home equity loan? It certainly does sound something like what you would hear on a business news show. But for every homeowner or someone considering property purchase, home equity is an important concept to grasp. It really isn’t very complicated either. Therefore, piror to understanding a home equity loan, let’s first talk about home equity.

What is home equity?

Equity can simply be understood as the monetary value of something you own after you deduct the amount of outstanding loan you have on it. For example, if your house is worth $200,000 and you owe your finance company $50,000, then the equity of your home would be $150,000. So basically, the more loans you clear on your home the greater equity it will have. A surge in the real estate market and prices of property also helps in adding on to your home equity.

What is a home equity loan?

Now that you have an idea of what a home equity is, let’s get into a home equity loan. Simply put, it is the process of taking a second mortgage on your home. For example, if your have recently bought a house for $200,000 on mortgage, a home equity loan will allow you to secure a second mortgage of 25% of your first mortgage, which would be $25,000 in this case. Depending on the lender, one may even be given as much as 80% of the original mortgage for their second mortgage.

Six key aspects to consider

1. First of all, issue a home equity loan only if you must. It is always better to not have any additional loans than the one you already posses.

2. If you do feel you need to secure a home equity loan, then you will generally need to have a great credit score since this loan is mostly given to those who are considered “qualified borrowers,” i.e. those who have a good track record of paying back on time what they have borrowed.

3. Keep in mind that apart from the credit score, your home itself will also be on the line as collateral with the lender. So defaulting on your loan could result in losing your home.

4. One good advantage of a home equity loan is the fact that the interest rate is generally lower than those of credit cards. So if you do need to borrow money through a credit card for something large, then this would be a less expensive option. But make sure you do a proper comparison of the cost of borrowing money with other options that you might have.

5. The interest you pay on your home equity loan is also tax deductible, which can be a huge benefit when you are cash strapped. But there are limitations to this, so look into it carefully.

6. Shop around. Don’t jump into the first option you see on being issued a home equity loan. Find out how you can get the best interest rate (fixed or adjustable) and read the fine print on your withdrawal limit.



HARVEY

Dean Shainin asked:


Asking yourself, “Is a home equity loan right for me?” is the first and most important step to take.

Home equity loans have become so popular today because of increasing home values. A home owner can access money for consolidating debt, home improvements, a new car, education or starting a new business.

Emotions can take the place of logic when considering a home equity loan.

It’s a good idea to sit down and take your time before signing up. Educating yourself will benefit you in the long run.

A home equity loan is like having a second mortgage on your home. Suppose your home is worth $200,000, and you have a mortgage against it at $150,000, you will have $50,000 of equity available. Home equity loans allow you to borrow up to 80%, and sometimes more in certain situations, of your homes value. In this situation you could borrow $80,000 as a home equity loan and still have only borrowed 80%.

This is why it is so important to take a good look at your situation before making a decision. You can see how easy it could be to get carried away with a home equity loan.

The second step should be to get an idea of what your home is worth in today’s real estate market. You can look at what others in your area have sold their home for. A realtor can help you with getting an idea of your homes fair market value. Be sure to get a few quotes because some realtors may be interested in inflating your home value in hopes of earning your business.

When you have an approximate figure, you can get an idea of how much equity you have in your home. At this point you should have an estimate of how much money you need to borrow. It’s best if you can avoid borrowing up to the full 80% of your homes value.

This is where some home owners get carried away with their emotions and logic goes out the window. It can be so easy to say, I have $60,000 available and I really only need $40,000 for remodeling my kitchen and bathrooms. Why not borrow $50,000 so I can go on my dream vacation. It’s important to remember that the more you borrow, the higher your payments will be. This is simple logic. But, emotions can take over and you can end up having a tough time paying back the home equity loan, with the risk of losing your home.

The third step is to figure out what type of home equity loan you want. In today’s market, there are two popular types of home equity loans. A line of credit and a closed end loan.

With a line of credit, it is just like having a credit card with a large credit limit. Depending upon the bank, you may be required to make minimum monthly payments. Others may only have you make payments if you’re at your credit limit. If you have had problems with high credit limits in the past, this may not be a good idea. It’s best to have discipline with a line of credit and big credit limits.

Having a closed end loan is just like your standard home mortgage loan. You borrow the money for a set period of time and make monthly payments until the loan has been paid off.

The fourth step is to figure out how long you want to borrow the money. This is where mortgage calculators can help you. It’s easy to find them online and helps you to avoid having to talk to a loan broker before you are ready. Try different time frames to see what you can and can not afford. Be sure to decide if you’re going to take a line of credit or a closed end loan before you put in your figures. This is an important step to see how much you can afford repaying on a home equity loan. It’s best again to use logic, not emotion in regards to how much you can afford to repay.

The fifth step after choosing the home equity loan you want, is to find a good bank or lender. Shopping online can save you valuable time. Banks and lenders are very competitive for your business online. You can use this to your advantage and save money on fees. Be sure to look over the fine print of your home equity loan contract before signing anything. Read everything, and if you have a questions be sure to have them answered first. Be very clear on everything and take your time.

A home equity loan is a great way to help you take care of things you would like done or feel you need. If done properly , a home equity loan can be a valuable resource. Educate yourself to find out what is best for your situation. Try not to compare your situation to someone else. Only you know what is best for you. Home equity loans can be a big windfall or a big headache. It really depends upon you taking the time to research your options and choosing the right loan.



WENDELL