Home Equity Line Of Credit

A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is a credit line that you can use for various situations that occur in your life. The value of this credit line is based on how much value your house has. For example, if your house is worth $250,000 and you have a mortgage for $120,000 outstanding, that means that you have up to $130,000 of value in your home. You can't usually borrow that full amount, but you can get between 75 and 90 percent of it for various needs.

You have to declare why you are getting a home equity line of credit to the bank or lenders that you apply with. They will want to know what the money is for to determine whether you have the creditworthiness for such a loan.

Key tips for using a home equity line of credit:

• Use the equity to pay for remodeling or adding onto your home.
• Take advantage of low rates to pay off bills or other debts.
• Use the line of credit to cover emergency expenses that come up
• Get a HELOC in place to have a fund for home repairs and replacement services

The choice is really yours as to how you use the money, but a lender will factor the reason for the loan into your approval. The more necessary or legitimate the reason, the more likely you are to get approved. You do have to have a good credit score for getting a HELOC, no matter where you get it from. Most of the time, banks and lenders require a score of 650 or better, although some will go much higher. Other factors are involved, of course, including your debt-to-income ratio, how much you earn, and what your housing market is like currently.

Advice on finding the best home equity line of credit:

Choosing the right home equity line of credit requires taking the time to review your choices. You should apply for a couple of different loans and compare the interest rates that you can get, the terms and conditions, and the amount that you are borrowing compared to the repayment schedule. That way, you can get the exact loan that you need without overspending or getting into a bad loan that you won't be able to afford in the future. This is usually not seen as a necessary loan, so it is much harder to obtain than a lot of loans. It does have the collateral of your property attached to it, however, so that gives it a little bit of ease to balance things out. Just make sure you do your research and find the right home equity line of credit for your needs.