Articles Tagged With: Mortgage Closing

July 12, 2018

FHA Mortgage Loan Closing Day Tips

Need some tips to help you navigate your closing date for your FHA home loan? There are some important things to do and things NOT to do on closing day. When your sale is final the seller or the real estate agent will give you the keys to your new home, but before you can get your hands on those keys, some important things must happen. Read All Home Loan Closing Documents Carefully FHA mortgage loans, like all other home loans, feature initial estimates of expenses and payments; the final numbers should be represented accurately at closing time and should not be estimates. If the numbers you were expecting don’t line up with what is in the closing documents, don’t let it go-ask for clarification. Don’t sign incomplete mortgage closing | more...

July 5, 2018

Cash To Close An FHA Home Loan: What You Need To Know

By Joe Wallace

What kind of cash to close do borrowers need with an FHA mortgage loan? The amount and nature of the cash to close the FHA loan will vary depending on several factors including the amount of your down payment, whether you have financed the Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium or not, etc. FHA Loans Cash To Close: Your Down Payment For new purchase home loans, FHA loans cash requirements to close the deal will include the minimum 3.5% down payment for borrowers who qualify for that lowest down payment with FICO scores that meet both FHA minimums and lender requirements. 10% down is required for borrowers with FICO scores that don’t fall into the ranges specified by FHA loan rules and lender standards. But the exact amount of cash needed | more...

June 20, 2018

FHA Home Loan Mistakes To Avoid Before You Close The Deal

By Joe Wallace

If you’ve found the home you want to buy with an FHA mortgage and it looks like you are going to definitely close the deal, don’t be fooled; there are still mistakes to avoid before you sign the papers and accept the keys. One important blunder that should be avoided at all costs? Changing your financial status before loan closing-as in applying for new lines of credit, missing payments, or other issues that can have your loan officer thinking twice about approving the loan and allowing it to close. If your debt-to-income ratio isn’t ideal to start with, the addition of new credit will definitely affect your potential to close. FHA loan rules, lender standards, and other requirements all may factor into the decision on how to handles such contingencies. | more...

December 14, 2017

Can I Get Cash Back On An FHA Mortgage?

By Bruce Reichstein

Can I get cash back on an FHA mortgage? That’s what some borrowers want to know, and the answer varies depending on the type of home loan you seek. FHA Cash-Out Refinancing Loans The FHA cash-out refinance loan is an FHA refi transaction designed to permit the borrower to take cash back at closing time. The amount of cash you get back on this type of loan depends on how long you have been paying on your home loan, and the amount of any add-ons to your mortgage such as financed closing costs, etc. You aren’t allowed to borrower more than the property is worth based on FHA appraisal guidelines and LTV limits. That means you can’t use a home worth $250,000 to secure am FHA cash-out refinance loan for | more...

August 29, 2017

What Happens To My FHA Loan In A Natural Disaster?

By Bruce Reichstein

What happens to my FHA loan in a natural disaster? If you have already closed on your FHA mortgage, you’ll need to get in touch with your lender to determine what next steps are, but what about those who were in the process of purchasing property but did not close the loan before the disaster struck? FHA loan rules anticipate this problem and have specific instructions to the lender for handling what to do if a borrower’s purchase winds up in a federally declared disaster area. According to the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, “All Properties with pending Mortgages or endorsements in Presidentially-Declared Major Disaster Areas (PDMDA) must have a damage inspection report that identifies and quantifies any dwelling damage. The damage inspection report must be completed by an FHA | more...

August 18, 2017

Can My Seller Pay Some Of My Closing Costs?

By Bruce Reichstein

Can my seller pay some of my closing costs? The basic answer is, “yes, within certain limits.” FHA loan rules permit certain expenses to be negotiated between buyer and seller, including the contribution of allowed costs. How does it work? FHA Loan Rules For Interested Party Contributions HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, defines “interested parties” as “sellers, real estate agents, builders, developers or other parties with an interest in the transaction”. HUD 4000.1 states that such interested parties are permitted to offer payments on “origination fees, other closing costs and discount points” within the bounds of FHA loan rules (more on that below), state law, and lender standards. What Payments Can An Interested Party Contribute? HUD 4000.1, page 232, states that an interested party or parties may contribute towards | more...

August 9, 2017

What Can I Add To My FHA Mortgage Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

What can I add to my FHA mortgage loan? There’s a list of items that may be allowed to be added to your mortgage loan above and beyond the adjusted value of your property. Let’s examine what the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, has to say about adding certain costs to your home loan amount. Calculating The Maximum Mortgage Amount On Your FHA Loan To start, let’s see what HUD 4000.1 says about how the lender is expected to calculate the maximum mortgage amount. “The maximum mortgage amount that FHA will insure on a specific purchase is calculated by multiplying the appropriate LTV percentage by the Adjusted Value. In order for FHA to insure this maximum mortgage amount, the Borrower must make a Minimum Required Investment (MRI) of at least | more...

August 9, 2017

How Much Can I Borrow With An FHA Refinance Loan?

By Joe Wallace

How much can I borrow with an FHA refinance loan? There are many reasons why a borrower might need to know early in the planning stages how much might be allowed, and knowing the FHA loan rules in this area can definitely help save time before you apply for the loan. Knowing what kind of refinance loan you might need is a big help in answering the question. Why? Because the actual dollar amount for some FHA refi loans may vary for the same property depending on circumstances. The amount of an FHA rehab loan, for example, will be higher since there are laborers and materials to be paid for, inspections, etc. The same home that gets an FHA Streamline Refinance loan instead might have a lower dollar amount depending | more...

July 17, 2017

Is There A One-Time Close FHA Construction Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

Is there an FHA construction loan? Let’s look at what the FHA single family home loan handbook (HUD 4000.1) says about these transactions: “FHA offers various mortgage insurance programs which insure approved Mortgagees against losses on Mortgages. FHA-insured Mortgages may be used to purchase housing, improve housing, or refinance existing Mortgages. Purchase/Construction to Permanent The Borrower may finance the purchase of an existing one- to four-unit residence, and may also finance construction of a one- to four-unit residence through a Construction to Permanent Mortgage. Properties to be acquired through an unrecorded land contract must be treated as a purchase.” That information is found on page 130 of HUD 4000.1. But some borrowers may be confused by this, having approached a lender only to be told “we don’t do FHA construction loans” | more...

Do I Have To Make A Down Payment On An FHA Mortgage?

July 12, 2017

What Is An FHA Loan Down Payment? Sources Of Down Payment Funds

By Joe Wallace

What is an FHA loan down payment? We examined the basics in our last blog post, but one important issue related to down payment funds? Their source. FHA loan rules state that the lender must verify the source of all funds to be used in the down payment. Not all sources are eligible to be used; FHA loan rules have strict guidelines about how and where such funds may be derived. For example, while borrowers are permitted to get down payment help from outside sources, none of those sources may have a financial stake in the outcome of the transaction. So your seller may not directly provide down payment funds, and any other contributing party cannot get reimbursement from anyone involved in the transaction. Down Payment Source Funds: The Official | more...