CLEAN YOUR CREDIT NOW! Home Equity Loans ? There?s Gold In That There House To paraphrase an old familiar quote that goes "there's gold in them there hills, you could say, there's gold in that house. As Martha Stewart would say, "it's a good thing". A home equity loan can be a very good thing if you formulate a plan and stick to it. Home equity loans are becoming much more common and most banking companies have specific re-financing plans available for today's consumer. Read on and you will see that a home equity loan used for the proper purpose and managed correctly can indeed be a "good thing". A Home Equity Loan - Just what is it?Types Of Home Equity Loans HEL or HELOC? There are two types of home equity loans. A regular home equity loan and the home equity line of credit or HELOC. A regular home equity loan is a fixed sum borrowed at a fixed rate over a period of time. A HELOC allows the client to borrow various sums up to a fixed amount over a period of time. A line of credit works in a similar way as a credit card; you use it when you need it. Different States set their own laws on limits you can borrow against your house. The Financial Plan - Making your home equity work for you For a home equity loan to work best for you, it's a good idea to have a budget and a financial plan. Having a budget will help you decide how big a loan you need and a financial plan will be the map to accomplish your goals within that budget. Here are a few suggestions on ways to use a home equity loan. 1. Home Improvements You may want to build up the equity in your house by making home improvements. The first and best place to visit is a home improvement warehouse store. These stores, especially the large ones have whole rooms set up and priced. Use caution however, husbands and wives have been known to have gone into these rooms for days and when they came out they were muttering "but I liked the blue room best." 2. Debt Consolidation Pay off all the nagging little balances that seem to have accumulated on various store and gas cards in your wallet. 3. A holiday in the sun or snow! It's a matter of interest, if you shop around; you may find a couple of percentage points on a home equity loan that can make a world of difference. Consider a holiday South of the border or North to Canada. Mexican or Caribbean destinations are very attractive during the winter months but if skiing and winter activities is more to your liking then consider Vancouver, Canada. Whistler, British Columbia is one of the locations that will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Shop around for the best rates and dream on. 4. A retirement Savings plan It's not an easy fact to accept but one day we will all need to retire. Planning for retirement requires good financial decision making. Many banking and financial companies offer free retirement planning advice. Some home equity loans are designed to be used for investment purposes. Talk to a trusted Financial Planner before signing the dotted line on this idea. Loan Terms ? Points To Ponder Now you have a plan and are ready to talk with a lending company. You may want to do this on the Internet to save time and maybe a few dollars. If that is the case then it is a must to know these terms. Before you proceed to do some serious web surfing here are a few you will want to become familiar with before you consider a home equity loan. These points to ponder are: Equity Equity is the appraised value or Fair Market Value of your home less the outstanding mortgage balance. Mortgage Broker A mortgage broker is the "go between" whom you pay to negotiate the best deal. This person has access to current financial information and can be very important if financial savvy is not your strong suit. HELOC A HELOC is a Home Equity Line Of Credit. This term is discussed under types of home equity loans. Debt Consolidation Loan Over the years as you have paid off your home, you may have also acquired a few credit cards along the line. These credit cards include gas cards, store credit cards, and some bank credit cards. The interest rates on these cards vary and you may find that you are paying through the nose for the convenience of a store credit card. That is where a home equity loan can be very handy. You can borrow the amount you need to pay off each card and make one payment each month. With current financing plans, one payment at the end of the month is less than the minimum payment that was required on each card. Once you have done this, get out your scissors and cut up all of the cards except one bank credit card for emergencies. Remember the plan! Balloon Loan This type of loan can be difficult. The first few payments are low with low interest rates. The last payment however is exactly as the name describes; a balloon. It is a very large payment at the end of the repayment period. It is essential to stick to your financial plan because in this case you may need another loan to pay off the balloon amount. Interest Rate The periodic fee charged for a loan. This is expressed as a percentage point and some financial institutions are offering approximately 5.6% on a thirty year fixed $150,000.00 home equity loan. The lower the interest rate the better the deal, just make sure you aren't negotiating a balloon loan though. Transaction Fee Unfortunately no matter how good the deal on the loan you get, there is no free ride. In the business of credit management someone has to make money in order for home equity loans to exist. There will be some type of transaction fee built into the loan application. Lenders have costs and these costs