Cash refinances and home-equity loans are two of the most popular tools available to access the equity accumulated in your home. Cashout refinances pay off your current mortgage and give you a new one, while home-equity loans give you cash in exchange for the equity you have accumulated on your property. Both options allow homeowners to access the equity they have accumulated in their home, either through regular mortgage payments or through an increase in the value of their home. The biggest similarity between the two options is that both allow the homeowner to access the equity they have accumulated in their home.
Homeowners who have at least 20 percent accumulated in their home can generally access that amount through a cash-out refinance or home-equity loan and use the money to pay off whatever they need. One point homeowners might not be aware of is that establishing a new mortgage as part of a cash-out refinance could introduce the mortgage insurance requirement. Mortgage insurance protects the lender in the event that the borrower defaults on the mortgage, and the landlord may be required to pay under certain circumstances. For example, homeowners who have less than 20 percent share capital are generally required to pay mortgage insurance to the lender until they reach that level of capital, at which point they can cancel the mortgage insurance. In addition, mortgage insurance is required for certain types of government-guaranteed loans, such as FHA or USDA loans.
A home equity loan avoids the need to worry about mortgage insurance because it's separate from the home's main mortgage. Home equity loans and lines generally come with higher interest rates than cash refinances. They also tend to have much lower closing costs. So, if a new mortgage rate is similar to your current rate and you don't want to borrow a lot of extra money, a home equity loan is probably your best option. The biggest benefit of a cash-out refinance is that you don't have any additional payments. It also tends to have a lower interest rate than a home equity loan would have.
It's the cheapest way to borrow against your home equity, says Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage. A home equity loan is a type of second mortgage. Unlike cash-out refinancing, it doesn't replace your current home loan. Instead, it's a loan in addition to your original mortgage, which means you'll have two monthly payments. Home equity loans generally come with fixed interest rates and terms of between five and 30 years.
These loans also come with closing costs, although they are usually lower than what you will see in a cash-out refinance. Some lenders even cover them completely. In most cases, home equity loans allow you to access up to 80% of the value of your home on both your home equity loan and your mortgage. Some lenders may have limits of up to 90% for certain borrowers. The main drawback of a home equity loan is that it comes with a second monthly payment. Rates may also be higher, and your interest costs may not be tax-deductible.
With home equity mortgages, you can only deduct interest if you use the funds to buy, build, or substantially improve your home. And even then, you would have to itemize your returns to take this deduction. On the bright side, home-equity loans allow you to maintain the terms of your original mortgage, which could be good if you're far along in your repayment schedule, when a majority of your payments go to your principal balance rather than interest. It's also smart if interest rates on traditional mortgages are rising and you don't want to lose the low rate you already have. To get your home equity loan, you must file an application with your chosen lender, submit documentation, and have your home evaluated. Once you pay your closing costs and sign the documentation, you will receive your lump sum payment a few days later.
Then, you would start making monthly payments for your home equity loan starting the following month. Both cash-out refinancing and home equity loans can help you convert principal into cash but deciding which option is best for your situation depends on several factors such as budget, terms of original mortgage and long-term plans as a homeowner. Home equity loans and cash refinances are types of secured debt with an average interest rate usually lower than what you'll find with other types of unsecured debt such as credit cards or personal loans. A cash-out refinance is a mortgage refinance option where an old mortgage is replaced with a new one with a larger amount than what was owed on the previously existing loan helping borrowers use their mortgage to get some cash. This simplifies things and can release a large amount of cash very quickly which can even help improve the value of your property.
