Home Equity Access: Loan vs. Cash-Out Refinance Analyzer (USA Focus)

Your Current Situation & Needs

Home Equity Loan (HEL) Scenario

This assumes a fixed-rate home equity loan (second mortgage).

Cash-Out Refinance Scenario

This replaces your current mortgage with a new, larger one.

This is typically your current mortgage balance plus the cash you want to take out. Closing costs are handled separately below but can sometimes be rolled into the loan by lenders (adjust this amount manually if so).

Comparison Summary: Home Equity Loan vs. Cash-Out Refinance

Important Considerations:
  • Interest Rates: The rates you enter are estimates. Actual rates depend on your creditworthiness, market conditions, and lender.
  • Closing Costs: These can vary significantly. Obtain official Loan Estimates for accurate figures.
  • Loan Term Impact: A cash-out refinance often resets your mortgage term (e.g., to a new 30 years). This might lower your payment but could mean paying more interest over a longer period if your original loan was well into its term. A home equity loan is a separate, typically shorter-term loan.
  • Total Interest Paid: Consider the total interest paid over the life of the new debt for each scenario. This tool estimates interest on the new HEL or the *entire* new refinanced mortgage.
  • Loan-to-Value (LTV): Lenders have maximum LTV limits (often 80-85% for cash-out, sometimes higher for HELs on their own). This calculator shows the resulting LTV for your awareness.
  • Tax Deductibility: Mortgage interest may be tax-deductible in the US, but rules and limits apply (e.g., for acquisition debt vs. home equity debt used for other purposes). This calculator does not factor in tax savings. Consult a tax advisor.
This tool provides estimates for comparison based on your inputs and is NOT financial advice. Always consult with lenders and a qualified financial advisor.

HEL Closing Costs: ${eac_formatCurrency(inputs.hel.closingCosts)}

`; inputsHtml += `
Cash-Out Refinance Scenario Inputs:

New Total Loan Amount: ${eac_formatCurrency(inputs.refi.newLoanAmount)}

New Refi Interest Rate: ${eac_formatPercentage(inputs.refi.newInterestRate,3)}

New Refi Term: ${eac_formatYears(inputs.refi.newLoanTermYears)}

Refi Closing Costs: ${eac_formatCurrency(inputs.refi.closingCosts)}

`; let betterMonthlyPaymentPdf = ""; if (results.hel.totalMonthlyHousingPayment < results.refi.totalMonthlyHousingPayment) betterMonthlyPaymentPdf = "hel"; else if (results.refi.totalMonthlyHousingPayment < results.hel.totalMonthlyHousingPayment) betterMonthlyPaymentPdf = "refi"; let betterUpfrontCostsPdf = ""; if (results.hel.upfrontCosts < results.refi.upfrontCosts) betterUpfrontCostsPdf = "hel"; else if (results.refi.upfrontCosts < results.hel.upfrontCosts) betterUpfrontCostsPdf = "refi"; const comparisonTableHtml = `FeatureHome Equity LoanCash-Out Refinance New Loan Amt (for cash/total)${eac_formatCurrency(results.hel.loanAmount)} (HEL)${eac_formatCurrency(results.refi.newLoanAmount)} (Total Refi) Interest Rate on New Debt${eac_formatPercentage(inputs.hel.interestRate,3)}${eac_formatPercentage(inputs.refi.newInterestRate,3)} Term for New Debt/Loan${eac_formatYears(inputs.hel.loanTermYears)}${eac_formatYears(inputs.refi.newLoanTermYears)} Est. Monthly Pmt (New Debt/Refi)${eac_formatCurrency(results.hel.monthlyPayment)}${eac_formatCurrency(results.refi.monthlyPayment)} Resulting Total Mthly Housing P&I ${eac_formatCurrency(results.hel.totalMonthlyHousingPayment)} ${eac_formatCurrency(results.refi.totalMonthlyHousingPayment)} Upfront Closing Costs ${eac_formatCurrency(results.hel.upfrontCosts)} ${eac_formatCurrency(results.refi.upfrontCosts)} Combined LTV Post-Transaction${eac_formatPercentage(results.hel.combinedLTV)}${eac_formatPercentage(results.refi.ltv)} Total Interest on New Debt/Refi${eac_formatCurrency(results.hel.totalInterestPaid)}${eac_formatCurrency(results.refi.totalInterestPaid)} `; const conclusionTextPdf = document.getElementById('eac_conclusion').innerText.replace("Based on your inputs: ", ""); const qualitativePdfHtml = document.getElementById('eac_qualitativeSummaryContainer').innerHTML .replace(/

