Articles Tagged With: FHA Guidelines

March 7, 2018

FHA Loans And Electronic Signatures: Rules You Need To Know

What do you need to know about FHA loans and electronic signatures? In the 21st century, it’s easy to assume that certain aspects of digital and mobile culture are applicable to most (if not all) transactions. But in the case of FHA home loans, it’s not quite that easy. Electronic Signatures Are Not Universal The use of electronic signatures for home loan paperwork is not available from all participating FHA lenders, and FHA loan rules do not permit the use of electronic signatures in certain loan transactions. In fact, on certain types of loan paperwork, electronic signatures are never permitted, at least at the time of this writing. FHA Loan Rules Define Electronic Signatures HUD 4000.1 instructs the lender, “An electronic signature conducted in accordance with the Electronic Signature Performance | more...

January 24, 2018

FHA Loan Rules: Late Or Missed Housing Payments

By Joe Wallace

Many readers contact us asking about the FHA loan rules for late or missed housing payments. These questions aren’t usually along the lines of “what happens if I am late making my FHA mortgage loan payment”, but rather how a participating FHA lender will view late or missed housing payments when it comes time to approve or deny the mortgage loan application. FHA loan rules governing the lender’s loan approval process are found in the FHA Single Family Loan Handbook, HUD 4000.1. These instructions to the lender aren’t the only rules that may affect your transaction; lender standards and state/federal laws will also apply. But the basic guidelines for the FHA home loan approval process give the lender specific instructions for FHA loan minimum requirements, and that will be the | more...

January 23, 2018

FHA Loan Rules For Debt-To-Income Ratios: Business Debt

By Bruce Reichstein

FHA loan rules for debt-to-income ratios (DTI) include guidelines for the lender when the loan applicant has debts listed in his or her name, but those debts are actually those of the borrower’s business. What do you need to know about this type of debt? Before addressing that issue, it’s important to point out that debt ratios are a very important part of the FHA loan approval process. The higher the amount of your monthly debt compared to your monthly income, the harder your loan officer has to work to justify approving the loan. A borrower with too much monthly debt may be required to have compensating factors as a condition of loan approval. Those factors can be a larger down payment, substantial savings in cash, or other things as | more...

January 16, 2018

What Is The Interest Rate For FHA Refinance Loans?

By Joe Wallace

What is the interest rate for FHA refinance loans? This is an important question since your interest rate will affect the overall cost of your refi loan over time, and it’s good to know how rates work before you apply for a new home loan. FHA mortgage loan and refinance loan interest rates have a variety of factors that affect how they are determined for your loan. There is no single determining factor that allows a lender to give a single rate to all applicants-your interest rate is determined based on application data, market forces, and other factors. Does The FHA Set Interest Rates On FHA Refinance Loans? The FHA and HUD do not set or regulate FHA mortgage loan and refinance loan interest rates, except to require that the | more...

FHA One-Time Close Construction Mortgage Basics

November 22, 2017

How Do You Get A One-Time Close FHA Construction Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

How do you get an FHA construction loan? If you want to have a new home built from the ground up (as opposed to buying an “existing construction” home that already exists), an FHA new construction loan is possible. The FHA One-Time Close / Single-Close construction loan makes it much easier with a single application and closing for the entire project. Other types of construction loans feature TWO closing dates and a more complex process. FHA One-Time Close mortgages simplify the construction loan by wrapping the entire loan process up with a single application and loan approval. Not all FHA lenders offer construction loans, so you’ll need to shop around to find the right lender for your needs. There are two basic types of FHA construction loans-a “traditional” construction loan, | more...

November 21, 2017

What Are The FHA Loan Rules For Occupancy?

By Joe Wallace

What are the FHA loan rules for occupancy? This is a question many borrowers are curious about, especially those who are interested in becoming landlords and earning rental income from their property. Does the FHA single family home loan program allow a borrower to rent out the property purchased with an FHA mortgage? FHA Loans Are Specifically For Owner/Occupiers HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, states clearly that at least one person obligated on the FHA mortgage is required to use the property as their primary residence: “At least one Borrower must occupy the Property within 60 Days of signing the security instrument and intend to continue occupancy for at least one year.” Furthermore, the FHA clearly defines what it considers to be a “principal residence”. On page 140 of | more...

November 6, 2017

Why Do People Prefer FHA loans? Part Two

By Joe Wallace

Why do people prefer FHA loans? That’s a question we’ve been examining recently. In a recent blog post we discussed FHA loan down payments, credit requirements, and related issues-all reasons people might turn to an FHA mortgage instead of a different kind of home loan. But there are other reasons to think about FHA mortgages, reasons that aren’t as as top-of-mind as what kind of down payment you might need. Consider the consumer protections and benefits built in to FHA mortgages that make these loans attractive. FHA Loans Permit Early Payoff Of The Mortgage Without Penalty The FHA lender handbook, HUD 4000.1, states that the borrower cannot be penalized for early payoff of the mortgage. In a section covering pre-payment of FHA loans, “pre-payment” is defined as follows: “A Partial | more...

November 2, 2017

Are There Any Income Documentation Rules For FHA Loans? Part Two

By Joe Wallace

Are there any income documentation rules for FHA loans? We have been examining this question, referring to the FHA loan handbook (HUD 4000.1) to see what the lender must do when reviewing a borrower’s income. The lender must calculate the applicant’s debt-to-income ratio using only verifiable income, and there are specific procedures your loan officer must use to do this. Those procedures can vary depending on the nature of your income. Are you salaried, hourly, commission, or contract? Depending on your payment arrangements, the lender must calculate the income accordingly. FHA Loan Applicants With Hourly Income HUD 40001. tells the lender that for hourly income, the loan officer must determine whether the hours of employment vary or not. If they do not vary, the lender can use the current rate | more...

November 2, 2017

Are There Any Income Documentation Rules For FHA Loans?

By Bruce Reichstein

Are there any income documentation rules for FHA loans? That is what some borrowers want to know when they are ready to fill out a mortgage loan application. What does your FHA lender need to know about your income and employment? The FHA Lender Is Required To Document Your Employment And Income In the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, your FHA loan officer is instructed to document two years of employment, though that two years is not necessarily required to be with the same company or in the same job position. The lender wants to know your income history, whether you have gotten any raises, or whether recent job changes have resulted in a benefit to you income-wise. FHA Loan Rules Require Independent Verification Of Your Income This means that | more...

October 24, 2017

How Do You Qualify For An FHA Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

How do you qualify for an FHA loan? Many want to know what it takes to get approved for an FHA mortgage, and you may be surprised to find out that FHA mortgage loans have more forgiving minimum requirements than other types of home loans. Lender standards will apply above and beyond FHA minimums depending on the financial institution and other factors, but in general FHA mortgages are designed to be more affordable and more forgiving where credit qualifications are concerned. Qualifying For An FHA Mortgage To begin, only owner-occupiers are allowed to get FHA loans. You can’t buy an investment property with an FHA mortgage unless you are a non-profit or a government agency (generally speaking). If you intend to purchase property you will live in as your home | more...