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 ‘Second Mortgages’
The Facts About Second Mortgages
February 7th, 2010Home Mortgage – Part 4
February 6th, 2010
Obviously, you will not have this equity or the additional expenses if you decide to live in an apartment. And if you particularly dislike mowing and shoveling and such, an apartment gives you more relaxation time. Also, depending on your outside interests, you might find an apartment with pool facilities or a workout gym or tennis courts. Needless to say, if you are single, you will find more eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in an apartment complex then you will in a family neighborhood.
What this boils down to is that you must base your decision on whether to buy a house or rent an apartment on what you will feel comfortable with while fully realizing what the future might bring. However, this decision is not only for people starting out in life. It is important to read this section because we will be discussing the possibility of selling your present house and moving into an apartment in our section on saving money.
2nd Mortgage
Second mortgages can be a very bad trap for you. That is, you have been paying on your home mortgage for awhile and can now use the part of the house you have already paid for (your equity in it) as collateral on another mortgage. Therefore, you are right back where you started from. Unfortunately, it is the person who is deeply in debt already who is encouraged to get a 2nd mortgage. The idea is that this additional loan can be used for whatever you want and it is very tempting.
We continually see TV commercials for 2nd mortgages to pay off your huge debts. Does it really make sense to you to take on even more debt in order to pay off old debts? No, you know it does not.
By: Nate Perrott
Possibility For an Individual to Wipe Out Second Mortgage and Still Keep Their House
January 28th, 2010
In order to determine if you are able to wipe out your second and succeeding mortgages, you will need to consult with an experienced Washington bankruptcy lawyer.
In essence, however, it works like this way. If your second and any succeeding mortgages are no longer secured by any equity (value) based upon the current fair market value of your house, you may be able to discharge your second and any additional successive mortgages through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. What is equity? Equity is the net value of your home. It is the current fair market value of your home minus the amount of any outstanding debts (mortgages) on your house.
If you believe that you may qualify under these circumstances, one of experienced Washington bankruptcy attorneys will assist you in undertaking a thorough analysis of your property so that you can make an informed decision. If we believe that you can prevail, we will then represent you through an adversarial proceeding process that allows you to shed or get rid of one or more mortgages on your house.
Please also note that you can never discharge your first mortgage because it will always be presumed that your property has some value. Given the chaos of our local real estate market in the last few years, it appears as if more and more homeowners are able to discharge their second mortgages through a Chapter 13 because the sale of their house will not even pay off the entire balance of their first mortgage. If you are contemplating filing a Washington bankruptcy and you own real property, it is important to consult with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer who understands how real property is treated in the bankruptcy process.
By: Isabels Searike