Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Loan Programs for Home Repairs or Improvements

By Maxwell Smithson

Financing any additional work on your home from a loft conversion to remodeling the master bedroom is going to be expensive and unless you have a large amount of money in savings you will need to arrange a loan for home improvements. Home improvement can be costly, involving contractors, supplies, and tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers, roofers, and electricians.

Whilst most homeowners are eligible for a home improvement loan, if they do not have a good credit history, they may be required to use their home as equity for the loan. The last responsibility a new homeowner wants is that of it being used as equity for a loan to improve it. Fortunately for the homeowner, an unsecured home improvement loan is available with a fifteen year repayment term if required.

The only condition made on no equity home improvement loans is that the owners must have a joint income which is lower than the county limit where the property is but reaches the limit specified by the lender. The eligibility of the borrower, the property type and the improvements for a home improvement loan are all considered and this type of loan can have minimal documentations required and is relatively easy to process.

The difference with a secured loan just means that the value of the property is taken into account and if there is spare equity then the loan is basically taken out of this. There are benefits to arranging a secured home improvement loan though as they generally have a more preferential rate of interest so lowering the monthly payments and although they are relatively hassle free, they are not another mortgage.

The lender will only provide funds based on the current equity available on your property. Although the value of your home is required, it will also take into account how much you owe both on the house and personally.

After this has taken place, the lenders will put a package forward which may not be for the full amount the homeowner wanted. Although it is not set in stone, the amount they are prepared to lend will be based on a percentage of the property valuation but some lenders will actually lend as much as a quarter as much again as the property is worth.

A secured loan can be risky if you arrange to have a loan greater than you can comfortably afford so consider this carefully as you may end up handing your beautiful home over to the creditors. So when you borrow for home improvement, it is best to use it only for necessary repairs and make renovations or home additions only when you have the money to spare. - 16752

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