Articles Tagged With: FHA Loan Limits

December 10, 2019

Higher FHA Home Loan Limits For 2020

In 2019, the FHA and HUD announced higher loan limits, giving borrowers in most counties additional borrowing power to purchase, build, repair, or refinance an owner-occupied home. The uptick in FHA loan limits for 2019 led some to believe that it might be possible to see another year of higher loan limits, while others speculated that higher limits may not be a trend, but simply a typical course correction for home loan limits. Regardless of which camp 2020 borrowers were in back then, it seems there is another year to contemplate higher loan limits; the Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the FHA loan limits for 2020 and they are indeed higher in most areas. The HUD announcement discussing the overall increase in the FHA loan limit for | more...

September 16, 2019

What You Should Know About FHA Home Loan Amounts

By Bruce Reichstein

Do you know what affects your FHA home loan amount? There are factors that the borrower controls such as whether to make the minimum required down payment or pay more down up front; there are also factors that are in the lender wheelhouse such as the amount of the origination fee and other closing costs. Not all of these factors automatically result in a different home loan amount. Some may be required to be paid up front in cash, others may permit financing in whole but not in part. Still, other expenses may not be required of all transactions but may apply to yours. You may find that in some housing markets, a charge or expense that is reasonable and customary may not be common in other housing markets. Some | more...

December 20, 2018

FHA and HUD Announce Higher FHA Loan Limits For 2019

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA and HUD have announced higher FHA home loan limits for 2019. The higher loan limits come in part thanks to “robust increases in median housing prices” according to the FHA/HUD official site. Nationwide, the limit for “average” housing markets is set in 2019 at $314,827, an increase from 2018’s limit of $294,515. The FHA is required by the National Housing Act (and amendments to that act passed in 2008) to establish FHA forward loan limits “at 115 percent of median house prices”, which include both a “floor” and a “ceiling” on those yearly limits. No FHA loan limits have gone down for 2019. For 2019, most areas of the country will see an increase. The FHA/HUD press release states maximum loan limits for FHA forward mortgages will rise | more...

December 19, 2018

What You Need To Know About FHA Loan Limits For 2019

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan limits for 2019 will be higher than for 2018. We will cover the specifics of this news in another blog post, but there are some basics first-time home buyers should know about FHA loan limits that will help save time in the loan preparation process. FHA Home Loan Limits For 2019 Are Higher For Every Type Of Property Available To Buy With An FHA Mortgage Single family homes can be many things; condo units, duplexes, multi-unit properties, mobile homes, etc. No matter what property type you wish to purchase with an FHA mortgage loan, the FHA loan limits for 2019 have increased. One of the most important factors in determining your FHA loan limit in the new year is your location, rather than whether you want to buy | more...

June 11, 2018

FHA Loan-To-Value Limits: More Rules You Should Know

By Bruce Reichstein

In a previous blog post, we discussed some of the basic loan-to-value ratio rules (LTV) for FHA loans. Your loan-to-value ratio is calculated based on the amount of the required down payment a borrower has to make as part of the FHA mortgage loan transaction. When you buy a home using an FHA mortgage, the loan-to-value ratio can be affected by your FICO scores. A higher down payment requirement means a different LTV than for those who make the lowest possible downpayment on an FHA mortgage loan of 3.5% of the adjusted value of the property. But credit score issues aren’t the only things that can affect a borrower’s LTV on an FHA mortgage to buy a new home. Some FHA loan transactions, under FHA loan policy, require as much | more...

June 11, 2018

FHA Home Loans and Loan-To-Value Limits: Rules You Should Know

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loans have limits on the amount of the loan, how much of the loan the FHA will guarantee, and the loan-to-value ratio or LTV. The LTV of your home loan is basically the percentage of the mortgage compared to the value of the property. There’s an loan-to-value calculation required in part because the borrower is required in most cases to make a minimum down payment for “forward mortgages”. These down payments are not required by FHA loan rules for FHA rehab loans to fix or replace qualifying homes in federally-declared disaster areas, but for all other new purchase FHA loans, the borrower will be required to make a minimum down payment. FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 spell out the requirements for this down payment and calculating the | more...

December 18, 2017

FHA Announces Reverse Mortgage Loan Limits For 2018

By Joe Wallace

The FHA has announced reverse mortgage loan limits for 2018. The agency recently posted the forward mortgage loan limits for 2018, and the update for FHA reverse mortgages comes as no surprise given the overall increases posted for next year’s loan limits by county for new purchase loans. The FHA reverse mortgage is also known as the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM for short. According to the FHA official site, the maximum “claim amount limits for Traditional HECM, HECM for Purchase, and HECM-to-HECM refinances are governed by the maximum claim amount limitation” are found in sections 25 5(g) and 255(m) of the National Housing Act. “FHA publishes updated limits effective for each calendar year” according to the most recent mortgagee letter at FHA.gov. The new limits are, according FHA | more...

December 12, 2017

How FHA Maximum Mortgage Amounts Are Calculated

By Joe Wallace

Have you ever wondered how FHA maximum mortgage amounts are calculated? FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 explain how it works, starting with a borrower’s required minimum down payment and including what happens when certain add-ons to the loan are included. How much can you really borrow with an FHA mortgage? According to HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, “Mortgage limits are calculated based on the median house prices in accordance with the statute. FHA’s Single Family mortgage limits are set by Metropolitan Statistical Area and county and will be published periodically.” Those limits are published just before the start of the new year and take effect the first day of the new year. But the amount of your FHA home loan may include more than just the calculation mentioned | more...

December 8, 2017

Higher FHA Loan Limits For 2018

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA has announced FHA loan limits for 2018, and the new numbers mean good news for those looking to buy a home in the new year. The “national conforming loan limit” for 2018 is set at $453,100, up from last year’s limit of $424,100 (see below). The higher limit means more potential borrowing power for qualified FHA loan applicants. According to the announcement on the FHA official site, there are higher limits for 2018. The Federal Housing Administration calculates “forward mortgage limits based on the median house prices in accordance with the National Housing Act. FHA’s Single Family forward mortgage limits are set by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and county and are published periodically.” The FHA sets loan limits “at or between the low cost area and high cost | more...

December 1, 2017

Can I Get an FHA Home Loan For a Commercial Property?

By Joe Wallace

Can I get an FHA home loan for a commercial property? The answer to this question is more complicated than a simple yes or no-much depends on what local zoning laws will allow, and how “residential” the property is. FHA home loans are not just for typical suburban homes. There are a wide variety of house hunters, all looking for different types of properties to suit their needs, and there are plenty of options available aside from the suburban home. A two bedroom home in the suburbs may not be right for borrowers looking for a new home close to work in the city, or for those interested in a different type of residence than a standard house. FHA insured mortgages are available for condos, duplexes and manufactured homes. FHA | more...