What Are The Advantages Of A Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC)

Getting a home equity line of credit is a great way to get access to the equity in your home. In fact, it may be the best way to use that equity – unless you know you have need of all of the money that is available. Here are some of the advantages that you can have with a home equity line of credit mortgage.
First Advantage – Get The Money As You Need It
With any other kind of loan, you will get a lump sum. Your interest rates and payments are set. There are no options. With a HELOC, however, you are given a line of credit and a credit card or checking account that gives you access to the funds. You do not have to use all of it, if you don’t want to. This is especially good if you know that you need some money, but really are not sure just how much.
This kind of flexibility is great, because you are given a draw period in which you can get more money when you need it. This draw period can be up to 11 years. The truth is, who knows what kind of funds you may need in the next 11 years, or so? This gives you access to sufficient money as you need it and for projects – as they come up.
Second Advantage – Pay Interest Only On Money Used
A home equity line of credit only charges you interest on the money that is drawn out of the account. You are not being charged for money that is sitting idle – as it might with other types of loans. With those loans, you are paying interest on the full amount – whether you are using the money or not.
Third Advantage – Lower Interest Rate
The interest on a home equity loan is usually lower than other types of second mortgages. Usually it is just about two percent above the prime rate.
Fourth Advantage – Possibly No Closing Costs
Most HELOC’s have no closing costs! This certainly makes it the loan of choice, and it can save you a lot of money by not having these charges added to the loan. Some lenders will charge you closing costs, so this should be a good incentive to find one that does not. It will result in considerable savings at closing time.
Fifth Advantage – Tax Deductible
The interest that you are charged each year in a HELOC is tax deductible. Ultimately, this brings the actual interest rate down lower and means an even greater savings.
Some lenders may even use a home equity line of credit on top of an 80% first mortgage in order to eliminate the Private Mortgage Insurance. The way it is done is to get the first mortgage, pay your downpayment, and then get the HELOC for the balance. Make sure you also have enough for the closing costs at settlement, too.
A home equity line of credit can come with a number of other fees and charges. Some will charge a monthly fee or an annual one (or both), and others may charge you if you let the money sit too long without using it. These charges can be avoided if you shop around for the best deal. A HELOC is an adjustable rate loan with few caps (if any) in place. Some of these will come with guarantees of convertibility to a fixed rate loan if the interest rates get too high. Also, be sure to look for any penalties that you may incur if you pay the loan off early.

What Is Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC)

Owning a house is the greatest American dream. Additionally, having a house to save you from monetary needs adds up to the benefits of owning the greatest American dream.
You have tightened your belt during the time you are saving for your house. Now, that you have enough equity in that property, you may loosen up a bit by making use of your equity through home equity line of credit.
Home equity line of credit or HELOC, can help you in myriad of financial necessities. It can help you have a fund when you need it and for whatever purpose you may need it.
Although, you should be careful because putting your house as collateral may cause you to loose your house if you fail to pay your debt. This should make you think many times before you embark on taking money through home equity line of credit.
However, if your purpose of taking out money by means of home equity line of credit is to pay for medical bills or children’s college education, these expenses are inevitable. Thus, taking out money by means of home equity line of credit can be your best bet.
Additionally, if you want to consolidate your debt, HELOC or home equity line of credit may also be beneficial. This is because compared to credit cards and other unsecured credit facilities, the interest rate in a home equity line of credit is somewhat smaller. Another benefit of this means of taking out money is that consumer credits interests are tax deductible.
However, having said the benefits you may have from acquiring a credit through home equity line of credit, you may also need to look at the possible consequences if you fail to pay your debt.
The most important consideration is the possibility of loosing your house to pay off the debt.
It is thus recommendable that while you are considering the flexibility of a credit line, if you need a lump sum fund, you may consider taking out a Home Equity Loan instead. This is because in a home equity loan, you pay the interest and part of the principal debt regularly.
This is in contrast to the variable interest rate that applies in a home equity line of credit. Additionally, in a home equity credit line, your payments balloons at the end when you need to pay the principal amount of debt.
The flexibility of the home equity line of credit extends up to paying only the interests and paying the entire principal loan at the end of the term.
This makes it quite hard, and if you are not ready for such balloon payment, the risk of loosing your house is intrinsic in this case.
This is the reason why financial experts recommend that before you sign any contract that puts your house as collateral, you may need to scrutinize yourself a bit.
-Will you need the money lump sum?
Ask about home equity loan.
-Do you need fund periodically?
Ask about home equity line of credit.
Consider also asking for payments terms, interest rates and what conditions will make the lender consider you in default. These questions once answered may help you realize if putting your house as collateral is the best solution to your monetary needs.
There are other credit facilities, for this reason, you may need to do your research first before deciding.
Various debt management websites can help you understand the eccentricities of financial management that will help you avoid loosing your most precious asset.