Time to Consider Your Home Equity Line of Credit?

Authored By: Charles Essmeier

A home equity line of credit is a useful financial tool for homeowners. Unlike a traditional home equity loan, which has a fixed repayment schedule, the line of credit, also known as a HELOC, has a more flexible repayment schedule. It also has a more flexible payout schedule; instead of receiving the money in a lump sum, those who have a HELOC can withdraw funds as needed. If there is no balance, there is no payment due. And when the funds are repaid, they can be borrowed again. The HELOC is a great tool for financing anything that has an ongoing expense, such as a do-it-yourself home remodeling project.

But there are downsides to home equity lines of credit, and one of those is the variable interest rate. Home equity loans, with fixed repayment schedules, have fixed interest rates. A HELOC, with its greater flexibility, does not. As interest rates continue to rise, that could be a problem for homeowners who have a HELOC with a large outstanding balance. The payments will increase, and that could make some homeowners uncomfortable.

What are your options if you have a HELOC and rates are rising? Here are several things that you can consider:

Just keep it - For some, the flexibility of borrowing money when needed and as needed is paramount. If you only borrow against your credit line occasionally and repay fairly promptly, or if you want to keep your HELOC as a source of funds in case of emergency, then you should simply hang on to it. Just be aware that your payments will be higher if rates continue to rise.

Exchange it - Instead of a HELOC, you could take out a traditional home equity loan and pay off the balance of your line of credit with it. You will now have a fixed monthly payment over a fixed period of time. One downside, however, is that you lose the ability to borrow again. To do so, you will have to apply for another loan.

Refinance your house - One other option is to refinance the entire mortgage and include the balance of the line of credit in the amount to be financed. This will reduce the number of payments you need to make each month from two to one and will simplify your finances somewhat. On the other hand, you will now be financing that HELOC money over as long as 30 years, which might not make sense if you used the line of credit to buy something that won't last that long, such as an automobile.

Everyone has different financial needs, which is why lenders offer such a wide variety of loan options. If you are uncertain as to what you should do about your line of credit, you may wish to consult with a lender in order to see which options are right for you.

©Copyright 2006 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity lines of credit and mortgages.

Article Source: http://www.FinanceNook.com
Your One-Stop Quality Finance Article Source

Home | Loans | Mortgages-refinance

Read Additional Related Articles from the Mortgages-Refinance Category

Listed below are more articles related to the above article.

People interested in the above article "Time to Consider Your Home Equity Line of Credit?" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

A New Mortgage Elimination Scam - By : Jeanette Joy Fisher
Self Certificate Mortgages – Prove Yourself! - By : Joe Kenny
Fixed Rate Mortgages – Know Your Rate! - By : Joe Kenny
Remortgage And Its Advantages - By : Amanda Thompson
Tips for Mortgage Refinancing and Debt Consolidation - By : Natalie Aranda
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Payment – Things You Need To Know - By : James Calvin
Growing Problem In Real Estate - Mortgage Fraud - By : Glenn Ginsburg
Finding The Right Mortgage Company - By : James Calvin
Finding The Best Equity Home Loan Rate - By : Oliver Turner
Mortgage Lenders And How To Find Them - By : James Calvin

Read more related articles in Home | Loans | Mortgages-refinance

Return Home

FinanceNook.com Home

Featured Sites

Internet Marketing
Website marketing strategies and tips for promoting a business online

Small Business Marketing
How to get more customers or clients than you ever dreamed possible

Social Bookmarking

Bookmark on del.icio.us

Popular Articles

RSS Feeds

FinanceNook.com Home | Top of Page

United States of America . United Kingdom . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam. Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Chile . China . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Ireland . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Morocco . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Sahara . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tomé & Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tongo . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Tuvalu . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Yemen . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Template Design by Larry Lim | Powered by Article Dashboard