Articles in Category: FHA Refinance

October 20, 2023

FHA Refinance Loans For Home Improvements

FHA refinance loan options include the ability to apply for a refi loan to do home improvements–a very important option for those with existing FHA mortgages or non-FHA loans alike. That said, home loan interest rates are higher than they’ve been in a while at publication time and many think refinancing today isn’t a great option. But what about when interest rates and the economy in general begin to improve? You may not be considering a refinance loan today, but when mortgage rates begin to fall, the option becomes more viable for many. How can FHA refinance loans help a borrower make upgrades or improvements when the time is right? There’s more than one way to approach the refinance loan question if you want a refi AND funds to perform | more...

October 3, 2023

How FHA Loans Differ From Other Government-Backed Mortgages

By Joe Wallace

There are several government-backed mortgage loan programs including FHA mortgage loans, VA loans, and USDA mortgages. What makes FHA mortgages different than VA or USDA home loans? How FHA Home Loans Work The FHA does not lend money to borrowers. Instead, it allows third party lenders who meet FHA standards to underwrite and process FHA mortgage loans, which have a percentage of the mortgage guaranteed by the government. That makes the potential losses to the lender lower should a borrower default on the mortgage. FHA home loans have lower credit score requirements, feature lower required down payments, and have borrower-friendly rules such as a requirement that there be no financial penalty for early payoff of the mortgage. FHA loans are backed by the government, making them a better deal for | more...

September 8, 2023

Buying A Home With A Refinance Strategy

By Joe Wallace

For some, buying a home in 2023 is a bad idea. At least, that is the impression some get when looking at today’s high interest rates in the third quarter of the year. Some compare these numbers to the rates available a year or two ago and wonder why they should consider buying a house in today’s market. Saying no to an FHA home loan in these circumstances could be the right answer for those without a refinance strategy to help them get out of today’s higher rates as soon as lower interest rates are offered consistently. But what about those who think long-term and have a strategy to refinance their home loan as soon as it’s feasible? FHA Loans And Housing Market Competition Major news outlets reported mortgage loan | more...

July 28, 2023

FHA Rehab Loans Versus FHA 203(b) Loans

By Bruce Reichstein

When shopping for real estate, most borrowers are thinking of the kind of mortgage such as the one known as an FHA 203(b). That’s the loan you want when shopping for a house you want to buy as-is; one that meets FHA appraisal standards and requires little to no work on the property to make it eligible for a 203(b) forward mortgage. Then there is another type of home loan option available to FHA borrowers; the FHA 203(k) rehabilitation mortgage, which allows you to buy a fixer-upper and have it brought up to FHA appraisal standards and local code requirements. The FHA 203(k) rehab loan is suitable for both new purchase and refinance applications. Regardless of whether you buy or refinance with an FHA Rehab Loan, you are permitted to | more...

July 18, 2023

FHA Refinance Loan Myths

By Joe Wallace

FHA refinance loan myths keep some potential borrowers from making a truly informed choice about what to do when applying for a cash-out refinance loan, reverse mortgage, or rehab loan. Know the facts before you decide! FHA Refinance Loans And Changing Lenders It’s a myth that you can’t refinance your home with a different financial institution than what you started with. You are not required to use your original lender when refinancing a mortgage loan. This is true regardless of whether your original mortgage is an FHA loan. Your original mortgage can be refinanced into an FHA loan, even if it is a conventional mortgage or other type of non-FHA loan. You may need to change lenders if your current mortgage is a non-FHA loan and your lender does not | more...

July 17, 2023

How To Get Cash Out Of Your Home

By Joe Wallace

When you buy a house with an FHA loan, you start building equity with your 3.5% down payment. Once you begin making FHA loan mortgage payments, you continue to build equity in your property over the lifetime of the mortgage. But how do you take equity out of your home? We explore some important options below. Home Equity Loans And Home Equity Lines Of Credit The FHA does not offer a home equity line of credit, this is an option available from many conventional lenders and offers you a line of credit using your house as the collateral. The closest an FHA mortgage gets to a home equity loan is the FHA Cash-Out Refinance loan, which does tap into the unused equity in your house. FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loans FHA | more...

June 23, 2023

FHA Mortgage Loan Terms: Understanding Equity

By Joe Wallace

Home equity is an important term to understand when you’re applying for any kind of mortgage loan, but for some loans, equity is a larger factor than others. For example, when you apply for a new purchase FHA loan to buy a home, you start out with 3.5% of the adjusted price of the home as your equity. That’s the amount of your down payment, and the equity grows over time with the number of payments you make. The more you pay down your FHA mortgage, the more equity you accrue. When you apply for a home equity loan, a home equity line of credit, or an FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), you’re applying for a loan based on the amount of equity you have built up in the | more...

March 8, 2023

How Do FHA Refinance Loan Requirements Work?

By Joe Wallace

How do FHA refinance loan requirements work? There are myths and misconceptions about FHA refinance loans; knowing how they work can help you decide if an FHA refinance loan is right for you. FHA Loans Are Available From Participating Lenders You will need to find a lender that participates in the FHA loan program to get an FHA refinance loan. You do not have to use your original lender to refinance into an FHA mortgage. More on that issue below. FHA Refinance Loan Requirements For Non-FHA Loans Yes, you can refinance a non-FHA home loan into an FHA mortgage. Refinancing non-FHA loans can be accomplished with FHA cash-out loans or no cash-out loans. You do not have to use your original lender to refinance from a non-FHA mortgage to FHA; | more...

March 2, 2023

Myths About FHA Refinance Loans

By Bruce Reichstein

There are plenty of misconceptions about refinancing real estate. If you have a house you want to refinance, it’s good to learn what you can and cannot do with an FHA refinance loan before you start shopping around for a lender. And you WILL want to shop around. FHA Refinance Loan Myths: You Have To Keep Your Original Lender You can refinance your home with another lender offering more competitive terms, rates, or perks for borrowing with that financial institution. FHA Refi Loan Myths: You Have To Refinance Into A Fixed-Rate Mortgage Borrowers can choose an FHA Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) at refinance time if the lender offers such a loan. Not all participating lenders will, which is another reason to shop for the right lender. Refinancing an ARM into | more...

February 17, 2023

Do You Need To Refinance?

By Joe Wallace

Do you need to refinance your home loan, but aren’t sure what the difference is between an FHA Streamline Refinance loan and FHA cash-out refinancing? These loans have important differences, beginning with the availability of cash paid to the borrower at closing time. One refi option permits cash back, the other does not. FHA Cash-Out Refinancing Loans FHA cash-out refi loans allow the borrower to be paid cash at closing when the costs of the new loan have been satisfied and the original loan has been paid off. These cash-out loans are offered by both FHA lenders and conventional lenders; why should a borrower choose an FHA cash-out refinance? Interest rates are generally lower on government-backed mortgages like FHA refinance loans. That said, your FICO scores will affect the actual | more...