Articles Tagged With: FHA and HUD

November 11, 2019

Happy Veterans Day 2019

Happy Veterans Day! Many banks will be closed to observe this federal holiday, bond markets are closed, and we pause in our usual routine of answering questions about FHA home loans to honor our veterans. Thank a veteran for her service, and remember the sacrifices all our troops have made no matter where in the world they may be stationed. To all current and former members of the U.S. military, THANK YOU for your service! Our regular posting schedule resumes tomorrow.

Home Loans For Building On Your Own Land

November 8, 2019

FHA Loan Appraisal Requirements: Repairs

By Bruce Reichstein

FHA loan rules require an appraisal of the property secured by the mortgage regardless of whether it’s an existing construction home or if you choose to build on your own land using a One-Time Close loan. Do you know what the home loan rules say about any required repairs or corrections? You may not expect an appraisal-directed repair from a new construction home. But if the FHA appraiser finds something that does not meet local building code, or if there was some kind of damage uncovered during the appraisal (these are just two examples of what could happen at appraisal time on a new construction home) those issues must be corrected. HUD 4000.1, the FHA Single-Family Home Loan Handbook, instructs the lender that in cases where the appraisal uncovers things | more...

November 6, 2019

HUD Announces Million Dollar Settlement With Bridgeport Housing Authority Over Disability Discrimination Claims

By Bruce Reichstein

No matter what stage you are at in the house-hunting process, discrimination has a chilling effect on your efforts to find a home. It does not matter if you are renting or buying, discrimination corrupts every stage of the housing process. That is one reason we report on Fair Housing cases here; borrowers sometimes don’t fully understand their rights or the fact that in order to prevent future discrimination tomorrow, the victims of today’s Fair Housing Act violations have to report the illegal activity to call it to the attention of HUD. This is vital in any case; in today’s action, HUD did not get the initial complaint from an outside source (which seems rare for this type of Fair Housing Act issue) but rather from a HUD compliance review | more...

November 4, 2019

FHA Loan Down Payment Rules

By Joe Wallace

Do you know what the rules are for down payments according to the FHA Lender’s Handbook? HUD 4000.1 states that the minimum required down payment allowed for FHA mortgages is 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home. The borrower must pay this independently of any other closing costs associated with the loan. The seller, lender, or any other party with a stake in the outcome of the transaction cannot provide down payment funds to the borrower. Sellers are permitted to contribute toward closing costs, but not the down payment. The down payment is part of the borrower’s cash requirement to close the loan. The lender is required to verify the sourcing of all down payment funds (including gift funds from other people) to insure the money does not come | more...

November 1, 2019

FHA Loan Down Payment Help For Borrowers

By Bruce Reichstein

Even with the FHA loan program’s low 3.5% down payment requirement, some borrowers struggle to come up with the minimum required investment for the purchase of an existing home or construction of a new home. Fortunately, there is home loan down payment assistance available for borrowers from local agencies (the FHA itself does not provide down payment funds) and there are resources you can search to find the down payment help you need in your local area. But there are rules for down payment grants, home buyer grants, and other forms of down payment help. FHA loan rules say any down payment help must meet FHA requirements and must not be used in ways that are against the rules. For example, some well-intentioned groups may offer down payment funds to | more...

October 31, 2019

Does The Fed Interest Rate Cut Also Cut Mortgage Loan Rates?

By Joe Wallace

On Wednesday, October 30 2019, the Fed voted to cut interest rates for the third time. The specifics, reported by many news outlets including CNBC.com, include a 25 basis points cut to the benchmark funds rate. According to a CNBC report, ” The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but is also tied to most forms of revolving consumer debt.” Some want to know if the Fed rate cut directly equals a cut to mortgage loan insurance rates for FHA loans, VA mortgages, USDA loans, or conventional mortgages. The short answer is no, it does not. But that does NOT mean an interest rate cut won’t affect your mortgage rate if you are not currently in a rate lock commitment with your lender. The rates cut | more...

October 30, 2019

HUD Announces New Partnership To Enforce FHA Guidelines

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the agency and the Department of Justice designed to provide guidance on pursuing disciplinary actions in cases brought against participating FHA lenders who may be in violation under the False Claims Act (FCA). “This agreement clearly outlines our FHA mortgage program requirements, so they do not impede or discourage lenders from offering affordable FHA-insured loans to credit-worthy borrowers,” according to one HUD official quoted in the agency’s press release. The United States Attorney General is also quoted in the press release adding, “”This MOU sets forth a robust and collaborative process for deciding when to pursue False Claims Act cases to remedy material and knowing FHA violations,” The agreement means HUD and | more...

October 25, 2019

Important FHA Loan Options For Almost Any Mortgage

By Joe Wallace

There are important FHA loan options you should know about that apply to practically any type of mortgage. No matter if you need a single-unit loan for a typical suburban home or you want to build a house on your own lot using an FHA One-Time Close construction loan, there are options you should consider to get the most mileage out of your loan. FHA Loan Options: Energy Efficient Add-Ons The FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage is an option you can use to add funds for approved energy-saving upgrades to the property. That much is more well-known than the fact that you can use this FHA loan option even if you are applying for an FHA Rehab loan which is already intended to provide funds to repair, renovate, or upgrade a | more...

October 24, 2019

The FHA Loan That Helps You Build On Your Own Lot

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA One-Time Close construction loan FHA One-Time Close Loan is a mortgage that lets the borrower design and build a home on the borrower’s own land. If you would rather build a home rather than look at real estate listings for an existing construction house, the One-Time Close loan is for you. There is an FHA version of the One-Time Close construction mortgage that requires a low 3.5% down payment. There is also a version of this construction loan offered by the VA to qualifying veterans and currently serving military members. The VA One-time Close construction loan has a 0% down / zero-down option. No money down is required for a VA construction loan up to the VA loan limit. See the end of this article for more information | more...

October 23, 2019

Real Estate, Millennials, And Down Payments

By Joe Wallace

What do millennials and Gen Z’ers say about buying real estate and making down payments? A home ownership-centric website called Porch.com did a survey of roughly 1300 people and the results are quite interesting–and useful to anyone in the planning stages of buying a home. The attitudes of the age groups such as Generation Z and Millennials were of particular interest for this study. “According to our findings” the Porch.com survey page for the Generational Outlook Survey says, “over 75 percent of Gen Zers said it was ‘very important’ or ‘important’ to own a home in their lifetime”, but “only 41 percent” believe it is necessary to do that in the next decade or so. But regardless of when the home is to by purchased, more than 40% of those | more...