Two Ways to Fund Your Home Improvement Project

Two Ways to Fund Your Home Improvement Project

Before starting your next home improvement project, it’s important to do a construction loan vs HELOC comparison. 

With home values on the rise, a hot real estate market making moving less desirable, and Americans spending more time at home, homeowners all over the country are choosing to spruce up their current homes. In fact, spending on home renovation and repairs is expected to grow nearly 4% year-over-year in 2021.1 And for big-ticket upgrades — like a kitchen, bathroom, new roof, or addition — they have options for how to pay for it.

After deciding whether you’ll outsource the project or DIY, you’ll want to determine an estimate for the project cost. Then it’s time to weigh your financing options. Two of the most common ways to bankroll home improvement projects are home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) and personal loans.

HELOC vs personal loan

Rates and Repayment

To qualify for a HELOC, you need to have equity in your home. Typically, the amount of your primary mortgage plus the limit of your HELOC cannot exceed 85% of your home’s appraised value. For example, if your home is worth $400,000, your primary mortgage amount outstanding plus your HELOC cannot total more than 340,000. Your home serves as collateral to secure the loan.

Using a personal loan for home improvements a good option for those who don’t want to use their home as collateral or who don’t yet have sufficient equity in their home. The repayment terms are often shorter (typically two to seven years compared with as long as 30 years for a HELOC), so while your monthly payments may be larger, your debt obligation will end more quickly.

Because collateral isn’t required, personal loans typically have higher interest rates than HELOCs. Like all loans, however, your interest rate will ultimately be determined by your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and other factors. 

Timing

When evaluating a HELOC vs personal loan, you’ll also want to consider your timing. The process for funding a home equity loan can take three to six weeks, which might be too long to wait in the event of a time-sensitive project (like a new roof or replacement refrigerator). Personal loans, once approved, are typically funded within a week and in some cases, as quickly as the next business day. Applying for a personal loan can be as simple as a short online form followed by a basic document review. The typical HELOC application, however, requires property evaluation and underwriting processes after the application and document review steps.

Fees

Tangential costs are also a consideration. Like traditional mortgages, HELOCs come with closing costs. Composed of fees for applications, underwriting, appraisals, title, and escrow, these can amount to 2% to 5% the total loan amount. Personal loans, on the other hand, may or may not include a modest origination fee, depending on your state of residence.

Your decision on what type of financing to pursue will depend on several factors, including the scope and timing of your intended project. If using a personal loan for home improvement turns out to be the right choice for you, check out your loan options with no obligation or impact to your credit score. 

Source:

  1. “Home Remodeling Set For Stronger Growth In 2021,” Jan. 21, 2021, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
About Us
Customer Loan Support
Business Solutions Support
Connect With Us

USA PATRIOT ACT NOTICE: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.

* Applications submitted on this website may be funded by one of several lenders, including: FinWise Bank, a Utah-chartered bank, Member FDIC; Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC; Midland States Bank, Member FDIC; and LendingPoint, a licensed lender in certain states. Loan approval is not guaranteed. Actual loan offers and loan amounts, terms and annual percentage rates ("APR") may vary based upon LendingPoint's proprietary scoring and underwriting system's review of your credit, financial condition, other factors, and supporting documents or information you provide. Origination or other fees up to 10% may apply depending upon your state of residence. Upon final underwriting approval to fund a loan, said funds are often sent via ACH the next non-holiday business day. Loans are offered from $2,000 to $36,500, at rates ranging from 7.99% to 35.99% APR, with terms from 24 to 72 months. Minimum loan amounts apply in Georgia, $3,500; Colorado, $3,001; and Hawaii, $2,000. For a well-qualified customer, a requested loan of $10,000 serviced by LendingPoint over a period of 48 months that has an APR of 26.59% with an origination fee of 10% may have a payment of $340.52 per month. (Actual terms and rate depend on credit history, income, and other factors.) The total amount due under the loan terms provided is $16,345.12 and the disbursal amount is $10,000. In the example provided, the total financed amount is increased to receive the full requested loan amount after the origination fee is deducted. The total amount due is the total amount of the loan you will have paid after you have made all payments as scheduled.

* Applications submitted may be funded by one of several lenders including First Electronics Bank, a Utah-chartered bank, Member FDIC; Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC; and LendingPoint, a licensed lender in certain states. Loan approval is not guaranteed. Minimum loan amounts apply in Georgia, $3,500; Colorado, $3,001; and Hawaii, $1,500. Upon final underwriting approval to fund a loan, said funds are often available the next non-holiday business day. Actual loan offers and loan amounts, terms and annual percentage rates (“APR”) may vary. Loans are offered from $500 to $10,000 (loan amount maximum based on MCC codes), at rates ranging from 7.99% to 35.99% APR, with terms from 24 to 48 months. For example, for a well-qualified customer, a $5,000 purchase will have a 90-day promotional period with no interest, a 3% fee, and $100 monthly payments. After the promotional period, a remaining balance will be a 24-month term loan, and $263.72 monthly payments with an overall APR of 26.54%.

**Minimum initial transaction of $1,000 in Alabama, Idaho and Iowa.

1. Alimony, child support, or separate maintenance income need not to be revealed if you do not wish to have it considered as a basis for repaying this obligation.

2. The Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (provided the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract); because all or part of the applicant’s income derives from any public assistance program; or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The federal agency that administers compliance with this law concerning FinWise Bank is the FDIC Consumer Response Center, 1100 Walnut Street, Box #11, Kansas City, MO 64106. The federal agency that administers compliance with this law concerning Coastal Community Bank and Midland States Bank is the Federal Reserve Consumer Help Center, P.O. Box 1200, Minneapolis, MN 55480. The federal agency that administers compliance with this law for LendingPoint is the Federal Trade Commission, Equal Credit Opportunity, Washington, DC 20580.

Click here to see our current list of state licenses

California residents click here ››

Wisconsin residents click here ››

Ohio residents click here ››

LendingPoint's NMLS #1424139 Visit NMLS Consumer Access