by: Joseph Kenny
If you have good credit, a homeowner, your mortgage is paid on time every month and you are thinking about borrowing money, the home equity route may be the way to go. What this allows is suppose your home is worth substantially more than your current mortgage, for example, your mortgage is for £100,000 but your home is worth £200,000, you will have an equity of £100,000 in the value of your home that you can borrow against.
A home equity loan can be used for many purposes:
-Paying off other debts;
-Taking a holiday;
-Paying for university;
The loan is secured over your home, and therefore, the interest rate will generally be lower than for other types of credit that may be available. This makes them a good option for paying off higher interest debts, so long as you don’t rack them up again, or taking on a larger project such as a house extension. It is often a good idea to use a home equity loan to renovate your house, as the house value increases as a result, and often by more than what you pay to renovate it. You can also receive a tax credit on the interest paid on the loan.
However, it must be remembered that such loans are not appropriate for everybody in every situation. They should generally only be used for large projects of long term needs. For smaller loans, it may be better to look at other options such as personal loans. The rate and terms, as with all loans, will vary depending on your payment history and the amount and length of the loan.
The loan can be offered as a lump sum or as a credit line. The lump sum gives you the whole amount of the loan all at once and interest is payable on it immediately. With a credit line, you only use the money as needed, up to an agreed maximum, and interest only accrues on the amount you use.
You should always carefully review your finances before taking on more debt, especially if it is to be secured on your home. Using your home as security means that if repayments aren’t made on the loan, you could lose your house. It is therefore important that you are comfortable with the amount you are borrowing. You should also look at the differences in costs between a lump sum and a line of credit and decide carefully which one better suits your needs.
About The Author
Joseph Kenny writes for the loan comparison sites, http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk and also http://www.selectloans.co.uk. The latest loans are reviewed in detail at the Loan Store.
Showing posts with label home equity loan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home equity loan. Show all posts
Home Equity Loans: Abusive Lending And How To Avoid It
by: Dan Johnson
Home Equity loans were initially designed to allow individuals who had not yet paid off the full amount of their home, the ability to borrow against what portion of the home they had paid for. So for example, a couple who had been making monthly payments for many years on their 30 year lease, could use the money they had already put into their home as collateral when they needed a loan to send their child to college. So, while the initial intent of the loan is regarded by some as noble, in practice it has served as a free-for-all for unscrupulous lenders and other scam artists.
Explaining Sub-Prime Lending
Home Equity Loans fall into a broad category known as sub-prime lending. Unlike prime lending, which is heavily regulated and offered to those living in good neighborhoods with fair to good credit, sub-prime lenders target those in bad neighborhoods with worse credit ratings. Because they offer loans to individuals who otherwise might have difficulty finding a loan, they were and are able to justify to the government the need to have greater free reign when it comes to setting the interest rates and finance charges associated with their loans.
This window, combined with the deep pockets of Home Equity Loan firms able to grease the campaigns of politicians, has prevented the industry from coming under the heavy scrutiny and regulation of prime lending. Consequently, what is seen in this industry is widely varying interest rates, and charges that are completely disproportionate with the risk incurred by the lending institution.
How to Protect Yourself
For the investor interested in taking on a Home Equity Loan, there are a few measures which can be taken to radically diminish the chances of being taken advantage of. The first precautionary step is to request a copy of the loan a full week before you sign it. The lending institution is required by law, to provide you with a copy of the loan many days in advance of you signing it. It is a rather simple task to ask for the loan, and the lending institutions response often reveals much about the quality and legality of the loan. If the lending institution says, that either the loan paperwork is not yet ready, or otherwise fails to produce the paperwork inside of a week prior to the signing, you should walk on the loan.
The catch-22, and consequently the reason why Home Equity Lenders are able to take such advantage of borrowers, is that often they are facing foreclosure and desperately need the loan. While your need may be very real, signing a sub-standard loan will ultimately put you in far worse shape than you ever were before.
Recognizing the Hidden Charges
The second, and potentially most important technique to prevent predatory lending, is to demand that all loan costs not be rolled into the APR, but be listed and paid by you up front. What predatory lenders do to entice individuals into taking a loan, is to soak up the equity in a home and offer you a small kickback on the side. So, taking the example of our couple above, let us imagine that they have $50,000 in equity in their $100,000 home and have a fixed mortgage rate of $650 a month. They then go to a Home Equity Lender who tells them that upon signing the loan they will get $20,000 in cash and their new interest rate will be $580 per month. What they do not tell the borrower is that they have also cashed out the other $30,000 dollars in equity and paid it to themselves in "refinancing fees." In addition, the new mortgage they receive may either be variable, meaning that as interest rates climb so will their new payment, or be back loaded, meaning that by the end of the loan the payments may reach $1,200 a month.
