Best Second Mortgage Companies for 2023 - FundFirst Capital (2024)

Second Mortgages Explained

A second mortgage, or home equity loan, lets you borrowmoney against the equity in the appraised value of your house. If your home’svalue is put at $200,000 but you only owe $150,000 on your current mortgage,you have $50,000 in home equity.

Lenders let you borrow anywhere between 80% and 95% of thathome equity, using your home as the collateral against the loan. The funds aredelivered as a lump sum and you’ll begin repayments over a fixed period oftime. Your monthly payment amount won’t change over time, so you’ll knowexactly what to expect.

In order to qualify, you’ll need to get approved through alender. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the same mortgage lender you workwith; instead, you can pick anyone approved in your state in order to get thebest terms possible.

As part of the initial application, the lender will reviewthe following criteria:

• Your credit score
• Your debt-to-income ratio
• The amount of equity inyour home

To complete that last piece of the puzzle, the lender willorder an appraisal of the home, which determines the current home value. You’llgenerally have to pay this cost out-of-pocket, which can be a few hundreddollars, depending on where you live. Once your application is complete and isapproved by your lender’s underwriter, you’ll be able to close on the loan andreceive your funds.

Because your home’s value is involved, it can take 30 daysor longer to complete the entire process for a second mortgage, making it muchslower compared to a personal loan.

Why Use a Second Mortgage

One of the perks of getting a second mortgage is that youcan use the funds for just about anything. Whether or not this is the best ideais up to you, since your home is being used to secure the loan. Common reasonswhy homeowners take out home equity loans include:

• Debt consolidation orcredit card/loan payoff
• Home improvement projects
• Large purchases like a newcar
• Education
• Life events like a weddingor adoption
• Medical debt

It’s really important to weigh the importance of your funduse against the inherent risk involved with a second mortgage. Just like anytype of financing decision, you really need to prioritize to make sure yourextra expenditures are manageable within the context of a second mortgage.

Pros and Cons

The biggest advantage of a second mortgage is that theinterest rates are generally much lower compared to other types of financing,such as a personal loan or credit card. You’ll also receive a fixed rate on thenew loan, so you can be consistent with your payments each month and easilyplan ahead.

The major downside, however, is that if the real estatemarket drops in your area, you could easily become underwater on your homebecause you don’t have as much equity as you once did.

If you need to sell your home at any point, a second mortgage limits the flexibility you have in your asking price and may take you longer to find a buyer.

On top of that, if you lose your job or can’t work anymorefor some reason, you have less breathing room each month when you have twomortgage payments to make. Defaulting on even your second mortgage could resultin going into foreclosure if you can’t make your payments on time.Consequently, it’s a huge risk and should be appropriately weighted beforemaking a final decision.

Finally, a second mortgage comes with a few logisticaldisadvantages. As briefly mentioned, closing is much longer compared to othertypes of loans. In fact, it can take anywhere between 30 and 45 days dependingon how busy the lender and appraiser are at the time.

You may also have to pay closing costs as part of yoursecond mortgage, which can range between 2% and 5% of your borrowed amount. Ifyou borrow $30,000, for example, you could pay an additional $600 to $1,500 toyour lender.

Other Financing Alternatives

When you’re not sure if a second mortgage is right for you(or if you don’t have enough equity in your home), consider one of thesefinancing alternatives.

Home Equity Line ofCredit (HELOC)

A HELOC still uses your home equity to secure the funds, butyou can simply tap into an approved line of credit little by little, ratherthan getting a lump sum all at once. This comes with a few distinct advantages.For one, you only pay interest on the amount you borrow. As you pay it back,you can borrow more or rest easy knowing that you have a back-up line of creditavailable should you need it.

Another advantage is that you can pace yourself as youmonitor your local real estate market. If you notice a dip in sales pricesnearby, you may decide to stop tapping into your HELOC. Of course, your abilityto do that depends on what the funds are being used for.

Unsecured PersonalLoans

You won’t get the same low rates as you would with a secondmortgage, but an unsecured personal loan doesn’t require any of your propertyas collateral. If you default, you’ll still face some financial and creditrepercussions, but you won’t be at risk of losing your home.

Another benefit is that you don’t need excellent credit toapply for a personal loan. You can find lenders willing to work with a range ofcredit profiles, whereas most home equity lenders tend to approve only thosewith stronger credit.

Credit Card

You may not be able to use your credit card for everything(and you probably shouldn’t, anyway), but if you’re in a cash crunch, you couldconsider financing an emergency this way rather than taking the risk of asecond mortgage.

Frequently Asked Questions