Articles by Subject

Good Time for A Home Improvement Loan?

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 11/02/2009 - 1:30am

Thinking about a home improvement project? With carpenters and other skilled trades hungry for work, and mortgage interest rates their lowest in decades, it looks like a great time to tackle a major home renovation. The major problem is, can you get a home equity loan to fund it?

Calculating How Much Your Home Is Worth

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 10/15/2009 - 12:43am

How much is your home worth these days? The nationwide decline in home values over the past three years has many people worried about how far "underwater" they might be on their own mortgages, i.e., whether they owe more than their home is worth. It's a particular concern for anyone who's thinking about refinancing their mortgage, but just about anyone with a mortgage is probably concerned as well.

Secondary Mortgage vs.Home Equity Line of Credit

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 09/19/2009 - 12:07am

What's the difference between a second mortgage and a home equity line of credit (HELOC)? Both offer ways to tap into, or borrow against, the equity in your home. But there are some significant differences.

Should You Use a Home Equity Loan to Pay Off Credit Cards?

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 08/24/2009 - 12:16am

With credit card interest rates rising right through the roof, some homeowners may be wondering whether a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC) is the way to get their debts under control. The answer is a definite maybe.

Don't Use Home Equity like an ATM

By:
Greg Mischio - MortgageLoan.com | 06/07/2009 - 12:05am

Your home provides shelter and warmth. Your ATM machine provides easy access to cash. If anything should be learned from the recent housing market crisis, it's that the two must never be confused.

Home Remodeling Booming Despite Troubled Economy

By:
Greg Mischio - MortgageLoan.com | 04/30/2009 - 12:55am

It appears that reports of the housing industry's death have been greatly exaggerated. Some sectors of the industry, such as home sales, continue to slump, but the home remodeling business is booming.

Second Mortgage May Block Mortgage Refinance

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 04/08/2009 - 12:38am

If you find a mortgage lender that will refinance your first mortgage, consider asking for a loan large enough to pay off your second mortgage, too.

Negative Home Equity Growing Rapidly

By:
Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | 04/06/2009 - 12:40am

If you owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth, you have negative home equity. That often leads to foreclosure and bankruptcy. The value of home equity is shriveling, leaving growing numbers of homeowners upside down in their mortgages.

Mortgage Rescue Impossible for Many in Home Equity Trouble

By:
Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | 03/27/2009 - 1:10am

When home values rose, so did the popularity of the home equity mortgage. Many homeowners used these loans to tap into fast cash, as houses became the new ATM machines. Today, the same easy path to money is a major obstacle to refinancing away from painful mortgage loans.

Banks Cutting Home Equity Lines: Is it Legal?

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 03/23/2009 - 1:20am

One bank's decision to slash home equity lines of credit has spurred a class action lawsuit. Is the argument legally valid?