Home Equity Loans

A home equity loan allows you to cash-in on the equity you have built-up in your home. The funds you receive can be used for debt consolidation, home improvement, college education, investments or any purpose. With a home equity loan your home is used as collateral to secure the loan. If you default on the payment you can lose your home so it is important to insure that you can afford to take out the loan before you sign on the dotted line!

Many homeowners get a home equity loan to consolidate bills. This can be a great strategy if you are overburdened with high interest credit card and/or consumers loan debt. A home equity loan can usually be obtained at a lower rate and all or a portion of the interest you pay on the loan may be tax deductible. If you are considering a home equity loan to consolidate your debt it will be wise to cut up your credit cards and close out the accounts. The last thing you want is to take cash-out of your home and end up back where you started from because you did not have the discipline to stop using your credit cards!

A home equity loan can also be a great source for obtaining cash to make home improvements. Next to debt consolidation, home improvements are the 2nd most widely used reason that consumers obtain home equity loans. Depending on what kind of home improvements you are making, it can increase the value of your home which may help to justify the added monthly payment expense you incur when you obtain a home equity loan.

A home equity loan can either be in the form of a fixed-rate loan or an adjustable-rate line of credit. With a fixed-rate home equity loan you receive all of your money in one lump sum and the amount of your monthly payment is the same for the duration of the loan term. With an adjustable-rate home equity line of credit you are approved for a credit line amount in which you can draw from as needed. In most cases you will only pay interest on the outstanding amount and your interest rate is subject to change. As such your monthly payments may vary depending on the outstanding loan amount and interest rate in any given month.

There are many home equity loan lenders online who will lend to people with good or bad credit. You may want to compare the rates and programs of several lenders before making your decision to increase your chance of getting the best possible deal. Also, consult with your tax advisor to see how much of your home equity loan interest will be tax deductible.

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from ssproductions and more videos in the Home Finance category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com If you have large expenses coming up, a second mortgage may be a viable option. Here’s how to apply for one. To complete this How-To you will need: A home appraisal A computer with internet access A credit report Your gross monthly income Mortgage lenders Step 1: Get an appraisal Contact a real estate broker for an appraisal of your home, or search online for “home appraisal” for a free estimate. Step 2: Use credit score to determine interest rate Request a copy of your credit report from annualcreditreport.com.You are eligible for one free credit report per year. Visit a lender to receive your credit score, and to estimate how much interest you will be paying for your second mortgage. Expect lenders to offer lower interest rates if you have a high credit score. Tip: Check your credit report carefully, and dispute any errors in writing to the credit reporting agency. Step 3: Know your future plans Know your future plans. Be aware of market downturns when you plan to sell your home, or you risk losing equity if the housing market drops and are forced to sell at a loss. Step 4: Assess your situation Determine if you can afford a …

What are Home Equity Loans Good For?

Homeowners have seemingly limitless choices to tap in to the equity in their homes. Many folks choose to refinance for cash out at closing, others are looking also for the benefits of a lower interest rate on their loan and cash out for repairs, unexpected expenses and other of life’s little surprises.

A home equity loan is a secured loan where you borrow against the equity in your property. Even with poor credit, a home equity loan is not difficult to qualify for. This is because unlike a personal loan, the risk to the lender is not all that great. Your loan is secured by the equity (or owned value) in your home.

Home equity loans are most commonly used for the purpose of consolidating debt and eliminating high interest credit card loans. The biggest advantage to home equity loans is that you can pay off your debt at a low fixed rate over a set period of time. This is a major advantage over revolving lines of credit, such as credit cards.

Home equity financing is also useful for covering incidental expenses such as home repairs and maintenance. Have a child heading off to college? You can get a home equity loan to cover the cost of college. Are unexpected medical bills a problem? A home equity loan can be used to pay off medical bills at a fixed rate over a long term. As you can see, the uses for home equity financing are many.

Home equity financing is the same as taking out a second mortgage loan on your property. This also means that because the home equity loan is secured by your property, you can loose your home in the event of a default on the loan. It is for this reason that you should take home equity loans seriously and take care not to overextend yourself or strain your monthly budget.

Every situation is unique but in many cases home equity loans can be a benefit to your finances. They can also you harm if you overextend yourself. Whether or not a home equity loan is right for you is something only you can decide. If you do decide to seek a home equity loan, there are numerous resources available for you to compare offers and apply for the financing.

Payday loans may seem like an easy way to fast cash, but for many who cannot afford the high interest, these short-term loans are the fastest route to bankruptcy. source form MoneyTrack:video.msn.com view amass video&article about loans http

Credit score may take a hit when credit cards are canceled

A. For you, the hit should be minor and temporary. Still, there are considerations to make before you cancel.

Ask yourself if you’ll be applying for any major loans, such as a mortgage or car loan, in the near future.

“You might want to keep the card until that credit is obtained to get the best possible rate of interest on the loan,” said Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner with AXA Advisors/RICH Planning Group in Morristown.

