Get Your Home Ready To Sell With A Home Equity Loan

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Preparing your home for sale in the near future may mean that you need to fix the place up before you sell it. If you have some major work that needs to be done to it, you may want to consider getting a home equity loan to pay for it. Here are some reasons why a home equity loan is a good option to get the money you need to fix it up.

Lower Cost

A home equity loan allows you to tap into the equity in your home. It is also looked at as a second mortgage and will provide you the funds you need to complete your home's preparation for sale. Getting a loan this way provides you with a lower interest rate than most other type of loans, or credit cards.

Get As Much As You Need

Before you set out to get your money, you will need to know how much you want to get. Even before you do that, though, it would be a good idea to find out if the project you have in mind will actually increase the value of your home. If you are looking to raise the value of your home, talk with a Realtor or contractor beforehand, because some projects simply will not raise the value very much.

A home equity loan provides you with a one-time amount, so you will need to know what it will cost beforehand. If you are not sure of the cost, perhaps a home equity line of credit may be the better way to go for you. This will give you a line of credit, and access to it so that you can draw out money, as you need it.

Fixed Interest Rate

A home equity loan will usually have a fixed interest rate. This allows you to know exactly what your payment will be from the start. Since you are planning on selling your home as soon as possible, you want to keep your payments as low as possible. You will want to keep in mind, though, that a second mortgage does mean an additional payment - at least until sold.

Keep Payments Low

With a home equity loan, you are able to get low payment terms that will not fully amortize the loan. This usually requires a balloon payment at the end of the loan in order to fully amortize it. Since you are only borrowing the money for a short term, though, this would enable you to pay the least amount until your house sells. Then you can make your payment in full.

Make sure, though, that there are not any early payoff penalties on your home equity loan. This will allow you to pay the least and get the most for the short term. You also want to get a few quotes for your home equity loan and look around for the best deal. Compare the various offers you receive and find out which one will work best for your situation.