Have you wondered what exactly is up with home financing mortgage refinance loans

Home Improvement: Home Equity Line of Credit versus Mortgage Refinance

Making home improvements, home remodeling, adding onto a home and debt consolidation are some of the most popular reasons people cash out on their home equity. But the question is, which should you choose, mortgage refinancing or a home equity line of credit (HELOC)?

A mortgage refinance loan is when you replace your current mortgage with a new loan. People refinance their mortgages for a variety of reasons including, refinancing from adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) to fixed interest rate ones, liquidating equity into cash (cash-out refinance) or to reduce monthly payments and extend the loan term. A mortgage refinance has the same costs as a mortgage, such as loan application fees, loan origination fees, and appraisal fees.

A variable rate HELOC, where the interest rate and annual percentage rate (APR) can move up or down, depending on the Prime Rate published daily in the Wall Street Journal, is one of two popular second mortgage options, with the other being a home equity installment loan (HEIL). HELOC second mortgages provide you with the flexibility of borrowing all or part of your equity and you only pay interest on what you use unlike a HEIL or refinance. Because HELOCs work like credit cards, you can pay down your balance and borrow again without having to apply for a new loan. And, according to ehow.com, there are no closing costs for second mortgages, as there are with refinancing.

If you have an adjustable rate or high interest rate mortgage that you want to refinance into a lower fixed rate while cashing out on equity for home improvements or other purposes, a mortgage refinance may work the best for you. However, according to ERATE.com, if the rate on your existing first mortgage is substantially lower than that of current market rates and if you have been making payments on your mortgage for a period of five years or more, then a second mortgage may be a more sensible financial solution than starting over with a new first loan.

Maria Ny is a respected free-lance writer from San Diego, California. She has written many articles that covered a broad range of subjects ranging from Refurbishing Homes, Bankruptcy Reform, Credit Repair to Subordinate Financing. Check out her helpful articles online at BD Home Equity Loans.

You can learn more about financing home improvements and get additional loan program parameters. Get a free loan quote for a 125% home equity loans. We suggest you get more information and learn more about the guidelines for home improvement credit lines that could help increase the equity in your home by increasing its value.

More Useful Resource and Updates on home financing mortgage refinance loans

• Mortgage aid program gets little attention (The News Journal)
  WASHINGTON -- The government expects only 20,000 troubled borrowers will apply to refinance into more affordable home loans by next fall under a new mortgage aid program passed over the summer.



• Rams Home Loans drops variable mortgage rate (The West Australian)
  Rams Home Loans (Rams) has dropped the interest rate on its standard variable home loan by 60 basis points. The interest rate on Rams? standard variable home loan has dropped 0.6 percentage points to



• (AFX UK Focus) 2008-11-05 12:15 US mortgage applications slump, costs increase-MBA (Interactive Investor)
  NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage application demand skidded last week, driven by a nearly 30 percent slump in demand to refinance home loans as borrowing costs rose, a trade group said on Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted mortgage applications index, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, slid 20.3 percent to 379.9 in the week ended Oct. 31. ...



• The Wrong Mortgage Derails a Mother?s Plans (New York Times)
  Christina Natale wanted to give her children a stable home, but what she got was a mortgage she couldn?t afford.



• US mortgage applications slump to 8-yr low (The Economic Times)
  US mortgage application demand skidded last week to an eight-year low, driven by a nearly 30 per cent slump in demand to refinance home loans as borrowing costs rose.



• Rams Home Loans drops mortgage rate (The West Australian)
  Rams Home Loans (Rams) has dropped the interest rate on its standard variable home loan by 60 basis points. The interest rate on Rams' standard variable home loan has dropped 0.6 percentage points to 7.59 per cent, while the interest rate on Rams' basic home loan is now 6.99 per cent.



• Shoring up your mortgage (The Charlotte Observer)
  (By Christina Rexrode, crexrode@charlotteobserver.com) The latest trend in the housing downturn is finding ways to help struggling homeowners make their mortgage payments. The government, banks, housing counselors and other observers are all weighing in with plans for mortgage modifications, also called loan workouts. Three major programs unfurled last month by the Federal Housing ...



• Mortgage rates drop slightly in week (UPI)
  WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate U.S. mortgages dropped slightly in the week ending Nov. 6, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said Thursday.



• It's time to think about refinancing that high-rate mortgage (The Record)
  Many Americans affected by the economic crisis want their unaffordable mortgages reworked through special programs for people facing foreclosure. But you don't have to be in financial trouble to benefit from mortgage refinance, real estate experts say.

• GMAC Mortgage
  With information on refinancing, reverse mortgages and first time home buying.



• E-LOAN: Mortgage Refinance, Cash-Out Refinancing, Refi Home Loans at ...
  Mortgage Basics. Home. Refinance. Apply for a Loan. Should I Refinance Now? Search Rates ... Home Equity Tools. Auto Financing Tools. Debt/Credit Tools ...



• Mortgage101.com
  Find mortgage calculators, live mortgage interest rates, and answers to your mortgage questions.