Articles Published in: 2022

January 28, 2022

FHA Home Loans And First-Time Buyers

Are you considering an FHA mortgage as a first-time homebuyer? There are some important things to remember that can help make your home loan journey better. Consider what follows as things to consider adding to your home loan planning checklist. Monitoring your credit is the first step. If you have not started the planning stages of your home loan yet or are in the earliest stages of that, you’re in a great place to start monitoring and working on your credit. If you are farther along in the process and have not started monitoring your credit, do so as soon as you can for best results. Saving money for your home loan expenses is an important part of the planning phase of your mortgage. You should research real estate blogs | more...

January 27, 2022

FHA Home Loan Approval Problems: New Credit Applications

By Joe Wallace

You may have heard advice about seeking new credit while you are in the home loan process. Much of this advice is definitely applicable. Anyone who advises you NOT to apply for new credit once you have started your home loan journey is thinking with your best interests in mind, but what is it about this advice that makes it so critical? A lender doesn’t pull your credit reports just once during the home loan process and if your lender sees new information that potentially changes your ability to qualify for the mortgage it may be necessary to re-approve you for the loan. And that’s just the presence of new credit in your report. What about how a new line of credit potentially affects your debt-to-income ratio? When you apply | more...

January 26, 2022

FHA and HUD Expand REO Sales Options For Owner-Occupiers

By Joe Wallace

They are sometimes known as HUD homes, more formally as HUD real-estate owned homes–properties that were purchased with FHA mortgages that later fell into loan default and ultimately foreclosure. The FHA and HUD, in such cases, have a reimbursement program for the lender but the property itself reverts back to HUD upon foreclosure. The HUD official site states, “A HUD home is a 1-to-4 unit residential property acquired by HUD as a result of a foreclosure action on an FHA-insured mortgage. HUD becomes the property owner and offers it for sale to recover the loss on the foreclosure claim.” And now, thanks to a move by the FHA and HUD, there are expanded opportunities for borrowers who want to be owner-occupiers to bid on and purchase these HUD homes before | more...

January 25, 2022

FHA Loans: Do Appraisals Transfer When Switching Lenders?

By Bruce Reichstein

Sometimes a home loan goes smoothly from start to finish. Other times, it may not. In some cases, a borrower may choose not to purchase a particular home after all and continue looking. In others, a borrower may be happy with the home, but not so pleased with the lender. In situations where a borrower wants to switch lenders, is it possible to transfer an FHA appraisal to the new lender? This is a not-so-common question, but an important one for those who need to know. What does HUD 4000.1 have to say about appraisal transfers? Quite a bit, it turns out. From HUD 4000.1: “In cases where a Borrower has switched Mortgagees, the first Mortgagee must, at the Borrowers request, transfer the appraisal to the second Mortgagee within five | more...

January 24, 2022

FHA Refinance Loan Options

By Joe Wallace

No two refinance loan programs are exactly identical–depending on the program and the lender you may find terms and conditions vary. For example, where FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgages are concerned, there is a minimum age you must be (62 or older) to qualify. That is NOT true of FHA Cash-Out Refinancing or FHA Simple Refinance loans. What’s more, FHA refinance loans do not have the same terms and conditions. For example, these refinance loans may, depending on the participating lender, allow you to refinance an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) into a fixed rate but also may permit you to go from one adjustable-rate mortgage to a new ARM. And that loan could be a 15-year or a 30-year loan depending on your financial needs and goals. There are many choices | more...

January 21, 2022

HUD Announces Disaster Relief For Alaska, Missouri, And Tennessee

By Joe Wallace

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced federal disaster assistance to three states affected by natural disasters in 2021 and in 2022. Certain counties in Tennessee, Alaska, and Missouri are now eligible for federal disaster relief, FHA foreclosure moratoriums, and more. Tennessee was affected by severe storms, high winds, and tornadoes from December 10 to December 11, 2021; in January of 2022 the President issued a major disaster declaration for the following Tennessee counties: Cheatham Davidson Dickson Gibson Henderson Henry Lake Obion Stewart Sumner Weakley Wilson The President also announced a major disaster declaration for portions of Alaska affected by severe storms, high winds, floods, landslides, and mudslides from October 29 to November 1, 2021. In January 2022 the President declared the Kenai Peninsula Borough a major | more...

January 20, 2022

Using Military Pay To Qualify For An FHA Mortgage

By Joe Wallace

Some house hunters have questions about the ability to be approved for an FHA mortgage using military benefits as qualifying income. What will a participating FHA lender consider and what will they reject? Much depends on the nature of the benefit and whether it is likely to continue. Why would currently serving military members or military veterans consider an FHA loan instead of using their zero-down VA home loan benefit? There are several reasons why the FHA loan might be a choice these buyers make–some might want to save their VA loan for a bigger home, or they may have already used their VA loan entitlement in an earlier purchase. To qualify for any home loan you need verifiable income. Military income is not a lump sum payment for services | more...

January 19, 2022

Is A Second FHA Loan Possible?

By Joe Wallace

Is it possible for borrowers to apply for second FHA loans, resulting in paying on two mortgages at once? Here is a variation on a common reader question about this issue: “I relocated to another state over 400 miles away. Will I be able to get an FHA loan even though I still own my first home?” There’s no one single answer to a question like this. Aside from FHA loan rules, a borrower’s credit rating, loan repayment history, and debt-to-income ratio may all play a part in whether a lender is able to approve or deny an FHA loan. In cases like these, one of the most important factors would be (all other considerations aside) focused on the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. With an existing mortgage payment, will the borrower | more...

January 18, 2022

Home Loan Myths: 20 Percent Down Payments

By Bruce Reichstein

Why do people still believe you MUST make a 20% downpayment on a home loan? Like other persistent home loan myths (including the one that holds that FHA mortgages are ONLY for first-time homebuyers), the 20% issue has been passed along to unsuspecting first-time home buyers for decades. What is the reality? FHA mortgages require 3.5% down at a minimum. That’s for borrowers who financially qualify with FHA and lender credit score requirements. FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1, the FHA Single-Family Lender’s Handbook, says that 580 or better is the FHA standard. You will need to ask the lender you choose whether there are higher FICO score requirements with that financial institution. (There often are.) With conventional mortgages, 20% down is typically required for borrowers who want to avoid | more...

January 14, 2022

Advantages Of An FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you know the advantages of an FHA cash-out refinance loan? There are several, especially if you are considering an FHA loan to get money to renovate your existing home. FHA Cash-Out Refinancing Loans: Good For FHA and Non-FHA Mortgages FHA cash-out loans are for all mortgages, FHA, or not. You can refinance a USDA, VA, conventional, existing FHA loan, etc. The rules to qualify are the same no matter what kind of home loan you wish to refinance, and the longer you have been making mortgage payments, the better. FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loan Funds Are Not Restricted The uses you put your cash-out refinance money towards is not restricted; you can use your cash-out funds any way you see fit. That includes debt consolidation, vacations, and home repair. FHA Cash-Out | more...