Current HELOC guidelines, updated from one source.
Treat these as program parameters, not an offer: the maximum combined loan-to-value, minimum credit score, line sizes, and draw and repayment periods on a primary residence, all drawn from one guideline source this page keeps current.
Of the home’s value, first mortgage included
Up to 90% combined loan-to-value is the primary-residence ceiling at the top tier; the tier ladder below shows how the ceiling and the line cap step down with the credit profile.
Credit score to start
Eligibility on a primary residence starts at a 600 credit profile, where the ceiling and the line cap are at their smallest; the tiers above it open more leverage, a larger cap, or both, and never less.
Automated valuation on lines to $500,000
Lines run from $25,000 to $750,000; automated valuation ordinarily covers lines to $500,000, and the high-balance lane above that amount is primary-residence only and takes a full appraisal.
Interest-only, then 17–25 years of repayment
The draw period is 3–5 years of interest-only payments, followed by 17–25 years of repayment; which structure applies depends on the program that offers the stronger cell at your tier.
| Credit profile | Max combined LTV | Max line | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720+ | 90% | $500,000 | Automated valuation |
| 720+ | 75% | $750,000 | Full appraisal; primary residence only |
| 700+ | 85% | $500,000 | Automated valuation |
| 700+ | 75% | $750,000 | Full appraisal; primary residence only |
| 680+ | 85% | $500,000 | Automated valuation |
| 660+ | 85% | $500,000 | Automated valuation |
| 640+ | 80% | $500,000 | Automated valuation |
| 620+ | 70% | $400,000 | Automated valuation |
| 600+ | 60% | $400,000 | Automated valuation |
The 90% combined loan-to-value ceiling requires a 720 credit profile; lower tiers carry lower ceilings or smaller line caps, as the table shows. Second homes start at a 640 profile; investment property requires 700 and caps at 70% combined loan-to-value. Lines above the automated-valuation range: $750,000 at 75% with a full appraisal (700+ credit profile).
Current HELOC snapshot · updated August 31, 2026 · seven credit tiers on a primary residence · variable rate through the draw and repayment periods · at least 75% of the line drawn at closing · first or second lien position · no prepayment penalty · no entity vesting.
For informational purposes only. This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit, an offer, or a quote. Program parameters shown are wholesale lender guidelines, are subject to change without notice, and every figure depends on the borrower, the property, the occupancy, the selected program, and full underwriting. Where wholesale programs differ, each figure applies only within its own program’s terms. The rate, the payment, and any costs for a specific line are provided in writing by a licensed loan officer. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. Lendmire, LLC, NMLS #2371349. Equal Housing Opportunity.
What a home equity line of credit is — and how the line is sized.
What makes a HELOC different from a refinance is that nothing about the first mortgage changes. In Brookhaven, the line is written behind it, sized by the equity and the tier, drawn at closing and then as needed, and repaid over the years that follow. Here is how each piece works.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s home equity line of credit program, or the statewide guide at HELOC in Georgia.
A line you draw on, not a lump sum
A HELOC is revolving credit secured by the home: you draw what you need during the draw period, pay interest only on what is outstanding, and the balance comes down as you repay. After the draw period the line closes to new draws and the balance repays on an amortizing schedule.
Equity and the combined loan-to-value ceiling
Combined loan-to-value is the whole math: value times the ceiling for the tier, minus the first mortgage, equals the line, up to the program cap. On a Brookhaven home the value comes from an automated valuation on most lines and an appraisal on the largest.
Your credit tier sets the ceiling and the cap
The program is a ladder: the higher the credit profile, the higher the combined loan-to-value ceiling and the larger the maximum line. A Brookhaven owner at the top tier reaches the full ceiling; the tiers below it carry smaller ceilings or smaller caps, down to the floor.
Valuation, verification, and closing
Most Brookhaven lines are valued by an automated model, with a secondary valuation at higher leverage and a full appraisal above the program’s threshold. Income is verified electronically first, through payroll-database matches or borrower-permissioned account connections, with documents as the fallback.
The calculator applies this to a Brookhaven scenario: enter the value and the balance, pick the credit tier and the occupancy, and the available line follows from the ceiling and the cap the program tables assign to that cell.
Brookhaven’s equity in figures — and how a line fits it.
