+21 votes
by (340 points)
I have a credit score near 500 (gulp) and have 100% equity in my home. I would like to get a home equity loan/line to pay off some of my bills but my credit score is too low. I understand why I can’t get a loan but they have 0% risk by giving me a loan if I don’t pay - they get my house. Please only positive comments . any suggestions on where to turn?  
I have a credit score near 500 (gulp) and have 100% equity in my home.

15 Answers

+18 votes
by (440 points)
Try to see if the bank has a score builder program, unfortunately a lot of loans are backed by the government so it’s not the banks decision a lot of the time on the approval
+5 votes
by (340 points)
Can you manage to pay toward the bills without encumbering your home?  
+17 votes
by (480 points)
I would recommend not putting your home as collateral for unsecured debt. Without a mortgage payment I think you’re in a great position to just tackle your remaining debt smallest to largest.  
+18 votes
by (2.1k points)
What is your debt vs your income?  
+8 votes
by (14.5k points)
Ok. So here is the way it works from a LENDERS prospective. The only thing they have to go on is your credit history (score). They don’t know how you got your house or it could have been inherited and you have no real ownership interest. All they see is how you (don’t) pay your bills. This is not negative- it is the cold, hard truth. So there are quite a few things YOU can do to fix this. First and foremost, you need to order your free annual credit report and figure out WHY your score is so low and take steps to fix it. This will be your fastest and best way to go. (My score was 589 to 760 in a few years. It takes work) You could also join a credit union. Get a secured credit card if they offer one, set up a small savings, something to show you are a good risk. Develop a relationship with the credit union, and perhaps over time they would be willing to take your situation to the committee for a loan. All these things don’t happen overnight but are possible. Unfortunately, though you feel like there isnta risk to getting a secured loan, that isn’t true. A bank/lender doesn’t want to evict someone and go through collection, foreclosure and the whole gambit either. They could be out more than you borrow. They need some kind of idea that you are going to pay, and sadly your credit doesn’t show them that. Instead of being defensive about it, get proactive and fix it. I wish you luck! Many on here have been where you are and clawed out of it! You can too!  
by (2.1k points)
@saboteur kinda what I was saying. lol. I’m a terrible writer.  
by (14.5k points)
@starryeyed no you aren’t! I am just long winded LOL.  
by (2.1k points)
@saboteur I did exactly what you said. It was a struggle to find someone to consolidate. I had all my bills paid on time but our family business had debt in my name. 3 months ruined me. I didn’t even know but once that was taken care of (almost 40k) my score went up very quick.  
by (2.8k points)
@saboteur this! Banker here. your credit score shows your ability to repay. Most lenders have a minimum of 650, though one credit union I worked for would work with a 600. Thats for your protection as well. it’s not in your best interest to give you a loan you can’t pay, and then you lose your home. And foreclosures are not profitable for banks either. Get a secured loan (cash secured at a credit union) and a secured credit card if you can. Payment history is 35% of your score. usage is 30%. Get your score up. Go to annual credit report. com and pull your report. Double the impact of the above by using the secured loan to pay collection debt.  
+13 votes
by (2.1k points)
Can you get a loan that is attached to a checking account that gets auto payment? I did w a score of 530. It is now 824. you can do it.  
+17 votes
by (4.4k points)
Can you do a loan against your 401k? Don’t think your gonna get a loan with that credit score.  
by (4.4k points)
No! Don’t do this! The tax on taking out some of Your 401k is astronomical
by (8.8k points)
@vannesavanness a loan wouldn’t be taxable. Still not a good idea for many other reasons.  
+14 votes
by (14.4k points)
Hard money lenders. Score doesn’t matter, they’re only concern is equity.  
+20 votes
by (14.3k points)
My credit score is 550. I can't get a loan and I was even denied a secured card. The only option I was told was to wait for my credit report to clear or pay off all collections.  
+19 votes
by (3.4k points)
If your score is low due to no credit at all then it won't take long to build. You can get a credit card (secured or unsecured) and only utilize 10% of it each month. I did that and my score would increase 40+ points each month. However, if you need to fix your score of negative items, I suggest looking into the group "Your financial fix" on facebook. I used that group to build my credit and bought my house but they have a lot of good info on how you can fix negative info by disputing and different methods.  
+17 votes
by (1.5k points)
Because even with your home securing the loan the bank takes a huge risk. A foreclosure process is time consuming and has a lot of costs attached for the bank and it’s no guarantee that if they go all the way through the process they can recoup the cost of the loan. (I used to work for a foreclosure company. ) We couldn’t get a home equity loan until my score was in the 700s and we have a ton of equity in our home.  
+6 votes
by (370 points)
If it’s unsecured debt your trying to pay I would not put your house up for it. I would not want to turn unsecured debt into secured debt.  
+17 votes
by (1.1k points)
Sell the home. I understand your position.  
+5 votes
by (9.1k points)
Not sure what your bills are but taking on debt to pay debt is not typically going to get you out of debt. If you need help working your budget numbers, reach out to one of the mentors like myself, many people happy to look at your situation with a fresh set of eyes.  
+6 votes
by (4.9k points)
Whatever you do, please do not take a loan against your home. You have too much to lose. Find other means to either build your credit or pay off debt if that’s what’s keeping your credit score low.  
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