How To Get A Home Equity Loan For Debt Consolidation

[Apr 16, 2008.]

 

As many people have found out, it is not hard to get into debt. In fact, if you are not careful just about anybody can do it. Getting out of debt, however, is another matter. It takes longer to pay it off than it does to make the debt. If you have a home, though, and you have lived there for some time, then it is possible to use the equity in your home to pay off those bills. Here is what you need to know about home equity loans and how you can use one for debt consolidation.

You want to start by looking at your credit report and make sure it is accurate and up to date. Mistakes can be made on a credit report and you don't want to have any there that will cause your interest rates to be raised. Look it over carefully and take the needed time to make sure the corrections have been made.

Calculate Your Debt

Add up all your bills and find out what your total indebtedness is. any amount you owe to someone else should be added in to this list - don't leave anything out. This is the amount that you will need to borrow from your home's equity in order to simplify your life and pay off those debts.

Two Ways To Go

There are two ways that you can use your home's equity to consolidate your debts. The first way is to refinance your first mortgage. You may want to look into this method first, because it is the better option. The key is what kind of interest rate you can get on a new mortgage. This is called a cash out mortgage. If the interest rates are more than 1% lower than your present interest rate, then you will definitely want to look into it more. Not only would it give you access to your equity, but it could also lower your monthly payment and save you a lot of money. If you make the new mortgage about five years less than what you have left on the original, you could save tens of thousands of dollars and be debt free much quicker.

The other way is to get a home equity loan as a second mortgage. This will give you an added payment each month, but the interest will also be lower than what you have on nearly all of your debts - giving you savings. It will give you one simple payment (other than your first mortgage) and much longer terms. You should remember, though, that you will want to keep the length of repayment reasonably short - or you add on a lot of extra interest.

Shop Around

In order to find the best home equity loan you will need to get a few quotes from the lenders. You can do this easily online and get more than one quote at a single Web site. It won't take long and you will have the quotes you need. Compare them carefully in terms of interest, repayment time, overall cost, and other various fees. One of them will match your needs better than the others. All you will need to do then, is to find that one home equity loan and go with it.

More Information:

• What Is A Home Equity Line Of Credit And Is It For You?
  
  A home equity line of credit (HELOC) can be a real help to you financially if you need to get a source of money - and have some equity in your home. It gives you various options and a degree of control that you do not have with other type of mortgages.


• Home Equity Loans - How To Get A Good One
  
  If you have a home, then you already know that you can tap into your home's equity and use it any way that you want. Many lenders have provided you with a wide variety of ways for you to access that money.

External Links:

• Home Equity Loan Advice from the FTC


• The Basics of Home Equity Loans