Articles Tagged With: FHA Lenders

FHA Mortgage Rates and Refinance Options

August 27, 2021

Mistakes First-Time Homebuyers Make

If you are a first-time homebuyer, there are some pitfalls and mistakes you should definitely try to avoid as you enter into the process of planning, saving, and applying for a loan to purchase a new home. What kinds of mistakes do we mean? There is the usual Home Loans 101 type advice you read in every single finance blog ever written–don’t be careless with your credit, don’t apply for new credit while you are trying to apply for a home loan, and don’t start house hunting in earnest without home loan preapproval. But what about some of the less-obvious mistakes first-time homebuyers make? The ones you won’t find in some other online home loan blogs or advice centers? First-time homebuyers sometimes overlook critical expenses in the planning and saving | more...

August 25, 2021

Home Loan Advice From TransUnion

By Joe Wallace

Credit issues are among the biggest worries for many FHA loan applicants. Are you concerned that you aren’t fully prepared for a home loan application? If you tackle home loan issues early enough, you can get much closer to home loan approval. We regularly encourage readers to check their credit scores, read and monitor their credit reports, and be extra-vigilant about checking those credit reports all the way until the loan closes. One of the reasons why we do that? Your lender will not check your credit ONCE during the home loan process–your credit may be reviewed multiple times. And that is one very good reason to keep checking your credit reports, too. And while we’re talking about credit reports, why not take some advice from the very agencies responsible | more...

August 24, 2021

What One Credit Reporting Agency Says To Do About Your Credit Scores

By Joe Wallace

Your credit report and credit score are important factors in home loan approval. So what advice do the credit reporting agencies like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion say you should do when planning to apply for a home loan? Knowing what credit score advice these three agencies offer is important–it’s good to think like a lender when applying for a large line of credit, and it is even better to think like the credit reporting agency in terms of what to do to prepare your credit ahead of your loan. What does Experian say about getting your credit ready for a home loan? Their official site reminds consumers that credit scores are a very important aspect of home loan approval. But those scores do NOT tell the entire story. Experian reminds | more...

August 23, 2021

FHA Home Loans: Why You Need To Review Your Credit Report Now

By Bruce Reichstein

Why is it so important to review your credit report long before you apply for a mortgage? One important reason–the one you read in almost every article with advice on this topic–is to start reviewing your credit early in case you have to dispute an item on your report. But what happens in the event you find errors, outdated information, or evidence of identity theft? In the 21st century the likelihood of having any–or even all–of these in your credit report is elevated due to hackers, accidental breaches of personal data, or even mistaken identity. So what should a potential borrower do if they discover trouble with their credit reports? The first thing to do is to remember you’ll need to check all three credit reporting agencies to determine if | more...

August 20, 2021

Buying Your First Home

By Joe Wallace

What kinds of questions should you ask before you make an offer to buy your first home? There are many areas to think about when getting ready to make a big financial commitment like a mortgage. Is Your Financial House In Order? Can you realistically afford the home you are buying? The answer to this question goes further than whether you have enough money after your other monthly expenses to pay your mortgage. For example, having the ability to save for your upfront expenses (down payment and closing costs) is important. But what happens AFTER those fees and expenses are taken care of? It is a good idea to include saving some cash reserves above and beyond your cash to close–having some extra funds to help out in case times | more...

August 17, 2021

Before You Apply For Your Mortgage Loan

By Joe Wallace

If you are concerned about your ability to qualify for a mortgage, before you get pre-qualified or pre-approved, it’s a good idea to add a few steps to your home loan prep checklist. These steps should be in addition to the usual things you need to do before you apply for the loan, seal pre-approval, approach a seller, or even start working with a real estate agent. One of those things is very important–you need to not only know the contents of your credit report (a Home Loans 101 type piece of advice) but also monitor your credit through the entire planning and purchase process of your home loan. Knowing your credit score is vital for a mortgage borrower and home buyer, but what happens if your credit report begins | more...

August 16, 2021

Rent Or Buy?

By Bruce Reichstein

Are you tired of paying rent, answering to landlords, and trying to maintain your living space while trying to be mindful of thin walls, sensitive neighbors, or other concerns associated with living in an apartment complex or other rental situations? One way to get closer to a decision is to use a rent vs. buy calculator or to run your own numbers using similar data. You’ll need a typical home price for the local area to calculate a mortgage payment (using principal, interest, property taxes and any applicable homeowners association fees) and compare it to how much you pay in rent, renter’s insurance, etc. You can use a rent vs. buy calculator to give yourself a good idea of how the basic numbers compare. But there are a few variables | more...

August 9, 2021

Do You Need Help Saving Your FHA Mortgage?

By Joe Wallace

Do you worry about your ability to make payments on your FHA home loan? You are not alone, and the FHA and HUD want to help. There have been many foreclosure prevention measures taken by lenders and the FHA/HUD alike including a COVID-19 related foreclosure moratorium, loan modification options for qualifying applicants and much more. In early 2021, the FHA and HUD announced “loss mitigation options” to help those recovering financially from the pandemic; these included a COVID-19 Advance Loan Modification offered to “…eligible delinquent Borrowers who can achieve a 25 percent reduction to the Principal and Interest (P&I) portion of the Borrower’s monthly mortgage payment through a 30-year rate and term loan modification” according to HUD.gov The FHA and HUD continue evaluating how the pandemic has affected the agency’s | more...

August 4, 2021

HUD Announces Extension To Foreclosure And Eviction Moratorium

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD are extending a moratorium on foreclosure-related evictions in a last-minute bid to protect FHA borrowers from losing their homes after the expiration of a previous eviction and foreclosure moratorium. The HUD official site states that on July 30, 2021, FHA foreclosure and eviction procedures will still be on hold; the agency is extending its moratorium on foreclosures and evictions until September 30, 2021. The previous deadline was at one time “set in stone” and HUD had previously announced there would be no further extensions. But public outcry over the expiration of a rental eviction moratorium gave the Biden administration pause; soon there were extensions on the foreclosure and eviction moratorium for those who bought homes with government-backed programs like FHA single-family home loans. In a press | more...

August 3, 2021

Before You Apply For Mortgage Pre-Approval

By Joe Wallace

A lot of people assume they are ready to apply for any major line of credit at any time. But if you want to apply for mortgage pre-approval, there are some important things you need to ask yourself to determine whether you are truly ready to apply. Where are you at in the current process of planning and saving for a home loan? FHA mortgages, conventional loans, and even some first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance plans require the borrower to make a minimum investment. If you don’t have a down payment saved or have a plan to come up with your down payment and closing costs before seeking a lender, you may not be ready to apply for pre-approval. But what else should you be asking? One of the first things | more...