4 Genius Ways to Use a Home-Equity Loan

Owning a home comes with the benefit of being able to build wealth through home equity. The good thing with having a good amount of home equity is that you can tap your equity when you need funds or need extra cash. However, you must be careful that you don’t end up using it for frivolous things. Here are 4 Genius Ways to Use a Home-Equity Loan so that you’ll use yours the smart way!

Use Your Home Equity Loan to Invest

Home equity loans usually have a low interest rate, which would be at around 5%. If you take out some money from your home equity loan and use it for investments that yield a return of more than that, then you’d be making quite a considerable amount of money.

The problem with using your home equity loan to invest is that losses could be great if you don’t know what you’re doing. However, if you research and think through investments before picking one, the returns can be very rewarding. The key is in not putting all your eggs in one basket. Diversify!

Pay for a Child’s Advanced Education with Home Equity Loan

Whether you’ll use your loan to fund a child’s college education or post graduate studies, it will be a smart move because higher educational attainment typically means better work and income opportunities in the future.

A word of caution, though. Make sure that you save enough for your retirement and don’t bank on your child’s education taking care of your needs when you’re older. You can also save your home equity and tap it later as extra retirement fund.

Use Your Home Equity Loan to Pay High-Interest Debts

Debt consolidation is perhaps the smartest way to use a home equity loan if you want a low risk option. You can’t lose when you use your home equity loan to pay off car debts or credit card debts because no matter how you look at it, you will be saving money in the long run if you consolidated a considerable amount of loan, to begin with.

The key to make the most out of this is to ensure that you only agree on terms that you can honor. This is important because you can lose your home if you fail to make agreed payments. Remember too that this will usually give you the most benefit if you’ve garnered a lot of high-interest debts because you’ll have to ensure that the benefits should outweigh the risks.

Finance a Major Home Improvement with a Home Equity Loan

Carefully planned home improvement can increase the value of your home and build you more equity. The best returns are usually a result of a kitchen makeover, the addition of a bathroom, or the renovation of the master suite. Some home improvement will work better if you’re planning on a renovation to help sell your home. You can discuss this with your mortgage broker so you can choose the best way to go forward for you.

Thinking of applying for a way to tap your home equity? Contact us today so that we can discuss the best ways that will fit with your needs!