Articles in Category: FHA Loan Types

June 6, 2017

FHA Mortgage Rates: Trending Slightly Higher After Recent Lows

Since our last report, we’ve seen mortgage rate trends push rates to lows we haven’t seen since the Christmas holiday season but the start of the new week has seen those rates creep slightly higher. Even with the minor upward movement, gone are the previously reported ranges of rates, replaced by single-digit best execution numbers some industry pros are urging borrowers to take full advantage of in situations where locking/floating is being considered. 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgages are reported, at the time of this writing, at the very bottom of the four percent range best execution. That means an extremely well-qualified conventional borrower could find rates as low as 4.0%. FHA mortgage loan rates are still below the four percent threshold, coming in at a best execution 3.75%. Best | more...

May 31, 2017

FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage Rules: Rates, Term, and Adjustments

By Joe Wallace

Some potential FHA borrowers might be surprised to learn that an FHA adjustable rate mortgage (FHA ARM) is an option to consider, but for those with specific financial needs and goals, an FHA ARM loan might be a very good idea. FHA adjustable rate mortgages have specific controls over how much and when an interest rate change may occur, but there are other rules that also affect this type of FHA mortgage. All the rules for FHA ARM loans are found in HUD 4000.1, the FHA Single Family Loan Handbook. It says that the initial rate and margin are established by the lender, and that the margin must be constant over the entire term of the mortgage. Furthermore, “The interest rate must remain constant for an initial period of 1, | more...

May 30, 2017

FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgages in 2017

By Joe Wallace

Are you looking for an FHA adjustable rate mortgage in 2017? FHA single family home loans come in a variety of types including fixed-rate loans and FHA adjustable rate mortgages. The rules for these loans, commonly referred to as FHA ARM loans, are spelled out in HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook. FHA adjustable rate loans can be different than their conventional counterparts, starting with certain restrictions on how often the interest rate may change. Before we dive into that issue, let’s examine how HUD 4000.1 defines the FHA ARM loan: “An Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) refers to a Mortgage in which the interest rate can change annually based on an index plus a margin.” Your loan officer is required to provide a disclosure form, which must be signed, that | more...

May 22, 2017

Getting Ready For An FHA Mortgage Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Getting ready for an FHA mortgage loan doesn’t just mean checking your credit report and FICO scores, saving up money for a down payment, and reducing your debt-to-income ratio. It also means making important choices about your home and mortgage needs. Some of these choices may need to be made early in the preparation stage, others may come later depending on the type of home you decide to buy. Are you ready for an FHA mortgage loan? Type Of Home Believe it or not, the nature of the property you buy with your FHA mortgage loan could affect the type of home loan you apply for. A typical suburban home isn’t the same as a mobile home or a condo. The loans for a condo or manufactured home have different | more...

May 22, 2017

Mortgage Rate Trends: Pushing Higher

By Joe Wallace

Since our last report, mortgage rate trends have been in the “higher” category. That’s due at least in part, according to our sources, to local political drama which has sent investors moving for safer havens. Those moves often reflect badly on rates, and those hoping for a chance to squeeze more recovery out of current trends likely weren’t counting on breaking news about possible impeachment proceedings over FBI director James Comey and questions of Russian involvement in U.S. politics to influence mortgage rates. But they have, however indirectly. At the time of this writing, 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgage rate numbers have taken an upward turn to 4.0%, best execution. That’s out of a previous range of rates, with 4.0% being the bottom end of the range. FHA mortgage loan | more...

May 19, 2017

An FHA Mortgage Post-Bankruptcy?

By Joe Wallace

Is a mortgage loan possible after bankruptcy? When it comes to FHA home loans the answer is yes, as long as the borrower meets FHA loan standards and sits out a mandatory waiting period (which may vary depending on the bankruptcy, state law, and lender standards). One reader asked a question this week about bankruptcy and FHA loans: “My credit rating is 677 as of 5/18/2017. My income is established by a job that Ive held for over 15 years. My bankruptcy was completed in July of 2011. Can I qualify for an FHA mortgage?” There are many issues at work in situations like these including whether or not the borrower has established a satisfactory pattern of credit activity following the bankruptcy action. The mandatory waiting period (under FHA standards, | more...

May 16, 2017

FHA Appraisal Questions: Peeling Paint, Electrical Outlets

By Joe Wallace

We frequently get FHA appraisal questions in our comments sections. Here’s one of the latest: “Im trying to purchase a home and I have an FHA loan. The only thing Im concerned about is the peeling paint outside and that some of the outlets arent grounded. How would this affect my FHA loan approval?” FHA appraisal rules are found in HUD 4000.1. The instructions to the FHA appraiser don’t cover all possible contingencies for defective conditions, required corrections, etc. but do have something to say about peeling paint. The age of the paint may determine the extent of the corrections/repairs in this area. According to HUD 4000.1, for homes or improvements on or before 1978: “The Appraiser must note the condition and location of all defective paint and require repair | more...

May 15, 2017

FHA Loan Rules For Bankruptcy: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13

By Joe Wallace

We’ve had a number of reader questions in our comments section recently asking about scenarios for loan approval that involve bankruptcy and related issues. Can a borrower get a new FHA loan following a bankruptcy? Under what conditions? FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 address this issue with separate entries for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. According to the FHA loan rule book, Chapter 7 requires the lender to observe the following: “A Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation) does not disqualify a Borrower from obtaining an FHA-insured Mortgage if, at the time of case number assignment, at least two years have elapsed since the date of the bankruptcy discharge. During this time, the Borrower must have: – re-established good credit; or – chosen not to incur new credit obligations.” HUD 4000.1 | more...

May 12, 2017

Mortgage Rate Trends: Pushing Higher

By Joe Wallace

Since our last report, we’ve watched an upward mortgage rate trend pushing interest rates slowly higher. Some of this is contrary to bond market activity on Thursday that would otherwise typically “help” rates. So at the moment it seems that in the very short term we’re seeing mortgage rates behave in ways they don’t normally. Why? Some market watchers point to the timing of that bond market activity-there was what industry professionals describe as “weakness” on Wednesday that caused rates to adjust higher, but the following day improvements occurred. But not all lenders modify their mortgage loan rates at the same time, so for those where rates pushed higher on Thursday, it’s possible that the timing of their adjustments is at least partly to blame. That doesn’t likely interest house | more...

May 10, 2017

FHA 203(k) Rehab Loans: Eligible Repairs

By Joe Wallace

In our previous blog post, we discussed the idea that an FHA 203(k) rehab loan could be used to purchase and modify a property to meet FHA requirements for properties to be no more than four units. In HUD 4000.1, under the list of eligible improvements, we learn that “decreasing an existing multi-unit Structure to a one- to four-family Structure” is one of those approved uses of the loan. But what are the other uses? In the original blog post we had a partial list, but there is a complete (at the time of this writing) list of what is considered an eligible use of FHA 203(k) rehab loan funds. The FHA loan rule book states that the improvements on this list is not exhaustive and that what you see | more...