Articles Tagged With: FHA Loan Application

July 24, 2024

Budgeting And Saving For Your First FHA Mortgage

When you decide to commit to buying a home or building one from the ground up using a one-time close construction loan, there are expenses you will need to save up for. If you haven’t started making a checklist of items you will need to pay for up front or choose to include in the loan amount, it’s a good idea to start making one as early as possible. Saving for your loan means identifying the expenses you will pay such as closing costs, appraisal fees, the home inspection fee, the FHA Up-Front Mortgage Insurance Premium, and of course the down payment. The down payment, which is a minimum of 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home, is one of the biggest expenses. That is one reason why it’s | more...

May 24, 2024

Commonly Asked Questions About Applying For An FHA Home Loan

By Joe Wallace

Are you ready to stop renting and start owning your own home? The FHA home loan program was designed to help borrowers get into affordable homes with a low down payment requirement. FHA loan rules feature more forgiving FICO score standards (lender standards will also apply), and first-time home buyers should know there are down payment assistance programs in many states that can help. What sort of questions are common for FHA home loans? Read below to learn some important details every new borrower should keep in mind. How Long Does It Take To Save And Prepare For A Mortgage Application? Start planning as early as possible. It’s good to give yourself a year or more to review your credit reports, start monitoring your credit, and work on getting your | more...

December 12, 2023

FHA Home Loan Mistakes To Avoid

By Joe Wallace

Many people have checklists to help them shop for a home, apply for a mortgage loan, and close the deal. But is your house-hunting checklist really complete without adding a list of mistakes to avoid? Steer clear of these common errors some home buyers make, and you will save yourself time and money. FHA Loan Mistakes: Not Getting Pre-Approved For A Home Loan If you get pre-approved for a home loan, the seller of the property you decide to buy (or the real estate agent, or both) will know you are a serious buyer. Those who are in the window shopping phase of their home loan process aren’t take as seriously by a seller or RE agent, and in some cases not having pre-approval may exclude you from looking at | more...

November 2, 2023

Do You Need Down Payment Help?

By Joe Wallace

Saving for your down payment early is a great idea, and doing so can be easier when you have a clear goal in mind. But how much IS that down payment, and when should I start doing the math? Some people are intimidated by saving up for and making the down payment. Even the most disciplined house hunter used to cutting corners for a bigger goal might need some outside help regarding the down payment needed to buy a home. FHA Loans Require Less Money Down FHA mortgages have lower down payment requirements than conventional loans, especially if you want to avoid Private Mortgage Insurance on a conventional mortgage (20% is usually required in such cases). State agencies and other entities operating at the local level often offer down payment | more...

Build on your own lot. Construction loan basics

May 3, 2023

Build A House On Your Own Land With An FHA Mortgage

By Bruce Reichstein

Some house hunters decide to stop looking at existing construction homes and start thinking about building a house for themselves from the ground up. Other people know from the start of their homeownership journey that they want to build and not buy an existing home. FHA home loan rules in HUD 4000.1 include guidelines for lenders who want to help these borrowers. The section of the rulebook titled “Building on Own Land” tells lenders how to proceed with a construction loan including maximum loan amounts, who can act as the general contractor on the project, and more. Are you interested in having a house built for you on your own lot? Not interested in having to choose from existing construction housing? Building on your own land may be the right | more...

April 26, 2023

FHA Loan Pre-Approval

By Bruce Reichstein

What is the difference between FHA loan approval and pre-approval for an FHA mortgage? Some borrowers get confused during the initial process because it’s easy to assume that getting through pre-approval means you’ve been fully approved for the mortgage. The reality is that pre-approval is a tool for the borrower and the lender to determine if you’re ready to buy based on your income, debt-to-income ratio levels, the amount of down payment you have saved, etc. It’s the start of the loan process, but it is not a guarantee that you have an FHA mortgage loan yet. Getting pre-approved for an FHA mortgage means using an online mortgage loan calculator or other tool to add up your income, debts, interest rate, etc. The price of the home or an estimated | more...

April 14, 2023

Buying Your First Home With An FHA Mortgage

By Joe Wallace

First-time home buyers love hearing about the low down payment requirements for FHA mortgages, and the fact that FHA home loans allow you to apply for a mortgage with a government-guarantee that helps keep mortgage loan interest rates lower on these types of loans. But some other perks aren’t so obvious; did you know that with an FHA mortgage you are permitted to have your seller contribute up to six percent of the home’s price as closing costs? The seller can’t contribute to your down payment but can help with those closing costs. Your ability to use this option may be limited in housing markets where there’s a lot of competition for a small amount of housing inventory, but when there is less competition for individual houses, your ability to | more...

What Credit Score Is Needed For An FHA Mortgage?

December 30, 2022

Are You Ready To Buy A Home With An FHA Mortgage?

By Bruce Reichstein

Are you ready to buy a home with an FHA mortgage? There are ways to tell how close you are to being ready to start house hunting and move out of the planning stages of your new home loan. Do You Know Your FHA Loan Limit? FHA loan limits are higher in 2023, you will want to know how much higher the limit may be in your housing market compared to last year. FHA home loan limits vary depending on the housing market; some areas are more expensive than others and have a higher loan limit, while others are “average” and conform to the median FHA loan limit nationwide. Some housing markets may be less expensive than others and feature a lower FHA loan limit, but the only way to | more...

August 17, 2022

FHA Loans And Surplus Land

By Joe Wallace

What do FHA loan rules say about surplus and/or excess land? It’s not an issue for someone who wants to buy a condo unit, but for those looking for homes in rural areas, excess or surplus land could be an important detail at appraisal time. FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 discuss appraisals where there may be surplus land or excess land involved, and while the section referencing this issue is short, it does give us an idea of what to expect in these cases; a big question addressed in FHA loan rules here is how the excess or surplus land affects the valuation of the property. What Is The FHA Definition Of Surplus or Excess Land? HUD 4000.1 states, “Excess Land refers to land that is not needed to | more...

June 24, 2022

Planning Your Home Loan

By Joe Wallace

The planning stage of your home loan is extremely important. This is where you will determine what kind of home you might want, the price range you can afford, and how much down payment you need to save up to make. One big choice you face in the planning process? Decisions about issues related to long-term occupancy of the home, whether you plan to sell within a short or long amount of time and how you should arrange your financing to accommodate those needs. What kind of arrangements? Some borrowers don’t apply for a fixed-rate mortgage. They know they are not keeping the home for the long term and choose to take advantage of lower interest rates offered in the introductory period of an FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) instead | more...