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How to Increase Your Home Equity Fast

You can quickly increase your home equity by doing major home repairs and renovations.

Vincent Ricardel/Getty Images

with Stubborn inflation And with uneven stock market performance, many Americans are experiencing economic pain. In this environment, it may be necessary to explore alternative ways to help make ends meet.

May include its use Credit card or personal loan. For homeowners with equity in their home, this may mean using a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) or Home equity loan. Both options allow owners to use their home equity to use as they see fit. Many homeowners will use these credit options to make major household repairs or renovations, but it can also be used to finance major expenses like weddings or school tuition.

To get the most out of a HELOC or home equity loan, owners should build up as much equity as possible. Many lenders will let you withdraw as much as 85% so the more you have access to. It helps to know how to raise your home equity as quickly as possible to get to that point.

If you think you might benefit from a HELOC, start exploring your options here now.

How to Increase Your Home Equity Fast

There are several ways that homeowners can increase the equity in their home Here are three reliable ways to increase your home equity fast

Make bi-weekly mortgage payments

Many people pay their mortgage once a month for a total of 12 full payments per calendar year. But homeowners looking to build up their home equity quickly should switch to a bi-weekly payment schedule instead. By paying off their loan this way, owners will pay half of their monthly mortgage every week – 26 half payments (or 13 full) annually. These extra payments will add fast, shaving years off the top of your mortgage debt (about six to eight, depending on how much you pay). It will also increase your equity and save you money on the interest you would have otherwise paid in those extra years.

By making bi-weekly mortgage payments you will put yourself in the running for a more substantial home equity loan. Explore your home equity options here to see how much you can withdraw

Make home improvements

If you make substantial improvements or renovations to your home, you can potentially increase its value. That additional value will then be reflected in your equity and How much can you get with a HELOC? or home equity loans.

Remember: Home equity isn’t just the amount of money you paid for your mortgage. It also includes any additional value your home has taken on in recent years. Let’s say your initial mortgage was $500,000. Since then you’ve paid $50,000 toward the policy and made improvements that increase the value of your home to $600,000. In this case, you have $150,000 in equity – not just $50,000.

So consider doing major home repairs and improvements to quickly increase your home equity. You may even be able to if the use is for an IRS-approved reason Deduct the interest you paid on the HELOC Or home equity loans come tax season.

Use your tax refund

If you have not yet filed your tax return for 2022 You can do that today by using an online tax preparation service. But if you’re one of the millions who already filed — and have since received direct deposit — you’re wondering what to use the extra money for. How about using it to pay off your mortgage? Every extra dollar helps (hence the bi-weekly payment schedule). So, if you can part with your refund, it may be worth doing if it can knock some of the interest and principal off your mortgage loan (and thus increase your equity).

Bottom line

HELOCs and home equity loans can be smart and affordable ways for homeowners to make ends meet. To get the most out of these credit options, however, it helps to keep as much equity in the home as possible. To build home equity faster, owners should consider making bi-weekly mortgage payments to pay off the balance faster. Home improvements can also increase the home’s value (even if the mortgage payments haven’t hurt much to date). Finally, those expecting (or recently received) a tax refund should consider using the extra money to pay down their home loan/increase their home equity.

Learn more about your home equity options here now.

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money

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