Can Home Equity Loans be useful? Yes, but only under ideal circumstances. By and large, they are a product designed by unethical lending companies to take advantage of those desperate for a little cash now. If you plan on applying for a Home Equity Loan, it is vital that you take the two steps outlined above as well as have an experienced independent third party go over the loan and its convoluted terms with you.
About The Author
Dan Johnson enjoys writing about home equity loans. Visit http://www.homeequityloanlowdown.com/ to learn more.
Home Equity loans were initially designed to allow individuals who had not yet paid off the full amount of their home, the ability to borrow against what portion of the home they had paid for. So for example, a couple who had been making monthly payments for many years on their 30 year lease, could use the money they had already put into their home as collateral when they needed a loan to send their child to college. So, while the initial intent of the loan is regarded by some as noble, in practice it has served as a free-for-all for unscrupulous lenders and other scam artists.
Explaining Sub-Prime Lending
Home Equity Loans fall into a broad category known as sub-prime lending. Unlike prime lending, which is heavily regulated and offered to those living in good neighborhoods with fair to good credit, sub-prime lenders target those in bad neighborhoods with worse credit ratings. Because they offer loans to individuals who otherwise might have difficulty finding a loan, they were and are able to justify to the government the need to have greater free reign when it comes to setting the interest rates and finance charges associated with their loans.
This window, combined with the deep pockets of Home Equity Loan firms able to grease the campaigns of politicians, has prevented the industry from coming under the heavy scrutiny and regulation of prime lending. Consequently, what is seen in this industry is widely varying interest rates, and charges that are completely disproportionate with the risk incurred by the lending institution.
How to Protect Yourself
For the investor interested in taking on a Home Equity Loan, there are a few measures which can be taken to radically diminish the chances of being taken advantage of. The first precautionary step is to request a copy of the loan a full week before you sign it. The lending institution is required by law, to provide you with a copy of the loan many days in advance of you signing it. It is a rather simple task to ask for the loan, and the lending institutions response often reveals much about the quality and legality of the loan. If the lending institution says, that either the loan paperwork is not yet ready, or otherwise fails to produce the paperwork inside of a week prior to the signing, you should walk on the loan.
The catch-22, and consequently the reason why Home Equity Lenders are able to take such advantage of borrowers, is that often they are facing foreclosure and desperately need the loan. While your need may be very real, signing a sub-standard loan will ultimately put you in far worse shape than you ever were before.
Recognizing the Hidden Charges
The second, and potentially most important technique to prevent predatory lending, is to demand that all loan costs not be rolled into the APR, but be listed and paid by you up front. What predatory lenders do to entice individuals into taking a loan, is to soak up the equity in a home and offer you a small kickback on the side. So, taking the example of our couple above, let us imagine that they have $50,000 in equity in their $100,000 home and have a fixed mortgage rate of $650 a month. They then go to a Home Equity Lender who tells them that upon signing the loan they will get $20,000 in cash and their new interest rate will be $580 per month. What they do not tell the borrower is that they have also cashed out the other $30,000 dollars in equity and paid it to themselves in "refinancing fees." In addition, the new mortgage they receive may either be variable, meaning that as interest rates climb so will their new payment, or be back loaded, meaning that by the end of the loan the payments may reach $1,200 a month.
Can Home Equity Loans be useful? Yes, but only under ideal circumstances. By and large, they are a product designed by unethical lending companies to take advantage of those desperate for a little cash now. If you plan on applying for a Home Equity Loan, it is vital that you take the two steps outlined above as well as have an experienced independent third party go over the loan and its convoluted terms with you.
About The Author
Dan Johnson enjoys writing about home equity loans. Visit http://www.homeequityloanlowdown.com/ to learn more.
The Basics Of A Home Equity Loan
by: Adam Jackson
In general, the basics of a home equity loan are quite simple. A home equity loan is a loan secured against the equity of your home. The lenders will measure the equity amount of your home, by looking at how much of the mortgage remains (if any) and what the current value of the property is. Most high street lenders are happy to lend money of up to 75% of your home’s equity. Similar to a mortgage, the loan will usually run for 10 to 25 years and have a rate of interest applied.
