Articles Tagged With: First-time Home Buyer

June 20, 2019

FHA Construction Loan Facts

Some borrowers, including some first-time home buyers, don’t want to buy someone else’s house. They prefer a home built to suit; real estate built from the ground up using borrower-approved plans. This kind of home loan is available as an FHA mortgage from participating FHA lenders. It is called an FHA One-Time Close construction loan and it is an excellent alternative to buying an existing construction house. What do you need to know about FHA One-Time Close Construction Loans? For starters, these loans do not have a different down payment requirement than other FHA mortgages-the same low down payment options exist for borrowers with qualifying FICO scores. Your lowest possible down payment on a home built using an FHA construction loan is the same 3.5% as other FHA mortgage options. | more...

June 19, 2019

How Much Is My Down Payment With An FHA Mortgage?

By Joe Wallace

Many buyers want to know how much their FHA loan down payment requirement is. The answer is not as easy as quoting a percentage since there are variables that can affect the amount of the down payment you will be required to make. FHA Loan Down Payment Basics There is no fixed dollar amount for the down payment-each transaction will have its’ own required down payment amount based on the calculation below. The lowest down payment you can make with an FHA mortgage is 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home. There are circumstances where a higher down payment is required because a borrower’s FICO scores don’t qualify them for maximum financing. In those cases, FHA loan rules dictate that where a borrower’s FICO scores are between 500 and | more...

June 18, 2019

Why Do People Use Cash-Out Refinancing?

By Joe Wallace

There are many reasons why people want to convert the value of their home to cash. Some people use FHA cash-out refinancing to pay off credit cards or help lower student loan debt, others have needs they want to meet around the house whether its’ home improvement in general, building a rec room, or replacing old appliances. But whatever your cash-out refinance loan needs, there are some important issues to consider that may help you decide whether FHA cash-out refi options are right for your plans. Why do we say this? Because some people choose to pay for their home improvement projects or other expenses using a cash-out refi loan while others consider using a credit card to pay for them instead. What’s the best choice? In many cases the | more...

June 17, 2019

How To Prepare Your Finances For A Home Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you know how to prepare your finances for a home loan application? There are several areas you should pay attention to before applying for an FHA home loan to buy real estate, and the are all equally important for loan approval. How To Prepare Your Credit Cards For A Home Loan Application Reduce your credit card balances as much as possible before applying for your home loan. Ideally your initial goals should be to get the balances below 50% of your credit limit, but your goal should also definitely include 100% on-time payments for a full year before you fill out a home loan application. How To Prepare Your Student Loans For A Home Loan Application You will, as a first-time home buyer or repeat borrower, hear again and | more...

June 14, 2019

FHA Rehab Refinance Loan Basics

By Joe Wallace

Recent headlines about mortgage loan interest rates have descriptions similar to “rates edging toward long-term lows”, which is motivating many to explore their refinance loan options. Are you a first-time home owner interested in getting a lower mortgage rate? Or are you interested in repairing or remodeling the home? Keep reading. FHA Rehab Refinance Mortgage Loans The FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage, also known as an FHA Rehab loan, is offered as a new purchase loan AND a refinance loan. When you refinance with an FHA Rehab loan you are given funds to be used specifically for approved projects in the home. These refinance mortgages will feature interest rates that are offered based on your FICO scores, so the same lower interest rate may not be available to all applicants; those | more...

June 13, 2019

FHA Refinance Rules

By Bruce Reichstein

Mortgage loan interest rates have hit long-term lows according to recent headlines and that is driving more people to consider refinancing their mortgages to take advantage of those rates. There are FHA home loan refinance rules you need to know going into the refi process that will help you get closer to loan approval-do you know what they are? FHA Refinance Loan Rules: No Cash Back Unless You Apply For Cash-Out Refinancing Like new purchase home loans, unless you specifically apply for an FHA cash-out refinance loan, you won’t be permitted to take cash back on the transaction except in the form of refunds. FHA rehab loans that provide money for improvements to the home must be used in specific ways and cannot simply provide funds for the borrower that | more...

June 12, 2019

Should Homeowners Turn Into Real Estate Investors?

By Joe Wallace

If you are thinking about buying real estate with an FHA mortgage loan you may have run across some trends in recent times addressing the topic of ordinary home owners becoming real estate investors. Is this something that is possible with an FHA single-family mortgage loan? The first thing you need to know about buying real estate with an FHA mortgage is that FHA single-family home loans are for owner-occupiers only. The occupancy requirement is non-negotiable for a new purchase home loan guaranteed by the FHA. There is no FHA loan rule against buying a multi-unit property and renting out the unused living units. Borrowers are free to do so since you can buy a home with as many as four units with an FHA mortgage. But what you cannot | more...

June 11, 2019

FHA Home Loans: Solar And Wind Technology

By Bruce Reichstein

Did you know that you can ask for an add-on to your FHA home loan or refinance loan to get funds for solar or wind-powered energy efficient upgrades to the home? Whether you want to add such features to your home at purchase time or refinance time is up to you but it is possible to apply for extra funds to install wind or solar power features. Some reading at this stage might assume we are talking about the FHA Energy-Efficient Mortgage add-on, but this is actually a different program. Under a section in the FHA loan rulebook, HUD 4000.1, labeled “Solar And Wind Technologies” we find the following information: “The solar and wind technologies policy allows the Mortgagee to increase the Base Loan Amount to cover the cost and | more...

June 10, 2019

FHA Cash Out Refinancing Advice

By Joe Wallace

What do home owners need to know about FHA cash-out refinancing? There are a number of questions to ask yourself before you commit. Refinancing can be a big financial help for a home owner but getting the right loan for your needs is half the battle. Ask Yourself If You Need Cash-Out Refinancing And Why A cash out refinance loan can help you thanks to the cash back on the transaction, but is cash back really what you need? If your real goal is to improve the home, for example, you can apply for a different type of refinancing that could provide more money for those improvements than a cash-out refi loan could. An FHA 203(k) rehab loan is perfect for those who need to do home improvement projects and | more...

June 7, 2019

Don’t Make These Home Loan Mistakes

By Bruce Reichstein

Buying a home for the first time is stressful, but there are things you can do as a first-time buyer that will help. Avoid these big mistakes when planning your mortgage. Don’t Change Jobs Before Your Mortgage Closes This advice does not apply to everyone, but it does for those who are contemplating changing the nature of their employment from having a boss and a traditional workplace to a freelance, contract, or per-project type work. There are different FHA home loan rules for non-traditional employment, freelance jobs, commission income, etc. If you were working in a typical job at the start of the home loan application process and are tempted to switch to contract, freelance, or commission work, your job switch could hinder your mortgage loan process since the income | more...