If you find yourself in need of a large sum of money for some reason, you may be considering using the equity in your home by either doing a cash-out refinance or getting a home equity loan in order to gain access to the money you need.
With the federal government beginning to slowly lower interest rates, you may be wondering if you should do a cash-out refinance in order to get that lower interest rate as well as gain access to the money you have in equity. This may be a tempting situation, but a lower interest rate is only one of the things that you should take into consideration.
When you refinance your home, you are taking out an entirely new mortgage. You use this new mortgage in order to pay off your original mortgage. In the case of a cash-out refinance, you borrow more on your home than the original mortgage balance, using your equity as collateral. You can then use the money left over after the refinance is completed to do anything you’d like. You can pay off credit cards, take a vacation, make home improvements, etc.
There are drawbacks to cash-out refinancing. First of all, your mortgage balance will be bigger and will most likely be extending your loan term. Mortgages are written with either 15 year or 30 year terms. If you only have 8 years before you pay off your mortgage, refinancing to even a 15 year mortgage is nearly doubling your loan term.
There are also considerable fees involved when you refinance. It would be worth your time, and sometimes a great deal of money, to find the best deal on fees that you can find.
With a home equity loan you are using the equity in your home as collateral on a loan. Home equity loans can be for a set amount or you can get a home equity line of credit, which is an open-ended loan that can be used just as you would use a credit card, keeping in mind that when you use that line of credit, you are using the equity in your home.
Home equity loans are easier to get than a refinance, especially if you have bad credit. The interest rate is also usually lower than a refinance, and the payments sometimes qualify as being tax deductible.
No matter whether you choose a cash-out refinance or a home equity loan, be sure to do some research on the companies you are considering working with. The best way to choose a good company to work with is to ask your friends, family and coworkers for recommendations. Ask not only about the process itself, but about how they were treated by the people they were working with. Were they rushed into decisions, or did they feel that they were given good information so that they could make the final decisions themselves? Remember that you are the customer, and when you are taking a large amount of money out against your home, you shouldn’t be rushed into anything.
By: J Suffie
Posts Tagged ‘Refinance Loan’
Refinance vs Home Equity Loan
May 25th, 2010Do You Need a Mortgage Refinance Loan?
April 26th, 2010
Is your home loan interest rate higher than the national average? Is your home in need of some much-needed repairs or are you in need of some extra money to pay off credit cards or other bills? A mortgage refinance loan may be exactly what you need to take care of these needs and any others that you might think of.
If your interest rate is higher than normal, it is a good idea to refinance your loan. A lower interest rate can make your monthly payment lower and easier to manage. If you are having financial difficulties, this can be especially helpful. If your finances are pretty steady, then you may be able to get a shorter-term loan when you refinance so your loan will be paid off much sooner. This is great if you are planning to stay in your home for the rest of your life or for longer than the length of the loan. If you are planning to move within ten years, then a shorter-term loan will most likely not be as important to you as a lower payment would be.
If you are in need of some money to pay off credit cards, make needed home repairs, or even to take a vacation, then you might want to consider refinancing your home. You first need to find out if you have any equity built up in your home. Equity is the value of your home versus the amount that you own on your house. Let us say that your home is now worth $125,000 ten years after you purchased it and you owe your lender $95,000. The equity that you have is $30,000. You can borrow up to $125,000 against your home and can use the $30,000 equity for repairs, bills, or anything else. You need to decide if your intended use is worth you refinancing your loan for 15 years or more. The good thing about home loans is that they are tax-deductible in most cases, so this may be a good benefit for you.
Refinancing will mean that in most cases you are starting your payment term all over again. This is something that you need to keep in mind before signing on the dotted line. You need to know all of your options before you decide that this is your only option. Home loan refinancing is a big business and many companies will offer you the moon to get you to refinance. You need to take into account the closing costs and fees of the loan to ensure that it is a right choice for you.
If you do all of your research and come to the conclusion that refinancing is right for you then you need to find a lender that you are comfortable with. Check around to several different lenders to find the best interest rate for your loan to ensure that you are getting the best deal. Then you are sure to find a mortgage refinance loan that you are satisfied and happy with!
By: Paul Heath
Refinance Student Loans and Save Money
April 23rd, 2010
The elation of graduating from college quickly fades when the reality of finding a job and starting a career set in. In addition you must also begin planning how you are going to pay off any student loans you accrued during the past few years. Repaying these loans may be made a little easier if you refinance student loans.
Many student loans have a grace or deferment period to allow the graduate to begin work prior to making the first loan payment. This is a good time to do the research necessary to refinance student loans.
There are two options that you should consider when seeking to refinance your loan. Each of which will help you in managing your monthly loan payments. A good refinancing package may provide the opportunity to lock in a lower interest rate. In addition you may be able to extend the life of the loan by as much as 15 years. Both have the advantage of immediately reducing your monthly payments and allowing you to have a better standard of living. In terms of real savings reducing the interest rate is a better option in that it will reduce the total amount you will have to pay over the life of the loan.
In order to make a good decision on which refinance package you are going to apply for you should find out if you can combine all the different loans into one package. In many cases you may not be able to refinance student loans that are from different sources. Co- mingling private and federal loans is frequently not a possibility. Even it is possible to combine both federal and private loans you most likely will end up with a higher interest rate.
It is very important that you do a good job of comparing loans features and requirements before you sign the application. Seeking good student loan consolidation advice from your former university is an option that you may want to consider. You also may want to check out the blogs that are related to student loans to find out what is working and what is not. The more information you gather the more likely you will have the ability to make a good decision as what loan refinance package you need. Remember doing a good job now will mostly likely save you significant money over the life of your loan.
By: Jim Kesel