Online Home Equity Loans: A Basic Glossary

Home equity loans can be a great idea for individuals looking to get out of debt or make necessary repairs on their homes. During the process, you will come across a variety of terms and acronyms. We have gathered together some of the basic terms that you come across during your home equity loan. If you have any questions about any of these terms, make sure to consult with your mortgage lender.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM): This type of mortgage has an interest rate that will change over time. Typically the interest rate will be lower than fixed mortgage products.

Amortization: Loan payments that will cover both principle and interest in one payment. Your lender will likely give you an amortization schedule outlining your payment schedule.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR): This is the cost of credit on a yearly basis.

Appraised Value: An appraiser will determine the value of your home based on experience, market data, and other information.

Cap: This is the limit on how much an interest rate can increase over the life of your loan.

Closing/Closing Costs: This is the final step in the real estate transaction. This would include the delivery of the deed, signing of the notes, and final disbursement of the funds. There will be various fees associated with a closing, such as attorney fees and taxes, that are called closing costs.

Depreciation: An overall loss on a property due to age, physical deterioration, and economic factors.

Discount Point: A buyer can pay the lender a set fee for a lower interest rate. This is usually a percentage of the loan itself.

Equity: This is the amount of money that you have vested in your home. This can be determined by subtracting the lien amount from the property's value.

Equity Loan: A loan or line of credit that is based on the amount of equity that you have in your home. Your home is essentially used as collateral.

Fixed Interest Rate: An interest rate that remains constant throughout the life of the loan. A fixed-rate mortgage will have the same interest rate and payments for the length of the loan.

Home Equity Line of Credit: Similar to a home equity loan, but you receive a line of credit that you can draw upon at any time.

Home Equity Loan: A loan based on the amount of equity you have in your home.

Interest: This is the cost for borrowing money.

Interest Rate: This is the percentage of the loan amount that you must add to your principle, for the privilege of borrowing money.

Loan-To-Value Ratio: This is the ratio between the amount of the loan and the actual value of the home. Some loans can give you up to a 125% Loan-To-Value Ratio.

Market Value: This is the price that buyers would be willing to pay for your home, at the present time. This can vary from the actual sale price of the home.

PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance): This is the usual breakdown for mortgage payments.

Principal: The amount of your original loan before interest was added.

John Ross is a freelance author who writes articles about financial loans including: home equity loans company, online home equity loans, and fixed rate home equity loans. The Loanchbox is a user friendly website designed to inform beginners about home equity loans.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Bad Credit Refinance Loans - Finding a Good Lender

Finding a good lender to help you with refinancing your... Read More

Sorting through mortgage elimination programs

Mortgage elimination programs are all the rage these days. In... Read More

Online Mortgages in 5 Easy Steps!

We're all entitled to the opportunities and benefits of home... Read More

Lesser Known Facts About Home Equity Loans

Refinancing your debt via a home equity loan shifts your... Read More

Bad Credit Loans Authenticate What Is Positive About Bad Credit

This might not be the front page news but it... Read More

Avoiding Foreclosure Scams

If your mortgage company is threatening foreclosure, there are things... Read More

Self Employed Mortgage Loans - A Survival Guide

When you're self employed you have numerous advantages. As you... Read More

Reverse Mortgages Learn The Facts First!

Reverse Mortgages, Most Common Features:Many offer special appeal to older... Read More

Types Of Home Equity Loans

There are two broad types of home equity loans:Term loans:... Read More

FHA Mortgage: Whats the Best Way to Show an Underwriter that Youre Ready to Buy a House?

Mortgage underwriters can be a suspicious bunch. If you have... Read More

A Guide to Getting a Home Improvement Loan

If you've got a few things around the house that... Read More

Financial Rebirth Through Remortgage

Seldom in ones life do we get a chance to... Read More

Refinancing Your Home - How and Why?

Chances are you may need a little extra money to... Read More

Life of an Escrow

Escrow is one of the last stages in the purchase... Read More

Credit Problems? With a Subprime Mortgage Lender, Poor Credit is Not a Problem

Have you been turned down for a home loan recently... Read More

Bad Credit History? How Financing and Buying a Home Can Help You Improve Your Financial Situation

Financing and buying a home can help improve your financial... Read More

Multi Family Property Living

While most multi family properties are designed to allow the... Read More

Interest-only Equity Loans Create Amazing Power and are Quite Easy to Get

The power of home equity and interest-only payments, provided from... Read More

The Power of a Home Equity Loan to Pay Down Debt

Households across the country are finding themselves in a similar... Read More

What is a Current Account Mortgage?

Current account mortgages are fairly new to the sector. They... Read More

What is a Commercial Mortgage?

A commercial mortgage is a loan that uses commercial property... Read More

Why Refinance Back into a 30-Year Loan?

One of the biggest reasons homeowners refinance their mortgage is... Read More

Home Equity Loans in Texas

A few notes of importance: This only applies to... Read More

2nd Mortgage Loan After Bankruptcy - Get Approved Online

A 2nd mortgage loan after a bankruptcy is possible in... Read More

Thinking About Re-mortaging? Read These Tips First

More and more of use are signing up for limited... Read More

Home Buyer Beware ? Know the Signs of Real Estate Market Trouble

Lots of articles have appeared recently about the booming real... Read More

Getting the Best Homeowner Loan for Your Money

With so many lenders out there, it can be hard... Read More

A Guide to Finding Cheap Homeowner Loans

If you're actively looking for cheap homeowner loans, there are... Read More

Non-conforming Home Loans vs Conforming Loans

The simple definition of a "non-conforming home loan" is: You... Read More

How to Find the Best Mortgage

The purchase of a new home is one of the... Read More

Home Mortgage Rate Shopping - Why Some Shoppers Give Up And Others Dont

About 29% of current homeowners and a much larger percent... Read More

Mortgage Basics for First Time Home Buyers

Anyone planning to take out a mortgage for the first... Read More

Home Construction Loans

You can maximize your savings by shopping for a lender... Read More