But first you’ve got to choose the right home inspector to do the job. It could mean the difference between a couple hundred dollars and thousands spent on maintenance right after you move in — as I found out with a bad leak that my home inspector missed.

A home equity loan allows you to use your home’s value to pay for something else, and it can be a great alternative to making a major purchase on a credit card or taking out another kind of loan.

That may be a big payment you’re making every month, but at least it’s not going to rent anymore. It’s going towards your home, right?

A home equity line of credit provides a way for you to use your home’s value to pay for other things, and it can be a great alternative to other kinds of loans or making major purchases on credit cards.

Of course, since a home equity line of credit is borrowed against your home, it decreases your equity and increases what you owe on your home, which is probably one of your largest and most important assets. Before taking a home equity line of credit, it’s a good idea to talk with a loan professional or your financial advisor.

For many of us, owning a home can be a dream come true — and being at risk of losing a home can be a nightmare. But if you find yourself struggling to make mortgage payments for any reason, the worst thing you can do is go back to sleep and ignore the problem.

As much as we might like to, we can’t just head to the nearest bank with a loan figure in mind and come out with rolls of cash — and that’s the way it should be. Who’s to say what kind of trouble we would get into with no forethought about paying back a loan?