Articles Tagged With: FHA Loan Requirements

February 2, 2017

FHA Mortgage Facts You Should Know

FHA mortgage loans are a very good option for borrowers looking for a lower down payment and less stringent credit requirements than conventional mortgages. Did you know that FHA home loans do not feature a minimum or maximum income requirement? A borrower’s ability to qualify for an FHA mortgage depends on FICO scores, debt-to-income ratios, credit history, and other factors but there’s no “qualifying dollar amount” for income in terms of minimums OR maximums. Some believe that FHA mortgages are only for first time home buyers, the economically disadvantaged, or only for typical suburban homes. But FHA home loans are available to anyone who is financially qualified and wants to use the property to be purchased as their primary residence. FHA mortgages require only a 3.5% down payment in typical | more...

January 25, 2017

Cash Back To The Borrower and FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

Do FHA loans permit cash back to the borrower? We get many reader questions in our comments section about this subject. Some want to know if they can borrow more than the cost of the home and use the excess funds for personal use. Others want to know if cash-back refinance options are available on FHA mortgages. The rules that govern cash back to the borrower can be found in HUD 4000.1. As a general rule, FHA loans for “forward mortgages”, which means typical house purchases, do not allow cash back to the borrower. There’s an exception for money that was paid up front for something that was later permitted to be included into the loan amount. That would be considered a refund and is not forbidden by FHA loan | more...

January 11, 2017

Income Documentation: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader got in touch with us this week to ask a question about the FHA requirements for income documentation: “I work on a commission basis where a large part of my income does not appear on my w2. Say I make 4,000.00 in commission my expense to do my job is 1,000.00 my employer will write a check to me for that amount and them deducts it from my 4000.00 commission and then I am taxed on the remaining 3,000.00.” “I am at the end of the loan process and the underwriter is requesting a letter of explanation from the employer and she will not respond. Does she have to legally comply and how long can she take?” Unfortunately this falls dangerously close to asking for legal advice, and | more...

January 10, 2017

FHA Appraisal Update: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

What’s the difference between an FHA appraisal update and ordering a second appraisal? That’s an important point when it comes to answering the reader question that came in via our comments section this week: “My question is this: Can a lender order a new appraisal on a property that has already been assigned an FHA case number (previous buyer offer fell thru)? Appraisal is less than 120 days old. Since the initial appraisal the seller has installed a new roof, WDO repairs and other minor repairs. Would this give the new lender a reason to order a new appraisal?” FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 make a distinction between an FHA appraisal update and a “second appraisal”. HUD 4000.1 says the following about a second lender ordering a new appraisal | more...

January 9, 2017

Collection Accounts and FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

We’ve had some recent questions about home loans and collection accounts lately; in light of those questions it seemed like a good time to review the FHA loan rules on collection accounts as found in HUD 4000.1. The FHA loan rule book has instructions for the lender on what to do when reviewing such credit report data and it never hurts to know what your loan officer’s marching orders are in this area-at least where FHA minimum standards are concerned. The information below may be supplemented or affected by lender standards, so know that you’ll need to see what’s possible with a specific lender if any of the rules quoted here apply to your circumstances. Lender standards will definitely apply in addition to what’s found in HUD 4000.1. Let’s begin | more...

December 20, 2016

Deferred Obligations and FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “How do you calculate monthly payments for estimated payment to begin when schooling is complete?” With student loans, there are two types of payments, one of which may apply in this case. Ongoing payments and deferred payments have different requirements. It’s likely safe to assume that this reader question refers to how a lender is to process student loan information as part of the applicant’s debt-to-income ratio. FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 include instructions to the lender for processing student loan debt information both as a “deferred obligation” that has not come due yet, and as an ongoing payment where applicable. HUD 4000.1 instructs the lender to use the actual amount of the student loan payment wherever possible, but in cases where the loan is deferred | more...

December 15, 2016

FHA Loan Basics: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I really don’t understand why i have to pay PMI and MIP. I had credit problems a bankruptcy in 2013 , it was recorded and its been almost 4 years and my score is 709 that the middle score i have hardly no debts, 6% of income. I was told I have to pay the MIP up front of 1.75% and also 240 PMI monthly with mortgage. That’s a little too much, is there a way out of this? I also did not want taxes and insurance added, I’m putting 3.5 percent down. My loan officer said I had to pay the insurance and add taxes to my loan.” It’s not entirely clear from this reader question whether the loan is an FHA mortgage or not, but | more...

December 6, 2016

FHA Appraisals: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

“I am getting ready to purchase a home. It has been under contract for 6 weeks. 1.5 weeks out, ‘…there is concern that there may be moisture. Please have a specialist determine if there is no moisture or mold present’. My contractor that will do renovations says there is no mold present; however, ‘his word does not count because he is not a mold specialist’. Now I am 3 days from closing and a mold remediation person is $900 and a week turnaround time. What are my options?” FHA appraisals are an important part of the home buying process, and where corrections are required by the FHA appraiser, those corrections are usually ordered as a condition of loan approval. The reader question doesn’t specify if this was a correction or | more...

October 31, 2016

FHA Loan Rules: Commuting Distance

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “We are trying to get a loan and the lender is claiming that the requirements say she cant commute for two hours one way to work..My wife is the qualifying buyer and I have never heard of such a thing.. Is this discrimination cause she is a woman? They want verification from transfer store that wife will get same pay when transferred too. This would cause grief at current employment because they would not want to see her go. We do not want to do anything like that, transfer, until loan is finalized.. this all came up the day we were supposed to close…seems like discrimination, time to call a lawyer?” Let’s work backwards on this reader question from the last issue to the first; FHA loan | more...

October 28, 2016

Commission Income and FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “Can I apply for an FHA loan after just one year of commission based pay with a cosigner?” FHA loan rules require all borrowers to be obligated on the loan to financially qualify, which would include verification of both employment and income. A co-signer or co-borrower may not be able to make up for financial shortcomings of the other borrower(s) on the mortgage loan, but lender standards would apply in this area and it’s best to have a conversation with a loan officer about those standards and what may be possible. FHA loan rules for commission income, found in HUD 4000.1, state the following: “Commission Income refers to income that is paid contingent upon the conducting of a business transaction or the performance of a service…The Mortgagee | more...