How I use my HELOC: Customers share their stories

For more information on HELOCs, check out our downloadable guide.

We asked some UBT customers how they used their home equity line of credit (HELOC) to make life happen. Their answers were as varied as the people themselves, and every bit as awesome. In fact, their uses were as unique as the homes they live in. What’s the best way to use a HELOC? Depends on who you ask!

“We paid for our daughter’s wedding.”

Our HELOC turned out to be the perfect way to pay for our daughter’s wedding! We created a budget and paid for everything as we went along using our HELOC debit card. Keeping track of expenditures was easy: Seth (our banker) printed off a statement whenever we needed it, and since we weren’t waiting for checks to clear, we always knew where we were at. Our daughter’s wedding was just beautiful, and we were so happy to give her the ceremony and reception of her dreams with the equity we had in our family home. We opted for interest-only payments until after the wedding, which was a wonderful bonus.

“I’m the king of home projects.”

As a homeowner who loves a good DIY project, I’ve been able to use my HELOC debit card at the home improvement stores at a lower interest rate than that store’s credit card. I like that my HELOC offers me access to a higher limit than I’d have with that store card, too. I use as little or as much as I need. As soon as I have one project paid off, I’m ready to start on another. That way, I’m ready for surprises (and this fixer-upper has given me a few!).

“I went back to college.”

As an empty nester who has decided to take herself back to college, I appreciate being able to use the equity in my home to finance my education. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, it’s been a great alternative to the student loans I explored, and a great supplement to the other aid I applied for (fingers crossed!). I’m so glad my banker suggested I get the debit card when I applied for my line of credit, as it’s really come in handy for books and tuition, and the repayment plan is already underway!

“We’re taking the family on an Alaskan cruise.”

We wanted to do something really special for the whole family and had been kicking around the idea of a cruise. Our grandchildren aren’t going to be into family vacations for much longer, and who knows what the future holds? Alaska has been on our bucket list, so we booked a 10-day Alaska Glacier Cruise for September! Our kids and all the kiddos are so excited. We used our HELOC debit card to make installation payments and have budgeted for sizeable payments to principle, so we can use our card for any additional travel expenses.

Making life easier, or better, is one of the best uses for the equity in your home, and our customers have done a better job of illustrating a HELOC’s flexibility than we ever could (thanks, UBT friends!). A home equity line of credit may not be for everyone, but if you think it might be right for you, stop in to your nearest UBT branch or learn more here.