In its simplest definition, an equity home loan means using your house equity as collateral in order to borrow money. Collateral means your house will act as a guarantee. In the case if you cannot pay the loan or defaulted too long on payment, the lender has the right to sell the house to get back the loan.

An equity home loan is a one off lump sum of money when you take up a loan. Usually, the loan period is between 5 to 30 years and the interest rates are fixed. The payment amount per month is fixed as well.

In fact, most lenders are now aggressively pushing their debt consolidation products. This has become a growth area in recent years, mainly due to people over spending on their credit cards. An equity home loan will allow the borrower to pay off all existing debts and loans and spread the low monthly payment across a number of years. Most banks are very happy with this situation as they are exchanging unsecured debt for secured debt. The security of course is the equity in your home.

The interest rate for an equity home line of credit is variable and will rise and fall during the loan period. Payment per month depends on the total sum loaned, the interest rate and whether your credit is in the payment or draw period. During equity draw period, you can decide whether to pay the principal loan amount or the minimum payments to cover the interest.

For equity line of credit, the loan period is usually shorter than home equity loan. Usually, it is between 5 to 15 years. During this loan period, you will not be able to increase the loan or repay the balance left in the loan. Do note, there is usually a minimum amount whether you decide to withdraw some money from the loan.