What is a HELOC? A Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC) is an unsecured loan against your home’s equity that you can use for any purpose. It comes with lower monthly payments and higher interest rates than other loans, such as mortgages or lines of credit secured by your property
Why do I need one? If you are looking for money, but don’t want it tied up in your house — a HELOC may be right for you. You could use the funds to pay off student debt, tackle expensive renovations on an aging home or make some quick cash by refinancing out now at today’s low mortgage rates and locking into a fixed rate.
What are the benefits? A HELOC allows you to borrow up to a certain percentage of your home’s equity (currently about 65%). The interest rates on these loans tend to be lower than other types of home-related financing, such as mortgages or lines of credit secured by property. You also have the flexibility to access funds from this type of loan for any purpose — not just buying a new house.
Downsides: Besides higher monthly payments and interest rates, there is one other downside with HECLs that can lead people in some situations come unstuck—a high minimum balance requirement. How do I qualify? For most Canadians looking for money after retirement they will need at least 25% equity in their homes in order to qualify for a HELOC.
Key Points: A HELOC is a home equity line of credit. This type of loan lets you borrow up to a certain percentage (currently 65%) of your home’s equity, and the interest rates on these loans tend to be lower than other types of financing like mortgages or lines of credit secured by property. You also have the flexibility to access funds from this type more for any purpose—not just buying a new house. The downsides are higher monthly payments and interest rates as well as one downside with HELOCs that can lead people in some situations come unstuck—a high minimum balance requirement. How do I qualify? For most Canadians looking for money after retirement they will need at least 25% equity in their homes in order to qualify for a HELOC along with the income test.
This loan is not just for people looking to purchase a new house either, you can also use this type of financing as a way to consolidate debts or make home renovation projects easier with more funds available than what would be possible through your regular mortgage. And while the interest rates might be higher and monthly payments will likely come in at a bit higher cost than some other types of loans, there are still many benefits that should outweigh any negatives when it comes time to consider borrowing from your property’s equity.
The one potential downside associated with HELOCs that could cause trouble for some Canadians is if they’re only able to put down less than 25% on their homes during retirement but want money even though they don’t own the equity.
For most people, however, HELOCs are a great way to get some extra cash for important expenses or projects without having to worry about not being able to make your mortgage payments come due. The only downside is that you won’t be getting an interest-free loan if you need more than $150,000 in order to finance a home renovation project–the funds will still have monthly costs and interest rates attached which could wind up costing quite a bit over time. But many Canadians can look past this as they weigh all of their options when it comes time to borrow money from their home’s equity for good reasons like renovating or consolidating debts with lower overall monthly payment obligations going forward.