|
|
| Home Loans - Mortgages and Home Improvement Loans |
|
|
||
|
|
Home Equity Loan ? Good Choice for Luxury Purchases?
Home equity loans or lines of credit have increased dramatically in popularity in recent years. One of the reasons is that interest rates are at or near historic lows; borrowing money has rarely been more affordable. Another reason is that Americans are enjoying record amounts of equity as home values have skyrocketed in recent years. Given that the loans are affordable and the equity is available, many homeowners are wondering if a home equity loan would be a good way to finance expensive lifestyle items. Would borrowing against your home be a good way to purchase that Dodge Viper you've always wanted? How about that around the world cruise you have always dreamed about? Is taking out a home equity loan for luxury purchases a good idea? As with any financial transaction, there are good points and bad points to borrowing against your home to buy luxury items. The good points are numerous. Unlike a credit card or standard auto loan, a home equity loan offers deductible interest on your tax return, provided that the loan does not exceed $100,000. If you pay taxes in the 28% tax bracket, you are effectively getting a 28-cent rebate on every dollar you pay in interest. That is certainly appealing. The fees associated with a home equity loan have come down in recent years, and the application process is much simpler than in the past. The good points make it seem like a good idea, but the bad points are considerable. Most home equity loans have terms that extend quite some time, typically ranging from 5-15 years in duration. Do you really want to pay for a car for fifteen years? It is quite likely that you'll still be paying for that luxury car long after it has gone to the junkyard. The same applies to that around the world cruise, which will be long forgotten by the time it has actually been paid for. It may make sense to fund a luxury car with a home equity loan if the term of the loan is only five years and you actually plan to keep the car for that long. Otherwise, funding the purchase with a more traditional loan would be a better choice. Of course, if you have already made the purchases and you are maintaining a balance on a high-interest credit card, it might be wise to consolidate your debt with an equity loan. Trading a 20% loan for a 6% loan is certainly a smart move. The best advice for anyone considering funding a luxury purchase through a home loan would be to consult with a tax advisor. ©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on mortgages and home equity loans.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Build Your Own Dream House! So you're thinking about building your own house, are you? Well, you've come to the right place! It's a lot of fun (hard work and eventually fun!) to build your own home and it will save you thousands of dollars(we saved over a Hundred Grand by doing it ourselves - that's pretty significant cash!). If you happen to live in a Large City, like Los Angeles, or anywhere that Real Estate Values are 'close-to-insane', you could potentially save millions of dollars. Interested, you say?? Read on, My Friend, Read on...! Some of the Available Loan Types There are many mortgage products available on the market today. We can help you find out which one is right for you. Here are the most common options. Tips For First Home Buyers On Getting Home Loans Buying your first home will likely be the biggest and most important purchase you will ever make. It can be a very stressful and may even leave you sleepless for nights on end wondering whether you are making the right decision ? especially where choosing the right home loan is concerned. Mortgage Calculator ? How to Calculate Your Monthly Mortgage Payment Just starting to shop for a new home? Do you want to know how to figure what your monthly payment would be based on a certain priced home? No problem, there are plenty of mortgage calculators on the web you can use free of charge (click here for an example of one). All you need to know is the mortgage amount, sale price less the down payment, interest rate (also easy to access on the web), and the number of years you wish to finance your new home, usually 30 years (360 months) is the maximum term. Simply input those numbers into the mortgage calculator and voila you have your monthly payment calculated for you. Can you see the advantage of knowing what your approximate monthly payment is going to be while your home shopping? Unlock your Home Loan Piggy Bank With the recent sharp increase in property values your current home could be a pot of gold. Housing Bill - Changes in the Right To Buy Scheme Presently council tenants are able to purchase their rented property after 2 years of tenancy. However, this is about to change. As of the 18th January 2005, the new Housing Bill becomes law and the current 2 years will change to a period of 5 years. This means, that once the proposals come into force, any new council tenant will have to wait 5 years before having the option of buying their property. A Guide to Quick Homeowner Loans The search for quick homeowner loans can seem futile at first, especially if you don't know exactly what it is that you're looking for. Reverse Mortgages ? a Reversal of the Mortgage Process Mortgages have assumed a number of characters from the time of their inception. The traditional mortgages used to be of the repayment type. Every month the mortgagor used to pay a certain amount towards both principal and interest. Sensing the hardships that people have to face in making these payments, mortgage providers came up with interest only mortgages. But the present day customer is more pampered. He needs a mortgage where he enjoys the cash, but is not required to pay a penny towards the repayment. Think You Cant Get a Mortgage? You've finally found that dream home that you have always been searching for, but you are afraid to apply for a mortgage because you have bad credit or less than perfect credit. Interest Only Home Loan ? Is It Right For You? There are many benefits to interest-only mortgage loans. There are many situations where an interest-only mortgage loan could be best for you. Consolidate Debt With A Home Equity Loan If you are a home owner who is having to borrow from Peter to pay Paul due to a mounting debt load, a debt consolidation home equity loan may be the answer. A debt consolidation loan will allow you to consolidate your high interest credit card and consumer loans into one low rate, affordable monthly payment. Home Equity Increases $1 Trillion in Five Years ? Is the Market Peaking? A new survey reveals that in the last five years, the equity in the California real estate market has increased by more than one trillion dollars. A trillion dollars is a large number to ponder, but put in concrete terms, it can be represented by a stack of one hundred dollar bills that is six hundred thirty one miles high! This astronomical increase in California home values isn't all that unique, however. Prices on the East Coast, particularly in the Washington, D.C. area, are increasing just as rapidly. There are areas on both coasts where home prices have tripled during the last five years. This, along with the dramatic increase in interest-only mortgages among homebuyers, suggests that home prices may be peaking. How To Find A Mortgage With Bad Credit Shopping online for mortgages ought to be trouble free, even should you have poor credit or no credit score. You can nonetheless find a bad credit lender that can facilitate you. The internet has expanded the international marketplace in a way never before possible, granting people looking for financial products such as loans unlimited choices. Whenever you shop for a loan online you are utilizing the largest marketplace in the world. Zero Down Mortgage Loans - Is 100% Financing a Good Idea and Can You Get Approved? Are you wondering if you can get approved for a home loan with 100% financing? Are you also wondering if its a good idea to get a mortgage loan with no money down? Here are some points to keep in mind as you apply and consider your different mortgage loan options. First Time Buyers Fail To Shop Around Almost two thirds of first time buyers accept the first mortgage they are offered and fail to shop around, often missing out on better deals. Home Loans and Mortgages ? Watch Out for Dangerous Subprime Loans With the growing interest in real estate purchasing and speculation, more and more lenders are offering "nontraditional" types of mortgages. These include adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) of every shape and size, the more popular interest-only mortgage, and the very dangerous Option ARM mortgage, which can cause the amount you owe to actually increase as time passes. One rapidly growing sector of the lending market is the so-called "subprime" market, which caters to consumers with poor credit records. The subprime market is a profitable one, as lenders offer loans to consumers whose poor payment history targets them as risky clients. Yes, they are risky clients, but the lenders charge fees and interest rates that are high enough to offset the additional risk. People who are interested in purchasing a home should be careful, however, as many people who should qualify for traditional loans are being pushed into higher-priced subprime loans instead. Home Owner Loans Explained How To Release Equity Locked Up In Your Home For Immediate Use. What Your Mortgage Lender Is Not Telling You About Accelerated Mortgages For years, mainstream banks and financial advisors have been recommending that you pay extra cash into your mortgage account in order to cut down the huge interest amount and reduce the period over which you pay back the loan. Sell Your Home and Invest at the Same Time I continue to see the same For Sale signs in my neighborhood. The houses just aren't selling. If you are considering selling or have a home on the market that is not moving, it's time to think about financing the sale yourself. A good friend of mine bought a new home three months ago, and he has watched his old house sit unsold, while he's struggled paying two mortgages. I finally convinced him to get past his fears and finance the sale of his old home. Repayment Remortgages is The Cure For Outdated Endowment Policy If bulls and the bears of the stock market have no effect on your mortgage plan then you must apply for endowment to repayment remortgage. An endowment mortgage is a financial product offered mainly in the UK. Endowment mortgage comprise of an interest only loan secured on your mortgage and an investment in the stock market. As against an ordinary repayment mortgage, the customer pays only the interest on the capital. The balance goes into the endowment fund. This stock oriented mortgage policy was workable in the context of stock boom of the 1980s and 1990s. At the end of the mortgage term, it seemed plausible that the investment would pay off the capital. But present day market status is unreliable and fails to make endowment mortgage a much sorted out plan. In recent years it is appropriate to revolutionize your endowment mortgage to repayment remortgage.
|
More vMoney matters .....
According to the Association of British Insurers, the average motorist could save up to 35% on their insurance premium by simply shopping around. To check out a selection of major car insurance companies and a library of over 400 articles on car insurance, please click Cheap Car Insurance
Found that dream car? Need a car loan? Check out our library of over 430 articles to help you find Cheap Car Loans
Need some help on managing your money? Have some questions on how to consolidate your debt? Check out this website with over 350 articles: Advice Bureau
Out of pocket because you're the innocent victim of an accident? Speak to a free Personal Injury Solicitor by contacting the Freelegal Helpline on 0800 01 53425 Personal Injury Claims
|
Personal Finance | Personal Finance UK | Personal Finance site map mortgage calculator | cheap car loans | broadband providers |
| © Personal Finance |