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Articles Published in: July 2018

FHA Mortgage Loan

What You Need To Know About Closing Your FHA Mortgage

What does an FHA borrower need to know about the closing date for an FHA mortgage? There are several issues to consider, especially when it comes to whether or not your transaction is occurring in a wet funding or dry funding state. Home Loan Closing Dates: The Difference Between Wet Funding And Dry Funding The terms “wet funding” and “dry funding” refer to states where requirements to close may require the loan to actually close and funds be disbursed on the closing date, and states where that does not specifically happen on the closing date. A wet funding state requires completion of the loan on the closing date or in a specified period of time after the closing date procedure. Dry funding means the paperwork for the mortgage is not | more...

 
FHA refinance loans: Questions To Ask

The Credit Check For FHA Cash-Out Refinances

Is the credit check for an FHA cash out refinance loan the same as for a new purchase home loan? Borrowers want to know how their credit will measure up to lender standards when it’s time to apply for a refinance loan. Some make the same common mistakes in the months leading up to a refi loan application that others do when applying for a new purchase home loan. What can you do to increase your chances at refinance loan approval? Treat An FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loan The Same As Your Original Mortgage FHA cash out refi loans require both a new credit check and a new appraisal. The reason for the new appraisal is to make sure you are getting the value in your home that market values currently | more...

 
credit reports

What To Do If Your Credit Score Isn’t Perfect But You Are Still Buying A Home

Do you know what to do if your credit score isn’t perfect but you are still buying a home? There are some steps you can take that have nothing to do with paying a third party to try to fix your credit rating, or paying someone else to do things you should be doing for free where credit repair is needed. Start Reviewing Your Credit Rating Early In Your FHA Home Loan Process This means reviewing and working on your credit before you decide it’s time to fill out application paperwork for an FHA mortgage loan or FHA refinance loan. You need to know your credit scores long before you start house hunting. You can request free copies of your credit report (one per year from each of the major | more...

 
FHA Home Loans And First Time Home Buyers

FHA Home Loans And First Time Home Buyers

FHA home loans are perfect for many first time home buyers who are looking for low down payment requirements, forgiving credit score guidelines, and a home that features refinance options later down the line for cash-out, rehab and repair, etc. But does a house hunter have to be a first-time home buyer to qualify for an FHA mortgage? The short answer is no. FHA mortgage loans are for any financially qualified borrower, first time buyer or not. That said, first-time home buyers may find an advantage when it comes to local or state down payment assistance programs. FHA mortgages require the down payment to come from approved sources; those sources may include down payment assistance from agencies that provide such funds in accordance with FHA requirements. Down payment assistance must | more...

 
Buying a House

How Many FHA Mortgages Can I Have?

How many FHA mortgages can I have? This question is often on the minds of those who are interested in buying an investment property using an FHA mortgage. Understanding the FHA loan rules in this area can save a potential borrower a lot of time. FHA Home Loans For Investment Property? FHA home loans cannot be used for investment properties. In this context, the phrase “investment property” refers to a single-family home with between one and four units that the borrower does not intend to personally occupy. It also refers to any type of intermittent-occupancy property such as a bed-and-breakfast, condohotel, or other property that is not primarily residential in nature and that the borrower won’t personally live in as her or his home. FHA Loan Rules For Occupancy and | more...

 
Cash out refinancing

How To Prepare For An FHA Mortgage: Check Your Spending

Do you know how to prepare for an FHA mortgage? If you aren’t currently doing a check on your spending as part of your mortgage loan preparation stage, you may need to run some numbers on your personal finances before you commit to house hunting and an FHA mortgage application. How To Take A Realistic Look At Your Monthly Spending Habits To Prepare For An FHA Home Loan Consider pulling your bank statements for the last year to review your spending habits, and pay close attention to the habits you notice over the most recent three to six months. Your financial institution may have a spending tracker for personal accounts that may help, or you may wish to invest in a personal finance app or tracking software to help you | more...

 
FHA mortgage

FHA Mortgage Loans And Your Monthly Mortgage Payment

What should all borrowers know about FHA mortgage loans and the monthly mortgage payment? Up to the time of FHA home loan approval, borrowers know they need 12 solid months of on-time payments on all financial obligations, avoid running up credit card debt, and avoid opening new lines of credit. But what happens after the home loan is approved? Borrowers are encouraged to be mindful of their mortgage payments on the FHA loan in the same way as they have been careful to make those on-time payments in the year leading up to FHA loan approval. Why is continuing to pay on time even after loan approval and the closing date so critical? In short it’s because a borrower may wish to refinance her mortgage loan at some point and | more...

 
Conventional Loan Interest Rates Make History, FHA Loan Rates Still Incredibly Low

FHA Lenders With The Lowest Mortgage Loan Interest Rates

Which FHA lender offers the lowest interest rates? This is a question on the minds of all FHA borrowers, whether you are looking for an FHA new purchase loan, an FHA cash-out refinance, or even an FHA Reverse Mortgage. The answer to this question, however, is more complicated than “Lender X offers the best rates”. It Pays To Shop Around For FHA Loan Interest Rates If you need to know the lowest interest rate offered by a group of lenders, you will need to check with each participating lender. But there’s a catch-interest rates fluctuate, and can change daily. The rates you see today may not apply tomorrow, and those interest rates are listed without reference to a borrower’s credit rating and credit history. Shopping around for an interest rate | more...

 
FHA loans

When It’s Time To Refinance Your Mortgage

You might not be thinking about an FHA refinance loan today. Or tomorrow. But eventually the idea of refinancing your mortgage will become an option worth examining whether it’s because housing market conditions have increased your property values and you want to take value out of your home in cash, or getting into a lower mortgage payment, or even to get out of an adjustable rate loan and into an FHA fixed rate mortgage. When it’s time to refinance your mortgage, it’s important to ask yourself some important questions. The answers will tell you a lot about what kind of refinance loan to pursue. Do You Want Cash Back On Your FHA Refinance Loan? If taking cash back on your refinance loan is a priority, the FHA Cash-Out refinance option | more...

 
FHA mortgages

Can I Use Gift Money For My FHA Home Loan Down Payment?

FHA home loans feature low down payment requirements; only 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home is required in many cases unless a borrower’s credit scores don’t meet FHA lender requirements and FHA single family home loan guidelines. But even these low down payments can be challenging for some FHA loan applicants, and many borrowers wonder what the allowable sources for FHA mortgage down payment funds might be. FHA mortgage loan rules state that a borrower’s minimum required investment (MRI) is completely separate from all other payments or fees for an FHA mortgage. And the source funds for the MRI must come from approved sources, which can and sometimes do include gift money. HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, states clearly that gift funds can only come from approved | more...