If you
are like most Americans now days you probably have a large amount of
unsecured high interest debt. This is usually on high interest credit
cards and unsecured personal loans.
Ask your mortgage professional to perform a cost
analysis to determine if consolidating your credit card debt and
mortgage into one loan will be beneficial. It is difficult to determine
what is the best decision until you do the math and let a comparison
show you how much you can save from a debt consolidation loan. Many
times, the savings can be substantial since the average interest rate
is much lower.
Some important tools to help you measure if a
refinance loan is beneficial are;
Have you reached your credit limits on cards and loans?
Have you carried a large balance on your cards for longer than 2 years?
Has my interest rate increased due to late or slow pays?
Will it take you longer than three years to pay off your current
balances?
Are you unable to pay more than your minimum balance due?
Have you noticed a decrease in your credit score?
Have you been more than thirty days late on your payments?
If you find yourself answering yes to three or more of these questions,
it will most likely be in your best interest to consider a debt
reduction loan that will allow you the opportunity to clear up your
credit debt.
If you are planning on consolidating your debt with
a new mortgage be careful to avoid the spending habits that lead to so
much debt in the first place. Consolidating unsecured credit card debt
with a loan secured by your home is only a wise move if you are
confident that the credit cards will not get maxed out again.
Another advantage of a debt consolidation refinance
is that the interest you pay is probably tax deductible. This can be a
huge advantage come tax season. Be sure to ask your accountant if your
mortgage interest will be tax deductible.
You can use debt to help you get out of debt. By
using the equity in your home and going into deeper debt against the
house you can payoff debt with higher rates. So if your paying 15-18%
on a credit card then paying off that card can certainly be a great
move!
If you are unable to refinance due to any number of
reasons, then the more traditional way of getting out debt (and
improving your credit) can be employed. Make a list off all your debts
with the listed minimum payment of each. Now list beside that what
payment you are actually making on each debt. Take all the little
amounts that you are paying extra and combine it onto the debt that has
the highest interest rate. This will pay down that one fastest saving
you the interest you would otherwise have been paying. Once this debt
is payed off, then use the same method on the next highest interest
rate debt - repeat. This will pay off your credit cards and other debts
quickly allowing you to increase your credit score and payoff your debt!
One way to get out of debt is to refinance your
mortgage and consolidate all, most, or some of your debt into your
mortgage. To do this you would need to have some equity available in
your home. By refinancing your mortgage you can save hundreds of
dollars per month and many times even thousands of dollars per month
off of your monthly expenses. Consult a mortgage professional today to
find out how much money you can save.
When you are consolidating debt like credit cards,
you are dealing with two different types of interest. Revolving credit
lines carry compounded interest vs. a home equity loan that carries
simple interest. A simple interest loan will make getting out of debt
much easier. Ask your loan professional for more information.
Many people are tempted to enlist the help of a
consumer credit counseling agency. Although they can help get your
bills in order, there are a few negatives that can go along with this
decision.
For example, on your credit report most of your creditors will report
that you are in consumer credit counseling. This can be seen as a
negative mark when you are applying for a mortgage loan. Many lenders
view this as the same thing as a Bankruptcy (chapter 13) and will
underwrite the loan accordingly.
Other lenders will simply ignore it. It's best to talk to a competent
mortgage broker and find out all your options.
A good mortage professional who is refinancing you
for the purpose of taking cash out and consolodating debt will not only
find a loan program for you that provides you with the cash to
stabilize your debt, but they will also try to put you in a position
where you maintain that stability and don't need to continuously draw
upon your home's equity to bail yourself out of debt troubles.