A straight answer
Should I use a HELOC to consolidate debt?
The direct answer
Yes, I offer HELOCs you can use to pay off credit cards, a car loan and personal loans while your first mortgage stays as it is. Once the line funds, you can use the money to pay your debts off. One line takes the place of the balances you clear.
I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. I put the financing together, and I walk you through the options side by side before you decide. With the HELOC I offer, your credit cards, car loan and personal loans can also be paid off directly at closing. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-22
Want your own numbers side by side? Text me each balance, what you owe on the home and what it is worth.
This situation is worked out in a short conversation. No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Texts go to Zach's cell.
What has to be true?
You own a home in California, Utah, Oregon or Arizona with equity in it.
The HELOC is a second mortgage that sits behind your first mortgage.
Your first mortgage does not change.
I offer a HELOC up to 85% of your home's value, combined with your first mortgage.
If you need more than that, I have other ways to go higher, so text me.
The line has to fit your budget next to your first mortgage.
What does the lender check?
The lender looks at your credit score.
It looks at your history of paying on time.
It looks at your debt-to-income ratio.
It looks at the equity in your home.
The lender still verifies you can repay.
The first look online is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score.
Continuing to a full application is a hard credit pull.
What are the limits?
The CFPB says "using a home equity loan to consolidate credit card debt is risky. If you don't pay back the loan, you could lose your home in foreclosure" (CFPB).
The balances you pay off become one debt secured by your house.
The CFPB says to compare the whole cost, not one month of it.
If the cards fill back up, you owe the cards and the line together.
Try it with your own numbers
The calculator runs in your browser with JavaScript on. Text me your figures and I will run them for you.
Your figures only, not a quote or an offer. Enter what you know. Nothing you type is sent or saved.
Your home
The debts you want to pay off
Your debts next to the room
-
Room up to 85% combined
In dollars
Enter your home value and first mortgage balance.
- 85% of your home value
- Less your first mortgage balance
-
Debts you entered
Added together
Enter the balances you want to pay off.
-
How they compare
Room to spare
Enter your home value and at least one balance.
-
What the line would cost next to these debts
Text me for your actual numbers.
The calculator quotes no terms. It adds up what you enter and nothing else.
How the calculator works
Room up to 85% combined: 85% of the home value you enter, less your first mortgage balance. If that balance is already at or above 85% of the value, the room is zero.
Debts you entered: the balances added together, as you typed them.
How they compare: the debts against the room, in dollars, with the difference either way.
The calculator quotes no terms and no cost, and it does not model the line itself. Text me for your actual numbers.
Nothing you type is sent or saved, and the figures are not a quote or an offer.
What should I send first?
- Each balance you want paid off.
- Your first mortgage statement.
- A rough value for the home.
- Whether you want cash beyond the payoffs.
The longer walk-through, with the alternatives that leave the house out of it, is on the page on paying off credit cards with home equity.
Questions people ask next
Do I have to refinance my first mortgage to consolidate debt with a HELOC?
No. The HELOC sits behind your first mortgage, which does not change.
Is a HELOC or a personal loan cheaper for paying off debt?
That depends on the terms of each one. Text me your balances, what you owe on the home and what it is worth, and I will show you both side by side.
What happens if I run the cards back up?
Then you owe the cards again and the HELOC as well, and the HELOC is secured by your house. Consolidation works once.
Can I lose my home if I fall behind on a HELOC?
Yes. The CFPB says that if you do not pay back a home equity loan used to consolidate credit card debt, you could lose your home in foreclosure.
Are the numbers in the calculator a quote?
No. The calculator adds up the figures you enter and compares them with the room I described above. It quotes no terms. Text me for your actual numbers.
Does checking my options affect my credit score?
The first look is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score. Continuing to a full application is a hard credit pull.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, 2026-10-22 (checked 2026-10-22) · Confirmed by Zach, October 21, 2026 (checked 2026-10-21) · CFPB, What is the difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)? (last reviewed August 28, 2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · Funding lender’s public HELOC product page (read 2026-09-10; lender not named on this site) (checked 2026-09-10) · West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) (checked 2026-09-09) · CFPB, What do I need to know if I'm thinking about consolidating my credit card debt? (last reviewed September 2, 2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · CFPB, What is a HELOC? (checked 2026-09-27) · CFPB, What is a home equity loan? (checked 2026-09-10).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (9)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Once a HELOC Zach offers funds, the borrower can use the money however they want, with no use restrictions. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| With the HELOC Zach offers, credit cards, a car loan and personal loans can be paid off directly at closing. | Confirmed by Zach, 2026-10-22 | 2026-10-22 |
| Zach offers a HELOC or a home equity loan up to 85% of the home's value, combined with the first mortgage, in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona. If a homeowner needs more than that, he has other ways (other products) to go higher. | Confirmed by Zach, October 21, 2026 | 2026-10-21 |
| CFPB, What is the difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)? (last reviewed August 28, 2026): "For both home equity loans and HELOCs, if you already have a mortgage these new loans would be considered second mortgages that you'd need to pay in addition to your first mortgage. With a home equity loan, you receive the money you are borrowing in a lump sum payment". "With a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), you can borrow or draw money multiple times from an available maximum amount." | CFPB, What is the difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)? (last reviewed August 28, 2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| The lender’s public HELOC page lists what it looks at to qualify: a strong credit score, a consistent payment history, a manageable debt-to-income ratio, and sufficient available equity in the home. | Funding lender’s public HELOC product page (read 2026-09-10; lender not named on this site) | 2026-09-10 |
| On the West Capital Lending HELOC registration page, checking qualifying rates and terms uses a soft credit pull that does not affect the credit score; continuing and submitting an application requests a full credit report, which is a hard pull that may affect credit. | West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) | 2026-09-09 |
| CFPB, What do I need to know if I'm thinking about consolidating my credit card debt? (last reviewed September 2, 2026): "using a home equity loan to consolidate credit card debt is risky. If you don't pay back the loan, you could lose your home in foreclosure." | CFPB, What do I need to know if I'm thinking about consolidating my credit card debt? (last reviewed September 2, 2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| The CFPB describes a HELOC as an open-end line of credit for borrowing repeatedly against home equity, says draw and repayment periods vary, and warns that falling behind could cost you your home. | CFPB, What is a HELOC? | 2026-09-27 |
| The CFPB says home equity loans may carry upfront fees and costs, so compare more than the monthly payment, and that someone considering one to pay off debts should explore alternatives that do not put the home at risk of a forced sale. | CFPB, What is a home equity loan? | 2026-09-10 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-22.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Want your own numbers side by side?
No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Text Zach first so he can review your situation. The online check covers one HELOC program, not every option he may be able to arrange. Texts go to Zach's cell.