Kim is a freelance contributor to Newsweek’s personal finance team. She began her career on the Bankrate copy desk in 2010, worked as a managing editor at Macmillan and went full-time freelance ...

Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. A home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a variable-rate second mortgage that utilizes a portion of your home’s value through a ...

Another option to access cash is to take out a home equity loan. These loans have numerous advantages but are not ideal in other scenarios. It really depends on your personal situation.

A home equity loan allows you to borrow money by using the equity you've accrued in your house as collateral. The funds can be used for any reason, from consolidating debt or paying for college to ...

ntonio_Diaz, Getty Images When home values rise, homeowners often consider tapping their home equity. The average homeowner can borrow about $178,000 using their home as collateral, according to ...

A home equity investment gives homeowners more flexibility in accessing home equity. One of the biggest benefits of being a homeowner is building home equity with each monthly mortgage payment and ...

A home equity agreement is an arrangement where a homeowner sells a portion of the equity in their home to an investor in exchange for cash. The homeowner must pay back the amount within a ...

With home equity loan interest rates dropping for much of the last year, $100,000 loans have become more affordable.

Converting your home equity to cash can be a daunting prospect. Here is some background on the options and what to keep in ...

A home equity loan, also known as a second mortgage or add-on mortgage, lets you borrow against the value of your home. Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who ...

Home equity sharing allows you to access cash by leveraging the value of your home. Also known as home equity investment (HEI), it's an alternative to a home equity line of credit (HELOC ...

A mortgage equity withdrawal (MEW) is the removal of equity from the value of a home through a loan against the market value of the property. For example, home equity loans and lines of credit are ...