Articles in Category: FHA Loan Types

May 7, 2018

FHA 203(k) Rehab Loans: What’s A Contingency Reserve?

If you are interested in buying or refinancing a home to renovate with an FHA mortgage, the FHA 203(k) loan is a great place to start exploring your options. The FHA 203(k) rehab loan comes in two varieties-one for larger and more ambitious projects, and a smaller “limited” 203(k) that offers smaller loans for simpler repairs/renovations. The 203(k) loan involves hiring contractors and having work done according to both FHA home loan minimum standards, but also requires that the home be brought into compliance with applicable building codes. Lender standards, state law, and FHA home loan rules will affect how this transaction is conducted. One FHA requirement is the FHA rehab loan contingency reserve, which you can think of as a “rainy day fund” in case there are unexpected costs | more...

April 23, 2018

FHA Home Loan Options: Build, Buy, Or Rehab

By Joe Wallace

Build, buy, or rehab? Those are among the options open to FHA home loan applicants. Do you know what is possible with an FHA mortgage loan? The options range from purchasing an existing 1-4 unit home to having a single-family house built from scratch using an FHA One Time Close construction loan. FHA Home Loans: The “Forward Mortgage” “Forward mortgage” is a fancy way of describing the new purchase loan-an FHA mortgage that will help you buy a home. “Forward mortgages” are described as such to distinguish them from Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) or as they often called, Reverse Mortgages. A forward mortgage can include purchase of land and funds for a construction phase when an FHA One Time Close loan is being used to build to suit. FHA | more...

April 16, 2018

FHA Home Loans For New Construction, Existing Construction Homes

By Bruce Reichstein

FHA home loans are available for a variety of different types of property. You can use an FHA mortgage to buy a typical home in the suburbs, a condo, a town home, mobile or manufactured homes, etc. FHA home loans are also for properties classified in one of several ways; existing construction, new construction, proposed or under construction, etc. What do these terms mean and how does the property type affect the FHA home loan? In some cases the nature of the property may dictate whether a builders’ warranty must be provided. New construction homes, for example, must include a 10-year warranty. This is true for all property types that fall under the FHA definition of new construction property including proposed construction homes, under construction homes, and those that have | more...

March 28, 2018

More FHA Home Loan Options For New And Returning Borrowers

By Bruce Reichstein

In our last blog post we discussed some basic FHA home loan options for those who want to buy or refinance a home. More FHA loan options for new and returning borrowers alike include FHA fixed-rate and adjustable rate financing, FHA condo loans, and more. FHA Home Loan Interest Rate Options FHA home loan interest rate options are not the same at all participating lenders. Depending on both your own personal financial qualifications and lender requirements, it may be possible to apply for a fixed rate 15-year or 30-year mortgage, or for an FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) in the same terms. All FHA loans are generally required to amortize within the terms of the loan agreement and FHA loan rules. At the time of this writing, HUD 4000.1 states, | more...

March 23, 2018

FHA Home Loans For Houses, Condos, And Townhouses Part Two

By Bruce Reichstein

In our last blog post we began examining FHA loan rules and how they differ whether you are buying a suburban house, a condo unit or townhouse, etc. When you buy a typical suburban home, the credit check/appraisal/downpayment issues are the same as for condo units and townhouses. But when you buy a home such as a condo or townhouse, you’re required to pay more attention to common areas and agree to your share of the maintenance/upkeep of the property in general. FHA loan rules recognize these issues and addresses some (not all) of them in the FHA loan handbook to avoid confusion about what the borrower is required to do and cases where FHA loans are not allowed because of restrictions on the borrower’s ability to sell the home. | more...

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

March 19, 2018

What You Need To Know About Identity Of Interest Transactions

By Joe Wallace

What do you need to know about FHA loan down payment rules and identity of interest transactions? We’ve been covering this topic more recently due to some reader questions about how it all works; we’ve noticed some confusion about the rules in this area and who those rules apply to. FHA identity of interest transaction rules are specifically for borrowers who have a family or business relationship with the seller. In such cases, the general rule is that a 15% down payment is required. The confusion comes in over who this applies to. FHA Loan Rules For Down Payments When The Seller Is A Family Member Or Business Associate Because identity of interest transactions require a higher down payment, naturally borrowers want to know if there are exceptions and how | more...

March 1, 2018

FHA Home Loan Fact And Fiction

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loan fact and fiction; do you know what’s true and what’s not about your FHA home loan options? There are plenty of misconceptions about getting an FHA home loan including the all-time number one-the idea that FHA loans are ONLY for first-time home buyers. That is definitely NOT true. FHA loans are for any financially qualified borrower regardless of their previous home ownership status. FHA home loan fictions also include the idea that you can only purchase a typical suburban home with an FHA mortgage; this is also not true as FHA loans can be approved for mobile homes, condo units, mixed-use property that is primarily residential, town homes, and multi-unit homes. The truth about FHA home loans is that borrowers are allowed to buy “real property” with | more...

February 28, 2018

Know Your FHA Loan Options

By Joe Wallace

Do you know your FHA home loan options? There are many things you can do with an FHA mortgage and buying a new home is just one of them. You can use an FHA home loan to buy, refinance, rehab, or upgrade a principal residence, with lower down payments and protections for the borrower when paying off early. FHA New Home Loans Did you know you can use an FHA mortgage to buy an existing home or have one built for you from the ground up? Buying an existing property is one of the most common uses of an FHA mortgage, but you can apply for an FHA One-Time Close Construction Loan (also known as an FHA Construction-To-Permanent loan) using an approved builder to have a house built brand new. | more...

February 26, 2018

FHA Loans, Credit Reports, And Loan Approval

By Bruce Reichstein

What do you need to know about FHA loans, credit reports, and loan approval? To begin, your credit reports have a big part to play in the lender’s decision to approve your mortgage application. What do you need to know about this approval process and what the lender is looking for? Home Loans Require More Than Good Credit Scores FHA loans, like any other major line of credit, require the lender to determine that the applicant is a good risk for the loan. Your FICO scores may be well within the range the lender needs to approve your loan with maximum financing (that score may vary depending on the lender) but what ELSE does your credit report say? For example, are you carrying the maximum or close to the maximum | more...

February 16, 2018

FHA 203(k) Rehab Mortgages: Who Does The Rehab Work?

By Joe Wallace

When it comes to FHA 203(k) rehab loans, many borrowers want to know who does the work? Can the borrower hire a contractor, is the borrower required to do the work themselves? What are the rules? The guidelines for the FHA 203(k) rehab loan program are found in HUD 4000.1, which states that certain standards are in place when trying to select the contractors to do the labor. For starters, this type of loan requires that the borrower use the services of a 203(k) loan consultant. “The Mortgagee must select an FHA-approved 203(k) Consultant from the FHA 203(k) Consultant Roster in FHAC. The Mortgagee must not use the services of a Consultant who has demonstrated previous poor performance based on reviews performed by the Mortgagee. The Consultant must inspect the | more...