Posts Tagged ‘Home Equity Loan’
Written on March 8th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Four Ways A Home Equity Line Of Credit Can Help You Finance Your Next Project
A home equity line of credit can be a great help to you when you are looking for finances for your next project. Whether you have one project in mind – or several, this kind of loan may be the best way to finance it. Here are four ways that a home equity line of credit (HELOC) may be the best way to go.
1. It Has A Lower Interest Rate
A home equity line of credit, even though it is a second mortgage, has an interest rate that it just a little higher than prime rate. This means that it is much lower than a credit card, lower than a personal loan, and may be lower than just about any other kind of loan – except for a first mortgage.
2. Only Pay For What You Use
This kind of loan has another great benefit – while you do pay interest like on any other loan, you are only paying interest on the amount you actually use. This means, that if you are given a draw period of 10 years, and you have only used half of the designated money after five years, that you have saved yourself a lot of money – even though a much larger amount is still at your disposal.
With a regular loan, even with a home equity loan, you will be paying a set amount of interest – whether you use all of the money or not. You have money available for projects if you need it – and if not, why should you pay interest on what you do not need, or use? This kind of loan works especially great if you have several projects in mind, but do not know what the total cost will be – or if you may want to add another project somewhere down the road.
3. Lower Monthly Payments
During the draw period on a home equity line of credit, you will be making low payments each month. This is because you will be paying on the interest only – and interest only on the amount that you have actually used. So, during the draw period, which could be up to about 11 years, you will enjoy very low payments.
You need to be aware, however, that at the end of the draw period, one of two things will happen. You will either need to make a balloon payment for the full amount, which will probably require refinancing, or your fully amortizing payments will become much higher than they were – since your new payments will now include the principal, too.
4. Few Closing Costs
One more reason why a home equity line of credit makes more sense than other loans is because it will have fewer closing costs and other fees. Some lenders charge very few, if any fees, when you take out a HELOC. This means a saving of possibly a couple thousand dollars, depending on how big the loan is.
Before you sign any HELOC agreement, though, be sure that you find out exactly what the margin is on it. This will be a rate of interest that is added to the overall APR, and you usually will not be told about it – unless you ask. Also, get several quotes for your home equity line of credit, look them over, and choose the best one for your needs.
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Tags:10 Years, 11 Years, Benefit, Credit Card, Credit Help, Equity Line Of Credit, Finance, First Mortgage, Heloc, Home Equity Line, Home Equity Line Of Credit, Home Equity Loan, Interest Rate, Loan Mortgage, Money, Personal Loan, Prime Rate, Second Mortgage
Written on February 25th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Facing Debt After Your Divorce? A Personal Debt Consolidation Loan Relieves The Financial Pressure
If your divorce has caused you real financial pain as well as personal heartache, a personal debt consolidation loan could provide you with much needed relief. No one gets married with divorce in mind and the disappointment and hurt, which results from a failed marriage, is enough to deal with without also coping with unexpectedly high debt. Divorce can knock us off our feet financially for a long time unless we take steps to minimize its impact.
There are a lot of costs involved in divorce: legal expenses, continued past debt with less family income and the cost of separating and creating separate homes can cause us to rely on credit cards to get us through. Suddenly, there is only one income and more outgoings than you can handle. Its stressful just to think about, let alone live through it. Instead of allowing these overwhelming circumstances to defeat you, it is important that you take control. A personal debt consolidation loan can provide immediate relief and set you back on your feet by substantially reducing your monthly debt payments and saving you thousands of dollars over time. It is also a wonderful debt reduction tool in that the set term of the loan guarantees that at the end of it, you will be debt free.
Furthermore, if your personal debt consolidation loan is unsecured, there is no risk of losing your home or other assets should you miss a payment. With secured loans such as a home equity loan, you can potentially lose your home if anything goes wrong. However, even though your home is not at risk with an unsecured loan, it is a good idea to insure the loan in case you lose your income for any reason. The goal is not simply debt reduction after divorce, it is also stress reduction.
Depression and divorce often go hand in hand, which can make it hard to take necessary action. If this is you, then you need to get some support to turn your situation around. Experienced financial and debt counselors are available who can help you find the most effective personal debt consolidation loan for your needs. They may even be able to do a lot of the paperwork for you. After the emergency treatment of debt consolidation, a professional financial counselor will also be able to help you create a workable budget and help you to become financially healthy.
