We have several credit cards, and one thought was that we could pay the largest one off and ask that credit card company for a balance transfer offer, to bring the balances on some of the other cards over. Is that still a thing? Our credit ratings aren't great, so applying for new cards is not an option. Is this a stupid idea?
Debt consolidation has emerged as the dominant driver of home equity borrowing and a key theme that loan officers reported 81% of loan officers told HomeLight that they've seen a spike in homeowners borrowing against their equity, with 29% qualifying this as a significant increase and 52% calling it a slight increase. In 2025, 87% of loan officers told HomeLight that debt consolidation was the main reason borrowers accessed their equity through home equity lines of credit (HELOCs).
