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 ‘Home Equity Loan’
The Facts About Second Mortgages
February 7th, 2010Second Mortgage Lines of Credit Can Be Powerful Financing Vehicles for Investment Properties
January 26th, 2010
Many people decide to buy additional properties as investment opportunities and when the price is right you usually can’t go wrong. However, what is the best way to find money for this kind of investment. A second mortgage line of credit might be just the answer. If you already own a home then getting a second mortgage should be easy.
Many second mortgages will offer a credit line that you can keep coming back to in order to get money. At the website Cantonstreetmortgage.com it notes that a second mortgage is tied into the equity in your current property. “In most cases the interest is tax deductible,” the site explains. “Money can be borrowed for home improvement, debt consolidation, financial investments, down payment on another property or car loans.” While not all companies offer the same thing, Canton is one example offering a fixed rate second mortgage that is as low as 8% and up to 125% financing. Second mortgages can also be called junior liens or subordinate mortgages explains Bryan Wilson, a financing consultant with BD Nationwide Mortgage.
Many investors and entrepreneurs use these cash-out investments often. “[They] will often use their properties available equity to provide them with capital for investment,” explains Atlas Mortgage Corp. “A real estate investor can take out a home equity loan or credit line on a currently owned property and then use the proceeds on another property.” Additionally, it is common for entrepreneurs to “mortgage their home’s equity with a second mortgage loan to provide them with start-up or operating capital for the business.”
One thing to certainly keep in mind is that second mortgages always have a higher risk factor and therefore higher rates. Interest rates can also fluctuate on a credit line in this case and it will often depend on how much of the equity is being used from the original property. “The less equity remaining after the second mortgage is recorded, the higher the interest rate,” reports the folks at Atlas Mortgage Corp.
Another important thing to remember when deciding on a home equity line of credit versus the traditional second mortgage loan is that a second mortgage provides you with a fixed amount of money repayable over a specific amount of time. If you need a set amount of money for a specific purpose to buy investment properties a second mortgage line of credit is definitely the way to go.
By: Rita Cook