A credit card might be a better choice than a loan, for instance, if you don't need to borrow a lot. Experian's 2019 report on consumer credit card debt found that the average credit card limit is about $23,000, but your card limits may be lower or higher. If you're applying for a new card, your credit limit at first may be capped at $5,000 or $10,000.
It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which it makes sense to pay 30% interest to make a home improvement. But if you’re desperate, a peer-to-peer loan with a high interest rate can be a better option than charging the expense to a credit card with a high interest rate because you’ll be forced to repay the peer-to-peer loan within a few years, unlike a credit card balance, which you can drag out and pay interest on forever.
Interest rates. The less interest you pay, the more loan you can afford. An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is one way to lower that rate, at least temporarily. Because lenders aren't locked into a fixed rate for 30 years, ARMs start off with much lower rates. But the rates can change every 6, 12, or 24 months thereafter. Most have yearly caps on increases and a ceiling on how high the rate climbs. But if rates climb quickly, so will your payments.

Difficulty getting a loan if you have bad credit or you’re self-employed: you might find it difficult to get approval for an unsecured home improvement loan if you have bad credit. This may also apply if you’re self-employed because you may not have the guarantee of fixed income to meet the monthly repayments. If you are approved, you may then find that you aren’t able to borrow as much as you wanted
A home equity loan is another way to tap your equity without refinancing. Instead of getting a line of credit, as you would with a HELOC, you’d receive a lump sum of money. A home equity loan could make sense if you don’t want to refinance your first mortgage — if it has a very low interest rate, for example. But the interest rate would probably be higher with a second mortgage like a home equity loan than with a cash-out refinance.
Your home improvement ideas are as unique as you are and our range of financing options can help you realize those ideas in the way that makes the most sense for you. Narrow down your options using the information below and remember our financing representatives are available to answer any questions. Be sure to consider the costs associated with each option, including interest rate, when choosing a product. 

HELOCs come with a draw period and repayment period. During the draw period, which often lasts about 10 years, you can spend the money in your credit line. Your monthly payments would cover mostly the interest and a little bit of the principal on any outstanding balance. During the repayment period, which typically lasts around 15 years, your monthly payments would probably be higher because they’d include more principal.

As with other lenders, your interest rate will be based on your credit score, how much you want to borrow and your repayment period. Because these loans have relatively short repayment periods of three to five years, you’ll get out of debt quickly and won’t be paying interest for years. And you may be able to get a peer-to-peer loan even though you have less-than-stellar credit, though you can expect to pay a high interest rate if you’re approved.

