Articles Tagged With: FHA Lenders

December 29, 2020

FHA Home Loan Resources For New Borrowers

Are you thinking about your first home loan for 2021? Are you considering your options for your very first refinance loan? There are some important resources you should know about that can help you in the planning stages. Know Your FHA Loan Limits If you don’t know what the FHA loan limits are for your county for 2021, you can look at the FHA.gov official site, but you can also look at home loan websites to view both the rundown of 2021 home loan guaranty limits but also get information in getting pre-qualified, etc. When exploring your area FHA loan limits, don’t forget that the limits increase if you purchase a multi-unit property. The single-unit FHA loan limit is lower than the four-unit FHA loan limit and borrowers are permitted | more...

Home Loans For Building On Your Own Land

December 15, 2020

What Is A Home Construction Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

Construction loans have different names–you may read them referred to as home construction mortgages, and depending on the terms and conditions of the loan you may find them referred to as One-Time Close mortgages or Construction-To-Permanent mortgages. If you want to build a home on your own land or on land you buy in conjunction with your construction loan, you should ask your loan officer about the FHA and/or VA One-Time Close construction loan programs. These loans feature a single mortgage for the construction phase and the mortgage portion of the transaction–unlike other construction loans that require two loans, two applications, two closing dates, etc. Myths about the construction loan process include who can buy–even a first-time home buyer can be approved for a One-Time close mortgage if they qualify | more...

December 14, 2020

How To Prepare For A Home Loan In 2021

By Joe Wallace

How do you prepare for a home loan in the new year? There are a number of steps you can take to get ready. The first step for some is to contact the FHA and HUD at their toll-free number 1-800 CALL FHA to request a free referral to a HUD-approved, local housing counselor. This can help you to better understand the credit requirements of the home loan process, learn what areas to focus on to get your credit ready, etc. The first step for others isn’t to call for a referral, but rather to contact the three major credit reporting agencies to request copies of the borrower’s credit report. You’ll want to get very familiar with the contents of your credit report as early as possible. Look for a | more...

November 30, 2020

Common Questions About FHA Mobile Home Loans

By Bruce Reichstein

FHA home loan options include FHA mortgages for mobile homes. You can buy a mobile home, manufactured home, or modular home using an FHA mortgage and there are many common questions about this type of FHA mortgage option. What Does the FHA Define As A Manufactured Home? The FHA official site describes a mobile home (also known as a manufactured home) as a property built “to the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code) and displays a red certification label on the exterior of each transportable section”. The FHA official site also states that manufactured homes are built “in the controlled environment of a manufacturing plant” and are transported in one or more sections on a permanent chassis. FHA loan rules state that any mobile home must be affixed | more...

August 10, 2020

FHA One-Time Close Loan Rules: Buying Land To Build On

By Joe Wallace

You can build a home on your own lot, even as a first-time home buyer. Thanks to the FHA single-family loan program, which includes a construction loan option, you can build a home instead of buying an existing construction house AND take advantage of low FHA loan down payment requirements. FHA loan rules require only a 3.5% down payment even for construction loans, making the option to build instead of buy within reach of many who are just now exploring their options for becoming a home owner. But when considering a construction loan it’s good to remember that you don’t have to own land already–not all construction loan borrowers own their own property and need to purchase the lot as part of the loan. Building Your Home With A Construction | more...

August 7, 2020

FHA Home Loans For First-Time Buyers: Choices To Consider

By Joe Wallace

Are you a first-time home buyer looking for the most affordable mortgage options? FHA home loans feature flexible guidelines, and those options come with lower downpayment requirements other advantages over conventional mortgages. FHA Loan Options Are Diverse There are many types of housing you can buy with an FHA mortgage–a condo unit, a house in the suburbs, even properties with up to four units the borrower can occupy while renting out the unused units. You have to occupy the property you buy, but being a landlord may be an option for some to consider. There are also FHA home loans you can use to buy a fixer-upper (the FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation mortgage) and there’s also the FHA loan program to help you build a house on your own lot with | more...

What Credit Score Is Needed For An FHA Mortgage?

July 28, 2020

Getting Ready For Your Home Loan

By Joe Wallace

Even during the global pandemic, people still need to buy and sell houses to live in. The real estate markets in America have not shut down, and even as you read this there are mortgages entering the closing stages. Are you looking for a new home to live in? If you are, it’s likely you’ve asked yourself whether your credit is ready for a major credit application; do you know what to do if your credit report needs correcting? One of the most common bits of advice in this area is that all borrowers should start preparing by getting very familiar with the contents of your credit report. But there is another step to take at the same time you’re doing that. Set Your Bills To Autopay When you review | more...

Build on your own lot. Construction loan basics

June 15, 2020

First-Time Home Buyers: Build Your New Home With A One-Time Close Construction Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Buying a home can be challenging for some first-time borrowers. Many newcomers to the mortgage market don’t know all their options open and in that situation it is easy to make choices that are less than fully-informed. One-Time Close construction loans are open to any financially qualified applicant and that includes FHA borrowers who have never purchased a home before but have good FICO scores and repayment history that has no late or missed payments in the last 12 months or better. One-Time Close loans are offered as FHA, VA, and even USDA mortgages. The FHA version is NOT need-based and features no income caps, unlike the USDA version. VA construction loans are intended only for qualifying military members, veterans, and certain surviving spouses of military members. For the average | more...

May 6, 2020

Home Loan Forbearance Options

By Bruce Reichstein

Are you one of the many Americans in need of mortgage loan forbearance during COVID-19? There are many different types of mortgages; FHA, VA, USDA, conventional…the options available to you may vary depending on the type of mortgage you have, whether you are current on your home loan payments at the time you request the help, and other factors. If you need to apply for mortgage forbearance, it is important to know the range of choices open to you not just for the forbearance period itself, but also for repaying the money you don’t pay now if you are approved. Some loan forbearance options may allow you to choose to stop making payments for up to a full year and choose a method to repay the year’s worth of delayed | more...

March 31, 2020

FHA and HUD Change Loan Approval Requirements For Coronavirus

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced short-term alterations to appraisal and approval policies for single-family forward mortgages during the coronavirus outbreak. The changes, originally set to expire on May 17, 2020, address issues involving how appraisers review their properties, and how lenders must reverify borrower financial data before closing time. The changes to appraisal requirements (exterior-only inspections allowing the appraiser to work without being at risk of infection) were a big part of that, but not the whole substance of the policy changes. Reducing the risk to appraisers is one thing, but some of the measures are intended to streamline loan approval in a time of crisis. The FHA/HUD official site press release explains that certain measures were needed to, “maintain the stability” of the FHA Single-Family Home Loan program, | more...