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Bad Credit Loans: FHA Loans Conquer Home Buyer's Credit Problems

by: CarlPruitt
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If you would like to buy a home, but you have past credit problems, recent FHA loan program changes may give you an answer to your problems. FHA has been backing mortgages for a long time, but guidelines have been revised substantially over the last few years. Changed so much that the real estate broker or home owner you are trying to negotiate with probably will not know the requirements of the program.

"FHA" is short for Federal Housing Administration. The Federal Housing Administration is a part of the huge Housing and Urban Development or "HUD" bureaucracy. You have probably seen HUD homes advertised for sale. HUD homes are foreclosures which were insured by the FHA mortgage program.

The program was established in 1934 as part of the National Housing Act with the mission to expand credit and home ownership opportunities for borrowers who may have had credit problems, have a limited credit history, or whose bills take up a higher percentage of their total income than typically allowed on conventional loans.

FHA expands home ownership opportunities by guaranteeing lenders that HUD will pay off the mortgage if the borrower fails to pay. Because of this FHA mortgage insurance, lenders are able to approve riskier loans for home buyers who don't fit conventional mortgage guidelines.

The FHA loan guidelines were designed around the needs of the first time home buyer, but the program can also be used for a purchase or refinance by any borrower who does not already have an outstanding FHA. The standard FHA loans are only allowed for owner occupied homes and are not for purchasing investment property.

Many experienced real estate brokers and home sellers have heard horror stories about FHA's excessive red tape and are therefore reluctant to recommend that buyers use an FHA loan. At one time, FHA regulations were much restrictive and resulted in higher fees for home sellers. Processing times on FHA loans often delayed the sale of the property while fighting with underwriters over silly bureaucratic issues. However, today these issues are almost completely resolved.

If you have an agent or seller who is reluctant to accept an offer involving FHA financing, here are some of the benefits you can give them:

1. Easy down payment requirements. Typically 3% or less of the property sales price and this can be entirely comprised of gift funds from a family member or an approved not-profit foundation.

2. Seller-paid contributions for closing costs and prepaid expenses are allowed up to 6% of the purchase price. This means that a buyer can negotiate terms which will result in having to bring absolutely no money to the closing!

3. FHA requires no financial reserves at the time of loan approval. A borrower with no savings, and no money in checking will still meet the requirements.

4. FHA has changed its appraisal guidelines to relieve everyone of the need for minor repairs that must be finished and inspected prior to the loan closing. HUD now provides for "as-is" appraisals. There is no longer an automatic requirement for expensive termite, well and septic inspections before closing. This type red tape was often the cause of delayed closings and aggravated sellers before the changes.

5. No minimum credit score. There is an automated underwriting system called FHA Total Scorecard. If this system approves your loan, there are no further requirements to explain bad credit, pay off collections accounts or meet a set debt to income ratio.

6. If the automated underwriting system does not approve your loan, the loan may be underwritten manually and the underwriter is given discretion to use common sense in the decision to approve the loan. The underwriter often does not have this discretion on conventional loans where they are not allowed to override the automated decision.

8. No prepayment penalties. Many loans for borrowers with credit problems have significant penalties for paying the loan off within the first 3-5 years. These penalties prevent refinancing for a lower rate or for debt consolidation. FHA loans have no prepayment penalties. As a matter of fact, FHA loans allow for a program called streamlined refinancing. As long as you make your mortgage payments on time, you can refinance if rates go down without having to produce all of your qualifying documentation again.

FHA insured mortgages greatly benefit both buyers and home sellers. There would be many fewer potential buyers for the seller's home without FHA. This program allows borrowers with past credit difficulties and no cash out of pockett to be given the same low fixed mortgage rates as the best perfect credit borrowers.

About the Author

Mortgage originators today need to become masters on FHA guidelines in order to survive in today's mortgage market. An FHA mortgage is the ideal way to profit by helping credit challenged borrowers own a home with low fixed rates.

Bad Credit Loans: FHA Loans Conquer Home Buyer's Credit Problems

About the Author

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