A home equity loan is a popular and attractive source of borrowing for thousands of people. Part of the reason people think first of a home equity loan when they need a substantial sum of money is that home equity loans are marketed extensively, with advertisement in every medium.
Lenders love home equity loans because they are highly risk free. Therefore, a home equity loan is easy to get and offers one of the best interest rate of any type of high end loan.
A home equity loan is attractive for consumers, not only because of the low interest rate but because that interest can be deducted from income taxes. The outlook isnt completely rosy for consumers who are considering a home equity loan, however.
With any home equity loan you can borrow only up to 80 percent of the equity youve accrued in your home at the time of your loan application. If, for example, your homes current market value were 150,000 and the balance on your mortgage was 70,000 you could borrow 80 percent of the 80,000 equity, or 64,000.
Consumers should not make the decision to take out a home equity loan lightly. Nor should they borrow to the maximum 80 percent just because they...