Articles Published in: June 2020

June 30, 2020

HUD Extends Modified Exterior-Only Appraisals During COVID-19

The World Heath Organization says “the worst is yet to come” with regard to the global coronavirus pandemic; the Department of Housing And Urban Development responded to COVID-19 quarantine measures in March 2020, eliminating a requirement temporarily to suspend in-person or indoor appraisal activity. Those changes temporarily meant FHA appraisals would not be subject to a requirement for in-person appraisals that might run in violation of community social distancing policies. The appraisal policy (as well as modified employment verification requiremets for certain loans). But that was all set to expire (more than once, as we’ll read below) until HUD acted to extend these measures anew. Now, with COVID-19 hot spots in the forefront of American news headlines, HUD has extended the modified appraisal guidelines (as well as employment verification rules)–they | more...

June 29, 2020

HUD Brings Fair Housing Act Charges Against Atlanta Landlords

By Joe Wallace

Have you experienced housing discrimination at any stage in the housing process? Violations of the Fair Housing Act can occur at any stage of your journey to find a new rental home or purchase including home loans, refinance loans, home buying, etc. If you have experienced ANY kind of discrimination while looking for a house or apartment, file a complaint of discrimination with the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777. You can also file a Fair Housing Act complaint online by visiting How to File a Complaint at the HUD official site. Why? Because Fair Housing violations continue to be an issue in the United States of America, and often the only thing that prevents those who discriminated against YOU to keep violating the law | more...

What Credit Score Is Needed For An FHA Mortgage?

June 24, 2020

Coronavirus And Home Loan Appraisals: What You Need To Know Now

By Joe Wallace

In the age of social distancing, getting a home loan might seem challenging, but the industry has tried to change with the times and there are contact-free closing procedures, online document submission, and alternative appraisal methods in effect. Some of these measures serve as a reminder that a borrower should always pay for the optional home inspection and never rely on any other viewing of the home including the appraisal for that information. Relaxed Appraisals Why? Due to the relaxed requirements for appraisals during COVID-19. FHA appraisers can do some appraisal work as “drive-bys” where the appraiser never steps in the home; some work is accomplished video tours or walkthroughs. The appraiser may never enter the home personally depending on the housing market, local social distancing procedures, the severity of | more...

June 23, 2020

Mortgage Rates Hovering Near Historic Lows

By Bruce Reichstein

Mortgage loan interest rates have been holding steady near all-time lows. FHA mortgage loans (on fixed-rate 30 year mortgages) were reported at a best-execution 2.50% on Monday June 23, 2020 and talk persists that these low numbers could be with us longer than expected unless there are market forces that run counter to the current downward trend. Some marketwatchers point out that current low rates can be blamed at least in part on coronavirus concerns, but the reverse is not necessarily true if the crisis begins to abate without a feared second wave of infections. Investors and markets may not react in equal measure to the good economic news as they did to bad economic developments. What’s bad for the economy is often good for mortgage loan rates, and that’s | more...

June 22, 2020

Why You Should Monitor Your Credit As A First-Time Home Buyer

By Joe Wallace

Are you a first-time home buyer interested in buying or building a home? New borrowers should monitor their credit for signs of identity theft, erroneous information, and outdated credit data; doing so improves your chances at home loan approval by ruling out issues that may be related to credit report problems that are not your fault. Some future homeowners already pay strict attention to their credit, but not everyone does. And they should–credit monitoring should play a crucial part of your preparation stages before applying for an FHA mortgage. The principles we are talking about here can protect you when applying for any big loan, including cash-out refinancing. Regular Monitoring Eliminates Surprises Later Having regular updates about your credit report reduces the chances of something slipping through–errors or evidence of | more...

June 19, 2020

FHA And HUD Announce Extended Foreclosure Relief

By Joe Wallace

Are you a homeowner with an FHA loan worried about your mortgage during the coronavirus pandemic? If so, you aren’t alone. Coronavirus outbreak containment policies–lockdowns, quarantines, and other necessary measures, have brought with them economic hardship from many Americans; loss of income creates and questions about future earnings can result in late and missed mortgage payments, increasing the risk of foreclosure. But during the pandemic, federal relief measures were drafted to help–and the FHA/HUD is no exception, requiring participating lenders to delay initiating or continuing foreclosures during the crisis. Now, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration have issued an extension (actually the second extension since the crisis began) of the foreclosure moratorium announced in March. The Old Deadline Wasn’t Sufficient The HUD official site | more...

Build on your own lot. Construction loan basics

June 15, 2020

First-Time Home Buyers: Build Your New Home With A One-Time Close Construction Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Buying a home can be challenging for some first-time borrowers. Many newcomers to the mortgage market don’t know all their options open and in that situation it is easy to make choices that are less than fully-informed. One-Time Close construction loans are open to any financially qualified applicant and that includes FHA borrowers who have never purchased a home before but have good FICO scores and repayment history that has no late or missed payments in the last 12 months or better. One-Time Close loans are offered as FHA, VA, and even USDA mortgages. The FHA version is NOT need-based and features no income caps, unlike the USDA version. VA construction loans are intended only for qualifying military members, veterans, and certain surviving spouses of military members. For the average | more...

June 12, 2020

Conventional Loan Interest Rates Make History, FHA Loan Rates Still Incredibly Low

By Joe Wallace

Low mortgage rates have stolen the headlines on some finance blogs; as a result, 2020 has seen high volumes of refinance loan applications. The low rates also has many renters potentially finding themselves in a more affordable position to become homeowners. But another development has taken things in an even more historic direction; in June 2020 conventional loan rates made big headlines by plunging below the three percent threshold. The sub-three percent range has been familiar territory for FHA mortgage loans and VA mortgages. The same day conventional rates fell below three percent, the best-execution FHA mortgage loan interest rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was reported at 2.50%. The rates offered to any borrower will depend on the type of loan, the loan term, and other variables. Borrowers | more...

June 11, 2020

Fed Announces Bond Policy Influencing Mortgage Loan Interest Rates

By Joe Wallace

In the second week of June, the Fed announced important policies that influence mortgage rates. FederalReserve.gov published a statement announcing monetary policy from the Federal Open Market Committee including: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System voted unanimously to maintain the interest rate paid on required and excess reserve balances at 0.10 percent, effective June 11, 2020. As part of its policy decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to authorize and direct the Open Market Desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to run “open market operations as necessary to maintain the federal funds rate in a target range of 0 to 1/4 percent”; The vote also authorized an “Increase the System Open Market Account holdings of Treasury securities, agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), and agency | more...

June 10, 2020

Why FHA Loan Interest Rates Are Lower

By Joe Wallace

Have you ever started to research home loans and found yourself getting confused at all the data presented to you? What is the difference between a 30-year fixed rate conventional home loan and a 30-year fixed rate FHA mortgage? How do you know which loan to choose? Buying a home is one of the biggest commitments you can make financially as an ordinary, non-business borrower. The down payment alone makes some borrowers worry they can’t afford the loan (fortunately there may be local down payment assistance programs in your area that can help) or that they won’t be able to understand the intricacies of a mortgage. But buying a home involves a lot more common sense than you might realize. One area this is true for is interest rates–once you | more...