Why a cash-out refinance can still be a good idea, even as rates rise

Economic uncertainty abounds right now as inflation surges and the interest rates on all kinds of financial products rise.

Even so, homeowners may find that tapping their home equity through a cash-out refinance is a financially sound decision, despite the fact that doing so is costlier than it would have been a year ago — or even two months ago.

Here's why a cash-out refi can still make sense, even in this economy:

What's going on with mortgage refinance rates

It's no secret that mortgage rates have been rising rapidly. At the beginning of 2022, the average interest on a 30-year fixed mortgage for a purchase was below 3.5%. Now, less than six months later, that average has shot up about two full percentage points, hovering around 5.5%. While refinance rates are a bit lower than those purchase rates, they've followed a similar rising trend.

"It's a huge increase," says Joel Kan, associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), adding that it's led many homeowners to back away from refinancing.

"Refinances are down 70 percent year-over-year," Kan says. "Coming off of two record refi years, 2020 and 2021, where people got a fixed rate below 3.5 percent, there isn't really a benefit to refinancing."

"There are still millions of consumers that are in mortgage products where they can lower their interest rates by refinancing," says Joe Mellman, senior vice president of the mortgage business at TransUnion, though he acknowledges that number is much smaller than it was during the refinancing wave of 2020 and 2021.

Why homeowners could still benefit from a cash-out refinance

Tapping your home's equity can be a good way to consolidate higher-interest debt or fund expensive projects like home repairs.

Because home prices have been shooting up the past few years, homeowners are sitting on record levels of equity: an aggregate of $20 trillion in tappable equity currently, TransUnion estimates.

"Especially with inflation on a tear, that means that consumers are putting more on credit cards and they're putting more on personal loans, which are absolutely standard things that we see when inflation goes up," Mellman says, adding that taking advantage of all that equity in reserve can make some of those stopgap financing tactics more affordable.

"There's a lot of financial gymnastics," says Kan. "For some people, getting a cash-out is certainly a better choice than financing it through a credit card or some other means, but they have to be able to stay current and qualify for that mortgage."

Alternatives to cash-out refis

Especially with mortgage rates trending upward, homeowners looking to tap their equity may want to consider other options, like home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) or home equity loans.

"For a cash-out refi, you're not just refinancing the cash-out portion but you're refinancing all the existing debt," Mellman says. "I'd be very cautious about raising your rate on the primary mortgage just to get a lower rate" on your equity.

HELOCs and home equity loans allow you to keep your primary mortgage in place — so if you have a pandemic-era 3% interest rate, you can tap your equity without raising the monthly payment on that initial loan. But, HELOCs and home equity loans have some drawbacks, too.

Home equity loans, on the other hand, are a lump sum payment separate from your primary mortgage, which can add an extra layer of complexity to your monthly budget.

"Consumers need to weigh a couple things: whether they need a large chunk of money immediately, or they would like a rainy-day fund to draw on over a period of time," says Mellman.