Your home: It’s probably your biggest asset. Having a home to back you up when you need a loan is one of the greatest advantages of home ownership. In recent years, there has been a major increase in the amount of people looking to use their homes as a way to get access to extra money when they need it most. One of the best ways to do this is through a second mortgage.
A second mortgage is exactly what it says it is – a loan made in addition to your first mortgage, and it’s based on the amount of equity you have built into your home. Many people use them to fund home renovations, to pay off credit cards, or to put a child through college. Since you’ve already been through the process once, the underwriting required to get a second mortgage is much simpler than it was the first time around, and the cost of the transactions involved will be significantly lower. This usually makes up for the fact that interest rates on the second mortgage are a bit higher than they were on the first one.
On a second mortgage, you will borrow a fixed sum of money against your home equity, and pay it back over a specified amount of time. The amount you borrow will be combined with the amount you still owe on your first mortgage.
It all sounds pretty simple. There are just a few things to keep in mind. First of all, don’t take out a second mortgage on your home unless you’ve built up a fair amount of equity in the property already- that is, made payments on the original mortgage balance for a good amount of time. You may still be able to get a second mortgage if you don’t have much equity, but your rates will be so much higher, and the amount you can borrow so much lower, that it will essentially be a waste of your time and money. This is one of those things that is worth waiting for.
Also, look into the other options of borrowing against the equity of your home, including a home equity loan and a home equity line of credit. All of these options allow you to borrow against your equity, but there are slight variations among them that mean one of the three may be the best option for you. It will depend, for the most part, on your particular financial standing, the amount of money you need to borrow, and the amount of home equity you currently have.
By: Joseph Kenny
Posts Tagged ‘Credit Cards’
The Facts About Second Mortgages
February 7th, 2010Refinancing High Rate Debts with a Second Mortgage
January 11th, 2010
There are many ways to refinance a debt from debt consolidation, to credit card consolidation to bill consolidation to loan consolidation, however one of the best ways to do it could be refinancing your debt with a second mortgage. If you are a homeowner then it is likely that you might be eligible for refinancing and in many cases refinancing with a second mortgage.
At 123finance they believe that, “If taken properly, a homeowner will not find a more effective option than to take a second mortgage on their property, most American consumers have become aware of revolving debt and the bad effect it can have on them…”
Second mortgages can be taken out for a number of different reasons from paying for a college education for your children, to home improvement, to paying off outstanding credit cards to consolidation of all of your unpaid loans. If you end up with an interest rate from a second mortgage that is much lower than your other bills combined then you end coming out on top in the long run.
The best candidate for a second mortgage is the home owner who needs a large amount of money and has plenty of equity built up in his home. A second mortgage is basically a lien taken against the value of your existing home and you pay it back in monthly payments as you would any other loan. The good news is that second mortgages are tax deductible and you can certainly get rid of high interest rates from your other loans.
One thing to remember is that a person must go through the same process to get a second mortgage as he did to get his first one. This can be compensated by going through the same lending company that gave you the first loan, but that is not mandatory. In fact, the lending company you initially used might not be the best choice so do your homework accordingly.
Important items to consider when obtaining a second mortgage to pay off your debts include exactly how much debt you owe, how much money you will need to borrow and how much you can afford. There will be costs in obtaining a second mortgage so ask questions – perhaps there will be a down payment. How long will you want the loan term to be for and what is the interest rate are also important questions? Finally, what is the type of loan involved since you can be sure that different lenders will offer different options.
By: Rita Cook
Second Mortgages: What you Need to Know
January 3rd, 2010
At times in life it may be necessary to come up with a sum of cash for unexpected expenses or even expenses that you might not be able to afford without a influx of cash. In these cases a second mortgage can come in quite handy. Before taking out a second mortgage; however, you should know how they work and the advantages and disadvantages of second mortgages.
Basically a second mortgage occurs when you take out another mortgage on top of the existing mortgage on your home. This type of loan is secured with the property for collateral. Of course, the first mortgage takes precedence in the event that you default on the loan. Any funds that are left would then be applied to the second mortgage.
Many people commonly use second mortgages for such expenses as home improvements, the purchase of a second or vacation home and to consolidate other debts with a lower interest rate. Of course, you may also be able to use the proceeds of your second mortgage for other options but you should always keep in mind that you are putting your home at risk for the purchase and be sure you can justify the risk for that purpose.
One of the major disadvantages of a second mortgage is that the interest rate will usually be higher than your first mortgage. Lenders insist on higher interest rates because they understand they won’t be the first in line in the event that you default on the loan and they need to protect their assets, so they do this with higher interest rates. Of course, the rates are typically lower than what you could obtain with any other type of loan and much lower than credit cards.
You should also be aware that you’ll typically be responsible for some fairly significant closing costs on second mortgages. If you can’t pay those fees, you may not be able to work out a second mortgage on your property.
Due to the amount of risk involved you need to be absolutely sure you have no other option before taking out such a loan. After all, you are risking the loss of your home, so you should be sure you’re willing to take the risk as well as be relatively sure you can cover the additional loan payments.
If you do decide a second mortgage is the right option for you, be sure to shop around for rates before taking the first one offered to you. You may be able to get better terms or a lower interest rate by shopping around.
Always look over the terms to be sure of what you’re agreeing to pay. One of the most typical arrangements with many second mortgage lenders is to tie what is known as voluntary insurance in with your mortgage. Depending on the level of your current insurance policy, you may not need this additional coverage and cost. In addition, always make sure you know how much you’re paying for closing costs, such as application fees, points to get a lower interest rate and appraisal fees.
By: Joseph Kenny