Articles Tagged With: FHA Home Loan

September 12, 2017

Can I Use Disaster Relief For My FHA Loan Down Payment?

Can I use disaster relief for my FHA loan down payment? That question is on the minds of many in the wake of hurricanes, forest fires, and other natural disasters. FHA home loans have a minimum required investment or down payment of 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home. Depending on circumstances including marginal credit scores, some transactions may require a higher down payment. But the down payment is required no matter what, and FHA loan rules state the down payment must come from approved sources. That means a borrower will be required to furnish the lender with information about the source of the FHA loan down payment. Borrowers can use cash saved at home, money from investments or savings clubs, even gift funds from approved sources. Those approved | more...

September 7, 2017

Do FHA Home Loan Limits Change?

By Bruce Reichstein

Do FHA home loan limits change? Borrowers who want to know what the FHA loan limits for a given housing market might be have to contend with the possibility of changing limits depending on what time of year they are house hunting. How FHA Loan Limits Work The Federal Housing Administration calculates new purchase mortgage loan limits based on “the median house prices in accordance with the National Housing Act” according to the FHA official site. “FHA’s Single Family forward mortgage limits are set by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and county and are published periodically.” FHA publishes updated home loan limits for forward mortgages and reverse mortgages on a yearly basis. The FHA official site states, “FHA sets these limits at or between the low cost area and high cost | more...

Credit Scores For An FHA Home Loan: When Low Credit Is Not Bad Credit

September 6, 2017

HUD Announces Disaster Relief Priorities For Survivors of Hurricane Harvey

By Bruce Reichstein

HUD has announced disaster relief priorities for survivors of Hurricane Harvey, and those priorities include long-term housing needs for those displaced by the disaster. According to a press release published on the HUD official site, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is the “lead federal coordinating agency for long-term disaster-related housing needs resulting from Hurricane Harvey. Federal partners are working closely with the Texas state-led housing task force, as well as other state, local, tribal and voluntary agencies, to meet the need for quality affordable rental homes.” Post-Harvey disaster recovery efforts are, as you can see from the quote above, far-reaching. Those who have been displaced may be eligible for FEMA assistance, and HUD urges all in hurricane affected areas to contact FEMA to determine what they may be | more...

Who can apply for FHA Reverse Mortgages?

September 5, 2017

What Happens To My FHA Appraisal If I Switch Lenders?

By Bruce Reichstein

What happens to my FHA appraisal if I switch lenders? It does happen-sometimes a borrower starts with one company but decides to switch lenders. There are many reasons why this could happen; a better set of terms and conditions offered elsewhere, a change of mind, etc. It is definitely possible to switch participating FHA lenders before the transaction reaches a certain point, but what if the appraisal has already happened? FHA loan rules found in HUD 4000.1 anticipate such issues, and addresses them starting on page 127, which begins by saying that the lender is required to transfer the appraisal to the new lender within five business days. In cases where a Borrower has switched Mortgagees, the first Mortgagee must, at the Borrower’s request, transfer the appraisal to the second | more...

Refinancing a Second Home With An FHA Mortgage Loan

August 29, 2017

What Happens To FHA Loans Not Endorsed Prior To A Natural Disaster?

By Joe Wallace

In our previous blog post, we examined FHA loan rules for properties that were in the process of being purchased (but had not closed the deal) before a natural disaster struck. What happens when an FHA home loan is not endorsed by the lender prior to the disaster? The answer may first depend on whether or not the location of the home is in a federal disaster area or not. The following information applies only to homes located in a federally declared major disaster area-according to HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook: “All Properties with pending Mortgages or endorsements in Presidentially-Declared Major Disaster Areas (PDMDA) must have a damage inspection report that identifies and quantifies any dwelling damage. The damage inspection report must be completed by an FHA Roster Appraiser | more...

August 29, 2017

What Happens To My FHA Loan In A Natural Disaster?

By Bruce Reichstein

What happens to my FHA loan in a natural disaster? If you have already closed on your FHA mortgage, you’ll need to get in touch with your lender to determine what next steps are, but what about those who were in the process of purchasing property but did not close the loan before the disaster struck? FHA loan rules anticipate this problem and have specific instructions to the lender for handling what to do if a borrower’s purchase winds up in a federally declared disaster area. According to the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, “All Properties with pending Mortgages or endorsements in Presidentially-Declared Major Disaster Areas (PDMDA) must have a damage inspection report that identifies and quantifies any dwelling damage. The damage inspection report must be completed by an FHA | more...

August 23, 2017

Can I Get An FHA Home Loan After Foreclosure?

By Bruce Reichstein

Can I get an FHA loan after foreclosure? This is a question that comes up quite often. The answer depends on a variety of factors including the date that the foreclosed property was transferred out of the borrower’s name. The FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, states that the FHA minimum requirements for getting a new loan following a foreclosure include a waiting period. This period, often called a “seasoning period” or “seasoning requirement” is normally three years. From HUD 4000.1: “A Borrower is generally not eligible for a new FHA-insured Mortgage if the Borrower had a foreclosure or a Deed-In-Lieu of foreclosure in the three-year period prior to the date of case number assignment.” The next line in that section is a crucial one: “This three-year period begins on the | more...

August 23, 2017

Can I Get An FHA Loan After Bankruptcy?

By Joe Wallace

Can I get an FHA loan after bankruptcy? That question is a common one, and the answer depends as much on the borrower as it does on the rules of the FHA single family loan program. In general, those who experience bankruptcy will be required to wait out a “seasoning period” described in HUD 4000.1 (the FHA loan handbook). Depending on what type of bankruptcy you filed, borrowers may also be required to get court permission before attempting to proceed with a new home loan. Mandatory FHA Loan Seasoning Periods Following Bankruptcy Bankruptcy rules may vary depending on the type, but in general a borrower’s minimum waiting period will be 12 months from the time the bankruptcy is discharged. The waiting period does NOT begin from the filing date. FHA | more...

August 22, 2017

HUD Announces Disaster Relief For West Virginia

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced disaster relief for storm victims in West Virginia, thanks to a federal disaster area declaration for Harrison, Marion, Marshall, and Wetzel counties. According to a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, the agency will “speed federal disaster assistance to the State of West Virginia and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes due to severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides” in zones now declared federal disaster areas. The FHA/HUD disaster relief measures include a 90-day moratorium requested by HUD on all FHA loans in the affected areas, and also the availability of FHA 203(h) rehab loans intended for “disaster victims who have lost their homes and are facing the daunting task of rebuilding or buying | more...

August 21, 2017

Are FHA Appraisals The Same As Home Inspections?

By Joe Wallace

Are FHA appraisals the same thing as home inspections? We’ve fielded a few reader questions this week about this issue, and it is very important for borrowers to fully understand why they should budget and save for the optional home inspection in addition to an FHA appraisal (which is not optional). FHA appraisals are NOT the same as home inspections. Appraisers and home inspectors will approach the same property with different intentions and procedures. The FHA appraisal will never give a borrower an informed look at the home the way the home inspection is designed to; the shortest way to address this issue is to state that appraisals are for lenders, home inspections are for borrowers. Even if a property makes it all the way through the appraisal process with | more...