Articles Tagged With: First-time Home Buyer

December 12, 2018

Questions To Ask About Buying A Home With An FHA Mortgage

Thinking of buying a home with a mortgage loan? FHA mortgages have options you should think seriously about-and not just for the purposes of buying the home and moving in. What Options Do I Have To Make A Lower Down Payment On My FHA Loan? This question is best answered depending on why it’s asked; are you in need of lower out-of-pocket expenses for your mortgage or do you need to know what FICO scores will let you qualify for a lower down payment? Down payment assistance programs may be available from third-party agencies in your housing market. As long as these down payment programs meet FHA standards and state law, an FHA borrower may apply for them. The FHA itself does not offer down payment assistance. Borrowers may also | more...

December 11, 2018

Making An Offer To The Seller To Buy A Home With An FHA Mortgage

By Bruce Reichstein

When you have found the home you want to buy with an FHA mortgage, there comes a point where you will have to do the (uncomfortable for some) ritual of negotiating with the seller to arrive at the final price of the home. You may decide to offer the same amount as the seller is asking for the purchase of the home or you may wish to negotiate a lower price. When do you stand the best chance of getting a lower price than what your seller is asking? There are several different aspects to this-much depends on the nature of the housing market, how eager or stubborn the seller might be, whether the seller is willing to make other concessions if the price is firm, etc. What does all | more...

December 10, 2018

On Buying A Home With An FHA Mortgage

By Joe Wallace

An FHA mortgage is not limited to those who are house hunting for the first time. FHA mortgages (and refinance loans) are open to all who financially qualify with FICO scores and other financial considerations. FHA mortgages are not restricted to first-time home buyers. FHA Loans: Backed By The Federal Government There are several government home loan programs; VA home loans, USDA mortgages for rural areas, plus FHA mortgages. FHA loans are government-backed to help borrowers buy affordable homes with a lower down payment requirement than conventional mortgages. Search the Internet and you’ll find (best-execution) mortgage loan interest rates all over the internet for FHA, VA, and conventional loans. In general government backed loans have a lower best execution rate and while interest rates fluctuate daily, FHA mortgages traditionally offer | more...

December 7, 2018

How FHA Home Loan Appraisals Differ From Home Inspections

By Bruce Reichstein

If you are serious about buying a particular home with an FHA mortgage loan, one of the big steps in the process heading toward loan approval is the FHA appraisal. The appraisal process and the home inspection are not the same thing, do not address the same concerns, and are intended for different users. What are these differences and why should you as the house hunter care about them? FHA Appraisals Are A Lender’s Tool The home that is appraised by an FHA fee appraiser does so in service of the lender, not the borrower. The lender is interested in knowing that the home meets minimum FHA standards and applicable building codes. The lender is also interested in setting a fair market value for the home; that is done by | more...

December 4, 2018

FHA Cash Out Refinance In 2019

By Joe Wallace

There are many uses for an FHA cash-out refinance loan in 2019. Are you considering paying down student loan debt? Taking equity out of your home in cash for use to to home improvements, or to make a down payment on a new vehicle? FHA loan rules don’t restrict how you can use the funds from your cash out loan. FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loans In 2019 Some borrowers may be concerned about the rising home loan interest rates of 2018, but interest rate trends go in cycles and some mortgage experts are looking to the new year for some corrections or a slowing of interest rates going up based on the notion that further increases might damage consumer confidence. That would encourage the Fed to avoid more rate hikes at | more...

December 3, 2018

FHA One-Time Close Construction Loan Rules

By Bruce Reichstein

What do borrowers need to know about FHA One-Time Close construction loans? There are two very important areas to keep in mind. One involves the lender’s specific requirements to qualify for this single-close construction loan, and the other involves FHA loan rules. The two are not always identical and this is something to be aware of when going into the loan application process. FHA One-Time Close mortgages are different than existing construction loans because the home must be designed, built, and paid for from the ground up and there are varying time frames under which this will be done. Purchasing an existing construction home means getting to move in much more quickly, but the trade-off is that you are purchasing someone else’s home rather than having one built especially for | more...

November 30, 2018

Buying A Home With An FHA Loan: Should You Skip The Home Appraisal?

By Joe Wallace

When buying a home with an FHA mortgage, should you skip the home appraisal? Some buyers may wonder about this, especially in light of talk in late 2018 about whether the current real estate appraisal system should be kept or if appraisals should only be required of homes of a certain value or higher. According to data released by the National Association of Realtors, one big cause of home loan closing delays? Appraisal issues. The question remains; should borrowers skip the home appraisal? Borrowers Are Not Permitted To Skip The Appraisal Process FHA loans and other real estate lending require an appraisal as a mandatory part of the process. In spite of what you might see in headlines, borrowers and sellers cannot opt out. However, some borrowers may be thinking | more...

November 29, 2018

Refinance Loans, Millennials, and Remodeling

By Bruce Reichstein

Published reports about home loan trends include stats indicate that more than 85% of home buyers or home owners in the Millennial age range will be undertaking renovation, fixer-upper, or remodeling projects in the next three years. These borrowers scour social media such as Pinterest to find decor, design, and layout ideas; these borrowers don’t seem to mind spending a bit extra to add just the right features to a home. Is there an FHA mortgage loan for these people? The FHA Rehabilitation Loan If you need to buy and remodel a home, the standard FHA mortgage is not the right type of loan to ask for. Instead, ask your loan officer about an FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation mortgage, which is available to help buy and repair or remodel a home | more...

November 28, 2018

Can I Refinance With An FHA Loan?

By Joe Wallace

Need to refinance your loan with an FHA mortgage? Depending on what type of property you are refinancing, you may be eligible for an FHA refinance loan for cash out, a rehab loan refi, or even an FHA-to-FHA Streamline refinance loan with no FHA-required credit check. One of the most important factors in determining if you can refinance with an FHA loan is the reason why you wish to refinance. Those who want to get a lower interest rate on an investment property, for example, would be ineligible to apply for an FHA Single Family Refinance Loan as these loans are restricted to owner/occupiers only. Those who want to switch from a conventional home loan to an FHA mortgage loan would be permitted to apply if they are using the | more...

November 27, 2018

How Much Home Can You Afford?

By Bruce Reichstein

How much home can you afford? If you’re looking for an FHA mortgage or any other type of home loan, one important factor both you and your lender will be concerned with involves the amount of current debt you have compared to how much you would need to pay if your mortgage loan is approved. Licensed lenders and competing banks don’t have identical requirements in this area, but in general you should plan on doing two basic types of mortgage loan calculations to determine how much home you can afford to buy. FHA Home Loans And Your Debt-To-Income Ratio One type of calculation involves the percentage of your gross income that the new loan would require each month on the mortgage payments. You will need the projected amount of a | more...