You may have borrowed money to buy your house, so why not borrow some more to fix it up? After all, taking out an unsecured home improvement loan can be a convenient way to pay for renovations and repairs.
But it’s really just a personal loan option with a fixed purpose, and it’s not the wisest choice for every homeowner. Here’s what you need to know.
How to find an unsecured home improvement loan
An unsecured home improvement loan is much like an unsecured personal loan. You qualify for a borrowing amount, interest rate, and repayment term based on your credit profile. Many banks, online or otherwise, market their personal loans for home improvement.
But no two lenders are exactly alike. Earnest, for example, promises to consider your education and career in addition to your credit when awarding a loan offer.
Different lenders also allow you to borrow varying amounts. Avant home improvement loans, for example, top out at $35,000. LendingClub has an unsecured home improvement loan maximum of $40,000, which could come in handy for bigger house projects such as building a pool.
These differences spring up from lender to lender, so it’s wise to shop around to find your best personal loan companies.
Besides online lenders, consider credit unions and more traditional banks. They could offer longer loan terms if you prefer repaying the funds over, say, 12 years as with SunTrust instead of 12 to 36 months.
Aside from considering offers from different kinds of lenders, score your best rates on home improvement loans by using these practices:
- Improve your credit score, because mere percentage points can affect how much interest you’ll repay.
- Compare the APR of your offers, as it accounts for both your interest rate and origination fees.
- Avoid lenders with prepayment penalties, rigid repayment plans, and variable rates that could spike.
Weigh the downsides of home improvement loans
An unsecured home improvement loan is an attractive way to make a fix around — or outside — your home. You could replace your broken water heater in the dead of winter, for example, so that you don’t have to freeze while you save up.
But before you go all-in on your home improvement purchase, consider the cons of these loan products.
First of all, home improvement loans — and personal loans in general — can carry burdensome interest rates. Some lenders, such as LendingClub, charge their least creditworthy customers with an APR as high as 36.00%.
Say you have fair credit and can manage an APR of 20.00%. That $15,000 you borrow to remodel your kitchen would cost you $8,845 in interest with a five-year repayment plan, for a total of $23,845.
Plug your borrowing scenario into our personal loan calculator. You’ll see how much your home improvement project will really cost. It might be more expensive than you expected.
Aside from relatively higher interest rates, an unsecured home improvement loan can be dangerous if you select a repayment term that’s too short.
Most personal loans allow you to repay your debt in one, three, or five years. If you need more time to repay your loan, consider lenders that’ll grant you a longer term. Just remember the longer your repayment, the more interest you’ll have to repay.
Consider the alternatives to an unsecured home improvement loan
You might be considering a loan because it will significantly increase the value of your home (although not all renovations do). You could also elect to borrow money because your house needs an emergency repair that’s not covered by homeowners insurance.
Be aware that an unsecured home improvement loan isn’t the only way to get this done.
In the scenario that you have a pressing reason to borrow — holes in your roof, for example — consider the alternatives to unsecured home improvement loans. Your options include:
- Home equity loans: This could be a better option if you’ve paid off a significant chunk of your home but don’t have excellent credit. A home equity loan allows you to borrow a large percentage of your home’s equity — that is, the value of your house minus the amount you still owe on your mortgage. The worst-case scenario is that if repayment goes south, your lender could foreclose on your home.
- Title I Home and Property Improvement loans: This might be a better choice if you plan on borrowing a small amount. You won’t need to secure the loan with your mortgage unless you borrow more than $7,500. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development insures the loan, but you’d still negotiate an APR with an approved private lender in your area.
For home improvement projects that don’t have a time-sensitive deadline, you could save up to avoid borrowing money altogether. Reserving part of your paycheck for an extended period could stack up the funds you need without having to go to a lender.
That’s one of the best alternatives to an unsecured home improvement loan if it’s possible in your situation.
Borrow home improvement loans responsibly
If your home improvement project is more of a passion project, you might seek alternatives to taking on debt.
But if you have a much-needed home repair, excellent credit, and a solid plan for repayment, an unsecured home improvement loan could be the perfect solution. To ensure you’ll benefit, learn how a calculator can help your decision.