are passed along to the consumer as a transaction fee. Depending on the loan company you decide to use, a transaction fee can be lower or higher, so make sure you shop around. FICO Score A sliding scale based on a point score created by the Fair Isaac Corporation. This score is used to determine a borrower's behavior and potential risk factor. Credit Rating Using the point system based on the FICO score, a credit rating can be anywhere from poor to excellent. With a good to excellent FICO score, a person's credit rating can determine how much money can be borrowed and what interest rate will be charged. Re-Financing - Finding A Gold Mine In Your Home Many people consider their home to be their castle but few consider that they could be living on a potential gold mine. If you have lived in your house for 10 years and have been making payments, especially bi-monthly payments, you have built up a considerable amount of equity. Pair that with a good FICO score and there is indeed gold in that there house. What's Your Fico? Mortgage Brokers use a FICO scale to determine the amount of money you can borrow against your home and at what interest rate you can borrow this money. This number is between 300 ? 850 points and showcases a person's credit history.This scale was developed in California by the Fair Isaac Corporation, a global decision management company. A credit rating of 700 points is considered "good" and based on a $150,000.00 fixed thirty year mortgage, your rate of interest would be 5.7 percent VS 9.3% if your FICO score was below 600 points. Having a high FICO entitles you to borrow more money at a better rate. Improving Your Fico You've taken the test, (which is available at most lenders websites), and your score is not as stellar as you had hopped it would be. There are a couple of ways to improve this score: 1. Pay all your bills on time. 2. Keep a small balance on one credit card to keep it "active". The FICO website gives you all the "who, what, where, when and why" of the two above suggestions. You can read about the rationale in great detail at that site. Buyers Beware With today's credit options and a good credit rating, you can borrow a lot of money against your home. This ability if not used responsibly and with a good solid financial plan can be ruinous. Some borrowers have gotten over their head and ultimately had to file for bankruptcy. So beware of potential risks. Home Equity Loans - A Golden Opportunity As you can see, a home equity loan is a great way to improve your living space, go on a holiday, plan for retirement or pay off some debts. With the right combination of a good FICO score and proper planning, there really is gold in that there house. © 2005 http://www.home-loans-101.com About the Author Lillian Fuller is a talented and successful freelance writer for hire providing tips and advice for consumers about personal finances including mortgages, home equity loans, credit reports, and more. Her numerous articles offer valuable insight and informative views on many different topics. RELATED ARTICLES 10 Things to Look for in a Home-Equity Line of Credit If you are a homeowner, you've probably received offers to apply for a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Handled with care, home equity credit lines can be an excellent way to improve financial flexibility, provide readily available cash reserves for emergencies, or pay for large expenses (like college tuition or home improvements) that have irregular payment schedules. But be aware that not all home equity credit lines are created equal. If you decide that a HELOC is right for you, what features should you look for? Here are ten things that should be at the top of your list: Home Loans ? Repair Credit Errors in Three Days! Most consumers are aware that a history of paying bills late or not at all can hurt one's ability to obtain a loan. All financial transactions are recorded by three credit bureaus and offered to lenders upon request in the form of a credit report. That report contains the all-important credit score, which determines whether or not the borrower is a good risk for a loan. If you have a poor payment history, you could be out of luck when you try to obtain a loan. The same applies if there are errors on your credit report that suggest that you may pose a greater risk to the lender than you really do. Traditionally, it has taken months to straighten out problems on a credit report, and borrowers who are eager to close on a mortgage or home equity loan may not have months to wait. What can be done? A relatively new mortgage-related product known as rapid rescoring can, in some instances, fix problems on a credit report in as little as three days. A Mortgage and Bank Trick You Should Avoid at All Costs Once you've purchased your home, you will begin to get correspondence from your lender about a "Mortgage Reduction Program," in which you can cut years off your mortgage, without adding money to your payment. This is another trick bankers have to get you to give them your payment sooner, so they can hold it in escrow and make more money off of you. Foreclosure Scams To Be Aware Of Homeowners facing foreclosure should be aware of unscrupulous lenders and scammers. Don't get me wrong, most lenders and agencies are reputable and legit. However some lenders, commonly second mortgage issuers will use unethical practices that increase the risk of nonpayment by the borrower. These tactics may include lending a large amount in hopes that the borrower will not be able to keep up with the payments, charging outrageous interest, points or