When it comes to home improvement financing, even if your credit is less than perfect, you have a variety of options to choose from. While, in the end, it is almost always costs less to save the money you need to make improvements and pay in cash, sometimes it is just not possible to wait. In those circumstances, you’ll need to spend a bit of time and effort in research to determine which is the best home improvement financing option for you.There are a variety of situations in which it is just not possible to take the time to save the money to make home improvements, as they are not always about aesthetics. Sometimes, it may be necessary to make changes to accommodate an elderly parent, such as making the home wheel chair accessible, or to modernize the home, making it more livable or energy efficient. Home improvement financing may be the best solution to such circumstances.However, if you choose to go that route, you need to take care in selecting which home improvement financing option you decide to use. Take care to read the fine print on any loan or credit agreement and be sure to run the numbers, so that you know exactly how much the loan or credit will cost you in the end. Taking those steps will also help to protect you and your home from falling victim to predatory lenders. Those with bad credit or little borrowing experience are especially vulnerable to such lenders, who often use hard sell techniques and try to rush the borrower into formalizing a lending agreement.Depending on how extensive your improvements are going to be, there is a variety of home improvement financing options to choose from. If you plan on doing most of the work yourself, you may want to consider applying for store credit at one of the national home improvement store chains. If your improvements are more extensive, then the interest rates associated with your credit card or a store credit card may be high enough to make that a very expensive option. You may well do better to look at taking a bank loan specifically gear towards home improvement, borrowing against your home equity or even refinancing your mortgage.You do have options when it comes to home improvement financing. However, choosing the most cost effective option for you will take an investment of time and effort on your part. Being an informed consumer of credit is worth the effort, as it can save you a significant amount of money over the long-term.