Interested in a personal loan?
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How Student Loan Hero Gets Paid
Student Loan Hero is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). Student Loan Hero does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
Student Loan Hero Advertiser Disclosure
Student Loan Hero is an advertising-supported comparison service. The site features products from our partners as well as institutions which are not advertising partners. While we make an effort to include the best deals available to the general public, we make no warranty that such information represents all available products.
| Lender | RATES (APR) | loan amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 7.99% – 23.43%1 | $5,000 to $100,000 | |
 | 4.37% – 35.99% | $1,000 to $50,000 | |
 | 7.46% – 35.97%* | $1,000 to $50,000 | |
 | 99.00% – 199.00%2 | $500 to $4,000 | |
 | 7.99% – 29.99%3 | $5,000 to $40,000 | |
 | 7.99% – 35.99%4 | $2,000 to $36,500 | |
| compare rates on Lendingtree now | |||
1 Includes AutoPay discount. Important Disclosures for Sofi. Sofi DisclosuresFixed rates from 7.99% APR to 23.43% APR APR reflect the 0.25% autopay discount and a 0.25% direct deposit discount. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 8/22/22 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See Personal Loan eligibility details. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, income, and other factors. See APR examples and terms. The SoFi 0.25% AutoPay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Upgrade DisclosuresPersonal loans made through Upgrade feature Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of 7.46%-35.97%. All personal loans have a 1.85% to 8% origination fee, which is deducted from the loan proceeds. Lowest rates require Autopay and paying off a portion of existing debt directly. Loans feature repayment terms of 24 to 84 months. For example, if you receive a $10,000 loan with a 36-month term and a 17.59% APR (which includes a 13.94% yearly interest rate and a 5% one-time origination fee), you would receive $9,500 in your account and would have a required monthly payment of $341.48. Over the life of the loan, your payments would total $12,293.46. The APR on your loan may be higher or lower and your loan offers may not have multiple term lengths available. Actual rate depends on credit score, credit usage history, loan term, and other factors. Late payments or subsequent charges and fees may increase the cost of your fixed rate loan. There is no fee or penalty for repaying a loan early. Personal loans issued by Upgrade’s bank partners. Information on Upgrade’s bank partners can be found at https://www.upgrade.com/bank-partners/ . Opploans DisclosuresDirect Deposit required for payroll. Opploans currently operates in these states: . *Approval may take longer if additional verification documents are requested. Not all loan requests are approved. Approval and loan terms vary based on credit determination and state law. Applications processed and approved before 7:30 p.m. ET Monday-Friday are typically funded the next business day.
Happy Money Disclosures
Lendingpoint DisclosuresApplications submitted on this website may be funded by one of several lenders, including: FinWise Bank, a Utah-chartered bank, Member FDIC; Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC; Midland States Bank, Member FDIC; and LendingPoint, a licensed lender in certain states. Loan approval is not guaranteed. Actual loan offers and loan amounts, terms and annual percentage rates (“APR”) may vary based upon LendingPoint’s proprietary scoring and underwriting system’s review of your credit, financial condition, other factors, and supporting documents or information you provide. Origination or other fees from 0% to 7% may apply depending upon your state of residence. Upon final underwriting approval to fund a loan, said funds are often sent via ACH the next non-holiday business day. Loans are offered from $2,000 to $36,500, at rates ranging from 7.99% to 35.99% APR, with terms from 24 to 72 months. Minimum loan amounts apply in Georgia, $3,500; Colorado, $3,001; and Hawaii, $1,500. For a well-qualified customer, a $10,000 loan for a period of 48 months with an APR of 24.34% and origination fee of 7% will have a payment of $327.89 per month. (Actual terms and rate depend on credit history, income, and other factors.) The $15,575.04 total amount due under the loan terms provided as an example in this disclaimer includes the origination fee financed in addition to the loan amount. Customers may have the option to deduct the origination fee from the disbursed loan amount if desired. If the origination fee is added to the financed amount, interest is charged on the full principal amount. The total amount due is the total amount of the loan you will have paid after you have made all payments as scheduled. | |||