In most cases, a home equity loan is seen as a second mortgage. It will run along side your original mortgage and be paid in the same way. The more common reasons for taking out a home equity loan include home improvements, purchasing a second home or debt consolidation.
In fact, most lenders are now aggressively pushing their debt consolidation products. This has become a growth area in recent years, mainly due to people over spending on their credit cards. A home equity loan will allow the borrower to pay off all existing debts and loans and spread the low monthly payment across a number of years. Most banks are very happy with this situation as they are exchanging unsecured debt for secured debt. The security of course is the equity in your home.
If you’re considering a home equity loan, there is one very important point that you should be aware of. The loan is secured against your property, if you fail to make repayments there is a very real chance of you losing your property.
About The Author
Adam Jackson of http://www.besthomeequity.net is a home repair expert striving to bring you the best free home repair and improvement information on the web.
info@besthomeequity.net
In general, the basics of a home equity loan are quite simple. A home equity loan is a loan secured against the equity of your home. The lenders will measure the equity amount of your home, by looking at how much of the mortgage remains (if any) and what the current value of the property is. Most high street lenders are happy to lend money of up to 75% of your home’s equity. Similar to a mortgage, the loan will usually run for 10 to 25 years and have a rate of interest applied.
In most cases, a home equity loan is seen as a second mortgage. It will run along side your original mortgage and be paid in the same way. The more common reasons for taking out a home equity loan include home improvements, purchasing a second home or debt consolidation.
In fact, most lenders are now aggressively pushing their debt consolidation products. This has become a growth area in recent years, mainly due to people over spending on their credit cards. A home equity loan will allow the borrower to pay off all existing debts and loans and spread the low monthly payment across a number of years. Most banks are very happy with this situation as they are exchanging unsecured debt for secured debt. The security of course is the equity in your home.
If you’re considering a home equity loan, there is one very important point that you should be aware of. The loan is secured against your property, if you fail to make repayments there is a very real chance of you losing your property.
About The Author
Adam Jackson of http://www.besthomeequity.net is a home repair expert striving to bring you the best free home repair and improvement information on the web.
info@besthomeequity.net
No Closing Home Equity Loan
by: Adam Jackson
One new innovative product in the home equity loan market is the “No Closing” home equity loan. These loans are a little different from traditional home equity loans, in the fact that they allow you to draw funds against the equity amount of your home. For example, you may be provided with a credit card or check book. The way to look at them is as a line of credit, you can use the line of credit when ever you need to, and in return for this the banks will charge you a little more interest than a traditional home equity loan.
One of the great things about a no closing home equity loan is that you only pay interest on the funds that you have used. So if you never use the line of credit, there is nothing to pay. Should you make a payment, you can decide to pay this back monthly (plus interest) or in one lump sum, similar to a credit card.
No closing home equity loans are becoming very popular loan products, mostly because of the flexibility they offer. There’s also the added piece of mind, that should there be an emergency, that cash is available quickly to cover most eventualities.
Other popular reasons for a no closing home equity loan are for things that may involve random or unexpected costs such as home improvement projects or a student loan. Both of these activities require different levels of investment at different times, by being able to draw down the exact amount at exactly the time you need it, you will save money over the more traditional way of having all cash up front.
About The Author
Adam Jackson of http://www.besthomeequity.net is a home repair expert striving to bring you the best free home repair and improvement information on the web.
info@besthomeequity.net
One new innovative product in the home equity loan market is the “No Closing” home equity loan. These loans are a little different from traditional home equity loans, in the fact that they allow you to draw funds against the equity amount of your home. For example, you may be provided with a credit card or check book. The way to look at them is as a line of credit, you can use the line of credit when ever you need to, and in return for this the banks will charge you a little more interest than a traditional home equity loan.
One of the great things about a no closing home equity loan is that you only pay interest on the funds that you have used. So if you never use the line of credit, there is nothing to pay. Should you make a payment, you can decide to pay this back monthly (plus interest) or in one lump sum, similar to a credit card.
No closing home equity loans are becoming very popular loan products, mostly because of the flexibility they offer. There’s also the added piece of mind, that should there be an emergency, that cash is available quickly to cover most eventualities.
