Home Equity Loan Information - What Is A Home Equity Line Of Credit?

Did you know that if you have a home that you’ve been paying on for years, you may have a lot of usable money right under your nose? What’s more, a home equity loan just may be the perfect way to get your hands on that money!

Here’s how it works. Let’s imagine that your home mortgage is for $250,000, but after years of paying on that note, you only owe the mortgage company $100,000. In this instance, you would have $150,000 in equity in your home. A home equity loan is a specific type of loan that will allow you to borrow against that equity.

Why would you want to do this? The number one reason that people take out home equity loans is as a means to consolidate their debt. Because a home equity loan is a secured loan, the interest rates are considerably lower than that of credit credits or personal loans. And so if a person had $10,000 in credit card debt, they could reduce the total amount of owed—as well as their monthly payments—by taking out a home equity loan and using the cash to pay off their credit card debt.

Another great reason for taking out a home equity loan is to make improvements on your home. Have you been thinking about adding a swimming pool to your backyard? A greenhouse to your yard? A new bedroom or bathroom addition? A home equity loan is a great way to finance those types of projects.

Your first step should be to talk to your current mortgage company about your options, but don’t stop there. You will quickly find that there are plenty of companies who are willing to lend you money against your house, and so you should shop around for the best deal.

And that brings us to our final point. A home equity loan is secured by your home. What that means is that if you don’t make the payments on time, the lender will have the right to take your home and sell it in order to collect on the debt. Make sure that you are in a position to pay back any amount you borrow against your home!

About the Author

To see a list of recommended home equity loan companies online, visit this page: http://www.abcloanguide.com/homeequityloan.shtml - Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website with articles and more about various types of loans.

Press Release (Federal Reserve Board)
The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the launch of an online resource to help consumers make informed choices when refinancing a home loan.

Why consider refinancing? (Federal Reserve Board)
The interest rate on your mortgage is tied directly to how much you pay on your mortgage each month--lower rates usually mean lower payments. You may be able to get a lower rate because of changes in the market conditions or because your credit score has improved.

Color of Money Book Club (Washington Post)
Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary hosted an online discussion with Carolyn Warren, author of "Mortgage Rip-Offs and Money Savers" (John Wiley & Sons), on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Noon ET.

What to look for in an appraiser (Courier-Post)
Questions and answers on how consumers can ensure they are getting an honest appraisal when buying or selling a home, refinancing an existing mortgage or taking out a home equity loan or line of credit:

State launches Web site on reverse mortgages (Woburn Advocate)
  With the popularity of reverse mortgage loans on the rise among Massachusetts senior citizens, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) today launched a new web site, www.mass.gov/reversemortgage , to provide information and guidance to borrowers about these types of products.

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