Articles in Category: HUD Regulations

HUD Announces Settlement In New Jersey Housing Discrimination Case

October 31, 2018

HUD Announces Charges In New Jersey Housing Discrimination Case

There are many types of housing discrimination, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development actively pursues complaints of Fair Housing Act violations. The most recent was announced on the HUD official site in a press release titled, “HUD Charges New Jersey Condo Association with Discriminating Against Resident with Disabilities”. According to the press release, HUD’s allegations include charges that the the condo association “only allowed the resident, who is sight and hearing impaired, to use the service door instead of the main entrance to the development or the common areas when accompanied by her assistance animal.” The press release says there are other allegations, one being that the condominium association charged the resident’s daughter a fee “because she walked her mother’s assistance animal in the development’s common areas”. It | more...

Getting A New FHA Loan After Selling Your Home

September 28, 2018

FHA Home Loan Approval Questions Part Two

By Bruce Reichstein

There are many questions borrowers have about home loan approval and how the lender decides which loans to approve. Knowing more about this process can help you better prepare for it; here are some of the most commonly asked questions about FHA home loan approval. Why Does My FHA Loan Application Get Denied With One Lender But Approved By Another? FHA home loan rules include minimum standards for FICO scores, credit history, and other factors. But these minimums are not the only guidelines that affect home loan approval. Your FHA mortgage loan is also subject to lender standards which will vary from lender to lender but also may be different than FHA loan minimums. FICO scores, employment history, and other factors may vary from the FHA minimums, which is permitted | more...

September 28, 2018

FHA Home Loan Approval Questions Part One

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loan approval is a process that requires your lender to review your credit history, employment history, and many other factors before deciding to approve or deny a home loan application. There are many questions about this process, and the more answers you have before yo start filling out applications, the better. The answers in this blog post pertain to FHA loan basics, but also rules for self-employed borrowers and those earning commission income. FHA Loan Approval Basics: What Do I Need To Know? The lender will pull copies of your credit report and review your payment history for the 12 months leading up to the mortgage loan application. FHA loan rules are similar to other home loan requirements in this area; coming to your FHA mortgage application process | more...

FHA Loan Approval And Your Credit Scores

September 26, 2018

What Happens If I Pre-Pay My FHA Mortgage?

By Bruce Reichstein

What happens if you pre-pay your FHA mortgage? FHA home loans are known for having no pre-payment penalty but there may be certain steps the borrower is required to take in order for such pre-payments to be used as intended. The date of your FHA loan may make an important difference in how you are to proceed; it’s best to discuss pre-payment options with your loan officer ahead of time to learn what, if any, additional lender requirements may exist above and beyond the FHA loan standards we’re discussing here. What follows is NOT lender policy but the FHA loan rules. Lender requirements may add to or further develop these FHA guidelines. FHA Home Loan Rules For Pre-Payment On Mortgages Closed On Or After January 21, 2015 FHA loan rules | more...

FHA Reverse Mortgage Policy Changes Explained

September 17, 2018

HUD Announces Settlement In Nevada Fair Housing Act Harassment Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a Fair Housing Act case in Reno, Nevada. According to the HUD official site, the settlement involves a “…Conciliation Agreement between Reno, Nevada-based CMS Property Services, LLC, and its property manager and a female tenant, resolving allegations that the manager sexually harassed the woman.” Some are not aware that Fair Housing Act regulations include a prohibition of sexual harassment, but federal law makes it illegal for a housing provider to sexually harass tenants. The HUD official site says this rule includes, “creating a severe or pervasive hostile housing environment, or conditioning housing or housing-related services on the tenant’s acquiescence to sexual demands. The Act also prohibits retaliating against persons who complain about housing discrimination.” Often the only line | more...

July 20, 2018

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

By Bruce Reichstein

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...

Four Reasons You Need A Home Inspection After The FHA Appraisal

July 16, 2018

Are Free Credit Reports Trustworthy?

By Joe Wallace

Long before you fill out FHA home loan application forms, you should be requesting copies of your credit reports and reviewing the information your lender will see when you are ready to get your new home loan. There are many websites and third-party companies that offer free credit reports to help loan applicants, but not all of them are interested just helping consumers. Can you trust the companies that offer free credit reports and credit score information? While it’s not possible to recommend a specific organization (with one exception), it is good for consumers to remember that many companies offer free services in exchange for your personal data that can be used to market goods and services to you via your cell phone number, email address, and other information. The | more...

June 18, 2018

FHA Loans: What Does It Mean To Be A First-Time Home Buyer?

By Joe Wallace

What does it mean to be a first-time home buyer when applying for an FHA home loan? Many borrowers want to know if there is an advantage to applying for an FHA mortgage if they have never borrower money for a home before. What is the reality? The FHA loan program itself does not give advantages to the first-time home buyer, nor does it penalize someone who has owned a home before. All financially qualified applicants are able to get an FHA loan even if they have purchased a home before. That does NOT mean first-time home buyers won’t get offered incentives from a participating FHA lender, but those incentives are offered by the lender and not via the FHA home loan program itself. Borrowers who are first-time home buyers | more...

When Is An Appraisal Required For An FHA Home Loan?

June 15, 2018

When Is An Appraisal Required For My FHA Mortgage Loan?

By Joe Wallace

When is an appraisal required for an FHA home loan? This important question often comes up when borrowers want to refinance a home using an FHA refinance loan such as cash-out refinance, FHA Streamline Refinance, or even when the borrower wants to apply for an FHA Reverse Mortgage. Appraisals are required for most FHA loan transactions-you will always have to pay for an appraisal for an FHA forward mortgage, which is the kind of loan you will apply for when purchasing a new home. Appraisals are required for both existing construction loans and FHA One-Time Close construction loans, though the process will vary for construction loans due to the nature of the transaction. Appraisals will also be required for FHA Rehab loans. The appraisal is intended to establish the fair | more...

June 15, 2018

HUD Settles Housing Discrimination Complaint Against San Francisco Real Estate Companies

By Bruce Reichstein

There are many types of housing discrimination; some occurs when a house hunter is searching for a home, trying to rent in the local area and encountering violations of the Fair Housing Act while trying to do so. Other types of housing discrimination can occur in the house hunting process itself. Housing discrimination may come from a variety of sources; including, in the case of a recent HUD Fair Housing settlement, real estate firms. The HUD official site announced a settlement in June in the case of two San Francisco-based real estate companies accused of Fair Housing Act violations. HUD approved “a Voluntary Compliance/Conciliation Agreement settling a complaint filed by a family whose infant has a disability against San Francisco, California-based John Stewart Company and Hunters Point East West, LP.” | more...