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Getting Refinancing and Your Home Improvement Loan

By Henry L. Pikus

Refinancing packages, also called "refis," can be difficult to get; it depends upon what you are looking for. If you're experienced and you've done this before, you'll probably have an easier time of it, but it's ultimately based upon the health of your credit history. Of course, you'll do the best if you have a good credit history, and you can get A-loan package deals if so, but you can still get pretty good interest rates (although somewhat higher) with less than perfect credit through package deals with B and C loans. It'll take you some elbow grease to find the right refinance, and you should be able to take advantage of low interest rate deals right now because of the market. Even so, it can still be complicated as a process. There are some things you should think about when you're looking to refinance so that you get the money you're looking for.

What are your options with refinancing? For example, you may want to get a home loan through refinancing for home improvements or for cash. In that case, it looks intimidating, but it's not as hard as it looks. You can take a second mortgage on your house or you can take out a home equity loan when you refinance so that you can fix your house up.

If it's home improvement you're looking for, before you refinance, take a look and see how much you want to do. Is it going to increase your home's value? How much is it going to cost you to remodel, do the addition, or improve energy efficiency, etc.? When you've figured out what you want to do, get quotes from several contractors who are reputable and from your area. Alternatively, you could also be in a situation whereby you need to repair your home because it's been through some type of damage and you are going to be working through your insurance company, such as if you've had roof damage, and want to be working on some home improvements at the same time. That's a pretty big chunk to bite off, so make sure you have everything in order.

A home improvement loan is like borrowing money for a time from your house to fix it up so that in time it might be worth more in the long run and then you make your money back and the investment is worth more to you and to the bank as collateral for your mortgage. This type of loan can be looked at from a business perspective or a personal one either way the job gets done and your house is improved. The work should be done on the home so that the value increases, this is the key. If the value does not increase than the loan was not worth it, and the improvements did not "improve" your house. Lenders often look at this in terms of market trends and economic conditions before a home improvement loan is authorized. One thing to keep in mind though is that if the loan is taken out and then the work is not done and the money not used for the purpose it was intended, than the possibility of refinancing in the future is less of an option.

So take a look at what you want to do and ask whether a home improvement loan is right for you, and whether refinancing solutions for that are available. If you're just fixing up your house, for example, you may be better off getting a home equity line of credit from a lender. You don't need to refinance, always, just for home-improvement needs. You can also use a personal loan for a variety of expenses that would be considered valid, such as educational purposes, paying off medical expenses, starting a family, and so on. These types of personal loans are available at the bank and through a variety of lenders; they may be something else you want to consider.

When you're looking to refinance, state what you want to do clearly, whether it be for home improvement loans or something else. Be completely clear and up front with your lenders so that they can tell you what your options are based upon the right information. You can talk to a loan officer or representative to find the right solution for you and make sure you've done the proper homework before you start so that the interest rate you find is the lowest possible; you may even want to compare interest rate quotes with other lenders to see if the lender you want will match an offer from another lender. Oftentimes, this will get you a very good deal, since lenders will compete with each other to get your business.

With refinancing, of course, you can also use home improvement loans and you can take the money out of your home's equity or value so that you can make those improvements and repairs you need to. If you want to add an addition or to remodel your home so that its value is higher over the long run, this is another option. Before you do that, though, make sure you know the investment you're taking on and make sure you know that this is going to make your home's value go up. Especially during recessions, for example, it's very often the truth that home values go down and interest rates go up -- or that both happen -- which can affect how much value of any this type of work gives to your home. It's also true if you live in a location that was once highly in demand and now is no longer. Any of these reasons may make it true that you home improvement loan will not be approved because your home's value may not increase after the work is complete. Because of this, make sure you only undertake this work if you know it's going to increase your home's value in the end.

What does all this mean? You need to find the solution that best fits your needs and then refinance so that you can start your home improvements. To do this, talk to a lender (or several), find yourself a reputable contractor, and also seek advice from friends and family and how they have gotten home improvement loans if this is appropriate. Once you've done your homework, you may be on your way to refinancing so that you can make the improvements to your home you want and need. - 26706

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