/g, '
').replace(/<\/h4>/g, '
') .replace(/

/g, '

').replace(/|<\/span>/g,'') // remove spans from qualitative .replace(/

    /g, '
      ').replace(/
    • /g, '
    • ') .replace(/class="pro"/g, 'style="color:#1e7e34;"').replace(/class="con"/g, 'style="color:#c82333;"'); const disclaimer_pdf = document.querySelector('#equityAccessComparator .eac-interpretation-note').innerText.replace("Important Considerations:", "").trim(); pdfContentEl.innerHTML = `
      Home Equity Access: Loan vs. Cash-Out Refinance Analysis
      I. Input Summary
      ${inputsHtml}
      II. Comparative Financial Projections
      ${comparisonTableHtml}
      ${conclusionTextPdf}
      III. Qualitative Considerations Summary
      ${qualitativePdfHtml}
      Important Disclaimer: ${disclaimer_pdf.replace(/\n/g, "
      ").replace(/
        /g,"
          ").replace(/
        • /g,"
        • ")}
      `; document.body.appendChild(pdfContentEl); html2canvas(pdfContentEl, { scale: 2, useCORS: true, logging:true, windowWidth: pdfContentEl.scrollWidth, windowHeight: pdfContentEl.scrollHeight }).then(canvas => { const imgData = canvas.toDataURL('image/png'); const pdfWidth = pdf.internal.pageSize.getWidth(); const pdfHeight = pdf.internal.pageSize.getHeight(); let numPages = Math.ceil(canvas.height / ( (pdfHeight - 40) * (canvas.width / (pdfWidth - 40)) ) ); let pageCanvasHeight = (pdfHeight - 40) * (canvas.width / (pdfWidth - 40)); for (let i = 0; i < numPages; i++) { if (i > 0) pdf.addPage(); let sourceY = i * pageCanvasHeight; let sourceHeight = Math.min(pageCanvasHeight, canvas.height - sourceY); const tempCanvas = document.createElement('canvas'); tempCanvas.width = canvas.width; tempCanvas.height = sourceHeight; const ctx = tempCanvas.getContext('2d'); ctx.drawImage(canvas, 0, sourceY, canvas.width, sourceHeight, 0, 0, canvas.width, sourceHeight); const pageImgData = tempCanvas.toDataURL('image/png'); const pageImgHeight = (sourceHeight * (pdfWidth - 40)) / canvas.width; pdf.addImage(pageImgData, 'PNG', 20, 20, pdfWidth - 40, pageImgHeight, undefined, 'FAST'); } pdf.save('Home_Equity_Loan_vs_Refinance.pdf'); if(document.body.contains(pdfContentEl)) document.body.removeChild(pdfContentEl); }).catch(err => { console.error("EAC PDF Error:", err); alert("Error generating PDF. See console."); if(document.body.contains(pdfContentEl)) document.body.removeChild(pdfContentEl); }); } document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() { eac_openTab({}, 'eac_tab_current_situation'); // Default some values for quicker testing const homeValEl = document.getElementById('eac_currentHomeValue'); if(homeValEl && !homeValEl.value) homeValEl.value = '400000'; const mortBalEl = document.getElementById('eac_currentMortgageBalance'); if(mortBalEl && !mortBalEl.value) mortBalEl.value = '150000'; const mortRateEl = document.getElementById('eac_currentMortgageRate'); if(mortRateEl && !mortRateEl.value) mortRateEl.value = '3.5'; const remTermEl = document.getElementById('eac_currentMortgageRemainingTermYears'); if(remTermEl && !remTermEl.value) remTermEl.value = '20'; const cashOutEl = document.getElementById('eac_cashOutAmountDesired'); if(cashOutEl && !cashOutEl.value) cashOutEl.value = '50000'; const helRateEl = document.getElementById('eac_hel_interestRate'); if(helRateEl && !helRateEl.value) helRateEl.value = '8.0'; const helTermEl = document.getElementById('eac_hel_loanTermYears'); if(helTermEl && !helTermEl.value) helTermEl.value = '15'; const refiRateEl = document.getElementById('eac_refi_newInterestRate'); if(refiRateEl && !refiRateEl.value) refiRateEl.value = '6.5'; // Refi term defaults to 30 years via select if (!document.getElementById('eac_currentHomeValue')) { console.error("Critical input 'eac_currentHomeValue' not found."); } });

Scroll to Top