Borrowing Equity In Your Home To Consolidate Loans

Written by Daphne Grey

Thursday, 29 July 2010 07:50

by DaphneGrey

Many people are having a hard time with monthly bill payments. Harder economic conditions translate into higher interest rates and payments. This makes it more difficult to pay off charge card and other debt. Suddenly you may find yourself with higher payments than you can manage. Things like this can be a good reason to consolidate loans. Here are some good reasons to consider using your home equity.

A good way to combine some of your debt is with a secured loan. One of the best sources of collateral is your home. In fact, it may be the best source of collateral that you can use. How much equity is in your property? Equity is the amount that your house is worth, after subtracting what you owe on it. For example, you may owe $70,000 on a $100,000 home. Your equity is $30,000.

A good place to start is your current lender. They are most likely to lend you the money. They already have a working relationship with you. They know your property, as they already have a vested interest in you. Borrowing may be easier with your current lender, also. You may not need an appraisal. This can save you money.

Do not forget to check other sources for lower interest rates. You may be able to get better terms, this way. The lower your interest, the lower your monthly payment will be. Check with banks and loan companies.

You may owe $20,000 on credit cards. Perhaps that is on four different cards. You may pay as much as $200 a month on each card. That is $800 a month. If you use your house equity, you can borrow the $20,000 on your house. Suppose the interest rate is eight percent. You would pay about $490 per month for four years. This could mean a savings of over $300 per month on your monthly bills. You can use this method for any type of loan. It need not be charge card debt.

This will also give you a chance to pay off your credit cards. In four years time, the charge cards are all paid off. Not only that, your home equity is free again. You may wish to borrow for other reasons in the future. Home equity money can be used for any purpose that you wish. You can buy a new car or finance a college education.

Conclusion

Borrowing on your home equity is an effective method to consolidate loans. Your monthly bill payments may go down by several hundred dollars. In addition, you can pay off charge cards in a few years. Your property equity will be free to use again, if you need to.

About the Author:

Creating a debt management plan is only the initial step in responsible management of funds. Liquidating outstanding obligations or finding a way to consolidate loans will help to reduce debt.