Home equity loans are not intended to be quick or easy, nor should they be. But shopping for your second mortgage online certainly offers many conveniences unavailable in pre-internet days.

The most obvious of these is the 24/7 access it gives you. Research options in your area, compare residential mortgage interest rates, or submit your application to any lender you choose – all at any time of day from pretty much any location. Or maybe you decide to educate yourself first by reading up on the process and some of the terminology involved. As long as you have access to a computer, laptop, or phone, you can do business when and where it works for you. Many clients tell us afterwards that they were pleasantly surprised at how quickly they receive their response. You may decide to begin by checking your own credit score so you know how much leverage you have negotiating the terms of your loan. You could utilize one of our online loan calculators to experiment with different interest rates and repayment schedules to see how each impacts your monthly payment and the totals paid over the life of the loan. Or you may have questions about the process or your options which you’re uncomfortable asking in person. It’s never wrong to ask questions, but sometimes it’s easier when you’re doing so on your own time, from your own couch or home office, without having to worry how you “sound.” When you’re ready, we’ll ask for a little basic information about you and your current needs. We’ll search our database of reliable online lenders and to help you find a lender. The rest is between you and the lender. If they make you an offer you’re happy with, the rest is easy. If not, you keep shopping until you find something closer to what you want. One of the benefits of the 21st century and the array of online lending options is how vigorously most of these lenders are willing to pursue your business. A generation ago, in many smaller towns, you might have had only a handful of options for any major financial transaction. In some cases, you only had one – or none! Today the wonders of a competitive marketplace are fully unleashed and customers benefit as a result. The only thing more convenient than more options, better service, and surprisingly competitive rates from a curated array of legitimate lenders is letting us help you navigate them. Which, it turns out, is part of what we do.

With the right home equity loan bad credit can be turned into good. Use your home equity loan to pay off debt more quickly. High interest credit cards can be eliminated and replaced by a single, lower-interest loan. Burdensome medical or legal expenses can be resolved. Automobiles can be repaired – or even replaced. While each situation is unique, the goal is the same – building a stronger financial future. Whether our goals are reached quickly or it takes decades, they’re still worth reaching.

Of course, many potential uses are about more than solving problems. Use the value of your home to improve the value of your home via remodeling or renovation. Pay for your child’s education or your own. Finance that wedding or that long-overdue family vacation. It’s entirely up to you. Our financial goals all involve money, but they need not be limited to our bank balances or property values. Sometimes the most important financial goals are the things we want to be able to DO, and who we’d like to have along for the ride.

Whatever the purpose of your home equity loan, keep in mind that just as your credit history and credit score will impact the terms of repayment, how you manage repayment will shape your credit history and credit score going forward. Those aren’t just for bragging rights. A stronger credit history and a higher credit score means more options, more access to financing and on better terms. It means you have more choices – and that’s always a worthwhile goal.