If you have a lien on your house can you get a home improvement loan on the property?

Question

The property is financed through a private party, not a bank or mortgage co. Can you get a home equity loan to fix it up? Or a home improvement loan? even though there is a lien on the property?

Answer 1

Yes. The mortgage company will want to get the home appraised to make sure it is worth how much you are trying to take from it. But as long as you have enough it should not be a problem. You can either keep your current mortgage and also get a second mortgage for however much you are looking to get. You also have the option of refinancing and paying off the original lien and receiving the rest of the money from the loan payed out to you so that you can use it for home improvements.

Answer 2

Yes. Since it's held by a private party instead of a independent financial institution, they lender providing the HELOC will want to see a copy of the recorded note (so they can have the terms of the loan), and they will want to see 12 months of cancelled checks for payment history verification.

If you don't have cancelled checks, you are out of luck with a HELOC. They are not making exceptions to this anymore.

Answer 3

It may be discovered and the loan company wants to be assured they'll get paid before others. So it may depend on that lien.

Answer 4

I had a similar question, we bought a house from my father in law not knowing that my mother in law has 3 leins on the property for child support (which has been paid and my sister in law is in her 30's) and also for alimony. They have been divorced for over 20 years.

Answer 5

Yes, usually. It's called a second mortgage.

Answer 6

It would depend on how much equity you have, and what the lien is and how much it's for.