A personal debt consolidation loan can set you on the road to recovery and with the right future decisions your finances can become a strength instead of a weakness.
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Written on February 16th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Don’t Let Your Debt Get The Best Of You – How A Debt Consolidation Loan Works
Many people work hard just to pay bills and increasingly a large part of these bills represents payments on loans. Multiple credit cards, lines of credit, store credit and other loans can create an unhealthy debt cocktail that can leave you reeling with a nasty headache. There can appear to be no answer to the amount of money you have to pay out every month but you obviously haven’t considered using a low interest debt consolidation loan to lower your monthly costs and take control of your debt.
Spending large sums every month servicing debt can effectively mean you are working for nothing and can impose an enormous amount of stress on you and your family. A debt consolidation loan can work magic and alleviate this stress immediately. Once you combine all your separate debts into one low interest debt consolidation loan, you will feel the immediate benefits of having to find far less every month for debt payments, you will also have much more income at your disposal to meet other expenses.
High monthly payments are not the only stress associated with high debt, letters and phone calls from creditors if you are late with a payment can add a lot of additional stress and for some people can be the straw that broke the camels back, pushing them into bankruptcy or causing relationship breakdown.
A debt consolidation loan is a readily available solution that can free up more of your income every month for other things. There are many debt consolidation loan options such as a home equity loan if you have equity in your home (usually the lowest cost, and will therefore save you the most money), an unsecured personal loan or a low cost credit card. When faced with these decisions it can be enormously helpful to get the advice of a professional debt consultant who can help you choose the right debt consolidation loan for your needs.
Once you have made the decision and obtained your debt consolidation loan, cancel your credit cards and lines of credit so you will not be tempted to use them. The last thing you want is any more debt. It would also be helpful to create a budget and live within it to help you create long term financial stability. If you do these things the money you use will mainly go to support your family and you will be well on your way to financial success.
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Written on February 9th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Debt Consolidation with Home Equity Loan Give You the Most Flexibility
Have you ever wondered how can you consolidation your debts and help you to save money which is used to pay for those high interest rate debts? You can reduce your interest rate charges by using your home equity loan to consolidate all of your outstanding debts. Your home equity loan can be used to consolidate debt and pay off the following accounts:
- Credit card balances
- Gas card balances
- Department store balances
- Installment loans
- Auto loans
- Any account balance that is outstanding.
Home equity loans allow a homeowner to borrow money by pledging the house as collateral. Normally this loan is easier to be approved by the lender even if you have bad credit because the lender view home equity loan as relatively safe. And you can borrow a relatively large amount of money to pay off all or most of your other high interest rate debts.
Home equity loans generally have a much lower interest rate than most credit cards and other unsecured loans. You can also set the repayment terms at a fixed rate so that you can plan exactly how much to budget each month. Also save time and hassle by writing just one monthly check.
Most home equity loans have the following repayment terms:
- up to 5 years
- up to 10 years
- up to 15 years
- up to 20 years
Thus, you have the flexibility of tailor a debt consolidation plan that fit your budget. If your debt consolidation balance is high, you may go plan with a long repayment period. With the longer repayment period, you will pay lower monthly repayment and budget for other living expenses needs.
What are the things save in debt consolidation?
By consolidation your debt with a home equity loan let you have the flexibility to plan ahead for your other living expenses needs. Home equity loan carries a much lower interest rate than most credit cards and other loans. And any interest you pay may be tax deductible. Hence, using home equity loan to write off your high interest rate debts such as credit card (more than 12% of interest rate) will leave you a high income balance (after deduce the month repayment for home equity loan) to budget for other needs such as send your kids to college, finance a new car & etc.
How much can you save?
That depends on your income bracket and annual percentage rate. But after deducting all the qualifying interest payments from your taxes, your effective APR will be significantly lowered. By comparing this lower interest rate to your car loan, credit cards and other installment loan's interest rates which do not qualify for tax deductible, you can see why is a smart way of doing debt consolidation with a home equity loan.
