Articles in Category: FHA Requirements

March 15, 2022

Fixing Your Credit Before Your FHA Home Loan

If you are considering an FHA home loan, you’ll want to begin working on your credit as soon as possible. This is true even if you feel you have good credit–there are issues a lender sees on many credit reports that may complicate the loan approval process. These issues may or may not interfere with your credit score numbers but they could be a factor in the lender’s decision to approve the loan, offer a certain interest rate, etc. If the numbers aren’t the issue, some borrowers want to know what IS the issue? In some cases, there may be errors or information that should be disputed on the report because you don’t want your loan officer making decisions about your loan based on information that isn’t accurate. The credit | more...

March 11, 2022

Issues That May Complicate Your FHA Home Loan Application

By Joe Wallace

There is a lot of advice out there about starting early when it’s time to plan and save for your mortgage. When you are preparing for an FHA loan application you naturally want to check your credit, pay your bills on time, and reduce your credit card use. But even when you are busy with taking care of these things, there may be issues that can complicate the home loan process. Knowing these issues can help you navigate them if there is one that applies to you. It’s easy to assume you don’t have a hidden problem waiting to slow do your home loan process, but some of these issues are a surprise to future borrowers and they spend additional time sorting them out. Do You Owe Any Tax Liens? | more...

March 7, 2022

Answers To New House Hunter Questions

By Bruce Reichstein

What does it take to qualify for an FHA mortgage? That’s among the most common questions asked about FHA home loans. What is the answer? There are a variety of factors that go into your loan officer’s decision to approve or deny a home loan. Those factors include the number and amount of your monthly financial obligations, your FICO scores, how well you use the credit you have, and other variables. What credit score do you need to qualify? On paper, FHA loan rules say those with FICO scores in the 580 or above range qualify for the lowest down payment possible for an FHA mortgage (3.5%). Lender standards may require a higher FICO score range. Not all borrowers have the same kind of FICO scores. Some may have thin | more...

March 3, 2022

What Can I Buy With An FHA Loan?

By Joe Wallace

What is possible with an FHA home loan? If you don’t know all your options, you might be surprised to learn you can use an FHA mortgage to buy a house with as many as four living units, manufactured home or modular home, and even a condominium unit. There are some things you cannot use an FHA mortgage to buy, we’ll examine some housing types below: Suburban Houses, Duplexes, And Townhomes FHA loans can be used to buy a one-to-four unit property in a typical neighborhood that is primarily residential and a house where you plan to live as your home address. A duplex or townhome is eligible for an FHA mortgage if the property meets minimum standards, the same as a single-bedroom home or a condo. Repo Homes And | more...

March 1, 2022

FHA Appraisals: What To Remember

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA appraisal is one of the most important pre-closing day aspects of your home loan process. Without an appraisal, your lender can’t know if the home meets minimum basic standards for safety, remaining economic life, and serviceability. The lender also can’t make a realistic judgment about the fair market value of the home without an appraisal. What should you know about this process and how it affects you? FHA appraisals are a tool for the lender and not a tool for the borrower. You may be privy to the results of the appraisal, but that does not mean it was designed to help you as a borrower. It is not meant to tell the borrower anything actionable, especially where the condition of the home is concerned. That is the | more...

February 25, 2022

Down Payment Help For FHA Mortgages

By Bruce Reichstein

Who qualifies to get down payment assistance in order to buy a home? If you are using an FHA mortgage, your downpayment requirement is, at a minimum, 3.5%. And while that isn’t as large a down payment as you would make if you wanted to eliminate private mortgage insurance from a conventional home loan, some may struggle to come up with the money down. Buying a home can be expensive. There are inspection and appraisal fees, there may be pest control services to pay for, title searches, and more. Saving early is the key to making your down payment easier to manage in your budget. But even with saving early, extra help may be needed. That’s where down payment assistance programs can come in to help. But what does it | more...

Five FHA Home Loan Questions To Ask Your Lender

February 24, 2022

FHA Home Loan Issues For Veterans

By Joe Wallace

Veterans interested in buying a home have many choices including a VA home loan, but also FHA loans that function in much the same way as their VA counterparts. While it is true that VA loans require no down payment in most cases but FHA home loans always require one in most cases, some veterans explore their FHA loan options just the same. Some want existing construction loans, others want a One Time Close mortgage to build a suitable home from the ground up. One Time Close mortgages are available in both VA and FHA versions, so military and veteran borrowers have options with either type of mortgage. But some military members and veterans may enter the service after already having purchased a home, or after having assumed an FHA | more...

February 22, 2022

FHA Home Loan Rules And Airbnb

By Bruce Reichstein

Is it possible to buy a home with an FHA loan to use as an Airbnb-type venture? Borrowers are eligible to apply for FHA home loans for up to four-unit residences; what do FHA loan rules say about using the home as a rental space? FHA loan rules governing these situations are found in HUD 4000.1. Borrowers may feel encouraged by the notion that owner-occupied properties with up to four units can by purchased with an FHA mortgage, and even more encouraged that the rules actually do address (and permit) borrowers to rent out the unused living potions. However, renting these units out is also subject to FHA loan rules (in addition to lender requirements and state law). What does HUD 4000.1 say about using spaces in your home purchased | more...

February 16, 2022

The FHA Borrower’s “Secret Weapon” For Closing Costs

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you know about one of the secrets of managing your closing costs for an FHA home loan? We’re talking specifically about seller contributions to your closing costs for your FHA purchase loan–what the seller is permitted to contribute under the rules for your FHA mortgage. Buying a home requires more cash than some borrowers expect–at first. There are appraisals and home inspections to pay for, sometimes a pest inspection may be needed, and you may also have to pay or anticipate paying some taxes, compliance inspection fees, and more. Negotiating with the seller to pay a portion of your closing costs is (believe it or not) fairly common in the mortgage industry. Individual sellers and individual house hunters alike may need some time to get used to this idea | more...

February 15, 2022

FHA Mortgage Insurance: What You Need To Know

By Joe Wallace

When you apply for an FHA mortgage, you are required to have mortgage insurance. This comes in the form of an FHA Up-Front Mortgage Insurance Premium which is paid at closing time in cash or financed into the FHA loan amount. You can do one or the other, but you can’t partially finance this premium. That’s the “up front” part. FHA loans require an annual premium paid in monthly installments. This is called a Mortgage Insurance Premium and is not the same as conventional Private Mortgage Insurance. That is required by conventional lenders for certain mortgages without a 20% down payment or better. Private mortgage insurance is known by the acronym PMI, and some borrowers (even some lenders) use MIP and PMI interchangeably even though they aren’t the same thing. | more...