Articles Published in: April 2019

April 5, 2019

FHA Loan Facts

When you start doing research on home loans and want to learn what it takes to qualify for an FHA mortgage loan as either a first-time home buyer or as a return borrower, you will find websites with lists of loan approval requirements. Some of those FHA home loan approval requirement lists look like this: A credit score of 580 or higher for the lowest down payment A debt-to-income ratio of 43% or less 3.5% down payment 1-2 years of consistent employment history A property that meets FHA standards OR A home eligible for FHA 203k rehab loan financing You may find a caveat on lists like these stating that they are “general guidelines” and that is true. What isn’t always included in those caveats is that additional lender standards | more...

April 3, 2019

FHA Home Loan Appraisal Issues

By Bruce Reichstein

We are contacted frequently with questions related to FHA appraisals. Many first-time borrowers and experienced house hunters alike have trouble understanding the nature of the appraisal process and how it works. We are often asked if a certain appraisal condition is grounds for having the loan denied, and whether FHA home loan appraisal rules fit a unique circumstance. But whatever the question, the variable in the equation is the fact that FHA appraisal rules, which are basically minimum requirements, are not the only rules that will affect the transaction. So even if FHA appraisal requirements say that a home that has lead-based paint may be acceptable under certain conditions, state or local building code may have additional requirements. And the building code requirement in that area would have to be | more...

April 2, 2019

FHA Streamline Refinance Loan Rates

By Joe Wallace

There are lots of online lending websites discussing interest rates for mortgage loans. But what do you need to know about FHA home loan interest rates and refinancing? If you want an FHA Streamline refinance loan, you will be applying for a refi loan that generally requires the transaction to have some tangible benefit to the borrower such as a lower monthly payment or a lower interest rate. When you shop around for lenders offering the best interest rates, remember that one very important factor applies; until you enter into a mortgage rate lock commitment with the lender, today’s interest rates will not apply to your loan. In other words, until you have a commitment in writing for the interest rate, daily and weekly rate fluctuations will apply. The mortgage | more...

April 1, 2019

HUD Charges Facebook With Fair Housing Act Violations

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has brought charges of Fair Housing Act violations against Facebook. HUD announced it would charge Facebook “with violating the Fair Housing Act by encouraging, enabling, and causing housing discrimination through the company’s advertising platform.” HUD’s case claims that Facebook illegally restricted “who can view housing-related ads on Facebook’s platforms and across the internet” and also that the media giant “mines extensive data about its users and then uses those data to determine which of its users view housing-related ads based, in part, on these protected characteristics” according to a press release issued by HUD. There’s more; the HUD press release also mentions a HUD claim that additionally, “Facebook combines data it collects about user attributes and behavior with data it obtains about user | more...