Summary
Home equity loan is the best method to consolidate your high interest debts; it carries low interest rate, tax deductible and love by the lenders as the secured loan to their borrowers. Debt consolidation with home equity loan gives you the maximum flexibility to plan ahead.
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Written on January 30th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Debt Consolidation Mortgage Loans – Using Home Loans To Reduce Debt
Excessive debts cause a lot of worry and anxiety. Many people hope to become debt free. However, earning enough money to care for daily living expenses, while paying down credit card balances is challenging. There are options available to those burdened with debt. Owning a home has certain advantages. Debt consolidation mortgage loans are easy to qualify for, and provide enough funds to payoff creditors.
Different Types of Debt Consolidation Mortgage Loans
If choosing to consolidate debts, homeowners usually obtain a lump sum of money. The funds can be used to payoff credit card balances, personal loans, auto loans, etc. Once credit account balances are zero, homeowners simply submit one monthly payment to repay the debt consolidation loan.
Because debt consolidation mortgage loans have very low interest rates, most homeowners are able to repay the loan within a few years. Typical repayment periods consist of five to fifteen years. Moreover, the monthly payments are very affordable. You can expect to save hundreds each month.
If opting to take advantage of a debt consolidation mortgage loan, you may select a mortgage refinancing or home equity loan option.
How to Consolidate Debts with a Mortgage Refinancing
Cash-out mortgage refinancing is perfect for consolidating unnecessary debts. Moreover, this method serves multiple purposes. Because of falling mortgage interest rates, many homeowners are deciding to refinance for a lower rate. In some instances, this may greatly reduce your mortgage payment.
With a cash-out refinance, homeowners borrow from their homes equity, and use the money to consolidate debts. Refinancing creates a new home loan. Furthermore, if borrowing cash from your equity, the mortgage principle will also increase. For example, if borrowing $25,000, the mortgage amount owed will jump from $100,000 to $125,000.
Home Equity Line of Credit and Home Equity Loans
Another approach for using your homes equity to obtain cash for a debt consolidation involves getting a home equity loan or line of credit. In this case, loans are approved up to the amount of equity you have built in the home. Because home equity loans are protected, homeowners with less than perfect credit may also get approved.
Home equity loans are dispersed as a lump sum. This is ideal for paying large credit card balances and other types of loans. With a line of credit, homeowners are approved for a revolving credit account. Lines of credit are also ideal for debt consolidation.
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Tags:Cash Out Mortgage, Credit Card Balances, Debt Consolidation Loan, Debt Consolidation Mortgage, Equity Line Of Credit, Home Equity Line, Home Equity Line Of Credit, Home Equity Loan, How To Consolidate Debts, Loan Option, Loans Auto, Low Interest Rates, Mortgage Amount, Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Payment, Mortgage Principle, Mortgage Refinancing, Refinancing Mortgage, Repayment Periods
Written on January 28th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Swimming in heavy credit card debt sometimes means getting deeper in debt simply because of high interest rates. The IRS no longer allows credit card interest as a deduction. If you use a home equity loan to consolidate and pay-off your bills, you could actually save cash three ways: 1. No interest accrues on your credit card balances, 2. Your new loan could have a lower interest rate, lowering your monthly mortgage payment, and 3. At the end of the year, three IRS allows you to deduct most if not all of the interest from your mortgage.
One possible glitch in the system is a variable rate loan. If your home equity loan has a higher interest rate, the potential exists you could have more out of pocket expenses than you had before.
While equity loans usually offer a lower interest rate, the closing costs could be higher. And, some lenders could charge a pre-payment penalty, almost forcing you to stay in your home rather than sell if a potential buyer makes an offer.
One way around these restrictions is a home equity line of credit. Those usually dont carry any closing costs, and there usually arent any pre-payment penalties.
If you have extremely good equity built up, you may want to consider cash-out refinancing. No matter what your home is worth, borrow only enough to pay off the existing mortgage and a specified amount you need to spend. For example, if your home is worth $300,000, but you only have $100,000 to pay-off. Borrow more than the existing mortgage, but less than the homes market value. You will then have lower payments, and probably less restrictions for an early pay-off.
