Even if you are a meticulous saver, there may be times when your finances are strained and you need a little help to tide you over. Though borrowing from family or friends is a preferred option for many, if the amount you need is large, it may not be a good idea to stress their finances as well. A better option would be to leverage an asset you own-your house.

You can use your house as collateral to take a loan from a bank. The latter will exercise due diligence as far as the property is concerned, appraise its value, and offer you up to 70% of its value as loan. Since this is a secured loan (you are offering a collateral), you can get a higher amount than the one you will get for an unsecured loan like a personal loan.

Of course, you will also have to pay the administrative and processing fee, which is usually 0.5-1.5% of the value of the loan. Typically, the tenure for such a loan is 1-9 years, but some banks may be willing to extend it to 15 years if the loan is large. The interest rate, which can be floating or fixed, varies from 12-16%, which makes them cheaper than personal loans.