Home Equity Loan Or Home Loan Mortgage Refinancing?
By: Brad Stroh
Submitted: 2009-08-08 16:29:42 | Word Count: 539
If you are considering taking out a secured loan against your home, two of your options are home loan mortgage refinancing with cash out or home equity loans. Depending on your particular situation one may be better for you financially that the other.
Cash Out Refinancing
A cash out refinance is refinancing your mortgage for more than the current balance on your first mortgage. Home loan mortgage refinancing usually has a lower interest rate than home equity loans, but if you borrow more than 80 of your home’s value then you may have to pay private mortgage insurance. If you have had your mortgage long enough that you are paying more principal than interest each month or if you currently have a good interest rate, it does not make much sense to refinance and a home equity loan will probably be a better option.
[ advertisement ]
Home Equity Loan
A home equity loan is a loan on the difference between the market value of your home and the balance that you still owe on your mortgage. As a separate loan in addition to your mortgage, you do not usually pay the closing cost associated with a mortgage and the interest is usually tax deductable. Home equity loans are a good choice if your penalties for pre payment on your original mortgage make refinancing impossible.
Which is Best?
Investments in the value of your home, starting a small business, or life saving medical treatment are all good reasons to consider a cash out refinance. However, you may end up paying more for your total interest than if you refinance your current mortgage at a lower interest rate and take out a home equity loan for a shorter term. Your final decision will depend on what you can afford for your monthly payments and if you are comfortable paying a larger total interest in exchange for lower monthly payments and lower interest rates.
If you are interested in debt consolidation, you may be able to get a lower interest rate with a cash out refinance, but you lengthen the amount of time over which to pay off your loan. You might want to look into a home equity loan with a short term or simply re budget and tackle your highest interest debt first and try to pay off your credit cards. This last method will probably same you more money in interest paid over time.
Remember that whether you opt for a cash out refinance or a home equity loan, in either case failure to repay your loan can cost you your home.
About Bills . com
Based in San Mateo, Calif., Bills . com is a free one stop portal where consumers can educate themselves about complex personal finance issues and comparison shop for products and services including credit cards, debt consolidation, insurance, mortgages and other loans. Bills . com holds the No. 257 spot on the Inc. 500 list for 2008, and the No. 3 spot on Entrepreneur Magazine s Hot 100 list of the fastest growing U.S. companies.
Bills and its sister companies, Freedom Debt Relief and Freedom Tax Relief, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Freedom Financial Network, LLC. The company has served more than 50,000 customers nationwide since 2002 while managing more than $1 billion in consumer debt.
Author Resource:-
Brad co-founded Freedom Financial Network in 2002 and Bills.com in 2005. Bills.com and Freedom have been recognized by the Inc 500 list, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Hot 100, Best Places to Work in Silicon Valley and Phoenix. Additionally, Brad was named to Silicon Valley’s “40 Under 40” list and was named a regional winner of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award along with co-Founder Andrew Housser. For more free articles and advice visit http://www.bills.com Bills.Com.
