Home Equity Loan or Equity Home Line of Credit for Home Improvement Projects

With any remodeling and construction projects you do on your home there are many payment options available for most home improvement remodeling projects. For example, you can get your own loan such as a home equity loan or credit equity line or ask the contractor to arrange financing for larger projects. For smaller projects, you may want to pay by check or credit card.

For the larger projects a home equity loan, or a credit equity line also known as an equity home line of credit, can be a good solution because the interest rates are often better than other types of loans or credit and, depending on the amount of equity you have in your home, you might also be able to use it as a debt consolidation loan at the same time to pay off high interests credit cards and other high interest debt so you can be relatively debt free with just the equity home line of credit at a lower interest rate and improve your home and bring up its value at the same time.

What is the Difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit?

A home equity loan is a loan that is secured by your home. It is also sometimes referred to as a closed-end home equity loan or a second mortgage and is a fixed amount of money that must be repaid over a fixed term just like your original mortgage. You get the entire loan amount upfront all at once. You have predictable, consistent monthly payments.

A Home Equity Line of Credit in many ways is similar to a credit card. It is a a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. You can borrow as much as you need, whenever you need it, by writing a check as long as your total borrowing does not exceed your credit limit.

Because it is a line of credit, you make payments only on the amount you have actually borrowed, not the full amount available. What makes a Home Equity Line of Credit so popular is that interest paid is usually tax deductible under federal and most state income tax laws.

Whether you use a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit for a home improvement project or as a debt consolidation loan or both it's a great way to make your debt tax deductable and improve the value of your home at the same time.