I took out a home equity loan last year to have some improvements done. The bank I went through was fantastic. No, I did not have to have another appraiser come out. I told them what my the amount of my first mortgage was, what the outstanding balance was, and what I needed the money for. Like you Joyce, I had just refinanced about three years ago (at a lower percentage rate, better terms and a shorter pay-off time), and I was worried that they would think that I hadn't been paying long enough or whatever. Anyway, it didn't seem to matter. I think they may have checked some of the housing prices in the area to make sure I didn't exceed the 80% value of the property, but other than that let me tell you, it was as easy as can be. I was very happy about the whole process. But again that was a loan, a fixed amount to be paid back over a fixed time period, not a home equity line of credit (which I wouldn't trust myself with ).