Articles Published in: March 2013

March 4, 2013

Sequester Deadline Passes: What Effect On FHA Loans?

March 1, 2013 was the deadline for passing legislation that would ward off large, across-the-board government spending cuts known as the sequester; the country is now waiting for the effects of sequestration and many FHA borrowers or soon-to-be borrowers are rightly concerned about what might happen to their loan applications. But at the time of this writing, the FHA and HUD have issued no statements on the FHA official site warning of delays, cutbacks or other issues that might occur because of sequestration. In fact, the official site has been quite silent on the matter–leading many to believe that in spite of budget cuts in other areas, FHA mortgage loan processes may continue unaffected. One report from the National Association of Realtors official magazine, REALTORMag, agrees. An article titled, “FHA | more...

March 1, 2013

FHA Loan Reader Questions: First Time Homebuyer Requirement?

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I’m not a first time home buyer, I have a conventional loan for a home that I’m planning to keep as a rental home. Can I qualify for a purchase FHA loan on a primary home?” One of the common misconceptions about FHA home loans is that you MUST be a first-time home buyer in order to qualify for one. This is not true. You may have state or local homebuyer assistance programs in your area that do require the applicant for that program to be a first time buyer, but FHA loans are open to all qualified applicants. The real issue in this reader question has more to do with debt-to-income ratios (DTIs)–will the FHA lender approve a buyer who already owns a home? Single-family new | more...

March 1, 2013

Sound Advice From the FHA on Buying A Home With an FHA Mortgage

By Joe Wallace

If you’re thinking about buying a home with an FHA guaranteed mortgage, now is a very good time to explore your options. Mortgage loan rates may have risen slightly from their “all-time lows” of the past 12 months, rates are still very good, and the housing market recovery makes purchasing a home more attractive than ever. What kind of advice does the FHA official site offer to house hunters thinking about that first FHA home loan application? There first thing to ask is whether you are ready to commit to buying a home now, or if you need to take some additional preparation time. How do you know if you’re ready to commit? According to the FHA, “You can find out by asking yourself some questions: – Do I have | more...