A 100% home equity will allow you to borrow money from the value of your home that you can use for whatever you want. There are a number of uses for these loans and you can often receive lower interest rates than your credit cards, however the interest rate will generally be higher than your primary mortgage. A 100% home equity loan will allow you to borrow the complete value of your home.

There are some key documents that you will need to get approved for a 100% home equity loan. These documents include:

• The tax assessor’s home appraisal

• Your two most recent paycheck stubs from your employer

• Most recent mortgage statement

• The legal description of your property

• Current property insurance policy

• If you are self-employed, you will need to have your two most recent 1040 tax returns including all schedules

• W-2 or 1099 forms from the past 2 years


When you go to get approved for your home equity loan you will need to be prepared as to what additional costs may be involved. There is generally a fee for a property appraisal to estimate the value of your home. An application fee may or may not be refunded, especially if you are turned down due to bad credit. There are generally points that must be paid upfront. One point equals one percent of your credit limit. Closing costs may include attorney fees, title search, preparation, filing, property and title insurance and taxes.

Before you make your decision on your home equity loan you will need to include all of these costs into the loan and determine how much you are really going to be spending over the life of the loan. You may also want to consider shorter repayment periods, especially if you do not know how much longer you will be living in your home.

By: C.L. Haehl

Many factors go into deciding on refinancing your home equity loan. These include how much will you be able to save in your monthly payments and the costs associated with the refinance home equity loan in the closing expenditures. Some lenders offer low cost refinance home equity loans and a few also extend it to “no costs” refinance home equity loans.

Its important for you to ensure that your new lender does not charge you a high interest rate or does not include any such fee that covers their cost of lower interest rate. The interest rate of refinance home equity loan should be at least two percent lesser than your existing loan.

Always think if refinancing is worth for you at your current situation. Many times the lender will not charge you for various fees like refinancing fees and legal charges.

Home Equity Refinance is beneficial as there is no need for you to pay out cash by accumulating points and closing costs on your loan which means that you do not keep accruing debt. This implies that you have your mortgage for a fewer years and your overhead balance will be reduced by a few thousand dollars. This way you will end up paying much less over the life of the loan.

But until you find a suitable refinance home equity loan, make sure you find means to pay your bills and fulfill your obligations. Seek advice from a credible source like a budget counseling organization or your creditor in case you do not know how and what to do. These people will help you to work out something that will enable you to reduce your payments considerably.

Never let your bad credit rating come in the way of your home loan refinancing, make sure when applying your credit is good or repaired. Nevertheless, some lenders do offer refinance home equity loans to the borrowers with bad credit rating or fixed incomes.

Needless to say, always beware of scams, financial crooks and fake refinance lenders. Being cautious always pays off so keep a close eye on those who contact you for the home equity refinance. Check the background of the refinance home equity lender to ensure he is a reputed one. You will be better off to contact a home equity finance company instead. In fact if you have any ongoing home improvement contracts to be done, ensure that the loan proceeds will be sent directly to you.

Finally, check all the terms and conditions of the loan before you final commitment. Be careful as you are using your home as collateral!

By: William Tellze

This article summarizes the differences between conventional and government loans for first-time buyers, homeowners looking for mortgage refinancing, and those looking to cash out on equity for loan consolidation, debt consolidation or home improvement through home equity loans (second mortgages).

Conventional Mortgages

• Not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Government.

• Features 0% to 20% down payment options.

• Usually fixed mortgage rates for 15 to 30 years or adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs).

• Maximum conforming limit is $417,000. Otherwise, it’s a jumbo or non-conforming conventional loan.

Government Mortgages

• Insured against default by the Federal Government, making qualification less stringent:

- FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

- VA loans are guaranteed by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

• FHA loans require 3% down payments and are 15 and 30 year fixed rate loans or 1 year ARMs.

• VA loans are only available to eligible veterans or surviving spouses of deceased veterans.

• No down payment required—up to 100% financing allowed.

• Maximum loan amounts for government loans are set geographically.

• Mortgage refinancing into government loans is only available to existing holders of government mortgages.

Stated Income Mortgage Loans

“Stated-income mortgages are for people who make the money they say they make, but that amount doesn’t show up on the bottom line of their income taxes,” says Hugh McLaughlin, president and CEO of KMC Mortgage Services Inc., a lender and broker in Naples, Florida. They are non-conventional loans with higher rates than conventional mortgages–borrower interest rates depend on several factors: income stability, debt-to-income ratio, credit score, down payment and property appraisal value. Stated income mortgages can be 15 or 30 year fixed rate loans or adjustable rate mortgages.

By: Maria Ny