4 Fast Tricks to Build Home Equity

Building your home equity is one way to build wealth. After all, your home equity can be used as an emergency fund or even as funding for your next home. But how easy or how challenging is it to build home equity? What can you do to make sure that you gain equity the fastest ways?

Home equity grows over a period of time as you continue to pay your mortgage. It also grows when home prices in your area goes up as it is defined as the difference between what amount you owe and your home’s market value. For the fastest ways to build home equity, take a look at the tricks below.

Start With a Large Downpayment

Although paying the least amount for the required downpayment when buying property is tempting (more so if you have great credit), it will be in your best interest to go for the biggest downpayment that you can afford. A large downpayment means that you own a larger portion of your home’s value from the start, therefore letting you start home ownership with a substantial equity.

Pay More Toward The Amount You Owe

Paying more towards your principal will help you pay your home loan a lot faster. Do you know that just paying an extra month of mortgage payment per year can shave off 7 to 8 years of payments from your payment schedule. Paying off your home quicker means building equity at a faster rate.

If you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to afford paying an extra month a year, then start with paying a little over your required payment per month. The idea is really to just pay more towards your principal to cut your loan quicker. You’d be surprised at what an extra $100 and above per month can do.

Go for a 15-Year Mortgage Loan Instead of a 30-Year One

It is a common misconception that choosing a shorter-term mortgage loan means having to pay twice the monthly payment required for say, a 30-year loan. Once everything has been computed, you’d be glad to know that choosing a 15-year loan over a 30-year one can mean paying just a few hundred dollars more per month.

Although coming up with a few hundred dollars more per month may seem like a huge adjustment, the point here is to consider asking for computations based on shorter term loans. You might just be able to afford it and also allow yourself to build your home equity faster.

Choose Home Improvement Projects Wisely

Anything that can boost the market value of your home is a way to build home equity. This means that any renovations and additional features or upgrades you do will increase both the value of your home and your home equity.

The key here is to invest in home improvement projects that won’t empty your bank account yet give you huge returns. Examples are upgrading kitchen appliances (that can drastically increase your home’s value) or even just investing in some new turf for your front lawn (which adds a few thousand dollars to your home’s market value) for landscaping.

Now that you know how to build your home equity, it will also be great to know about how to use home equity to benefit you financially. Learn about second mortgages and the benefits of home equity loans by talking to us. Contact us if you would like to discuss more tips about using your home equity today!