Second Mortgages and Equity Finance | Helping Articles

When homeowners find the need for actual cash, more often than not they will find that their house have their equity all locked up. When this happens, second mortgages are often used, a kind of mortgage that can give homeowners access to the equity tied up to their houses. In addition to this, it also allows future homeowners to be able to fill any gap needed to be able to supply the downpayment needed for the new home.

A second mortgage is a kind of loan that is secured by a property, like the home, that already has a first mortgage attached to it. As the name suggests, a second mortgage is given a second priority, in that should this mortgage default, the lender has to pay off the first mortgage first, before the collateral is accessed. This makes second mortgages riskier for lenders.

There are two kinds of second mortgages present, with each chosen depending on the needs of the borrower. The first is the HELOC, or home equity line of credit, which is a second mortgage that acts a lot like a credit card. The borrower is given the ability to issue checks against the HELOC, and the interest has to be paid every month as long as there is an outstanding balance present.

The other kind is the home equity loan, seen by most as the more traditional mortgage of the two. Unlike the HELOC, the home equity loan features a fixed rate over a longer term, which is basically a refinance risk-free equity mortgage. A home equity loan also amortizes to a zero balance during the loan?s term.

Whatever is chosen, it is important that the borrower find a second mortgage that is generally favorable and flexible to the needs. Choose from the wide variety of companies that offer second mortgages, and find the best one. Lastly, it is important to know that costs will differ depending on the state and area.

Please also see second mortgage loan andequity release mortgage.

Source: http://www.helpingarticles.com/finance/second-mortgages-and-equity-finance

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