Refinancing Your Home Equity Line of Credit

Refinancing Your Home Equity Line of Credit
These days, borrowers use Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) to assist with all sorts of expenses. Some of the most popular reasons for taking out a HELOC are college tuition, medical expenses, home remodeling, and debt consolidation. Because the interest is tax-deductible, a HELOC can be a very attractive option when you need to borrow money. You may also take out a HELOC at the same time that you secure your first mortgage when buying a home in order to finance a greater percentage of what the home is worth without the need for mortgage insurance. Whatever the circumstance were when you took out your HELOC, the time may come when you decide to refinance it. The factors pertaining to why and how you go about refinancing your HELOC will be as individual as you are. Make sure you have clear goals as to why you are refinancing, and be certain those goals can be met by the program you choose. One reason to refinance a HELOC, and the first one that comes to most people’s minds, is the interest rate. This may or may not be a good reason depending on a few factors. Your HELOC carries an adjustable rate; therefore if rates go down, so should your payment amount. If rates are steadily rising, however, and especially if they’re expected to continue to rise, refinancing your HELOC back into your first mortgage, or into a closed-end second mortgage with a fixed rate, might make the most sense. If you originally took out your HELOC for a project or expense such as college tuition or home remodeling and that project is now completed, you may just be looking to refinance your first mortgage and your HELOC into one loan with a low fixed rate to avoid the potential for a rising rate and increasing payments in the future. Having a single loan with a fixed rate offers you the satisfaction of knowing that your payment amount will never go up. Conversely, if you’ve come to the conclusion that you need to be able to draw more from your HELOC than you’d first thought, you can refinance it or, more correctly speaking, take out a new HELOC for a greater value. Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay additional closing costs, and that unless you can start making much larger payments, it will take you longer to pay back the larger HELOC amount. You should carefully consider your needs and options before opting for a HELOC with a larger credit line. When the time comes to refinance your HELOC, don’t hesitate to consult with a financial planner or a loan officer. These professionals can advise you on whether your reasoning is financially sound and about the kind of program you should choose to meet the needs and goals you’re setting for yourself. For more articles on HELOC, visit: http://www.bills.com/refinancing-your-heloc-article/Justin has 5 years of experience as a financial adviser; his key areas are loan consolidation, debt relief, mortgages etc. For more free articles and advice visit http://www.Bills.com.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com

What is Mortgage Pre Approval Really Worth
In 2004, at the height of the home buying boom, a survey came out from Campbell Communications indicating that fully 62% of the failed closings studied were due to home buyers being denied a mortgage - despite having “pre approval” The company found that 39% of pre approvals issued by Internet-based lenders were invalid Mortgage brokers were also showing significant signs of unreliability, with 27% of pre approval letters proving invalid National lenders had their letters fail 19% of the time, while local banks dropped the ball on 14% Credit unions weren’t far behind at 10% and the mortgage partners of real estate agents came in last with 9% found to be void . .A hot real estate market led many institutions to put through loans that should never have been allowed to get past the initial examination! However it is a cycle that can lead to some injudicious decisions - people want to buy homes, realtors don’t want to show homes to unqualified people, people go to lenders for pre approval it is a nasty cycle that ends up with a lot of time wasted and sometimes a significant amount of money It also set up unreasonable expectations on the part of the buyers - “I got pre approved and now I’m not approved at all?” which could very well have led many of them to less scrupulous lenders . .Some people think that the solution is a standardized letter of pre approval that is provided by a national organization such as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) or another recognized national association that can issue out pre approval letters based on a strict examination of the buyer’s proof of income and assets . .Other people think it is incumbent on the lenders to tighten up their pre approval process so that unqualified buyers never get a letter that makes them and the real estate professionals they deal with think that they have a chance at a decent mortgage It may be cruel, so the thought runs, but so is the time and expense taken to put through a home sale that doesn’t happen And it prevents financial disasters like today’s recession . .Another key tip for buyers with early approval is to stop everything Don’t make a major purchase, don’t change jobs, don’t marry, don’t start trying for a baby - just focus on getting the home purchase finalized Major changes in one’s financial outlook can be disastrous for the final approval of a loan . .Pre approval does not mean final approval In fact, if it is from an unreliable source, it means less than the paper it’s printed on To make sure that a pre approval is genuine, buyers are urged to deal with reputable lenders and brokers, to take critical stock of their financial situation and to avoid making major changes to their lifestyle in the time between the approval and the closing To not do so can mean significant amounts of time, effort and money wasted and possibly greater ramifications, like the straits that our economy is presently in .
Source: www.rsstnx.com