Can I Buy a New House with a Home Equity Loan?

How to obtain a loan against your home’s equity to purchase a second property

Your present home’s worth must be high enough, and you must follow the lender’s guidelines if you wish to use equity from your current home to purchase a new property. Here’s how to obtain a second mortgage to buy a new home.

1. Calculate the loan amount you require. Determine how much you want and need before using your home’s equity to purchase a new home. Home equity loans limit the amount you can borrow. Most of the time, you can only access up to 85% of your home’s equity. If the value of your home is $450,000 and you owe $250,000, you have $200,000 in capital. The most you could borrow would be $85,000 if you needed money.

2. Get your application in order. A home equity loan’s approval is based on several factors. Your financial situation will define how much of that capital you can borrow, while the value of your house will decide the maximum amount of equity that is accessible. Your lender will evaluate some factors, including your credit history, income, and current debt levels.

3. Verify the market for the best rates on home equity loans. Getting a home equity loan for a second home is possible with any financial institution. The loan can be with someone other than your financial institution or mortgage provider. Therefore, shopping and getting quotations from many lenders is the best approach to secure a cheap interest rate. Consider the interest rate, loan terms, fees, and projected closing expenses as you compare. Additionally, you can haggle with the lender over the interest rate or a specific period.

4. Make use of the market’s most competitive loan conditions. You are ready to apply once you’ve decided on a loan with reasonable requirements. Your lender will determine whether to use another approach or get an independent house assessment.

5. Finalise the loan. Your loan will be prepared for closing once you’ve completed the underwriting process. Make sure you completely comprehend the terms before approving the loan. Additionally, you have three days from signing the loan agreements to cancel a home equity loan without incurring fees under the Three-Day Cancellation Rule.

The benefits and drawbacks of using capital to purchase a second home

The benefits and drawbacks of applying equity to buy another home

Evaluate the benefits and downsides of using your home’s assets to buy a second home.

Pros

You will set aside your cash flow. Using home equity to acquire a second house maintains money in your pocket that would otherwise be used for the home purchase. This improved cash flow might be used to supplement an emergency fund or to make other investments.

You’ll have more borrowing power. Buying a house with equity allows you to make a larger deposit or even cover the cost in total, making you the equal of a cash buyer.
You may borrow at a lower interest rate than with other types of borrowing. Home equity products often offer lower interest rates than unsecured loans, such as personal loans. Using home equity to acquire a new house will be more affordable than borrowing without setting up security.

You will have a better probability of approval than with a second mortgage. Because a borrower usually emphasizes their primary dwelling, home equity loans are less hazardous for lenders than mortgages on second properties. This may make getting a home equity loan to buy another house easier than a new mortgage.

Cons

You will jeopardize your principal residence.

You will have to make several loan payments. Taking capital out of your home to buy another house implies you could have three loans if you have a mortgage on both the main house and the second home in addition to the home equity loan.

You will be charged more excellent interest rates than if you had a mortgage. Equity mortgage products have more excellent interest rates than mortgages, so you will pay more to borrow.
You will bear closing charges. When using assets to buy a new home, the closing expenses range from 2% to 5% of the loan amount.

Other possibilities for using equity to purchase a home

Borrowers can use a home equity loan to purchase another home, which is only one option. Here are a few more ideas for using equity to buy a new home.

Money-out refinancing

A cash-out refinance is one approach to use equity to purchase another home. A cash-out refinance achieves two objectives. Initially, it refinanced your current mortgage at market rates, which may result in a cheaper interest rate. Second, it rewrites the loan balance to be greater than what you presently owe, enabling you to walk away with an upfront payment to spend toward purchasing a new property. Taking capital out of one house to buy another with a refinance with cash out can be more beneficial than other strategies because you’ll only have one mortgage instead of two. However, cash-out refinance interest rates are often higher than ordinary refinance interest rates; thus, the exact interest rate will impact whether this is a sensible decision.

Home equity credit line

If you are unable to make the payments on a home equity loan used to purchase a new property, your primary residence is at risk.

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) is another option for accessing your home’s value to fund the purchase of a new residence. Like home equity loans, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) enable you to borrow money against the value of your property during the “draw period” and then pay it back during the “repayment term.”. This strategy of using equity to purchase an investment property can be helpful if you’re “house flipping” because it lets you buy the property, pay for renovations, and return the line of credit when the property sells. However, this option has a considerable risk because interest rates on HELOCs are often changeable.

Mortgage in reverse

A Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) allows homeowners 62 and older to use their equity to purchase a second home. A HECM, often a reverse mortgage, enables borrowers to access home equity without making monthly payments. The debt is instead returned when you leave the house. When using reverse mortgage equity to buy another house, borrowers can choose between a lump sum pay out and an ongoing line of credit. However, while a reverse mortgage does not require payments, interest will accrue. Thus, the loan balance rises, potentially consuming the home’s equity.