Other popular reasons for a no closing home equity loan are for things that may involve random or unexpected costs such as home improvement projects or a student loan. Both of these activities require different levels of investment at different times, by being able to draw down the exact amount at exactly the time you need it, you will save money over the more traditional way of having all cash up front.
About The Author
Adam Jackson of http://www.besthomeequity.net is a home repair expert striving to bring you the best free home repair and improvement information on the web.
info@besthomeequity.net
Is a Home Equity Loan Right For You?
by: Louie Latour
Home equity loans are an extremely popular source of credit. Lenders offer dozens of varieties of loans making it very easy to tap the equity in your home. If you browse the marketplace online, you will find most of these loans come with variable interest rates. Some loans are marketed with very low introductory interest rate. There are not many home equity lines that come with fixed interest rates. Many lenders charge upfront fees and large amounts at closing. Some equity loans charge annual fees and may have a large balloon payment due at the end of the loan. Equity loans that do not carry balloon payments typically come with much higher monthly payments.
As a homeowner you need to shop around for the best home equity loan that is right for you. The challenge is finding a lender that will match your needs for the best interest rate, fees, and terms. Fortunately, the marketplace is extremely competitive, and a shrewd shopper can find excellent deals. To do this you need to contact as many lenders as possible. Compare offers not just based on interest rates, but compare the fees and terms as well. Make sure you read and understand all the fine print contained in your loan contract. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or haggle over terms and stipulations. Mortgage lenders need your business more than you need theirs. Demand more from your mortgage lender and you’ll be amazed how far it will get you.
Before shopping for a home equity loan there are several questions you need to have answers for.
First, is a home equity line of credit right for you?
If you are in a situation where you have to borrow money in a hurry, home equity lines are a great source of credit. Home equity lines of credit offer easy access to your home equity and even tax advantages you won’t find with other loans. The downside of tapping the equity in your home is that you are using you home as collateral on the loan. If the equity loan you choose comes with a large balloon payment at the end of the loan, you could place your home at risk if you are unable to make the balloon payment. If you move and need to sell the home most equity loans require full payment at the time of sale. Many home equity lines allow you to write checks against your equity; this ease of access to your money could lead to spending when you don’t need to. If you are not careful you could piddle away the equity in your home with frivolous spending.
There are options available to you other than home equity loans. If you take out a second mortgage on your home you are paid in a lump sum. Second mortgages usually come with fixed interest rates making them less risky than home equity loans.
Second, consider how much you really need versus how much you can borrow.
Your home equity lender will evaluate your credit history along with your income and debt ratio. Depending on the outcome of this you may be allowed to borrow as much as 85 percent of the value of your home. Make sure you fully understand the loan terms and how the loan works.
Interest rates from home equity lines vary widely between lenders. You can save a lot of money by doing your homework and shopping from a wide variety of equity lenders. Make sure you are comparing the annual interest rate for the loans. The interest rates lenders advertise are based on interest paid. To make an accurate comparison compare all fees, including closing costs, points paid up front, and any annual fees you must pay. This will allow you to make an informed decision on a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage loan. Remember loans with variable interest rates typically come with a low introductory period. When this period is over your interest rate and payment amount could increase dramatically. Taking out a second mortgage with a fixed interest rate could shield you from surprises in your monthly payment amount.
If you decide on an adjustable rate loan, make sure you understand the periodic cap. This cap limits the amount your interest rate can change at once. Look for loans that come with lifetime caps as this will limit the amount your interest rate can change over the life of the loan. Ask your lender which index your interest rate is tied to. Indexes such as the prime interest rate are used to set your adjustable interest rate amount. Your lender will charge a margin on top of this index when setting your monthly payment amount. Finally, ask your lender if you have the option of converting to a fixed interest rate at a later time. If you do your homework up front and shop around, you can certainly find an excellent home equity or second mortgage for your financial needs.
About The Author
Louie Latour has twenty years of experience in the mortgage industry as a mortgage broker. He is the owner of http://www.refiadvisor.com/pblog/ Mortgage Refinance Advisor, a mortgage resource site devoted to saving homeowners money with a free guidebook “Five Things You Need to Know Before Refinancing a Mortgage.” http://www.refiadvisor.com.
Home equity loans are an extremely popular source of credit. Lenders offer dozens of varieties of loans making it very easy to tap the equity in your home. If you browse the marketplace online, you will find most of these loans come with variable interest rates. Some loans are marketed with very low introductory interest rate. There are not many home equity lines that come with fixed interest rates. Many lenders charge upfront fees and large amounts at closing. Some equity loans charge annual fees and may have a large balloon payment due at the end of the loan. Equity loans that do not carry balloon payments typically come with much higher monthly payments.
