Expanding or starting a small business means that you need to have the capital to do so, but not everyone have enough savings to cover the expenses and funds for that. If you own your home, then there is a chance that you can use a home equity loan to finance your business. Find out more about this below.
Why Use a Home Equity Loan
Home equity loans are ideal for funding small businesses because it offers the lowest interest rates, are very straightforward, and have flexible payment schemes. In fact, in Canada, investing, whether in the form of stocks or a small business is one of the main uses of home equity loans.
What are Home Equity Loans?
Home equity loans are just loans that are backed by residential equity. You can also look at it as a form of second mortgage either by your bank or by private lenders. Usually, a home equity loan is interest-only and short-lived, which means it only lasts 6 to 12 months because they are supposed to transition into a refinanced mortgage or something similar at the soonest possible time.
Home equity loans are available to applicants with poor credit history and can be as little as $25,000 to as high as $2 million. The loan’s value can be as much as 80% of your home’s value and interest rates are quite manageable, starting at 5.95%
Home Equity Loans for Your Small Business
A home equity loan is great for a small business primarily because of the short-term nature of the loan, ranging from just 6 months to a full year. It also allows you to adjust your payments according to your situation and needs because it is interest only. It also offers lower interest rates compared to unsecured debt.
A home equity loan is different from a typical mortgage because it does not require income qualification. If you are a small business owner, procuring a mortgage might prove to be difficult because it is common practice for owners of small businesses to write off as much of their income to lower their tax. Although that saves you (or any other small business owner) some money, it can affect your ability to obtain a mortgage even with good income and credit. Needless to say, a home equity loan would be great for small business owners and those who are self-employed as the loan is based on your existing equity and not what income is reflected on your tax return.
Getting a Home Equity Loan
Home equity loans are designed for homeowners with the main criteria by banks and private lender being your Loan-to-Value ratio or LTV. The home equity loan you want to avail of plus the value of your existing mortgage cannot exceed 80% of your home’s value (this is for security).
Applying for a home equity loan is actually quite easy and quick. In fact, you can do it right in the comfort of your own home! Contact us at Mortgage Central Canada and experience what it is like to have the best Toronto mortgage brokers at your side!