The Census figures below are the Brookhaven backdrop for a home equity line: ownership, value, and income. They are context for sizing, not inputs to a credit decision, which rests on the valuation and the file.
These are context figures, not underwriting inputs. Values and tenure explain why two owners at the same credit tier can see very different lines: one bought years ago and owes little, the other bought recently and owes most of the value. The program ceiling is the same for both.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Brookhaven neighborhoods, distinct equity pictures.
A line follows the house. These Brookhaven submarkets differ in the property types the program accepts, the valuation each needs, and the equity a typical owner holds, which is what the cards below describe.
Multi-unit conversions
A Brookhaven duplex can carry a line, with a stronger credit profile required than for a house and the occupancy deciding which table applies. Rental income from the other unit can be documented by lease or return. Median household income in Brookhaven sits near $117,663 on the latest Census estimate.
In-town neighborhoods with long tenures
Long tenure defines the Brookhaven line: a paid-down or absent first mortgage leaves the whole ceiling available, and the home value, not the equity, usually decides the size of the line. Roughly 12,768 Brookhaven households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 53% of all households, the pool a home equity line is written for.
Mid-range values and the balance
In the middle of the Brookhaven market the first mortgage is the number that matters: a large balance leaves a modest line under the ceiling, a small one leaves room, and the program’s minimum and maximum rarely enter the math. Brookhaven is home to about 58K people.
Mixed-use and commercial streets
Brookhaven’s commercial corridors are one of the few places the program does not reach: mixed-use and commercial properties are excluded outright, along with agricultural parcels and manufactured homes. About 47% of Brookhaven’s households rent — roughly 11,503 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Newer subdivisions on the bypass
On a recent Brookhaven purchase the whole line lives between the balance and the ceiling for the tier, and that gap is narrow until the first mortgage has been paid down for some years. On a one-unit principal residence at Brookhaven’s median value, the primary-residence ceiling puts total liens near $623,430 — the line is what remains after the first mortgage balance; a second home starts at a higher credit floor and matches the primary column at the top tier, and a rental caps lower at every tier.
Rural-edge and acreage properties
A Brookhaven property with land is inside the program unless it is zoned agricultural or used commercially. Fewer comparable sales mean a less certain model value, and a larger line may route to an appraiser. The median owner-occupied home value in Brookhaven runs near $692,700 on the latest Census estimate.
Across Brookhaven, the same questions settle every line: what the home is worth on the lender’s valuation, what is owed on it, where the credit profile lands on the ladder, and whether the property type and vesting are inside the program.
Four ways Brookhaven homeowners put a home equity line to work.
A line is flexible by design: draw for the project in front of you, repay, and draw again during the draw period. These are the four uses that bring Brookhaven homeowners to a HELOC most often.
Renovate and repair without a refinance
Renovation is the classic Brookhaven HELOC: the budget is uncertain until the walls are open, and contractors are paid in stages. The line has a seventy-five percent minimum draw at closing, so the owner should plan around it.
Consolidate higher-cost debt
A HELOC can gather several balances into one secured line. For a Brookhaven household the question is not only cost but structure: the line is secured by the home, repays over a set period, and should not simply refill the balances it cleared.
Cover a large planned expense
Tuition, a medical bill, a wedding, a business need: a Brookhaven owner sizes the line to the expense, takes the closing draw when the bill is near, and repays over the years that follow. A balance paid down can be drawn again for the next one.
Fund the next property
Owners moving up in Brookhaven, or buying a second home elsewhere, often draw the down payment from a line on the current home. The new purchase closes on its own mortgage; the line repays on its own schedule.
Estimate your Brookhaven home’s available credit line before requesting a quote.
The calculator applies the program tables to a Brookhaven scenario: enter the home’s value and the balance secured by it, pick the credit tier and the occupancy, and it returns the available line, the equity position, the combined loan-to-value before and after the draw, the minimum draw at closing, and the valuation path. Nothing here is a rate or a payment; those come in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Brookhaven available-equity calculator
A Brookhaven starting point, nothing more: change the value, the balance, the score tier, and the occupancy to match your home.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $695,000 home value near Brookhaven’s median owner-occupied home value and a $350,000 modeled remaining first-mortgage balance (U.S. Census Bureau). Combined loan-to-value ceilings and line caps follow the current program tables for the occupancy and credit tier selected and update from Lendmire’s centralized guideline source on the live page. Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a credit decision, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The actual line amount, combined loan-to-value, and eligibility depend on the automated valuation or appraisal, the credit profile, occupancy, documentation, and full underwriting by the selected wholesale lender; the rate, the payment, and any costs are provided in writing by a licensed loan officer. Minimum score, line-size, and draw requirements follow the current program snapshot shown on this page. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages.
