Articles Tagged With: FHA Appraisals

February 26, 2013

Reader Questions: FHA Loan Down Payments

A reader asks, “I am thinking about purchasing a home. I’ve been to many open houses (any where I see a signs posted). If a house costs $250,000 is it possible to be approved for a home loan with no money down, if not how much down payment do I need to be approved?” FHA guaranteed home loans sometimes get confused with the VA loan program. VA loans, available to qualified military members and veterans, are offered with a no money down option. But this is not true in the case of FHA home loans, which have a minimum down payment of 3.5%. There is no specific, set dollar amount for the required minimum down payment, since the 3.5% is a percentage of the contract sales price of the home. | more...

February 25, 2013

FHA Loans, Prepayments and Due-On-Sale Clauses

By Joe Wallace

When shopping for a home, some borrowers come into the house hunt with a strategy that includes paying or pre-paying a chunk of the mortgage loan up front. This isn’ necessarily a down payment per se, but it is something to consider when setting a budget for a home loan and the anticipated mortgage loan payments. Does the FHA allow such a strategy? Can borrowers pay down the loan principal? FHA home loans do feature the ability to pre-pay a portion of the loan. This can be helpful for many reasons including lowering mortgage payments and saving money over the lifetime of the loan by reducing the principal and the amount of interest paid on that principal. According to HUD 4155.2 Chapter Three, Section A, “A borrower may prepay a | more...

February 22, 2013

FHA Loan Limits For High Cost Counties: FHA Loan Questions

By Joe Wallace

Many borrowers want to know why FHA home loans are available for the same size and type of properties, but in larger or smaller amounts depending on the market. Why aren’t FHA loan amounts standardized? The basic answer to this is that all housing markets are different, and the costs in one market are not necessarily the same for another. A two-bedroom home with a garage in Bangor, Maine might not cost the same to build or finance as a similar home in Cleveland, Ohio. The same goes for properties located on either coast—how much would that two-bedroom home build and sell for in Los Angeles or New York? To address these issues, the FHA has created a table that lists the FHA loan limits for counties where the costs | more...

February 21, 2013

FHA Refinance Loan Questions: Credit Requirements

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “My divorce was final last March. My ex got the house. He’s suppose to be getting it refinanced but has been turned down twice for the Streamline. What are we missing? It was “transferred” to him through divorce, he has all documents showing he’s made the payments since we bought the house 5 years ago to present. And what’s the “non-credit” qualifying requirement? From what I’ve read, he should be good to go with that but the lenders, or lack thereof, keep turning him down due to debt/income ratio.” Reader questions like these are common; unfortunately there are too many variables that could affect a refinance loan application to answer this reader’s query specifically. What variables could be at work in situations like these? Any number of | more...

February 19, 2013

The New FHA MIP Rules

By Joe Wallace

We’ve written more than one blog post recently on the changes to the FHA mortgage insurance policy. Because of the potential for confusion over these changes, we’re attempting to explain these changes one important detail at a time. When the FHA announced its changes and made them official, it issued a mortgagee letter which includes the following information: “For loans with FHA case numbers assigned on or after June 3, 2013, FHA will collect the annual MIP for the maximum duration permitted under statute. For all mortgages regardless of their amortization terms, any mortgage involving an original principal obligation (excluding financed Up-Front MIP (UFMIP)) less than or equal to 90 percent LTV, the annual MIP will be assessed until the end of the mortgage term or for the first 11 | more...

February 18, 2013

FHA Loan Questions: When Do The New FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums Take Effect?

By Joe Wallace

A recent FHA press release announced changes to the FHA mortgage insurance policy, including higher MIP and other changes. According to the FHA official site. “FHA will increase its annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) for most new mortgages by 10 basis points or by 0.10 percent. FHA will increase premiums on jumbo mortgages ($625,500 or larger) by 5 basis points or 0.05 percent, to the maximum authorized annual mortgage insurance premium. These premium increases exclude certain streamline refinance transactions. FHA will also require most FHA borrowers to continue paying annual premiums for the life of their mortgage loan.” Those are significant changes to the FHA loan program, but who is affected by these changes and when do they take effect? Some borrowers who already have FHA home loans are concerned | more...

February 14, 2013

FHA Proposes Down Payment Changes For Larger FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

The FHA is considering changes to the maximum LTV and down payment rules for certain FHA mortgages (described by the FHA as those “in excess of $625,500”) according to the FHA official site. According to HUDNo.13-010, “FHA will announce a proposed increased down payment requirement for mortgages with original principal balances above $625,500. The minimum down payment for these mortgages will increase from 3.5 to 5 percent.” “This change, coupled with the statutory maximum premiums charged for these loans, will help protect FHA and further facilitate its efforts to encourage higher levels of private market participation in the housing finance market.” In a statement published in the Federal Register Volume 78, Number 25, you’ll find some supplemental information including the following: “…the maximum LTV will be limited to 95 percent | more...

February 8, 2013

FHA Loan FICO Score Requirements: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “My credit score is 678. When my husband tried to get his FICO score, he was told he couldn’t because he did not meet the minimum scoring requirements. (He is just starting to build credit and has nothing). Will we be able to qualify for an FHA loan based on my credit score?” FHA loan rules have a lot to say on this. In HUD 4155.1, you’ll find the following under the section titled Analyzing The Borrower’s Credit: “Neither the lack of credit history nor the borrower’s decision not to use credit may be used as a basis for rejecting the loan application. We also recognize that some prospective borrowers may not have an established credit history. For those borrowers, and for those who do not use | more...

February 7, 2013

FHA Loan Reader Questions: FHA Loans After a Foreclosure

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I had a bankruptcy discharged in 2009. My mortgage was part of this bankruptcy however the bank did not foreclose until 2012. I am employed and have an average credit score of 678. Would I qualify for a FHA loan on a new property?” This is a tricky question because it includes both a bankruptcy AND a foreclosure. In such cases it’s best to contact the FHA directly for advice. Does the borrower’s two situations–bankruptcy and foreclosure–have any special consideration? There are different possibilities depending on the type of bankruptcy (not mentioned in the reader question), but let’s examine the FHA rules for the borrower’s more recent foreclosure issue. Can a borrower apply for an FHA mortgage in 2013 if there was a foreclosure action in 2012? | more...

February 6, 2013

FHA Loans After Foreclosure

By Joe Wallace

We get many reader questions in the comments section asking about how long a borrower must wait in order to be eligible for a new FHA home loan following foreclosure. We’ve answered this question many times quoting the rules and regulations found in the FHA loan rulebook, HUD 4155.1. Now the Federal Housing Commissioner, Carol Galante, has issued some guidance on the subject. While her words are directed toward “stakeholders” and not necessarily consumers in particular, she has an important message that borrowers need to be aware of when considering applying for an FHA loan in the wake of foreclosure proceedings. Galante says, “Recently, we have seen a proliferation of web-based and print advertising regarding the sup- posed ease of obtaining an FHA-insured loan following a foreclosure. Often, this advertising | more...