Using Equity Release To Buy A Second Home 

Equity release is known for being a brilliant way to release some of the money that is tied up in your home. The lump sum you receive through an equity release plan can be used in several ways, from paying for a luxury holiday to carrying out home improvements and lots of people will use equity release to boost their pension pot as an additional retirement income.

If you’re over 55 years of age and have considerable equity in your home, you may be wondering; ‘can I use equity release to buy a second home?’. The simple answer to this question is yes and equity release can be a great way to get a deposit for a new property. However, there are some things you will need to take into consideration when using equity release to buy a second house and below we have explored this in more detail. 

The amount of equity you need to release 

To make the process of buying a second, perhaps holiday home easier, it may be beneficial to release enough equity in order to buy the new property outright. This can prevent you from having to get another mortgage and, in turn, pay two lots of mortgage repayments every month. Not to mention, mortgages on second properties are often considered higher risk by lenders. So, in order to be able to afford the second home that you’re interested in, you need to make sure that you’re actually able to release enough equity from your existing property.  

If you can’t afford to be a cash buyer and you’re happy to take out another mortgage for your second home, you may not need to release as much equity, but there are still a number of other costs to take into consideration. In addition to paying the deposit required for the new property, you will also need to pay for things like legal fees and enhanced stamp duty charges. People commonly require more equity than they initially realise to buy another property. 

How you’re going to use the second home 

If you will require a mortgage on the second home that you’re buying, how this property is going to be used will be taken into consideration by lenders. For example, if you’re going to use the second property as a personal holiday home and you require a residential mortgage, a lender will question whether you’re able to pay for this new loan as well as your existing mortgage. 

Similarly, if you want to rent your second home, a mortgage lender will want to ensure that the rental income will cover the mortgage repayments. Buy-to-let mortgages can be quite complicated too and the rental income is subject to tax.

The other options for buying a second property

Sometimes, instead of releasing some of the equity in their home with an Equity release mortgage, people will decide to simply remortgage to buy a second house. This can be a great option to consider and it can sometimes be more suitable than equity release, depending on your individual circumstances. However, when you remortgage, you will need to be able to prove that you can afford the larger loan you’re taking out. Remortgage rates are generally lower than equity release interest rates 

Often, the cost of borrowing will increase the more money you want to release by remortgaging too and mortgage lenders will increase the price of the loan to reflect the risk of lending to you. It is also important to remember that remortgaging will generally involve various additional costs, such as; valuation and arrangement fees, legal fees and there may be an early redemption fee to redeem any existing loans.

Speaking to a mortgage advisor about equity release

Should you have any questions about equity release or buying a second property, our team at Mortgage Required will be happy to assist you. Since being established back in 2001, our mortgage advisors have been providing whole of market advice to customers and we are experienced in all aspects of the mortgage market. We pride ourselves on delivering first-class customer service and we can help to make the process of getting a new mortgage as hassle-free as possible. We look forward to assisting you with all of your mortgage needs.