Home
Equity Line Of Credit, Second Mortgages
If you need
to borrow money to pay off debts or make a major purchase, a home
equity line of credit (HELOC) can be
useful. A HELOC is a form of revolving credit secured by the equity in
your home. This is an
open ended loan that can be paid down or charged up for the term of the
loan, much like a credit card. The interest rate fluctuates (typically
monthly).
With a HELOC, we
will approve you for a specific amount of credit - the maximum amount
you may borrow at any one time under the plan. In determining your
credit limit, your income, debts, credit history and other financial
obligations will be reviewed. An appraisal in usually required on your
home to determine the home's market value. Your credit limit will be
based on a percentage of your home's appraised value, which is then
subtracted from the balance owed on your existing mortgage.
Some
of the
advantages that a home equity line of credit offers over a home equity
loan is that you do not need to take the entire amount of the loan all
at once. If you took out a $20,000 loan, you get all $20,000
at one
time. With a HELOC, you can use just $5,000 now and save the
rest for
when you needed it. That way you make payments on what you
need today
versus making payments on the entire amount.
One
downside to HELOC's is that the
interest rate can change over time so your payments can go up or down
depending on what's going on in the market.
Home
Equity Lines Of Credit can be used for many different things such as:
You do
need to have pretty decent credit to get a HELOC. Most
lenders require a score of 620 or better in order to get
approve.
The good thing is that most people meet the credit requirement.
When
you take out a HELOC, you pay for
many of the same expenses as when you financed your original mortgage,
such as an application fee, title search, appraisal, attorneys' fees,
and
points (a percentage of the amount you borrow).

Most
HELOCs have a fixed period (5, 10, even 20 years) during which you can
borrow money. Typically, you will use special checks or a credit card
to draw on your line. You will be required to make a minimum payment
each month usually the interest that accrued during
the draw period.
However, the interest you pay is usually tax deductible. At the end of
your "draw period," you will be required to pay off the loan, making
monthly payments on the principal and interest.