Articles Tagged With: FHA Loan Rules

December 7, 2022

Mandatory or Optional? FHA Home Loan Issues

What is mandatory and what is optional when you apply for an FHA home loan? You will find a lot of advice on the internet about buying a home. You can haggle over the home sale price, for example, and negotiate things like seller concessions. But what about the not-so-obvious details? What is required and what is not? Mortgage insurance on your FHA mortgage, for example, is mandatory. To a point. All FHA forward mortgages (also known as purchase loans) require you to pay for mortgage insurance on your FHA home loan each month. That said, it may not be mandatory for the full duration of the mortgage. That may depend on how much you put down and the term of the loan you may have the option to cancel | more...

December 2, 2022

Higher FHA Loan Limits For 2023

By Bruce Reichstein

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration published the new FHA loan limits for 2023. There are higher loan limits for FHA forward mortgages in 2023 and also higher limits for FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. Most of the country gets this loan limit increase in 2023. The higher limits come thanks to house price appreciation during the first half of 2022. Such home price changes are typically included as part of the calculations FHA makes to set the limits” each new year. A press release at HUD.gov notes these limits, “reflect steep increases in home prices throughout much of the country” according to Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon, who was quoted in the press release. Commissioner Gordon adds the higher limits, “…will | more...

November 30, 2022

Budgeting For Your Home Inspection, Appraisal, and Compliance Inspection

By Joe Wallace

When you plan to buy a home with an FHA loan you should be thinking about how much you will need to save for expenses paid upfront, such as appraisals and inspections. You may not, as a first-time home buyer, have the experience to anticipate all expenses you need to pay in the coming months. But there are typical costs you can plan and save for. Home Inspection Costs Did you know there’s no fixed price for home inspections? There are no national cost guidelines or restrictions for this service; home inspection costs will vary based on the housing market and inspections are paid for by the borrower independently of the rest of the home loan process. Home inspections may cost somewhere between $300 and $500 depending on location. Your | more...

November 23, 2022

FHA Loan Program Rule Changes: Flood Insurance Coverage

By Joe Wallace

Some borrowers want to buy homes in the desert, some want to buy homes that are located in areas prone to flooding. But not all flood zones are the same; some feature an elevated risk of flooding and if you buy a home with an FHA loan in certain flood zone hazard areas you are typically required to carry special flood insurance. But new changes to the FHA home loan program make it possible for homeowners to seek private flood insurance instead of the one FHA-approved option previously available. Prior to the new rule the only insurance option possible was through the National Flood Insurance Program. In the final quarter of 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that starting in December the FHA loan program allows homeowners | more...

November 9, 2022

FHA Loans In 2023: Changes In The Housing Market

By Joe Wallace

Some market watchers are asking the question–is it possible we will see house prices fall in 2023? Indicators from Federal National Mortgage Association or Fannie Mae point to a cooling-off period for home prices next year. Earlier in 2022, Fannie Mae forecasted home price growth at over four percent in 2023; those numbers have since been revised. The expectations in the last three months of 2022 now tell a different story: Fannie Mae now expects home price declines of as much as 1.5% in the coming year. What created the 2022 seller’s market in the first place? Rising equity, a shortage of housing inventory, and high demand were all contributing factors. And as mortgage rates started approaching 7%, the motivation to buy seems to be tapering but it may take | more...

November 7, 2022

Credit Score Rule Changes For Mortgage Loans

By Joe Wallace

On October 24, 2022, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced its approval for participating lenders to use both the FICO 10T and the VantageScore 4.0 credit score models by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These options would replace the previous use of “traditional” FICO score model Fannie and Freddie lenders use to approve the loans. Why are we discussing Fannie and Freddie in an article about FHA home loans? There is a possibility that this move could wind up affecting other lending programs, especially if more borrowers choose Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans as the result of the changes. Other government loan programs may follow suit in the future, and in the case of FHA mortgages, some changes are already underway. These changes do not happen overnight. There | more...

October 31, 2022

Important Features To Consider When Shopping For A New Home

By Bruce Reichstein

Are you new to house hunting? There are things to look for when considering homes to buy with an FHA mortgage. These are features that often may enhance the home and make it more efficient. Once you are used to shopping around for a home, you can establish a checklist to remind you as you review each property. Ceiling Fans Not all homes come with ceiling fans. Are you buying a home in a warmer or more humid climate? A lack of ceiling fans can be a drawback; homes that do not have them installed might have other issues such as mold or mildew, but this will depend greatly on how the individual house was maintained. Exterior Lighting Exterior lights can provide additional safety, and not just to prevent burglaries | more...

October 28, 2022

Buying A Home When Interest Rates Are High

By Joe Wallace

Are you considering your FHA home loan options? You aren’t alone if you’re considering the option of waiting to buy until mortgage rates drop from current highs. How high have the rates gone? In the closing days of October 2022, the New York Times reported interest rates hit the 7% range for the first time since 2002. Do you worry that such high rates are here to stay? You couldn’t be blamed for thinking it’s a safer bet to hold off on buying a home right now. The Fannie Mae Housing Forecast for 2022 includes the possibility that mortgage loan interest rates might settle into the four percent range sometime at or near the second quarter of 2023. If that becomes a reality, could we see an increase in interested | more...

October 24, 2022

Is There An FHA Home Equity Loan?

By Joe Wallace

A home equity loan is one using the equity in your home for the loan’s collateral. What is equity? It’s defined as the current value of the property minus what you still owe on the existing mortgage loan. Does the FHA offer a home equity loan? On paper, the FHA does offer a loan that allows you to get cash back at closing time like a home equity loan but the two aren’t really the same thing. Here’s why. For a home equity loan a borrower typically gets loan funds in a lump sum with a fixed interest rate, similar to an FHA Cash-Out Refinance. Borrowers who default on a home equity loan may face foreclosure the same as a cash-out loan. And both loans have other things in common–especially | more...

October 17, 2022

House Hunting Advice For First-Time Home Buyers

By Joe Wallace

When you start making plans to work with a realtor, there are some very good things to consider ahead of time. Checklists, online mortgage calculators, and other home-buying tools are only some of the things you’ll want in your house-hunting toolkit when you are ready to become a homeowner. Decide What Your Priorities Are For Your New Home Before filling out FHA home loan paperwork, and long before you decide which real estate agent to work with, you should have an idea of what your main priorities are for your new home. Do you need a home located near a certain school or type of school? Are you looking for someplace quiet and residential and nowhere near a shopping mall, gas station, or movie theater? Some priorities are more important | more...