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Friday, December 12, 2008

The Use of Equity Loan for Home Improvements

By Maxwell Smithson

Financing any additional work on your home from a loft conversion to remodeling the master bedroom is going to be expensive and unless you have a large amount of money in savings you will need to arrange a loan for home improvements. Home improvement can be costly, involving contractors, supplies, and tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers, roofers, and electricians.

Whilst most homeowners are eligible for a home improvement loan, if they do not have a good credit history, they may be required to use their home as equity for the loan. The last responsibility a new homeowner wants is that of it being used as equity for a loan to improve it. Fortunately for the homeowner, an unsecured home improvement loan is available with a fifteen year repayment term if required.

The primary stipulation when applying for an unsecured home improvement loan is the income level of both the owners (where this applies) but the amount of the loan must not be higher than the amount allowed by the county law where the property is situated. Whilst the lenders do not hand over the money without making some checks first on the property and the applicant, these checks are just to provide some security for the lender and home improvement loans are processed quite quickly.

The difference with a secured loan just means that the value of the property is taken into account and if there is spare equity then the loan is basically taken out of this. This type of loan is not a new mortgage on the home however and is much faster to organize but because the house is being used to secure the loan should anything go wrong, it does benefit from lower interest rates.

Obviously the amount you are able to borrow will depend on the value of your home. This calculation is worked out using how much your home is worth, how much is owed and of course if there are other loans or debts, these will be included as well.

After this has taken place, the lenders will put a package forward which may not be for the full amount the homeowner wanted. Although it is not set in stone, the amount they are prepared to lend will be based on a percentage of the property valuation but some lenders will actually lend as much as a quarter as much again as the property is worth.

When you arrange a secured loan, the lender has a claim on it should you fail to meet payments so only borrow judiciously and consider your ability to pay. Do not arrange a home improvement loan if it is going to cause any financial strain especially if it is only for remodeling but restrict the amount to cover for important repairs or restoration only.

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