Costs of establishing and maintaining a home equity line
When you take out a home equity line of credit, you pay for many of the same expenses as when you financed your original mortgage. These include items such as an application fee, title search, appraisal, attorneys' fees, and points (a percentage of the amount you borrow). These expenses can add substantially to the cost of your loan, especially if you ultimately borrow little from your credit line. You may want to negotiate with lenders to see if they will pay for some of these expenses.
Many of the costs of setting up a home equity line of credit are similar to those you pay when you buy a home. For example,
- A fee for a property appraisal to estimate the value of your home
- An application fee, which may not be refunded if you are turned down for credit
- Up-front charges, such as one or more points (one point equals 1 percent of the credit limit)
- Closing costs, including fees for attorneys, title search, and mortgage preparation and filing; property and title insurance; and taxes.
In addition, you may be subject to certain fees during the plan period, such as annual membership or maintenance fees and a transaction fee every time you draw on the credit line.
In addition to upfront closing costs, some lenders require you to pay continuing fees throughout the life of the loan. These may include an annual membership or participation fee, which is due whether or not you use the account, and/or a transaction fee, which is charged each time you borrow money. These fees add to the overall cost of the loan.
You could find yourself paying hundreds of dollars to establish the plan. If you were to draw only a small amount against your credit line, those initial charges would substantially increase the cost of the funds borrowed. On the other hand, because the lender's risk is lower than for other forms of credit, as your home serves as collateral, annual percentage rates for home equity lines are generally lower than rates for other types of credit. The interest you save could offset the costs of establishing and maintaining the line.
Moreover, some lenders waive some or all of the closing costs.
