Articles Published in: June 2022

June 30, 2022

FHA Home Equity Loans?

Is there such a thing as an FHA home equity loan? Some borrowers want to tap into the equity built up in their home to pay bills or to make a large purchase, others may want to start home improvement projects. Conventional mortgages often come with the option of applying for a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit. What options exist for FHA borrowers? FHA home loan options don’t include a home equity line of credit or a home equity loan. You won’t find an FHA loan option that mimics these options. What FHA borrowers do have the option to apply for? FHA Cash-Out Refinancing, which allows you to take cash back at closing time if you meet the following requirements in addition to credit qualifications: | more...

June 29, 2022

Finding The Best FHA Lender

By Joe Wallace

Which bank has the best FHA loan options? Experienced borrowers know the answer to this question already; the best FHA lender is the one willing to work with your FICO scores, the type of home loan you need, and offers you the right rates. But if you are asking the question, “Which bank has the best home loan?” you want answers that are more specific. How do you find a lender who can help? If you are searching online, you might try looking for the specific type of home loan you seek. Are you looking for an FHA One-Time Close construction loan? Searching with that specific phrase will help. But it can also pay to search more specifically than that; try looking for “FHA Construction Loans in Texas” in Google. | more...

June 28, 2022

What To Know About FHA Mortgage Insurance

By Joe Wallace

What do you need to know about FHA mortgage insurance? There are basically two payment plans for FHA mortgage insurance premiums; one for 11 years and one for the lifetime of the FHA loan. There is an Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium you pay at closing time, and then there is the annual mortgage insurance premium split up over the 12 mortgage payments a year you are scheduled to make. FHA Mortgage Insurance: How Long? FHA mortgage insurance is required on most FHA loans. Streamline Refinances and certain other loans like those for homes on Native American tribal lands have a lower rate than for purchase loans and other FHA refinance options. If you pay 10% down on an FHA mortgage you may have the option of ending your FHA | more...

June 27, 2022

FHA Home Loans And Seller Inspections: What You Need To Know

By Joe Wallace

What is a seller inspection and why should you know what it is before you start looking for a home to buy with an FHA mortgage? The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors official site says that a seller inspection, sometimes referred to as a pre-listing inspection, is popular in some areas, “…because they virtually eliminate all the pitfalls and hassles associated with waiting to do the home inspection until a buyer is found.” A seller inspection can tell you (as a buyer) a lot about a home before you decide to make an offer. But why would a seller have an inspection if there’s a risk that a defect or problem might be uncovered that can hurt the seller’s chances to sell the property? Generally speaking, it’s common sense | more...

June 24, 2022

Planning Your Home Loan

By Joe Wallace

The planning stage of your home loan is extremely important. This is where you will determine what kind of home you might want, the price range you can afford, and how much down payment you need to save up to make. One big choice you face in the planning process? Decisions about issues related to long-term occupancy of the home, whether you plan to sell within a short or long amount of time and how you should arrange your financing to accommodate those needs. What kind of arrangements? Some borrowers don’t apply for a fixed-rate mortgage. They know they are not keeping the home for the long term and choose to take advantage of lower interest rates offered in the introductory period of an FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) instead | more...

One Time Close Mortgage Loans: The Base Home Sales Price

June 23, 2022

Why Choose An FHA Construction Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

If you want to build a home on your own lot or on land you buy in conjunction with the project, you have two basic options to choose from. There is a type of construction loan that features two applications and two closing dates. One is a loan to pay for the labor and materials in the construction of the property itself. Once the construction phase is over, the borrower applies for a second loan that pays off the construction loan and serves as the mortgage. It is important to remember that the loan for building your house is not a 30-year mortgage. If you want to build a custom home this way, the first loan is sometimes called an interim loan with the second being referred to in the | more...

June 22, 2022

FHA Loans And Rising Rates

By Joe Wallace

If you need to buy a home with an FHA mortgage but you are concerned about rising interest rates, there are some things you can do to help yourself make a more informed choice about your FHA loan options. There are options to haggle with the seller, and there are loan options to consider like an FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage. In the meantime, you can work to improve your FICO scores which helps the lender offer you a lower interest rate. When it comes to negotiating with the seller, you may find the asking price is too high in general, or you may be looking for a price offset because of rising mortgage loan rates. But it may be tough to sell the idea of a lower price. Instead, you | more...

June 21, 2022

Seller’s Markets, Buyer’s Markets, And FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

What does it mean to get an FHA loan when you are in a buyer’s market? What does it mean to use an FHA mortgage in a seller’s market? If you are new to house hunting chances are you’ve heard these terms before, but what do they mean in the context of a house hunt? FHA Home Loans In Buyer’s Markets What does it mean to be shopping for a house in a buyer’s market? The simplest answer is that you have an advantage as a buyer because there may be plenty of homes to choose from with little serious competition from other buyers. That lack of competition may be because of the supply of available houses for sale. In a buyer’s market, you would still want to get pre-qualified | more...

June 20, 2022

Celebrating Juneteenth

By Bruce Reichstein

Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday in the United States. Today, we commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans–an event formalized in Texas on the day General Order 3 was issued by Union Army General Gordon Granger. That order announced freedom for enslaved people in the State of Texas on June 19, 1865. The actual day, June 19th, is celebrated along with a formal holiday observation of Juneteenth held on Monday, June 20, 2022 with banks, financial markets, post officers, and schools closing in honor of the day. We too pause our usual discussions of all things related to FHA loans to observe Juneteenth. Thank you for reading and our regular posting schedule returns tomorrow.

June 17, 2022

Who Sets FHA Loan Interest Rates?

By Joe Wallace

Who sets FHA loan interest rates? The answer to that question involves several factors-many potential FHA borrowers asking this question really want to know more than who the regulatory body is for FHA loan interest rates-they also want to know how rates are affected by other factors such as FICO scores and credit history. So who DOES set FHA mortgage loan interest rates? The Fed sets monetary policy for the United States including the current interest rate. But when the Fed sets this rate, it is NOT directly changing mortgage rates. Investor reaction to the Fed’s rate adjustments DOES affect home loan interest rates. Fed action doesn’t directly change interest rates and consumers should know that the Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t try to control these rates, either. | more...