Ok, home equity loan or home equity line of credit does make sense, as you can use the loan for anything. Having been through this / going through final stages now - do you have any general idea if you might be able to deduct the loan interest, or is the fact that the house is not in the US the negating factor for any possibility of that? I'll check with a tax advisor of course, but just thought you might know. Congrats on your purchase!