Take out any loans first because canceling your oldest card will have an effect on your length of credit history, which makes up about 15 percent of your credit score. Keeping the oldest card is good for that part of your score, but given the rest of your credit history, it sounds like you’d make up any decline rather quickly.

“The nick on your credit should be minimal, and as long as you continue to pay your bills in a timely fashion, then you should have little cause for concern,” she said.

If there was no annual fee, D’Agostini said she’d recommend sticking the card in a drawer and not using it, though sometimes inactivity will cause the lender to close the line of credit.

Although you’d be closing your oldest card, you still have the Hilton card, which goes back to 1988 — not bad and certainly proof of a long credit history.

Something else to consider before closing the card is your credit utilization ratio, which compares how much credit you have available and how much you’re actually using, said Michael Gibney, a certified financial planner with Highland Financial Advisors in Riverdale.

Gibney said closing the card will lower your available credit, and together with your outstanding auto and home improvement loans, your credit utilization will move higher — and higher in general is bad for your credit score.

This again, given your overall solid credit history, will be a temporary hit.

“I agree with canceling the gold card because of the annual fee,” Gibney said. “I find it hard to justify an annual fee on a credit card because there are many offerings available with no annual fee.”

Consolidated Credit #8 (revised)

What are some easy ways to improve my credit score?

A high credit rating makes it easier to obtain a mortgage, credit cards and auto loans, plus better interest rates, which will save you money in the long run. Here’s what you can do to increase your credit score:

1) Correct credit report errors
You’re allowed one free credit report each year. If you haven’t done it yet, request yours online at AnnualCreditReport.com. Check it carefully for any mistakes, such as past-due or unknown accounts.

2) Pay attention to credit card limits
Avoid charging any one credit card up to (or close to) its limit, even if you pay the balance each month. It’s smarter to spread charges on a few cards. Why? Credit agencies look at all your unused credit from all cards, plus that of individual cards, when calculating your score. That’s why getting close to the limit on one card can ding your score despite having plenty of available credit elsewhere.

3) Don’t cancel credit cards
You earn points for accounts with longer histories, so avoid closing and opening new accounts often. Even if you’re eager to close an account you worked hard to pay off, resist the urge. It’s better for your credit score to keep it open and either never use it or use it only occasionally, depending on fees and terms.

Other Articles:

What are some easy ways to improve my credit score?
What will happen if I don’t pay my credit card bills?
Stuck in a house you can’t afford or can’t sell for more than you owe on it?
Credit score may take a hit when credit cards are canceled
Tips For Raising Your Credit Score For Newbies

Jerry LaVigne Jr www.facebook.com www.twitter.com

Crinkled bank credit card advertising spectacle


Image by Toban Black
Private escapism and private consumer debts –
for ‘First’ ‘World’ tourists

People around here probably will think of Caribbean beaches (but not Caribbean poverty) when they see that advertisement

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I’ve included that photo in this blog post -
"Private suffering"

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That image is on the cover of a bank credit card flyer. There are a couple of other images of tourists in the rest of the flyer.

The credit card is connected with one of the "frequent flyer" airline points systems.

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(The crinkling wasn’t an act of aggression. I was just careless when I placed the flyer in my pocket. Then I decided to photograph the crinkled image.)

Credit Scores Decline for Millions of Americans

Millions of Americans have seen their credit scores fall amongst the lowest levels possible. FICO is reporting that almost 44 million people, 25.5 % of consumers, currently have a credit score less than 600. A credit score this low makes a borrower a very high risk for lenders. These low credit scores will make it almost impossible for these consumers to obtain a mortgage, auto loans, or credit cards. Over the past two years the amount of people with credit scores below 600 has gone up by 2.4 million people.

A very important group to look at is those with moderate credit scores, 650 to 699. The amount of people in this bracket is currently 11.9 percent of consumers, down from 12 percent in 2008. While the drop off is not that significant it is worth noting that the average number of consumers with these credit scores is usually 15 percent.

The consumers with moderate FICO credit scores could be in the most trouble when it comes to lending. Consumers with scores below 600 most likely would not try to borrower but those with moderate scores may try to obtain loans. In previous years these were seen as good credit scores for obtaining loans but standards have toughened and these scores aren’t as good as they once were. These tightened standards may make it much tougher for these people to obtain loans, especially with the best mortgage rates.

There are some positives when looking at the trends in our consumer’s credit score. The amount of consumers with an 800 credit score, a perfect score, has gone up recently. Currently 17.9 percent of consumers have a perfect score. This is significantly larger than the past average with is about 13 percent. These consumers with good credit scores should have no trouble obtaining any type of loan.

It is pretty easy to ruin a good credit credit score but it can me very difficult to fix credit scores.

Delinquency Rates Rise in 1Q to 1.32%, from Last Year’s 1Q of 1.19%; Delinquency Rate Could Peak in Late 2010/Early 2011 (Bloomberg News)
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