Steps for Obtaining a HELOC

There are a number of things that you must have and do prior to applying for and acquiring a HELOC Equity facility. First, you must be reasonable sure that you have equity in your home given the current state of the housing market. Second, you need to determine that amount of credit that you want to acquire. This does not necessarily mean that you need to extract as much equity as possible from your home. This is especially true if you know that you have a tendency to rack up debts or be somewhat irresponsible financially. Once you have made these two determinations, it is time to start the process of obtaining a HELOC Equity facility.

 

First, a formal appraisal will need to be completed on your home. A professional and licensed real estate appraiser will come to your home, get the vital statistics of the residence (age of home, improvements, etc.), and a comparison of what other homes in the area are selling for and have sold for over the past three to six months. Once this determination is complete, the appraiser will prepare a final report showcasing the estimated value of the property.

 

Now that you have your property appraisal in hand, it is time to determine the equity that you have in your home. This can be done simply by taking the appraisers report and subtracting the outstanding balance any mortgage or credit facility that you have tied to your house. The remaining number is your equity. As a rule of thumb, you can multiply your equity number by .75 to determine the approximate maximum amount you can borrow against your home equity.

 

The final step is to go to the bank, fill out the loan application, and wait for their decision. If they do decided to grant you credit then they will come back with a list of terms, interest rates, and other covenants regarding the HELOC Equity facility.

 

As we have discussed in a previous article, if your bank does not come back with favorable terms, you can always approach a mortgage brokerage to assist you in finding a better deal.