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Home Equity

Find out what home equity is and how to use it, plus news, advice and tools on home equity loans and HELOCs.

Home equity basics

A green house on a sunny day
It’s the portion of your home you own outright. Its uses are almost endless.
home equity
How to estimate your ownership stake, and how much of it you can borrow.
photo illustration of house balanced on stack of cash, light blue background
Everything you need to know about HELOC and home equity loan requirements in 2024.

Home equity tools & resources

Bankrate's suite of tools and articles are designed to help you effortlessly learn about your home equity, connect with reputable lenders, compare offers for HELOCs and home equity loans, and more.

The latest

How to get equity out of the house you’ve paid off
Sometimes, it’s even easier than if you still had a mortgage. But there are caveats.
family in front of home
Both mean borrowing against your home, but their pros and cons vary quite a bit.
Illustrated collage featuring a mailbox with money falling out
Your home isn’t a piggy bank, but there are wise ways to tap your ownership stake for cash.
Your payments could go up drastically once the draw period ends. Here’s how to cope.
Illustrated collage featuring a house on a hill made of money
It’s a smart financial move. Here’s how to do it.
home equity loan default
Nothing good. The loss of your home, and a blow to your credit score.
home equity rates fall
A variety of things affect how much you’ll pay. Some of them you can actually control.
Black woman hanging a photograph on a wall
More single women than men own homes. But they pay more and get less out of them.
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