Home Sweet Home Equity |
More recently, home equity loans have been used to consolidate other outstanding debts, such as credit card bills. Some observers are becoming concerned, however, about people jeopardizing the roofs over their heads because of overburdensome debt. Debt Basics Any mortgage on a home is secured debt. When you borrow against your home, you are pledging your house as collateral against the loan. Should you be unable to repay the loan, the lender would have the right to force foreclosure, with the loan being repaid from the eventual sale of the property. In contrast, credit card debt is unsecured in that assets are not pledged against the outstanding balance. In this case, the lender’s recourse would be to sue and obtain a judgment against the debtor. This might adversely affect your ability to borrow in the future and, in serious debt situations, could lead to bankruptcy. In addition to the tax deduction for the interest paid, one attraction of home equity loans is usually a lower interest rate and the ability to stretch out payments. However, when you consolidate credit card debt with a home equity loan, you are replacing unsecured debt with secured debt—potentially placing your house at risk. Why a Home Equity Loan? Here are some guidelines for judicious use of home equity lines of credit. It may make sense to borrow against your house under the following circumstances:
It may be inadvisable to borrow against your house in the following situations:
The equity in your home can be an important source of “opportunity” capital. By weighing the potential advantages and disadvantages of tapping this money supply, you can make sure that you’ll still have a roof over your head on rainy days. |
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