Renovation Financing for smart people

Some renovations you want to do to your home are just too big to finance with your credit card. So if you are about to take on a large scale renovation, it is not unheard of to seek financing for that big project from your bank or another financial institution.

So the natural first questions about how to get that financing is to ask where to go to for the money, how much to ask for and what they will need to know to give you the money you need to do a really great renovation job.

The first objective in finding the money you need to fix up your home is to find a lender. It is always good to first look to financial institutions with whom you have had a relationship for many years.

Your bank, credit union or other lending institutions know that you are a responsible adult and that you have been able to handle large sums of money and pay back your debts.

You have taken out and paid off loans with them before. So that makes you the kind of customer they want to loan money to. To people and institution who know you well, you are not a risk so their money is safe in your hands.

But even financial institutions you are well established with will want to know how the money is to be used. So before you make the first appointment to get the loan you need to do your projects, do your homework on exactly what your renovation consists of and what it will cost.

That means that much of the planning and research of the project must be completed so you can walk into that loan officer's office with a detail of exactly how much you will need to complete the project and how much it will cost.

This kind of research shows lending institutions that you have a firm grasp on the project and that you have done enough research to know that the job can be done and that it can be accomplished inside of the budget constraints that you are financing with the loan you are asking for. Go to that meeting with your homework done and prepared to talk about the project in some depth.

Just as importantly, if there is a payoff to this loan, have that information available as well. If you are doing a renovation to a home that you own with the intent of selling it, show that the value of the property will increase with the work you are doing and that you can repay the loan with the proceeds from the sale.

If you are asking for $10,000 to renovate your home for sale but you will realize $30,000 more in equity because of the work you are going to do, that is an easy formula for a lender to understand.

They will see your renovation makes a lot of sense and be glad to lend you the money.

Because you were willing to do your work before you met with the lenders and because they know you well as a responsible money manager, you will have clear sailing to getting the financing you need to get your renovation project well underway.