Same equity, four very different ways to use it.
Equity can be reached four ways, and the structures differ more than the headlines suggest: a line that stays open, a refinance that replaces the first mortgage, a closed-end second that funds once, or unsecured credit that costs more and secures nothing.
A line, a refinance, a closed-end second, or unsecured credit.
A revolving second lien sized by equity and tier, drawn at closing and then as needed, interest-only until repayment, and the first mortgage untouched. A fit when the need is staged, repeated, or uncertain in size, and the first mortgage is worth keeping.
One mortgage, one closing, cash in hand: a cash-out refinance is the simplest structure, and the most consequential, because it replaces the first lien entirely. The amount of equity it reaches depends on the size of the new loan. For the first-mortgage route, see Lendmire’s refinance program.
A second mortgage that funds once in a lump sum and amortizes from the first payment. No draw period, no revolving balance. It fits when the Brookhaven need is a single known amount, such as one contractor bid, and the owner wants a fixed schedule from day one.
Unsecured credit is the comparison every HELOC is measured against: no lien on the Brookhaven home, simpler to open, higher in cost, and small in size. It fits a modest, short-lived need and loses to a secured line as the amount grows.
What to prepare for a Brookhaven scenario review.
Most verification runs through permissioned connections; have these ready for a Brookhaven review all the same.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the occupancy, the property, the lien position, and the income picture. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the line.
Here is what moves a Brookhaven file: the credit tier, the valuation path, the way the lien position works, the property and vesting rules, and the ratio the income has to support.
Use these checks to keep the Brookhaven file clean and fundable.
A clean Brookhaven file answers three questions in advance: what tier, what valuation, and whether the property and its title are inside the program.
- Confirm the tier: the stronger of two program cells is quoted at each tier.
- Know the valuation: lines above the threshold take a full appraisal and a reduced ceiling.
- Know the history: recent housing lates close the program; the lookback runs longer at the lower tiers.
The credit tier decides the ceiling and the cap
The tier is read from the lender’s report, not an app. On a Brookhaven file the difference between two adjacent tiers can be a full step in the ceiling and a different line cap, which is why the tier is confirmed before anything is sized.
Automated valuation on most lines, appraisal on the largest
The valuation path follows the line size. Up to the threshold a Brookhaven home is valued automatically, which is faster and depends on the model’s view of comparable sales; above it an appraiser visits. A home with unusual features can value differently than the owner expects.
Housing history and derogatory credit
Recent mortgage or rent lates close the program, and the lookback is longer at the lower tiers. A bankruptcy seasons four years after discharge on both programs; a foreclosure, deed-in-lieu, or short sale is seasoned on one program and declined on the other.
Lien position and the first mortgage
A line usually sits in second position behind the first mortgage, and that first mortgage must be a conventional structure: no negative amortization, no balloon, no reverse-mortgage features. A Brookhaven home owned free and clear can take the line in first position.
A home listed for sale is outside the higher-leverage program, and in some states both
The listing rule on the higher-leverage program is strict and simple: no active listing, and no listing in the recent past, on the Brookhaven home being lined; several states extend it to the longer-runway program. A bridge plan works when the line is opened and funded before the home goes on the market.
From a Brookhaven prequalification to a funded line.
Four steps, most of them electronic: the scenario, the prequalification, the verification and valuation, and the closing. Here is the Brookhaven path.
Scenario review
The first conversation settles the shape: how much room sits under the ceiling on the Brookhaven home, which program offers the stronger cell at your tier, and what the draw and repayment periods look like.
Prequalification
Prequalification runs in a set order on a Brookhaven file, with a soft pull first and the hard pull only after a prequalified offer is accepted. The valuation and the ceiling check happen here, before any commitment.
Verification and valuation
The Brookhaven valuation path is set by the line: automated on most lines, with a second opinion at higher leverage and an appraiser above the threshold. Income and obligations are verified in parallel.