fees. They may also repeatedly refinance the loan without any real beneficial reason to the borrower. Homeowners facing foreclosure are often targets of these scammers because they are seeking any solution possible at the time. Mortgage Info You Can Actually Understand! This is a great time to Refinance Your Home or Buy a New Home -- the Mortgage Rates are so low, these days! It's always worth a shot to find out what the costs of switching over to a new mortgage would be, to see if that's the right move for you. Money Smart Homeowners Use this Mortgage Strategy Every Time There are currently more than 50 million home mortgages in the United States today. So why aren't more homeowners taking advantage of the highest yielding lowest risk, tax-free financial strategy available today? Home Equity Line of Credit or Second Mortgage Loan Online - Things To Do With Your Homes Equity If you are wanting to get a home equity loan, rates are still low enough that you may want to make use of that equity in your home. Do you need some ideas on what you could do to multiply your equity or make some extra money off of the capital that could be available to you? A Qualified Mortgage Consultant Can Help Boost Credit Scores Consumers interested in purchasing or refinancing a home will pay an interest rate based on current market conditions and their ability to pay back the loan. The borrower's income and debt ratios are taken into consideration by the lender, as well as the predictability factor provided by credit scoring. It's important to have a mortgage professional in your corner that has a keen eye for solutions to improving credit scores in an effort to get the best interest rate possible. Reverse Mortgage Maximization Have your home's appreciation grow twice as fast. Refinancing and Car Finance - Is it worth it? Refinancing and Car Finance - Is it Worth It? How to Get a Cheap Homeowner Loan If you're looking for a cheap homeowner loan, you might be wondering what you can do to reduce the amount that you have to pay. Home Mortgage Loan Refinancing Online - 3 Tips on Refinancing Your Home When refinancing your home, it's helpful to know a few things about refinancing. When you refinance, you usually pay off the old loan and sign for a new loan, whether you are refinancing your 1st mortgage, second mortgage or home equity loan. The expense that comes in to play when refinancing are the new closing costs and points charge for getting a new loan. Bad Credit Mortgage Loans ? How To Get Approved Persistence is the key working toward getting approved for a bad credit mortgage loan. There are many factors that you, as a borrower have control over that can help you get approved faster and easier. There are guidelines that most sub-prime lenders go by that, if you know them, can help you move through the process without getting stuck, unable to get financing. Refinancing Your House - How to Know Whether to Refinance or get a Second Mortgage Refinancing your house's mortgage is not the same thing as getting a second mortgage. While both allow you to cash out your home's equity, terms and rates differ between the two types of loans. To know which financing option is best for you, learn each loan's features and pick the one that best meets your needs. Thinking About Re-mortaging? Read These Tips First More and more of use are signing up for limited time low interest rate mortgages and then switching to a different mortgage when the low interest period expires. Revive Mortgage Tenure With Extend Loan Term Remortgage You are comfortably wedged in a mortgage deal, paying the standard rate of interests year after year. You are most in all probability paying more than required and you don't even know it. You must have heard of remortgage but shunned it as a precarious option against your traditional mortgage. Perhaps your mortgage needs a health check. The mortgage which was working for you earlier may not be as beneficial in the present context. You must have read more than often that interest rates are at an historical low. For once take them seriously before they start to steep up again. Key an Eye on Your Mortgage Payments In previous decades, when a borrower missed a payment on a mortgage, the lender would often consider them one month behind until they eventually caught up. Most lenders would impose a late fee and other interest or penalties, tacking them onto the back end of the loan as long as the lender stayed current with the rest of their payments. Bad Credit? Qualify Yourself For A Zero Down Mortgage Loan I decided to write this article today after closing a home purchase loan for a couple that had some major credit issues. They got into the house with ZERO down payment, and only had to bring $600 for the closing costs. Their situation was pretty bad, I'm talking about a bankruptcy 2 years ago, thousands of dollars in outstanding collections, charge-offs and debt to income ratio of 49%. By the way, we left all of their outstanding charge-offs and collections open which means they didn't have to pay any of them off! So many think they won't be able to qualify for a mortgage loan. Many will keep thinking they can't qualify until they read this article. What is a Flexible Mortgage? 'Flexible mortgage' is a term that's used a lot, but what exactly does it mean? A flexible mortgage allows the borrower to make extra repayments when they have the extra money and even reduce or skip payments should the need arise. Mortgage Marketing W. Edwards Deming said "Marketing and innovation are the only source of value in business, everything else is a cost". And he was right.