Expanding your home to add value and square footage can be costly, so it’s important to know how to finance a home addition. Just like with buying a home, there are many loan options available to homeowners to fund their projects.
Here is a quick guide to the most common options for financing an addition to your home:
Home equity line of credit
A home equity line of credit allows you to utilize the equity you’ve already built in your home. Equity is equal to the value of your home minus the amount you still owe on your mortgage.
A home equity line of credit typically has a draw period in which you can tap into funds while only paying interest payments. After the draw period ends, you enter a repayment period and start paying back the principal amount.
Government sponsored loans
Title I loans offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development are available to help fund renovation projects. Requirements for qualifying vary from one state to another, but are meant to fund improvements to basic utility and livability of your home.
Therefore, if your remodeling project is purely aesthetic, you may want to consider a different type of financing.
Personal home improvement loan
A personal loan isn’t tied to the value of your home, but dependent on your individual financial situation. Credit history and debt to income ratio are the main factors lenders will consider when approving you for a personal loan.
This type of home improvement loan offers flexibility for those who don’t want to use their house as collateral. They can also be a good option for homeowners who haven’t had time to build equity in their property yet.
These are only a few options for financing your home remodeling project. Some other possibilities include home equity loans, cash out refinance programs and low-interest rate credit cards for smaller projects. As long as you compare your options carefully, you’ll find the best way to fund your remodeling goals.
About the Author
Kimberly Hering
Kimberly Hering's devotion to helping people achieve their real estate goals stems from her genuine enjoyment of the process. Whatever the task, Kimberly makes it her mission to get it done, however she can, without compromising her client's needs. Often, that means thinking outside the box. After working with Kimberly, clients describe her as being Trustworthy, Creative, Patient, Highly Skilled, Attentive to the Process and having a lot of Integrity.
After spending more than 15 successful years working on Wall Street, Kimberly transitioned into Real Estate, joining Alain Pinel Realtors, then moving to Zephyr, now Corcoran Global Living, in 2018. During her career on Wall Street, Kimberly was a Vice President working as an Institutional Equity Salesperson for Montgomery Securities for 10 years. She covered the top money managers throughout the US and Canada. She joined Jefferies & Co as a Senior Vice President managing the Western Region Institutional Sales group, while continuing to cover the top money managers.
Kimberly leverages her extensive experience selling equities to top money managers throughout the US and Canada, to successfully negotiating any Real Estate transaction seamlessly for her clients. Kimberly is well versed in Marin's neighborhoods, towns, cities, and education system.
Living in the Bay Area for 35 years, 25 years in Marin and having 2 sons in local Marin schools, Kimberly spends a lot of time volunteering in the community and serving on various local Boards. Kimberly has a collection of resources ranging from the best local breakfast spots to vetted contractors. With her reliable list of valuable resources, Real Estate experience and unsurpassed knowledge of Marin's many communities, Kimberly can guide her clients through every aspect of a Real Estate transaction seamlessly.
Relocating to Marin, downsizing, upsizing, first time home buying, final home purchase or sale, or a lot to build a dream home, no matter the undertaking, Kimberly works seamlessly until the job at hand is completed with 100% satisfaction.