How To Finance Home Improvement

When it’s time for major home improvement, most of us need to borrow.

- Melanie Pinola

There are endless variations on project funding, but almost all fall into these five categories:

1. Zero percent or low-interest credit cards

If you have decent credit, you likely get offers for zero percent interest credit cards (new credit cards or checks you can use with cards you already have). Credit Karma advises that these credit card offers are best for projects under $15,000 because it’s easier to pay off the loan within the low-interest rate offer timeline (usually 12 to 18 months). Typically, these offers are easy to qualify for, and your home isn’t used as collateral.

Make sure you can fully pay off the debt by the time the offer expires, or you’ll end up owing a ton of interest on the full amount.

2. Personal or unsecured loans