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Tags:Closing Costs, Consolidation Loans, Credit Card Debt, Credit Card Interest, Debt Consolidation Mortgage, Equity Line Of Credit, Equity Loans, Existing Mortgage, Glitch In The System, High Interest Rates, Home Equity Line, Home Equity Line Of Credit, Home Equity Loan, Interest Rate, Irs, Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Payment, Pocket Expenses, Three Ways, Variable Rate Loan
Written on January 28th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Debt consolidation mortgage loans can help you lower your interest rates and monthly payments. With reduced rates, you can also pay off your debt sooner. However, reducing your equity could subject you to private mortgage rates. You may also end up spending more on interest payments by delaying payments.
Saving With Mortgage Interest Rates
Mortgage interest rates are much lower than credit card or unsecured loan rates. Consolidating your debt with a refinanced mortgage or home equity will reduce your payments simply by having a lower rate. By paying the same monthly payments, you can pay off your debt rapidly.
Your interest is also tax deductible with a mortgage or home equity loan, where your credit card interest isnt. Student loan interest is also tax deductible and shouldnt be consolidated for a higher rate.
Reducing Your Payments
Consolidating with a loan also allows you to reduce your payments by picking longer terms. So if your income is reduced or you have other financial obligations, lengthening your payments can give you some breathing room in your budget.
Paying More In Fees And Interest
The cost of a mortgage can be more than what you are paying in interest charges if you have a small amount of debt. To refinance a mortgage, origination fees can add up to thousands. Other types of home equity loans can cost hundreds or nothing to open. You may also have to pay private mortgage insurance premiums if dont leave 20% of your equity in tack.
Delaying payments can also add up interest payments, even with a lower rate. For example, a loan amount of $10,000 will cost $11,587.10 in interest for a 30 year loan at 6%. That same amount will cost $5,896.71 for a 5 year loan at 20%, which is what most credit card payment plans are like.
Deciding To Pay Down Debt
Consolidating your high interest credit can help pay off your debt by providing structured payments. You can also lower your interest rates, making repayment easier. However, be aware of the costs and shop around for low rates and fees. To get the most out of a consolidated loan, choose short terms to avoid making large interest payments.
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Tags:Breathing Room, Consolidating Your Debt, Credit Card Interest, Credit Card Payment, Debt Consolidation Mortgage, Financial Obligations, Home Equity Loan, Home Equity Loans, Loan Pros, Mortgage Insurance Premiums, Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Loan, Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Origination, Mortgage Rates, Origination Fees, Private Mortgage Insurance, Rates Mortgage, Student Loan Interest, Unsecured Loan Rates
Written on January 21st, 2010 by adminno shouts
Recent studies have shown the average American is about $10,000 in debt. Because of this, many people are looking for ways to consolidate their debts. It is not always an easy task to find ways to get your debt consolidated, but it is possible. Often, it can be important to consolidate debts because doing so can help your financial future become a bit brighter. It also helps you in short-term financial ways as well. The following are a few tips that can help you consolidate your debts to help improve your financial picture.
Tip#1 Seek Lower Interest Credit Cards
If you have debt that is on high interest credit cards, you may want to consider consolidating those debts onto low interest credit cards. There are various credit cards where you can transfer the high interest balance to one card. These cards offer low interest rates and some that even offer zero percent interest for a selected portion of time. Why keep paying those higher interest rates. You can get a lower interest credit card and save yourself much money each year.
Tip#2 Use the Equity in Your Home
One avenue for consolidating debts that many people forget is using the equity that they have in their home. If you own your own home, you may be eligible to get a home equity loan. In addition, you can apply for a line of credit to help you consolidate those high interest debts that you may have. It is important that you always keep current on your monthly payments to avoid losing your home.
Tip#3 Debt Consolidation Loans
Another way that you can consolidate debts is by taking out a debt consolidation loan. You would find these loans suitable if you have too much debt, and you find it tough meeting the monthly payments. Also, if you shop around you should get a break on the interest rate. That alone could reduce your monthly payments. Once you reduce your payments, you get out of debt much quicker than you could by paying off individual debts each month.
