Articles Tagged With: ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage)

Home Buying, FHA Loans, And Mortgage Trends

March 15, 2018

What You Can Buy With An FHA Mortgage

Do you know what you can buy with an FHA mortgage? The answer may surprise you if there’s an assumption that only typical suburban houses are available for purchase with an FHA loan. Know your options long before you start the planning stages of your new loan-you will be glad you did. What You Can Buy With An FHA Home Loan In essence, the FHA loan program is strictly designed for home buying, for properties with as many as four living units. You cannot use an FHA loan as a personal loan, to purchase a home without (or that will not be affixed to) a permanent foundation. You can use an FHA loan to buy a home, but not a vacation home or other property that will not serve as | more...

Rehab Refinance Loans, Effects Of The Pandemic, And Interest Rates

March 14, 2018

Reasons To Refinance With An FHA Mortgage

By Bruce Reichstein

Reasons to refinance your home loan with an FHA mortgage vary as much as the types of homes you can purchase with an FHA loan. Is now the right time to examine your refi loan options and start planning for your new loan? You might be ready for an FHA refinance option if one or more of the following applies to you. Refinance Loans For Those Who Want A Lower Interest Rate Depending on the nature of your original home loan, FHA refi loans could help you save money over the lifetime of your mortgage loan with lower interest rates. One thing that’s easy to overlook about the interest rate options available with FHA loans; what you are offered will depend at least in part on FICO scores and other | more...

January 25, 2018

FHA Loan Options For Buying A Home

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan options for buying a home include choices on the housing type you need, the type of home loan you need, and sometimes even the circumstances of the purchase, in the case of people who are buying homes in federally declared disaster areas. Do you know what your new purchase FHA home loan options are? FHA Loans Available For Many Types Of Homes FHA home loans can be used to purchase property that will be owner-occupied residences, but the home can have as many as four living units. That means the borrower has the option to rent out unused living units if she chooses. Owner occupancy is a condition of loan approval, so you can’t use an FHA loan to purchase an investment property (one you intend to rent | more...

June 27, 2017

What Is An FHA Loan Rate? FHA ARM Loans and Fixed Rate FHA Mortgages

By Bruce Reichstein

What is an FHA loan rate? We discussed this question in our last blog post-that the FHA and HUD do not set or regulate interest rates on FHA mortgages, the ability of the borrower to buy discount points in order to lower the FHA loan rate up front, and how a borrower’s FICO scores can affect the kind of mortgage rates offered by the lender. But there is still an important issue to cover-the difference between how fixed rate FHA mortgages work and how FHA adjustable rate mortgage loans (ARM loans) work. What are the primary differences between an FHA fixed-rate loan and an FHA ARM loan? FHA Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans FHA fixed rate mortgages feature one interest rate, negotiated up front between the borrower and lender. Once the | more...

June 14, 2017

How Is An FHA Loan Better Than A Conventional Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

What are the major differences between FHA loans and conventional loans? Do you know why people choose FHA over conventional mortgages? There are many reasons, depending on the borrower, but let’s examine how FHA loans differ to see what advantages you may find with a participating FHA lender. FHA Loans Versus Conventional Loans: Interest Rates Depending on your FICO scores and other financial qualifications, you may be required to put as much as 20% down on a conventional mortgage loan. Compare that to the FHA-required minimum down payment of 3.5% of the adjusted value of the property. Down payment requirements can and often do depend on your credit score, and for FHA mortgages, HUD 4000.1 (the FHA Single Family Loan Handbook) states that borrowers with FICO scores 580 or higher technically | more...

June 12, 2017

How To Apply For An FHA Loan

By Joe Wallace

Do you know how to apply for an FHA loan? Getting an FHA mortgage is much like any other type of home loan when it comes to taking the same amount of time to prepare, examine and improve your credit rating, reduce your debt-to-income ratio, and other issues that can help with loan approval. Good preparation is the key to any home loan, even those that have more forgiving credit requirements such as FHA mortgages. Your lender will need to see proof that you are a good credit risk, have a stable and reliable form of income, and have an acceptable amount of debt compared to the amount of income you get each month. So how do you apply for an FHA loan? It is strongly advise that borrowers give | more...

June 8, 2017

How Soon Can I Refinance? No-Cash Out FHA Refinancing

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you have an existing FHA loan and want to know how soon you can refinance it? Are you paying a monthly mortgage payment on a conventional loan and want to refinance into an FHA mortgage? Refinancing can help borrowers get into lower mortgage payments and/or interest rates, but FHA refinance loans are also helpful for getting into a fixed rate loan and out of an adjustable rate. As you can tell from that brief list of refinance options, not all refinance loans are the same. In a previous blog post we discussed the rules for FHA cash-out refinance loans. Now let’s look at how soon you can refinance a mortgage loan with no cash out. The rules for FHA no cash out “rate-and-term” refinancing loans are found in HUD | more...

May 31, 2017

FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage Rules: Rates, Term, and Adjustments

By Joe Wallace

Some potential FHA borrowers might be surprised to learn that an FHA adjustable rate mortgage (FHA ARM) is an option to consider, but for those with specific financial needs and goals, an FHA ARM loan might be a very good idea. FHA adjustable rate mortgages have specific controls over how much and when an interest rate change may occur, but there are other rules that also affect this type of FHA mortgage. All the rules for FHA ARM loans are found in HUD 4000.1, the FHA Single Family Loan Handbook. It says that the initial rate and margin are established by the lender, and that the margin must be constant over the entire term of the mortgage. Furthermore, “The interest rate must remain constant for an initial period of 1, | more...

May 30, 2017

FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgages in 2017

By Joe Wallace

Are you looking for an FHA adjustable rate mortgage in 2017? FHA single family home loans come in a variety of types including fixed-rate loans and FHA adjustable rate mortgages. The rules for these loans, commonly referred to as FHA ARM loans, are spelled out in HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook. FHA adjustable rate loans can be different than their conventional counterparts, starting with certain restrictions on how often the interest rate may change. Before we dive into that issue, let’s examine how HUD 4000.1 defines the FHA ARM loan: “An Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) refers to a Mortgage in which the interest rate can change annually based on an index plus a margin.” Your loan officer is required to provide a disclosure form, which must be signed, that | more...

May 25, 2017

FHA Refinance Loan Basics You Should Know

By Bruce Reichstein

If you have an existing home loan, you may be qualified to apply to refinance that loan with an FHA mortgage. This option can help you get cash out based on the value of your home, or it can help you get into lower mortgage payments depending on the type of loan you are eligible for. Which FHA refinance loan is right for you? FHA Cash-Out Refinancing Cash-out loans are for qualified borrowers with FHA or non-FHA mortgages. Cash out refinancing allows borrowers to get cash back when there is money left over after paying off the original mortgage, plus any applicable fees. Cash-out refinance loans guaranteed by the FHA require both a new credit check and appraisal. The new appraisal is required in order to determine the current market | more...