Closing and funding
The Brookhaven closing is signed remotely or with a mobile notary, the right-to-cancel period runs where it applies, and the line funds to a connected account or by check. From then on, draws and payments run on the lender’s portal.
A brokerage that matches the line to the equity.
Lendmire is a mortgage brokerage licensed for consumer home equity lending in sixteen states. On a HELOC that means two wholesale programs compared cell by cell at your tier, the structure that fits the use, and the terms in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Two programs, the stronger cell quoted
The ladder on this page is a merge of two wholesale programs. Lendmire’s job is to know which one offers more on a Brookhaven file at a given tier, to explain what the choice costs in runway or leverage, and to say so plainly.
Structure matched to the use
A staged renovation, a consolidation, a down payment on the next property, and a reserve are four different uses, and the size of the line, the closing draw, and the runway should follow the use. A Brookhaven scenario review starts there.
Licensed, consumer-purpose, in writing
Lendmire is licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages, the line is a consumer-purpose transaction with full disclosures, and every figure a Brookhaven owner relies on, from the ceiling to the draw to the terms, is provided in writing by a licensed loan officer.
Trusted by homeowners & families alike.
Brookhaven HELOC FAQs
The questions below come up on nearly every Brookhaven HELOC conversation. The answers are general; the figures in the snapshot above are the program’s current parameters.
What is a HELOC, and how is it different from a home equity loan?
The difference is the draw period. A home equity line stays open for years so a Brookhaven owner can draw in pieces; a home equity loan is a single advance with a fixed repayment path. The program on this page is the line.
How much can I borrow on a HELOC in Brookhaven?
Use the calculator above: enter the value, the balance, the tier, and the occupancy, and it returns the line the program tables support. The figure is an estimate until the valuation and the credit report set the real value and tier.
What credit score do I need for a HELOC?
Scores from the program floor are eligible on a primary residence. The tier matters as much as eligibility, since it decides the ceiling and the cap; and the lender’s own report decides the tier, not an app or a self-pulled score.
Do I need an appraisal for a HELOC?
Usually not a full one. Lines up to the threshold in the snapshot ordinarily run on an automated valuation; above that amount, and on the largest primary-residence lines, a full appraisal is ordered through an approved appraisal management company.
How do the draw period and the repayment period work?
The snapshot shows the draw and repayment lengths. The shorter structure buys the higher leverage ceiling; the longer structure buys time. A Brookhaven file lands on whichever program offers the stronger cell at the tier, and the loan officer explains the trade.
Can I pay a HELOC off early?
No penalty for paying early on either program. The line can be paid down or closed on your schedule, and a paid-down line during the draw period can be drawn again.
Is the rate on a HELOC fixed or variable?
Both programs carry a variable rate from the first draw through the last payment of the repayment period. A loan officer provides the actual terms in writing; nothing on this page is a quote.
How is my debt-to-income ratio calculated on a HELOC?
Liabilities plus the interest-only payment on the maximum draw, over total verified income. The ratio is one of the few places where the tier changes the rule rather than the figure: the cap on the ratio is lower at the lower tiers.
Is there a minimum line amount or a minimum draw?
A minimum line and a minimum initial draw apply on both programs; one program also sets a minimum for later draws. Size the line to the amount you will use rather than the maximum the ladder allows.
What if I own my Brookhaven home free and clear?
The line can take first position. Taking first position changes the lien, not the line: a first-lien line has the same interest-only draw period as every other line, three to five years, before repayment begins, and it carries hazard-insurance requirements of its own; the ceiling and cap for your tier apply the same way, with nothing subtracted for a first mortgage.
From the Brookhaven equity picture to a funded line.
Request a Brookhaven scenario review to confirm the tier, the valuation path, and the line the program supports. Lendmire is a broker, licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages, and never the lender.
This guide covers Brookhaven — for the statewide ceilings, tiers, and state rules, see HELOC in Georgia, part of Lendmire’s home equity line of credit program.
Nearby markets in Georgia: Sandy Springs · Dunwoody · Atlanta · Smyrna · Roswell · Marietta · Johns Creek · Mableton
Related programs: Refinance Loans · Investment Property HELOC · Bank Statement HELOC