As a homeowner you need to shop around for the best home equity loan that is right for you. The challenge is finding a lender that will match your needs for the best interest rate, fees, and terms. Fortunately, the marketplace is extremely competitive, and a shrewd shopper can find excellent deals. To do this you need to contact as many lenders as possible. Compare offers not just based on interest rates, but compare the fees and terms as well. Make sure you read and understand all the fine print contained in your loan contract. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or haggle over terms and stipulations. Mortgage lenders need your business more than you need theirs. Demand more from your mortgage lender and you’ll be amazed how far it will get you.
Before shopping for a home equity loan there are several questions you need to have answers for.
First, is a home equity line of credit right for you?
If you are in a situation where you have to borrow money in a hurry, home equity lines are a great source of credit. Home equity lines of credit offer easy access to your home equity and even tax advantages you won’t find with other loans. The downside of tapping the equity in your home is that you are using you home as collateral on the loan. If the equity loan you choose comes with a large balloon payment at the end of the loan, you could place your home at risk if you are unable to make the balloon payment. If you move and need to sell the home most equity loans require full payment at the time of sale. Many home equity lines allow you to write checks against your equity; this ease of access to your money could lead to spending when you don’t need to. If you are not careful you could piddle away the equity in your home with frivolous spending.
There are options available to you other than home equity loans. If you take out a second mortgage on your home you are paid in a lump sum. Second mortgages usually come with fixed interest rates making them less risky than home equity loans.
Second, consider how much you really need versus how much you can borrow.
Your home equity lender will evaluate your credit history along with your income and debt ratio. Depending on the outcome of this you may be allowed to borrow as much as 85 percent of the value of your home. Make sure you fully understand the loan terms and how the loan works.
Interest rates from home equity lines vary widely between lenders. You can save a lot of money by doing your homework and shopping from a wide variety of equity lenders. Make sure you are comparing the annual interest rate for the loans. The interest rates lenders advertise are based on interest paid. To make an accurate comparison compare all fees, including closing costs, points paid up front, and any annual fees you must pay. This will allow you to make an informed decision on a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage loan. Remember loans with variable interest rates typically come with a low introductory period. When this period is over your interest rate and payment amount could increase dramatically. Taking out a second mortgage with a fixed interest rate could shield you from surprises in your monthly payment amount.
If you decide on an adjustable rate loan, make sure you understand the periodic cap. This cap limits the amount your interest rate can change at once. Look for loans that come with lifetime caps as this will limit the amount your interest rate can change over the life of the loan. Ask your lender which index your interest rate is tied to. Indexes such as the prime interest rate are used to set your adjustable interest rate amount. Your lender will charge a margin on top of this index when setting your monthly payment amount. Finally, ask your lender if you have the option of converting to a fixed interest rate at a later time. If you do your homework up front and shop around, you can certainly find an excellent home equity or second mortgage for your financial needs.
About The Author
Louie Latour has twenty years of experience in the mortgage industry as a mortgage broker. He is the owner of http://www.refiadvisor.com/pblog/ Mortgage Refinance Advisor, a mortgage resource site devoted to saving homeowners money with a free guidebook “Five Things You Need to Know Before Refinancing a Mortgage.” http://www.refiadvisor.com.
Do You Need a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit?
by: Jakob Jelling
A home equity line of credit is very closely related to a home equity loan but the subtle differences can mean a lot. Determining which option is the best for you relies upon you knowing your current situation and having a clear plan for what you wish to accomplish with the money.
A home equity loan is a lot like a mortgage. With a home equity loan you are able to borrow the amount of your homes value that you have already paid off. The benefits of this type of loan is that it is almost always guaranteed since it is based upon the amount of your home that you already own, the terms are almost identical to a mortgage and you receive the entire amount of the loan up front after closing.
While a home equity loan is also based upon the amount of your home that you currently own, the terms of the loan are very different. A home equity loan is basically a credit card where the limit is the amount of equity that you have in our home. Instead of receiving one large lump sum of cash, you will receive an overdraft type of service on your account that will allow you to withdraw as much or as little of the equity that you wish to use.
