{"id":5637,"date":"2013-07-12T10:59:15","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T02:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=5637"},"modified":"2015-04-08T17:25:31","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T09:25:31","slug":"home-equity-how-to-free-up-funds-from-the-properties-you-have-without-selling-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/home-equity-how-to-free-up-funds-from-the-properties-you-have-without-selling-them","title":{"rendered":"Home Equity: Free Up Funds From Existing Properties (Without Selling)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019ve been shopping around for a home loan, you may have come across loan packages that apparently allow you to free up cash<\/strong> by \u201cunlocking your home equity\u201d. For the experienced investors, this is a concept that needs little introduction. But for those who have little exposure to home loans and banking products in general, this may not make a whole lot of sense to you.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll attempt to explain what home equity is, and how you would be able to take advantage of it to free up funds riding on the inherent value of your property.<\/p>\n In the simplest terms, home equity refers to the difference between the existing value of a property against the amount you still owe in your home loan for the said property.<\/p>\n Example:<\/b><\/p>\n If your home is currently valued at RM500,000<\/p>\n And you still owe RM400,000 in home loan<\/p>\n Your home equity = RM500,000 \u2013 RM400,000 = RM100,000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When a bank offers you the facility to free up funds by \u201cunlocking\u201d your home equity, it simply means that you\u2019re able to gain access to (i.e. borrow) a sum of money that is equivalent or up to the value of the home equity of your property. In the above example, that amount would be RM100,000.<\/p>\n These are the two common ways:<\/p>\n 1) First, you may apply for a home equity loan or line of credit<\/b> using your property as collateral, which gives you access to fund that could be equivalent or less than the value of your home equity. Take note you will most probably incur charges for setting up and maintaining the loan \/ credit line.<\/p>\n 2) Secondly, you could opt to refinance your home loan<\/a>. By maximizing the Margin of Financing for your refinancing deal (i.e. over-borrowing), you could use part of the money to pay off your old loan and the excess as cash for your personal \/ investment use. The major charges to refinance include the legal fees as well as pre-paying penalties for your prevailing loan package (if they apply).<\/p>\n There are many reasons why people would choose to use home equity to free up cash. These are some of the key ones:<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lower Interest<\/b>: the interest of borrowing money using home equity is usually lower than that of other common credit vehicles (such as a credit card).<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Easier Loan<\/b>: gaining access to large amount of funds is generally much easier when you leverage on your home equity, because banks are more ready to lend money to you with your home as collateral.<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Less Hassle<\/b>: by setting up a home equity line of credit, you can rest knowing you can gain access to a pre-approved amount of money any time. This is much more convenient than, say, going to apply for a brand new personal loan in times of emergency.<\/p>\n When you gain access to funds by unlocking your home equity; you\u2019re basically borrowing money from the bank by putting your home on the line. Just like any other loans, you\u2019re still required to service interests and financial charges and comply with all terms and conditions of the bank.\u00a0Failure to do so could result in you losing your home!<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love this article? You may also want to read up on the basics of home loan in Malaysia<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Need help finding a home loan package that fits your need? Try using our home loan comparison table<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve been shopping around for a home loan, you may have come across loan packages that apparently allow you to free up cash by \u201cunlocking your home equity\u201d. For the experienced investors, this is a concept that needs little introduction. But for those who have little exposure to home loans and banking products in… View Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[226,1,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-loan-refinancing","category-investment","category-properties"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/span>What is home equity?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/span>What does \u201cunlocking home equity\u201d mean?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>How do you go about \u201cunlocking home equity\u201d?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>The benefits of using home equity<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>A word of caution on \u201cunlocking home equity\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n