Tip#4 Try to Settle Your Debts
If you are desperate for a solution, try calling your creditors. Some creditors would be glad to help you continue paying, even a small amount. But don’t be fooled. It is in their best interest to motivate you to keep paying. So if you have the will to clear all your debts, you can most likely settle with your creditors. Remember you will need to contact all your creditors for this to work. Having one or two on board and not the other four can derail your plans with the first two creditors. Of course, there are other ways you can do this. Just use your imagination.
Tip#5 Refinance Your Home
You can also consolidate your debts by refinancing your home. By refinancing your home at a lower interest you can free up some cash. You can use the extra money to pay off some of your high interest debts.
These are just a few tips that can help you to consolidate your debts. Remember to weigh your choices carefully. Choose the one that gives you extra cash and some breathing room, in that order.
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Written on January 19th, 2010 by adminno shouts
A debt consolidation loan pays for multiple other loans or lines of credit. If you find yourself swimming in debt, this might be a good option. Debt consolidation loan is the best option when you have maxed out your credit cards and are yet paying for your car and house.
A debt consolidator will help you in making a single payment instead of making multiple payments. Managing your finances gets much easier. Also the interest rates on a debt consolidation loan are less since most of the debt consolidation loans are nothing but a home equity loan. Another good part is that since the interest rates are low, your payment is significantly reduced. If you have any issues or come up with questions, you have to make a single call to your credit counsellor instead of making several calls. One more advantage lies in the fact that the interest paid to a mortgage can be used as a tax write-off. This benefits you from a tax perspective.
Before you run out to get a debt consolidation loan, you also need to factor in the cons associated with this loan. For one, it is very easy to fall further into the debt trap. Since you will be left with more money at the end of the month, you will consider blowing it away rather than paying up for your debt. With the current economic situation, most mortgages are 30 year mortgages and this means you will end up paying your loan for the next 30 years. In terms of dollar amounts and over the lifetime of the loan, you will be spending much more than if you were to pay off the individual loans. The debt consolidation loan is against your home. This makes a debt consolidation loan a secured loan. Your creditors will take away whatever secured your loan and in this case it is your home.
As you can clearly see, debt consolidation loan are not for everyone. You have to look at the advantages and the disadvantages and make the correct decision for yourself.
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Written on January 9th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Debt has a way of piling up in a sneaky way. Many consumers think that they are wisely managing their money until the day comes when they realize that they are way too deep in debt. The average U.S. household has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt, and that debt is often distributed among multiple accounts, each of which has its own minimum payment requirements.
As most credit card companies have recently increased their minimum monthly payment requirements to approximately 4% of the unpaid balance, paying off a number of credit card accounts at once can be difficult. The sum of the minimum payments can be more than many people can afford to pay. There is a solution, however. It is called debt consolidation.
Debt consolidation is the process or taking out one loan to pay off a number of different loans. By doing that, only one payment need be made each month. Depending on minimum payment requirements for the credit card debt, the single monthly payment could actually be less than the sum of the previous payments, thus easing the burden of retiring the debt.
But where can you get such a loan? While there are companies that advertise heavily that they can provide such loans, you may have other sources of funding at your disposal. Some may be worth pursuing, while others may be poor choices.
Home equity loans – If you own a home, and most people do, you could borrow against whatever equity you have accrued during the time you have been living there. Home equity loans are available from many lenders at affordable interest rates. As a bonus, the interest is deductible from your Federal income tax returns on loans of up to $100,000. Be aware, however, that a home equity loan puts your home at risk if you default on your bills.
Retirement plan or 401(K) – If you have a retirement plan or a 401(K) plan where you work, you may have the option of borrowing against it. The interest rates are quite favorable, and it may seem like you are borrowing from yourself. The downside to this is that your money is not earning interest during the time you have borrowed it, and this lost earning power is lost for good. You can’t make up for interest you didn’t earn.
Insurance – If you have whole or universal life insurance, you may be able to borrow against it. Talk to your insurance agent for details.
Family and friends – Not always the best choice for a loan, but it may be better than nothing. Just remember that many valuable friendships have been lost over loans. If you plan to borrow from friends or relatives, make certain that you can them back in a timely manner.
Most people with problem debts will have one or more of these sources of funding available if they want or need to consolidate their debts. Before you borrow, be sure to weigh all of your options carefully. The last thing you want to do while trying to get out of debt is to make the problem worse.
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