Tips to Boost Your Mortgage Borrowing Power

So you might be thinking what are the renovation loan requirements? First, you must know some useful tips to help you qualify in borrowing extra on mortgage for renovations:

1. Pay Off Debts or Consolidate Them

When assessing your mortgage applications, lenders will look at how much money you owe already. Generally, the more debt that you have, the less that you will be able to borrow. If you have savings, use them to pay off your existing debts. Not only will this be cost-effective, but it will make you more attractive to lenders.

Alternatively, you can consolidate your existing debts in to the home loan – credit cards, car loans, personal loans for example.  This will most likely reduce the amount of interest your are paying per month.

2. Extend The Loan Term

Say, for example, your existing loan has 15 years remaining.  The bank may decline your application to get money out for renovations because they think you aren’t good for the money.  A simple way around this is to increase the loan term, this would reduce the monthly repayments and could be the difference between a green light or a red light.

In many instances you can get your money for home renovations and keep the loan repayments the same as what they were before.

3. Improve Your Credit Rating

A good credit score can help you land not only a lower interest rate but also a slightly larger loan. There are several ways to improve your credit record, including paying utility bills on time, paying off old debts, and lowering your credit utilisation rate among others.

Before you borrow extra on your mortgage, make sure that:

• You have a good credit record.
• You can afford and confidently pay off the additional monthly payments.
• The value of your home has increased beyond the mortgage amount that you initially borrowed (known as having equity in your property).

The Benefits of Borrowing Extra on Mortgage

Here are some of the benefits of borrowing extra on mortgage for renovations:

1. Take Advantage of Low-Interest Rates

Often, you can take advantage of the low-interest mortgage rates available. So, the extra money that you borrow may not increase monthly payments. However, even if the new remortgage will cost slightly more every month, the additional equity you gain by increasing your home’s value can leave you in a better financial situation in the long run.

2. Paying Off Other Expenses

Let’s say you borrowed more than necessary for your home renovation. You can use those extra funds to pay off your other expenses, such as school fees, vacation expenses, or high-interest credit card balance.

The Bottom Line

Depending on the size of your home renovation project, you may need anything from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Renovating is an excellent way to add value to your home. However, like most creative projects, home renovations can be stressful and frustrating – this is where I can help you. With my expertise, I can help you make the right financial decisions so that you can fund the home renovation project that you have always dreamt about. Let’s chat!