A HELOC gives you access to equity in your home. It is best used for short term borrowing and often used for “emergencies” such as replacing a furnace or water heater or doing some renovations on the home. It can be borrowed and paid off as you need it.
A HELOC is always in a variable rate based on the Prime Rate
You only pay interest on what has been borrowed. If there is no balance on your HELOC, there is no cost to having it
The rule with refinances is that you can only go up to 80% of the home’s value (i.e. if the home is worth $400,000 you can refinance up to $320,000). The remaining 20% equity becomes available if you decide to sell the property.