Articles by: Bruce Reichstein

One Time Close Mortgage Loans: The Base Home Sales Price

February 12, 2021

One-Time Close Mortgages Compared To Other Home Loans

How do One-Time Close Loans differ from other mortgage types? There are FHA One-Time Close loans, VA construction loans, and USDA versions. How do the construction loans differ from buying someone else’s home? The first way they differ is time–it takes more time to get the key and move in when you build a home from the ground up than it does to buy existing property. But the time you spend building is worth the investment–you get to approve the design of the home you are moving into, and that’s a big deal for some house hunters. Build Or Buy? Deciding isn’t hard for some people–they want the ability to customize. There are FHA loan options for doing so that don’t require you to commit to building from scratch–some choose | more...

February 10, 2021

HUD Brings Fair Housing Charges In Missouri

By Bruce Reichstein

Have you ever been the victim of housing discrimination? In spite of the federal laws designed to stop it, cases still occur in America. And sometimes only the victim of the discrimination has the power to stop to perpetrator from future abuses. If you don’t report the illegal activity, it can happen to someone else. Housing discrimination creates terrible conditions for anyone who wants to buy a new home. And this discrimination’s negative effects don’t stay neatly contained to the sector where the abuses occur, either. Housing discrimination in the rental sector can negatively affect a house hunter’s ability to find housing at a reasonable price. It is sometimes necessary to rent a home while looking for a home to purchase. The damage housing discrimination does at the rental stage | more...

FHA Loan Waiting Times After Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

February 5, 2021

Can I Get An FHA Mortgage After Bankruptcy?

By Bruce Reichstein

People can and do apply for home loans, including FHA mortgages, following a bankruptcy filing. What does it take to be approved for an FHA home loan after filing bankruptcy? The key to loan approval in these cases? Time. You can’t simply apply for bankruptcy and six months later try to get a new home loan. FHA loan rules require a minimum time known as a “seasoning period” to be waited out. This seasoning period must pass before you are permitted to apply for a new FHA home loan. How does the seasoning period work? This part is confusing for some. We’ll review the specifics of FHA loan rules for each type of bankruptcy (Chapter 7 and Chapter 13) individually as there are unique rules for each. One consistent feature | more...

Home Loans For Building On Your Own Land

February 3, 2021

One-Time Construction Loan Amortization: What You Need To Know Before You Sign

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA One-Time Close construction loan allows you to have a house built to your specifications rather than buying an existing home. This loan, which also has a VA mortgage counterpart as well as a USDA version, gives borrowers the ability to choose a specific design instead of settling for one you aren’t as interested in. An One-Time Close loan, which is offered to first-time home buyers and experienced home owners alike, provides the means for you to build on your own lot. You can also choose to purchase land with the loan funds as well as building the home. One Time Close loans can take longer depending on how fast the construction phase of the loan goes, but the ability to approve the design and features of the home | more...

January 25, 2021

HUD Announces Extension Of FHA Loan Foreclosure / Eviction Moratorium

By Bruce Reichstein

A press release at the official site for the Department of Housing and Urban Development announces that the Biden Administration has “requested the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other Federal Agencies” extend the current COVID-related foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single family mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. This request also affects loans guaranteed by the Office of Native American Programs’ Section 184 and 184A loan guarantee programs. At press time, and according to the press release, the moratorium is extended through March 31, 2021. The press release on the HUD official site states that this extension is, “one of the first Administration actions” that addresses the need for “meaningful support” to homeowners struggling with financial difficulty during the pandemic. “As President Biden promised, his new | more...

January 21, 2021

Why You Should Consider A Limited 203(k) Rehab Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you want to buy or refinance a fixer-upper home? The FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation loan and the FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Refinance loan can help if you would rather buy a fixer-upper or renovate an existing home you’re living in as your primary residence. You don’t have to buy a property to use the FHA 203(k) rehab loan; you can use it to refinance your current home and get money to accomplish FHA and lender-approved improvements or other projects associated with remodeling or renovation. That said, not every borrower needs to fully refinance a home to repair or improve it. Are you thinking of smaller projects that don’t require a huge sum of money? The Limited 203(k) Rehab loan lets you accomplish smaller projects without committing to a full refinance or | more...

January 18, 2021

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

By Bruce Reichstein

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2021! Banks and markets are closed today to observe the holiday and we too feel it’s very important to remember this important day. America owes a great deal to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and we are proud to observe this day dedicated to him and his accomplishments. Today, we pause our regular coverage of FHA news and FHA loan topics to observe the holiday. We resume our usual schedule of posts tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

FHA Construction Loan Rule Changes In 2021

January 15, 2021

FHA And HUD Update Construction Loan Rules

By Bruce Reichstein

If you are in the market for a home but would prefer to have a house built to your specifications instead of buying another person’s dream home, the One-Time Close mortgage can help you build instead of buy. This type of loan has an FHA equivalent with low down payment requirements (3.5% in typical cases) and there’s also a VA home loan option for those with qualifying military service. The FHA and HUD recently updated its rulebook for FHA Construction loans; there are revised definitions of properties that qualify for construction loans as well as new inspection rules. Back in 2020, the FHA and HUD announced some pending changes to the FHA Single-Family Home Loan Lender’s Handbook, HUD 4000.1 due to policy alterations in 2018 and 2019. Those alterations required | more...

January 12, 2021

What Affects My FHA Loan Approval? Debt Ratio Issues

By Bruce Reichstein

Every mortgage or finance blog includes a lot of writing and advice about the need to monitor your credit reports. And make no mistake, this is important advice that is good to follow, but if you are in the market for a new home in 2021 the amount of monthly debt you have compared to your monthly income will be just as important for loan approval. Why Your Debt Matters Some applications crunch the numbers and believe they can afford the loan on paper. But what happens when that does not match what the lender gets when she runs your debt ratio numbers? People who technically qualify on paper but not in reality are bad risks for the lender and their jobs depend on screening out those bad risks. And | more...

Don't Make These Mistakes With Your One-Time Close Construction Loan

January 8, 2021

Monitoring Your Credit Ahead Of Your Rehab Loan Or One-Time Close Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Credit monitoring is important for any consumer but borrowers interested in building a home on their own lot using a One-Time Close (OTC) construction loan or even an FHA 203(k) Rehab loan should give serious thought about investing in credit monitoring as early as possible in the planning stages. This can be a big advantage for those seeking rehab or construction loans; participating FHA lenders may require higher FICO scores for construction loans and you’ll want every advantage in that department including knowing the contents of your credit report and the changes to it as they happen. FHA Rehab Loans allow borrowers to buy fixer-upper loans and have work done to bring them up to code and FHA standards; FHA One-Time Close (OTC) mortgage loans allow borrowers to build a | more...