Which choice is better for you? The answer depends upon what you need the money for. With a home equity loan the monthly repayment schedule is known and the interest on your loan will be lower than most other types of loans. However, with a home equity line of credit, you have instant access to cash and the payments will vary depending but the interest will vary. With this in mind the question really becomes do you need access to a varying amount of money or one known lump sum of cash?
A lump sum of cash with a set repayment schedule is great for specific things such as debt consolidation or the funding of specific projects with a predetermined cost. If you are considering debt consolidation for credit cards or any other high interest loans a home equity loan is most likely a very good idea. You will be able to repay all of your debt and will only have to make one monthly payment at a lower rate of interest that you are currently paying on your cards and other unsecured loans.
Home equity loans also make perfect sense if you know the exact amount that you need to borrow. While it is always nice to have cash on hand it is often better to have more credit available to you. The more of your credit limit that you use up the higher the interest rates will be for you and the tougher it will be to borrow more money in the event of an emergency. It is definitely to your advantage to only be in debt for a specific amount to complete one project.
A line of credit option may be better depending upon what you wish to do with your money. While you will still use up a portion of your credit limit, the payments and impacts on your available credit may be lower. With a line of credit you always have the same amount of money available to you. As you pay off the amount of credit used, you can reuse that portion if needed without having to apply for another loan. Also your payments may be considerably lower since you are only paying on the amount of money that you have actually used, not the total amount borrowed.
As you can see there are some big differences between a home equity loan and line of credit. If you are looking at a single project, such as a new car or adding a pool to your home, a home equity loan is the better choice for you. However, if you are looking at starting up a new business, wish to travel or can not settle on predetermined amount money, then a line of credit is the better option for you. With a line of credit you can use as much of your credit as you wish whenever you wish and, much like a credit card, you can reuse the amount of the line of credit that you have repaid with out having to re-apply for a loan.
About The Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.
A home equity line of credit is very closely related to a home equity loan but the subtle differences can mean a lot. Determining which option is the best for you relies upon you knowing your current situation and having a clear plan for what you wish to accomplish with the money.
A home equity loan is a lot like a mortgage. With a home equity loan you are able to borrow the amount of your homes value that you have already paid off. The benefits of this type of loan is that it is almost always guaranteed since it is based upon the amount of your home that you already own, the terms are almost identical to a mortgage and you receive the entire amount of the loan up front after closing.
While a home equity loan is also based upon the amount of your home that you currently own, the terms of the loan are very different. A home equity loan is basically a credit card where the limit is the amount of equity that you have in our home. Instead of receiving one large lump sum of cash, you will receive an overdraft type of service on your account that will allow you to withdraw as much or as little of the equity that you wish to use.
Which choice is better for you? The answer depends upon what you need the money for. With a home equity loan the monthly repayment schedule is known and the interest on your loan will be lower than most other types of loans. However, with a home equity line of credit, you have instant access to cash and the payments will vary depending but the interest will vary. With this in mind the question really becomes do you need access to a varying amount of money or one known lump sum of cash?
A lump sum of cash with a set repayment schedule is great for specific things such as debt consolidation or the funding of specific projects with a predetermined cost. If you are considering debt consolidation for credit cards or any other high interest loans a home equity loan is most likely a very good idea. You will be able to repay all of your debt and will only have to make one monthly payment at a lower rate of interest that you are currently paying on your cards and other unsecured loans.
Home equity loans also make perfect sense if you know the exact amount that you need to borrow. While it is always nice to have cash on hand it is often better to have more credit available to you. The more of your credit limit that you use up the higher the interest rates will be for you and the tougher it will be to borrow more money in the event of an emergency. It is definitely to your advantage to only be in debt for a specific amount to complete one project.
A line of credit option may be better depending upon what you wish to do with your money. While you will still use up a portion of your credit limit, the payments and impacts on your available credit may be lower. With a line of credit you always have the same amount of money available to you. As you pay off the amount of credit used, you can reuse that portion if needed without having to apply for another loan. Also your payments may be considerably lower since you are only paying on the amount of money that you have actually used, not the total amount borrowed.
As you can see there are some big differences between a home equity loan and line of credit. If you are looking at a single project, such as a new car or adding a pool to your home, a home equity loan is the better choice for you. However, if you are looking at starting up a new business, wish to travel or can not settle on predetermined amount money, then a line of credit is the better option for you. With a line of credit you can use as much of your credit as you wish whenever you wish and, much like a credit card, you can reuse the amount of the line of credit that you have repaid with out having to re-apply for a loan.
About The Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.
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