My Personal Finance Blog

Alright, you’ve been a homeowner for some 10 years now, and you’ve decided it’s time for improvement and expansion. What is the best way to obtain the funding for home improvement projects? A home equity line of credit is often the most feasible and profitable way to access extra cash for home improvement.

How do you obtain home equity credit? What lenders provide home-equity credit? And who qualifies for home-equity created? All these questions will be answered in the following paragraphs, and hopefully from the information below, you’ll be at a more educated consumer.

All the equity lines of credit are obtained based on the amount of equity you have built into your column. If you had your mortgage for over 10 years you have established a considerable amount of equity and should be able to draw on that equity to improve and make repairs on your home.

Fixed rate mortgages or adjustable rate mortgages provide a consumer with the greatest opportunity for building equity in their home while paying for their home interest-only loans, 125 loans, and balloon notes do not help the consumer build equity over a very short time.

Quite often as we shop for mortgage products we don’t stop to think about the “down the road” needs we might experience as a homeowner. That’s why today’s market of interest-only loans and 125 loans do not seem to operate in the consumer’s favour. As you make your mortgage payment each month a portion of the payment is diverted to the interest, and the remaining amount is applied to principal; it is through this process that we build ‘equity’ in our home.



Over the course of the life of the home, say 10 years from now, we manage to outgrow our homes, we manage to overuse our homes and we manage to create a situation that is in need of repair. If you have a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage you have managed to build the equity in your home and you high on the opportunity to open a home-equity line of credit, provided you have also taken care to protect your credit rating.



The amount of equity of establishing your home and your credit rating will determine the credit limit you receive on a home-equity line of credit. Your lending institution, your local bank, or for whom ever holds your mortgage will be the entity you approach for a home-equity line of credit.

So long as your payments are up-to-date, your credit is good, and you have a substantial amount of equity in your home you will qualify for a home-equity loan that is comparable to an open line of credit. You withdraw from your line of credit as necessary.

If your loan limit is say $10,000, and you need $4000 for plumbing repairs, you simply write a check drawn on your line of credit account to cover the expense and you would begin to pay interest on the loan amount of $4000. Seems to be a very simple way to operate wouldn’t you say?



Many of the leading institutions think so thus they created a home-equity line of credit; it’s a benefit for the consumer and it’s a benefit for the lending institution. The consumer has a quick way to draw on the equity in their home, and the late institution has a great way to make a profit. So what would be the downside of a home-equity line of credit? There doesn’t seem to be one.



The only downside we’ve been able to find, with that of the consent of the purchases the interest only loan, the 125 loan, or any of the many variations from these bases that does not allow for the building of equity as the mortgage is paid. Quite often the consumer does not realize the potential danger when purchasing interest-only and 125s.

But the mortgage lender does, or should. It was for this very reason during the 1920s at the interest only loan was shelved and taken from the market. We seem to have forgotten the lessons learned. For the consumer a home without equity, is a home without protection. A home without equity is not a benefit for the consumer.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on mortgages visit: Best Mortgage Rate Finder

Are you one of the millions of Americans who fear that company cutbacks may cause you to lose your job? With the national unemployment rate at the highest in 26 years, touching 8.1% in March of 2009, it is expected that millions of more Americans will lose their jobs this year before the economy gets better.

Though you may not be able to predict the stability of your job, what can you do now to protect your income and mortgage if a layoff occurs for you?

Contribute to Savings

Many individuals and families with good jobs and a mortgage do not have an emergency savings account set in place. What a tragedy that can be if a sudden loss of regular income occurs! To protect yourself and your family from a financial crisis, you should have a savings account set up with at least three, and ideally six, months of living expenses. That means you should look at your monthly budget and determine what basic costs you will incur, such as your house payment, groceries, car payment, etc.

If you have a little savings or no savings at all, start now. Open a savings account at your bank that you contribute money into each month. The more you can cut back now and put into savings, the better you will feel if you are suddenly laid off from work.

Buy Mortgage Insurance

Mortgage insurance is available that can help you pay your mortgage while you are unemployed. However, don’t confuse mortgage insurance with Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). PMI is a type of insurance you may be required to pay for each month with your regular mortgage payment. PMI protects your lender and pays them the balance of your loan in the event you default. This is for the sole benefit of your lender and doesn’t help you prevent foreclosure.

Find an insurance agent that sells mortgage insurance. The type of policy you need is one that will take over all or a portion of your mortgage payment should you become disabled or find yourself unemployed due to layoffs. Premiums may be high, but the alternative could be a more expensive foreclosure if you are out of a job.

Find a Layoff Insurance Program

Many financial groups in many states offer “layoff insurance.” This type of income loss protection can help you pay your mortgage if you become financially unable to meet your mortgage obligation. However, you will usually be required to pay premiums for at least six to 12 months before you can file a claim. There may be other restrictions as well, such as a cap limit on the amount that the group will pay each month (i.e. meeting the principal and interest payment only and no tax escrow), and a limit on how long they will make your payment.

Groups that offer this benefit are not insurance companies, and thus, are not regulated by state insurance commissions in terms of financial reserves. Beware of groups who offer this type of benefit but are financially unable to pay claims.

This article is intended for general information. Always seek sound financial and legal advice before making any financial decision.

Helpful mortgage information at Online-Home-Mortgage.net P. Payne works for OHM Mortgage and Foreclosure Information Site providing answers to all those questions people need to know.

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association was established in 1997 to provide a variety for services for both those wishing to take advantage of reverse mortgages on their homes and lenders wishing to finance reverse mortgages.

The Reverse Mortgage Association has an educational program to aid senior citizens who have decided to take out a reverse mortgage as a way to remain financially independent The Reverse Mortgage Association has also established a Code of Conduct to which it expects reverse mortgage lenders to adhere in their dealings with senior citizens; it also has a training program in which reverse mortgage lenders are encouraged to participate.

How Reverse Mortgages Work

The Reverse Mortgage Association oversees a program in which homeowners sixty-two and older can turn a percentage of their home equity into non-taxable income while still retaining title to their homes. They are freed of the burden of a monthly mortgage payment, which they would otherwise have to accept by taking out a traditional home equity loan. The Reverse Mortgage Association oversees the activities of lenders who make the reverse mortgage payments to the senior homeowners.

A reverse mortgage does not have to be paid back until the home is no longer the borrowers’ principal residence, the borrowers pass way, the home is sold, or the borrowers leave it for good. And it the home is sold for an amount greater than the outstanding balance on the reverse mortgage, the borrowers, or their estates, can keep the difference. For more info see http://www.i-reversemortgages.com/Reverse_Mortgage_Information/ on Reverse Mortgage Information.

The Future Of Reverse Mortgages

With the Baby Boomer generation now entering their 60′s, the number of reverse mortgage loans is expected to increase dramatically. Because of that, it is more important than ever those senior citizens can trust the integrity of their lenders. The Reverse Mortgage Association has the job of verifying the quality and professionalism of reverse mortgage lenders and assuring that they will be an asset to the communities in which they do business.

The Reverse Mortgage Association holds a series of annual conferences for its member lenders, so that they can remain educated in the latest reverse mortgage issues, products, and borrower concerns.

For seniors who have been caught in the trap of dwindling IRA values, disappearing pensions, and rising health insurance costs, the idea of trying to survive in retirement on Social Security and little else may be devastating. A reverse home mortgage, from a lender who honors the Code of Conduct established by the Reverse Home Mortgage Association, could give them the secure retirement for which they are longing.

You can also find more info on Reverse Mortgage Lender and Reverse Mortgage Loans.