Articles in Category: FHA Loan Types

February 13, 2018

Am I Eligible For An FHA Mortgage?

Am I eligible for an FHA mortgage? That is a very common question, but many borrowers have a specific reason for asking-they want to know if a certain credit problem or work/life situation might disqualify them from an FHA loan. I Have A Recent Bankruptcy Borrowers with bankruptcy issues will have to discuss their situation with a participating lender, but in general at the very minimum you will be required by FHA guidelines to wait a full year (called a “seasoning period”) before applying for a new loan. In some cases you may be required to wait longer, and lender standards apply above and beyond the FHA loan rules. Getting a loan post-bankruptcy requires the applicant to have good credit habits post-bankruptcy, and in some cases you may need the | more...

February 1, 2018

Things You Should Know About FHA Home Loans

By Joe Wallace

There are many things you should know about FHA loans before you start the application process; myths and half-understood features of this home loan program still confuse some applicants going into the process. What follows should help you better understand the basics of the FHA home loan program. FHA Loans Are Not Just For First-Time Home Buyers There is no restriction on FHA loans for those who have purchased a home before. There are no separate terms, qualifications, or other rules for those who have purchased before. All FHA loan applicants who are financially qualified are welcome to apply. FHA Loans Are Available For Condos, Mobile Homes, and Mixed-Use Properties Suburban homes are just one of the types of property you can buy with an FHA mortgage. You can purchase | more...

January 29, 2018

What You Need To Know About FHA Home Loan Appraisals

By Joe Wallace

What you need to know about FHA home loan appraisals includes the difference between an appraisal and an inspection, and what the appraiser looks for when spotting defective conditions and why. The most important thing to know overall about an FHA home loan appraisal is that the appraisal is not a tool for the borrower to use to determine whether the house is suitable; the appraisal is a tool for the lender to establish the fair market value of the home. Do not rely on the appraisal to tell you the home is in acceptable condition, it was not designed to do this no matter how it may seem from the appraisal report. The borrower-arranged home inspection is the best way to “test drive” a home to see if it | more...

January 26, 2018

HUD Announces Major Review Of Manufactured Housing Rules

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a press release announcing a major review of manufactured housing rules. According to the HUD official site, the agency is in the public comment period prior to “a top-to-bottom review of its manufactured housing rules as part of a broader effort to identify regulations that may be ineffective, overly burdensome, or excessively costly given the critical need for affordable housing.” For the next 30 days, the agency says it will accept public comments “to identify existing or planned manufactured housing regulatory actions to assess their actual and potential compliance costs and whether those costs are justified against the backdrop of the nation’s shortage of affordable housing”. General changes in manufactured housing regulations may not seem to have anything to do with | more...

January 25, 2018

FHA Loan Options For New Construction Homes: FHA One-Time Close Mortgages And More

By Bruce Reichstein

FHA loan options for buying new construction homes include the FHA One-Time Close / Single-Close Construction Mortgage, which allows a borrower to apply once and have a single closing date for a house built from the ground up. FHA One-Time Close mortgages differ from other construction loans because this type of construction loan eliminates the two-step construction loan application process where the borrower applies once for the costs of construction, and has a closing date for that loan, then applies a second time for the mortgage on the property itself. It’s definitely an advantage to have a single application and closing date. But what are the other options to compare this type of loan to? It’s good to know what you can get from multiple options-making an informed choice to | more...

January 25, 2018

FHA Loan Options For Buying A Home

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan options for buying a home include choices on the housing type you need, the type of home loan you need, and sometimes even the circumstances of the purchase, in the case of people who are buying homes in federally declared disaster areas. Do you know what your new purchase FHA home loan options are? FHA Loans Available For Many Types Of Homes FHA home loans can be used to purchase property that will be owner-occupied residences, but the home can have as many as four living units. That means the borrower has the option to rent out unused living units if she chooses. Owner occupancy is a condition of loan approval, so you can’t use an FHA loan to purchase an investment property (one you intend to rent | more...

January 19, 2018

How To Use An FHA Home Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you need to know how to use an FHA home loan? There are many things you can do with an FHA mortgage, or an FHA refinance loan. Some of your options include buying a home with more than one living unit, refinancing an existing loan to do rehab or repair work, and including energy-efficient upgrades into your new mortgage. Use An FHA Home Loan To Buy Your First Home FHA home loans are not specifically targeted at one type of buyer, but first time home buyers enjoy the lower down payment requirements and more lenient FHA credit requirements. First time home buyers may learn early that the FHA home loan program isn’t strictly for first homes, but that the participating lender has some kind of first-time buyer incentive. This | more...

January 11, 2018

FHA Condo Loans And Site Condominiums

By Joe Wallace

FHA condo loans are available for both condo units and site condominiums. But what’s the difference? Many are surprised to learn that an FHA home loan is available for condo units, but are sometimes disappointed that the FHA condo loan requirements include being on or added to an FHA-approved condo project list. Borrowers must work with their participating FHA lenders to have condo projects not on that list added to it, but the requirements are different depending on whether you’re looking at a condo unit or a property classified as a “site condominium”. What’s the difference? FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 require a condo project to be added to the FHA approved list if it is not already when the borrower chooses to buy. FHA loan rules were created | more...

January 9, 2018

FHA Home Loan Rules For Buying Investment Properties

By Joe Wallace

What are the FHA home loan rules for buying investment properties? Regular readers of this blog may be confused by this question since our posts emphasize time and again that FHA single family home loans are for owner/occupiers and not for investment properties. So how can the FHA loan Handbook, HUD 4000.1, have rules that govern the purchase of an investment property with an FHA mortgage? The answer is actually fairly simple; FHA loan rules make an exception in certain cases. The FHA home loan policy in this area is explained on page 142 of HUD 4000.1, starting with a definition of the term “investment property”. According to the FHA, “An Investment Property refers to a Property that is not occupied by the Borrower as a Principal or Secondary Residence”. | more...

FHA Home Loans And The Biggest Credit Mistake You Can Make

January 8, 2018

FHA Home Loan Credit Score Rules

By Joe Wallace

What do you need to know about FHA loan credit score rules? There are issues you can begin addressing very early in your FHA home loan planning process that can help you get closer to FHA loan approval; know these important rules before you apply. If you need to improve your credit scores in order to get approved for an FHA mortgage, you’ll need to begin very early in the planning stages and NOT after you have turned in loan paperwork. FHA Loan Credit Score Minimum Requirements According to the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, the very lowest credit score you can have and still be considered for FHA loan approval is a FICO score of 500. That is the FHA minimum, and FICO scores below 500 are not eligible | more...