Joseph Kenny asked:




When it comes time to get the money you need to renovate your home, you have some choices to make concerning the financing of it. Both ways, either refinancing your first mortgage, or a home equity loan, will give you access to your equity. After that, though, a number of differences will clearly stand out. Here is what you need to know about these differences so you can intelligently choose the best one for your needs.

Features Of Refinancing Your First Mortgage

By getting a cash out mortgage, you can replace your first mortgage and obtain your equity. This means that you will have to pay the fees again that you paid when you bought the house in the first place. However, if you wait until the interest rates are down, you can get a better deal than you had before. The amount that you can gain could easily offset the costs of refinancing and save you thousands of dollars over the life of the new mortgage.

The interest rate for a first mortgage is always lower than what you would get for a second mortgage – which makes this the ideal choice. You also will have only one payment each month, which you could even make lower than what you have now by extending the time length on the mortgage. If you already have more than one mortgage, then this is also a good way to consolidate them and get your equity at the same time, as well as reduce your monthly payment.

If you currently have an adjustable rate mortgage that is about to run out of the fixed rate portion, then this should be the way you would want to go. Not only will it give you level payments with a fixed interest rate, assuming you get a fixed rate mortgage, but also your equity for the upcoming renovation project you have in mind. This means you could take care of more than one problem at once.

Features Of A Home Equity Loan

A home equity loan is considered a second mortgage. This means it will give you an additional payment each month. If you can afford the extra payment, this may be the way you want to go. It will also have a higher rate of interest than a first mortgage, and usually has a time frame of up to 15 years for repayment.

You can take out your equity but need to leave enough in there that is equal to 20% of the value of the house. This is true with any kind of mortgage, since you may need to pay private mortgage insurance if you go over this amount.

A home equity loan is mostly fixed rate, but some may also be adjustable. Your loan payments are fully amortizing, and money used for fixing up your home is often tax deductible. This type of loan is seeing some new variations come out recently, so you will want to see what is out there before you choose.

The Choice Is Yours

Obviously, only one of these choices will best meet your needs. After you choose a course to take, you will then want to get a few quotes – whether you choose to refinance, or get a home equity loan. You will need to look them over carefully and consider all aspects in order to find the one that is best for you.

Tom

Michael Kraus asked:




For much of the past year, mortgage rates have been at or near record low points. Unfortunately, many homeowners have been unable to take advantage of these rates due to declining home equity. Many homes have lost significant amounts of value since the housing market peaked in 2006. As a result, many homeowners now owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth (this condition is known as being “underwater” or “upside-down” on one’s mortgage). Homeowners who lack equity in their homes are frequently unable to meet the loan-to-value (LTV) ratios required by lenders in order to refinance their mortgages. These borrowers may be missing out on thousands of dollars worth of savings.

In response to this situation, the government created the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). HARP was designed to allow homeowners with little to no home equity to refinance into lower mortgage rates. HARP loans are available to borrowers with LTVs of as much as 125 percent, although the maximum LTV it varies by lender.

Some of the eligibility requirements for HARP are:

• The borrower’s mortgage must be owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
• The home must be the borrower’s primary residence
• The borrower must be current on their mortgage with no late payments in the last 12 month period
• The new loan must lower the borrower’s monthly payments

For a complete listing of the HARP eligibility requirements, check out the Making Home Affordable Webpage here.

The HARP loan program has been extended through June 11, 2011.

Tracy

shuffm1 asked:


I am considering applying for a home equity loan. In order to get the money I need, my house would need to be assessed at a higher value than it currently is because I have very little equity in the house. However, I have made many major capital improvements, so this won’t be a problem. If the bank’s assessor assesses the property at a higher value, will my house be subject to higher property taxes? I live in NY, so the property taxes are the highest in the country, and this would be a major problem.

I have considered and researched other alternatives to a home equity loan, so I just need to find the answer to this question. I can’t seem to find it on the Internet, and I have asked two mortgage people…and they don’t even know.
OK, if my property tax is based on the value of my property…let me pose this question/example:

Say, I bought my house for $170,000 and put no money down. My house is currently assessed by the town/county at $200,000. That is what I pay property tax on. Between rising property value and tens of thousands of dollars in capital improvements, say my house can be assessed for $250,000. That would be $70,000 more than the remaining principal. Excluding any other data or costs, a 100% home equity loan would provide me with $70,000. Now, if someone came out and said my house was valued at $250,000…this wouldn’t increase my taxes? So…the town/county would not find out about this loan or the re-assessment? My tax rate here is 3.5%. I have to be 100% sure.

Anita