What is meant by cash-out refinance mortgage?
It is a mortgage refinance transaction wherein the new loan amount is more than the existing mortgage amount, including the closing costs. Usually, the main purpose of a cash-out refinance is to extract equity from the house. It acts as an alternative to a home equity loan. It has become a popular method for borrowers to pay back credit card debts, or meet added expenses.
There are two ways to carry out cash-out mortgage refinancing. One is as HELOC - Home Equity Line Of Credit. That is, a line of credit is extended to a homeowner that uses the house as collateral. Once a maximum loan balance is reached, the homeowner may withdraw on the line of credit at his/ her discretion. Based on the current prime rates, a variable rate is calculated, and that is applied as the interest rate. Another method is to refinance the existing mortgage into two smaller loans.Bad credit mortgage refinance is also available.
Let us understand cash-out refinance mortgage with some examples.
Suppose, Mr. John Smith has a house worth $400,000. And the current loan balance on the house is $100,000. This implies that Mr. Smith owns seventy-five percent of his house. That is, as a homeowner, he has $300,000 worth of equity. If he can redeem that equity by a cash-out refinance.
An example to understand HELOC:
Suppose, Ms. Julie Anderson owns a home of value $600,000. She has a lien of $300,000. So, her equity comes out to be $300,000. Now, she avails a second mortgage of $100,000. This increases her existing liens to $400,000, and decreases her equity to $200,000. She can further use this in line of credit to get a loan. Here, the first and second mortgages are considered as separate loans, which are to be paid off under different terms and conditions.

An example to understand refinancing an existing loan, and adding cash-out into a single loan:
Suppose, Ms. Anderson refinances the original $400,000 loan, and additional $100,000 cash-out to meet some bill expenses. So, the new loan amount becomes $500,000. However, this is considered as a different loan altogether. This new $500,000 loan will have a new rate, and new set of conditions.
How to decide which home refinance method to opt for?
It depends on the interest rates. If the existing rate on the loan is higher than current rates, then the refinancing home as in third example will be beneficial. However, if the current rates are higher, then it is better to refinance as in the second example. It will leave the first mortgage unaffected, and only the second mortgage will have the higher rates. Homeowners execute cash-out for a variety of reasons. Paying off high rate credit card debts is the most common reason. Paying college fees, purchasing another property, or vacation are a few other reasons. A home improvement is another popular reason. Homeowners pull out cash from their home equity, and invest it back into the house itself. A renovation will increase the value of their home, and subsequently, increase the equity.