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
Kyung Kim
Hi, I'm Kyung Kim. I immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1968 when I was 7 years old. I have seen my mom struggle with the English language and work hard to raise her four kids by herself. Still to this day, I don't know how she pulled it off, but she bought her first home in 1979 for $70,000 and because of that decision, she was able to live without worrying about her financial future. I want that for everyone, to feel the pride of home ownership and to build their financial wealth using real estate as part of their financial portfolio. I feel so blessed to play a small role in helping others reach this goal.
I live in Beaverton with my husband, Richard. My mom, who lived with us for several years, passed away in our home in February 2022. Her first home purchase in 1979 made it possible for her to live to the very end, without worrying about her finances. As of August 2022 with a little downpayment assistance, our four children own their own homes. Being in real estate, I quickly realized that if they didn't buy now, they may be priced out of the market in the future. Whether that would have been the case, we will never know, but what we do know is that they are all realizing some good, healthy appreciation in their home values.
As passionate as I am about people owning their homes, I'm also passionate about giving back to our community. I support Compassion First, a non-profit organization that provides aftercare for sex trafficked girls in Indonesia. My husband and I also feel called to financially support social injustice organizations.
I'd love to assist you. Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my real estate experience to work for you.
