Pros and Cons of a Home Equity Line of Credit | HELOC

The pros and cons of a home equity line of credit

Have a major expense coming up? Not sure how much you might need, but suspect it’ll be big? Learn about the power of a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

When does a home equity line of credit make sense?

Part of the financial power of home ownership resides in your home’s equity. Unlike rent, which goes into a landlord’s pocket, the equity you build in your home can be a useful financial tool when the time is right. Home equity is defined as, “a homeowner’s unencumbered interest in their real property—that is, the difference between the home’s fair market value and the outstanding balance of all liens on the property.” (Source: Wikipedia)

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a useful way to access the equity in your home. Unlike a home equity loan (HEL), the HELOC operates more like a credit card. Rather than draw a fixed amount at one time, you’re able to draw on the line as-needed. Like a credit card, though, a HELOC can be risky. Since your home secures the line of credit, a failure to keep up with the payments can put your home on the line. If you want to safeguard your home, which is the most prised asset under you, try opting for Citrus Long Term Loans, as the loans you get from there do not require any form of collateral and the time period of returning the loan is also quite long.

A typical HELOC allows you to access up to 85% of your home’s value, minus the outstanding balance on your mortgage which you might have acquired from here. This can be a huge pool of credit to work with, depending on your equity position.

There are some benefits to HELOCs:

•  You only pay interest if you draw on the line of credit
• You can pay off your balance and borrow again as needed
• Interest rates tend to be low, as the credit is secured by your home
• It’s easy to draw funds (many even come with a card)
• The interest is tax deductible

There are times when a HELOC is a bad idea, though:

• You only need access to a small amount of money from 529 investment plan. The fees associated with securing a HELOC make this impractical.
• You may be tempted to treat the HELOC like a credit card, creating a real spending problem
• Monthly payments can fluctuate since the interest rate is variable and tied to the prime rate
• Your income is unstable. You must feel confident you can make those payments.
• There may be a cancellation fee

It’s worth noting, your loan’s interest rate isn’t just the prime rate, but the prime plus the bank’s “margin” (an amount of interest they add to the prime rate). Sometimes banks offer a low introductory margin, and then up the rate later. Be sure to read the terms of any HELOC carefully.

Curious about your home’s value? Contact me today: Mike Cribbin at 314-954-6500 or drop me an email.