Articles Tagged With: FHA Loan

June 12, 2017

How To Apply For An FHA Loan

Do you know how to apply for an FHA loan? Getting an FHA mortgage is much like any other type of home loan when it comes to taking the same amount of time to prepare, examine and improve your credit rating, reduce your debt-to-income ratio, and other issues that can help with loan approval. Good preparation is the key to any home loan, even those that have more forgiving credit requirements such as FHA mortgages. Your lender will need to see proof that you are a good credit risk, have a stable and reliable form of income, and have an acceptable amount of debt compared to the amount of income you get each month. So how do you apply for an FHA loan? It is strongly advise that borrowers give | more...

June 7, 2017

2017 FHA Loan Home Requirements

By Bruce Reichstein

What are FHA loan home requirements? How can you tell if a property meets FHA loan minimum standards? These are important questions to ask when planning for your new home loan. FHA loan home requirements are found in HUD 4000.1, the FHA single-family home loan handbook. HUD 4000.1 states that while all homes to be purchased with an FHA mortgage must pass the FHA appraisal process, doing so in no way acts as a guarantee that the home is free of defects. A borrower should understand that the FHA appraisal is for the lender, while a home inspection (optional but extremely important) is for the borrower. In general, FHA loan home requirements include rules which state that the roof must be in good repair, that the electrical and plumbing system | more...

May 31, 2017

After The FHA Loan Closes: FHA Loan Reader Questions

By Bruce Reichstein

A reader got in touch recently to ask an FHA loan question about the disposition of the property once the loan has closed. “After receiving the loan, are there any regulations on putting two other mobile homes on the property? They will not be on a permanent foundation. We are currently buying 15 acres of land in Texas.” FHA loan rules are clear about the status of a mobile or manufactured home that is purchased with an FHA mortgage loan-all such property types must meet FHA minimum standards and be affixed to a permanent foundation as a condition of loan approval. However, the FHA Single Family Loan Handbook, HUD 4000.1, does not address the condition of add-ons, improvements, or other modifications that happen after the loan has closed. A borrower | more...

May 26, 2017

Qualifying For An FHA Cash-Out Refinance Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Qualifying for an FHA cash-out refinance loan is much the same as qualifying for an FHA “forward mortgage” or typical new purchase loan. Since this type of refinancing involves money back to the borrower, the lender is required to run a new credit check and the usual credit requirements will apply even for those who are repeat customers for a particular lender. Credit Activity When you are preparing for your FHA cash out refinance loan, you’ll need to observe the same rules about credit that you did when you applied for your original mortgage. That means avoiding new credit card applications and other types of credit leading up to your refi loan paperwork. Why? Every time you apply for new credit, a “hard inquiry” is listed on your credit report. | more...

How much can I borrow with an FHA refinance loan?

May 23, 2017

Basics Of An FHA Home Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

Are you interested in an FHA mortgage? If you’ve never applied for an FHA home loan before, there are some basics you should know that will help you make the right choices for the property you wish to purchase. Who Is An FHA Home Loan For? The FHA single-family home loan program is available to all financially qualified borrowers looking to buy property that meets FHA standards. FHA loans are for owner-occupiers looking to purchase a home to live in as their primary residence. There is a residency requirement for FHA mortgages, and FHA single family home loans are not intended for investment properties. You can purchase a home with as many as four units, and the borrower is free to rent out the unused units of the property as | more...

May 22, 2017

Mortgage Rate Trends: Pushing Higher

By Joe Wallace

Since our last report, mortgage rate trends have been in the “higher” category. That’s due at least in part, according to our sources, to local political drama which has sent investors moving for safer havens. Those moves often reflect badly on rates, and those hoping for a chance to squeeze more recovery out of current trends likely weren’t counting on breaking news about possible impeachment proceedings over FBI director James Comey and questions of Russian involvement in U.S. politics to influence mortgage rates. But they have, however indirectly. At the time of this writing, 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgage rate numbers have taken an upward turn to 4.0%, best execution. That’s out of a previous range of rates, with 4.0% being the bottom end of the range. FHA mortgage loan | more...

May 18, 2017

FHA Appraisal Problems: A Reader Question

By Bruce Reichstein

We’ve gotten a variety of questions in our comments section this week about issues connected to the FHA appraisal process. Here’s the latest: “I have an FHA loan. It started raining on the day of the appraisal and we noticed a leak in the basement. The sellers agreed to fix the drainage issue that was causing it. During the walk-through we noticed that instead of busting out concrete and installing drainage pipes that they patched it up with more concrete. As ugly as it was I was okay with it as long as it kept the basement dry.” “Fast Forward to the first rainy day after closing on the home and I have an all out flood in my basement! My realtor said that there is nothing that can be | more...

May 17, 2017

FHA Loan Appraisal Questions: Well Water Guidelines

By Joe Wallace

A reader asked us an FHA loan appraisal question this week about a recent post we did on water quality issues. “We have been requiring a safe water test to verify the water standards are meet per the guidelines but we now have an Loan Officer arguing that it is not required unless the appraiser notes an issue. Is a water test really not required have I been reading the guidelines wrong since 2015?” The “we” in this case would seem to be a participating FHA lender. Is the loan officer mentioned in the question correct? We turned to the relevant passages in HUD 4000.1 to reaffirm what the FHA loan rule book says about water quality. “The Mortgagee must confirm that a connection is made to a public or | more...

May 15, 2017

FHA Home Loans, Deed-In-Lieu, Foreclosure: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

How do actions like deed-in-lieu of foreclosure or actual foreclosure affect borrowers and their chances at getting new FHA home loans? A reader asks: “I have a bankruptcy filed and discharged in 2012. My 1st and Heloc were not reaffirmed. I will be moving out of California and to Arkansas but want to know how FHA would look at the wait for purchasing if I: Surrender property in deed in lieu, or Allow the home to be foreclosed upon. Also would it make a difference if I applied before foreclosure is final since it is not reporting on my credit report (I would not be making payments if this is the scenario and staying with family)?” It is hard to answer questions like this without addressing certain implications or ambiguities. | more...

May 12, 2017

Mortgage Rate Trends: Pushing Higher

By Joe Wallace

Since our last report, we’ve watched an upward mortgage rate trend pushing interest rates slowly higher. Some of this is contrary to bond market activity on Thursday that would otherwise typically “help” rates. So at the moment it seems that in the very short term we’re seeing mortgage rates behave in ways they don’t normally. Why? Some market watchers point to the timing of that bond market activity-there was what industry professionals describe as “weakness” on Wednesday that caused rates to adjust higher, but the following day improvements occurred. But not all lenders modify their mortgage loan rates at the same time, so for those where rates pushed higher on Thursday, it’s possible that the timing of their adjustments is at least partly to blame. That doesn’t likely interest house | more...