Articles Tagged With: Appraiser

What Credit Score Is Needed For An FHA Mortgage?

December 7, 2018

How FHA Home Loan Appraisals Differ From Home Inspections

If you are serious about buying a particular home with an FHA mortgage loan, one of the big steps in the process heading toward loan approval is the FHA appraisal. The appraisal process and the home inspection are not the same thing, do not address the same concerns, and are intended for different users. What are these differences and why should you as the house hunter care about them? FHA Appraisals Are A Lender’s Tool The home that is appraised by an FHA fee appraiser does so in service of the lender, not the borrower. The lender is interested in knowing that the home meets minimum FHA standards and applicable building codes. The lender is also interested in setting a fair market value for the home; that is done by | more...

November 19, 2018

FHA loans: A Mortgage For First-Time Home Buyers

By Joe Wallace

While it should be pointed out that FHA mortgage loans are not restricted to those who have never owned a home before, it’s also good to note that FHA mortgages are an excellent choice for first time buyers since they won’t be required to buy homes with 20% down. Low- and no-downpayment mortgages are obviously an advantage to the first time home buyer; how does an FHA mortgage help these borrowers? Verify Your FHA Loan Eligibility All mortgage loans have eligibility standards; FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, rural housing loans guaranteed by the USDA or even the 100% loans offered to qualifying veterans (VA loans) guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs all have financial eligibility requirements. And all of these loans have minimum program guidelines that may or | more...

October 10, 2018

Four Reasons You Need A Home Inspection After The FHA Appraisal

By Joe Wallace

There are four good reasons why you need a home inspection as well as an FHA appraisal on the home you want to buy with an FHA mortgage. Some FHA loan applicants are tempted to sign on the dotted line based on the results of the FHA appraisal alone. Is this a good idea? No. Why not? If it’s good enough for the FHA, why isn’t it good enough for the borrower to accept the appraisal results and take it on faith that the home is exactly as it appears? #4: Get A Home Inspection Because The Appraisal Is Not Intended For The Borrower, It’s A Tool For The Lender The appraisal process is meant only to establish the home’s fair market value and determine that the home meets minimum | more...

June 15, 2018

When Is An Appraisal Required For My FHA Mortgage Loan?

By Joe Wallace

When is an appraisal required for an FHA home loan? This important question often comes up when borrowers want to refinance a home using an FHA refinance loan such as cash-out refinance, FHA Streamline Refinance, or even when the borrower wants to apply for an FHA Reverse Mortgage. Appraisals are required for most FHA loan transactions-you will always have to pay for an appraisal for an FHA forward mortgage, which is the kind of loan you will apply for when purchasing a new home. Appraisals are required for both existing construction loans and FHA One-Time Close construction loans, though the process will vary for construction loans due to the nature of the transaction. Appraisals will also be required for FHA Rehab loans. The appraisal is intended to establish the fair | more...

June 14, 2018

FHA Home Loan Questions And Answers About The Appraisal Process

By Joe Wallace

The FHA loan appraisal process is potentially confusing to a new borrower. If you are serious about purchasing a specific property with an FHA mortgage, the appraisal is an important step in the loan approval portion of your house hunting experience because it tells the lender whether the property is suitable for an FHA mortgage. What Is The FHA Appraisal And What Does It Do? FHA appraisals are performed when you want to purchase a specific property with a home loan. The appraisal is not done for a house you are “just looking” at; this process is reserved for the home you specifically want to buy. An FHA approved appraiser, assigned by your lender, will come to the property and give it a general review. This process is not as | more...

May 25, 2018

FHA Home Loan Rules For New Construction Appraisals

By Joe Wallace

Borrowers who are interested in having a home built for them from the ground up using an FHA construction loan such as an FHA One-Time Close mortgage or any other type of FHA-guaranteed mortgage loan may wonder what the rules are for appraisals. After all, existing construction appraisal processes are for a home that is ready to sell (although the process may vary if the borrower is applying for certain types of rehab loans). While the appraisal requirements may be generally the same-the home must be safe, habitable, and have an economic life for the entire duration of the mortgage-there are procedural issues that affect new construction properties. With that in mind, appraisals on new construction run a bit differently in some procedural ways than existing construction mortgages; with the | more...

April 9, 2018

FHA Loan Appraisal Tips

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan appraisal tips can be hard to come by if you are a first-time home buyer and aren’t even sure about the right questions to ask. Do you need to clear up any confusion over the FHA appraisal? Keep reading, you’ll learn that the appraisal process is more simple and straightforward than it may appear at first glance. FHA Appraisals Are Ordered For The Home You Wish To Purchase That may seem alike a simple and obvious fact if you have some experience with the home loan process, but some borrowers might not realize that the appraisal stage of the mortgage comes when you find a home you are serious about buying. You won’t need to know the actual fair market value of a home that you’re just “window | more...

March 29, 2018

What You Should Know About FHA Home Loan Appraisals

By Joe Wallace

What you should know about FHA home loan appraisals includes understanding the difference between one and a home inspection. You should also know that the appraisal serves as a tool for the lender to establish the fair market value of the home compared to similar ones like it in the area. The FHA appraisal is affected by state and local laws, building code, and more. FHA Appraisal Requirements For Safety And Habitability FHA loan rules for the appraisal process in HUD 4000.1 state, “As the on-site representative for the Mortgagee, the Appraiser provides preliminary verification that a Property meets the Property Acceptability Criteria, which includes HUD’s Minimum Property Requirements (MPR) and Minimum Property Standards (MPS). Minimum Property Requirements refer to general requirements that all homes insured by FHA be safe, | more...

February 15, 2018

The Truth About FHA Appraisals

By Joe Wallace

There are some borrowers who don’t know the truth about FHA appraisals. They mistake the appraisal process for something it is not and make the wrong assumptions about the home they are purchasing based on the outcome of the FHA appraisal. This has the potential to create major problems down the line, because relying on the appraisal alone (instead of paying for the optional but critically important home inspection) doesn’t give the borrower all the information she or he needs to make an informed decision about purchasing a property. There’s an old maxim about appraisals; basically that they are a tool for the lender, not the borrower. The FHA appraisal process is not intended to be a stamp of approval on the home implying that it is fully defect-free. Borrowers | more...

February 14, 2018

FHA Appraisal Rules When Switching Lenders

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you know what the FHA loan appraisal rules are for switching lenders? It’s true that not all borrowers will experience a situation where a change in lenders is needed, but a borrower is free to do so under FHA loan rules. In such cases an appraisal transfer may be required, and in others the new lender may wish to order a second appraisal. Is the new lender allowed to do so? According to HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, the lender is prevented from ordering a second appraisal (new lender or not) just to get a different result from the process. But there are circumstances where the new appraisal might be necessary and permitted. HUD 4000.1 states that for the original lender, “A second appraisal may only be ordered | more...