A home equity loan is the ideal financial instrument for a person who is in the following type of situation:
a. needs money to pay down high-interest credit card debt, make home improvements, or pay for other major expenses
b. has a home with equity in it (i.e., they owe less on the home than it is worth)
A person in this situation has an advantage over somebody who has no home with equity in it. That is because an equity loan is a form of a secured loan, since the lender gets to use the home as collateral should anything happen that would prevent the homeowner from repaying the loan. Secured loans usually command lower interest rates than do unsecured loans. Another word for a home equity loan is a second mortgage (2nd mortgage).
But, what should you do if you have a bad credit score of under 650 or even 600? Fortunately, since we are talking about a secured loan (using your home as collateral), if you know how and where to apply you still have a good chance of securing a home equity loan.
If you are looking for a guaranteed home equity loan with bad credit, here are 5 tips for finding the right loan:
1. Determine your current score:
Start by knowing the facts about your credit score. Run your credit report with TransUnion, Experian and Equifax and find out your score from each of them. It is possible that your score is not as low as you had thought. Even if it is, it is still useful to run your reports since doing so can reveal any errors or misreported items that you can get cleared up.
2. Find multiple lenders:
Now, you need to make a list of multiple home equity lenders. Generally, most mortgage lenders will also be willing to extend you a home equity loan. And, some lenders actually specialize in this type of loan. The more lenders you can find, the bigger your “universe” of possible lenders to choose from when looking for that best deal.
3. Approach both standard and “bad credit” equity lenders:
Make sure that your list includes both regular/standard lenders and those that advertise that they are bad credit equity lenders.
4. Decide how much you want to borrow:
Decide how much you want to borrow, then calculate how much you can reasonably borrow to make sure it is enough. Typically, most lenders will allow you to borrow up to 70{7fcbeda410c9f02a886f83a59a5af911565ec7141a170d397df667872a958d9e}-80{7fcbeda410c9f02a886f83a59a5af911565ec7141a170d397df667872a958d9e} of your home’s value (taking into account your current mortgage balance and your new equity loan combined). Some will allow up to 100{7fcbeda410c9f02a886f83a59a5af911565ec7141a170d397df667872a958d9e} or 125{7fcbeda410c9f02a886f83a59a5af911565ec7141a170d397df667872a958d9e} loans, however.
5. Apply to all of the reputable lenders on your list:
Finally, apply to all of the lenders on your list – at least the reputable ones. Do a bit of research to determine which are reputable by checking online discussion boards and consumer advocate websites. If you find few or no complaints, they may be reputable and worth trusting. Also, make sure the website is high-quality.
Consider these 5 tips as you apply for a guaranteed home equity loan with bad credit.
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