by Tim Storm | Jun 19, 2017 | FHA Home Loan
Canceling FHA mortgage insurance seems the be the first thing Orange County FHA borrowers want to know about after they have bought their home. FHA mortgages offer very attractive interest rates and with less demanding qualification requirements to allow first time home buyers and borrowers with less than perfect credit the opportunity to get into the real estate market. FHA allows Orange County home buyers to get a mortgage with a down payment as low as 3.5% as well as allowing borrowers to refinance without appraisal. The only real caveat to FHA mortgages is that the Mortgage insurance premiums are typically higher than other mortgage programs. Since FHA is essentially an insurance policy to lenders due to the higher risk potential borrowers, the higher insurance premiums are an essential aspect to the program. Types of Mortgage Insurance Premiums FHA has two different types of Mortgage insurance premiums, or MIPs, that are required as a part of an FHA mortgage. The first of these MIPs is the Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium which is paid at closing. This premium is 1.75% of the loan amount and is financed into the loan amount. The second of these MIPs is the annual mortgage insurance premium. This is paid monthly as a part of your monthly loan payments. Rates for annual MIPs on a 30 year fixed rate term have ranged between .55% and 1.35% since 2008. Currently the annual mortgage insurance rate for 30 year fixed FHA loans is .85% for down payments less than 5%, and .8% for down payments more than 5%. Canceling MIPs With Conventional loan programs it is possible...
by Tim Storm | Jan 17, 2017 | FHA Home Loan
In December of 2016, FHA released an official statement announcing the increase of the 2017 FHA loan limits. This is the FHA loan limit increase in Orange County, CA since 2006. What is an “FHA loan limit”? The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) sets a limit, effective each new year, of what a buyer can borrow within each state county. They calculate this limit based on the average price a home is selling for in that area. That means that in places like Orange County the limit will be significantly higher than in a county with lower housing prices like Riverside County. This does not mean that you cannot purchase a home at a higher sales price, just that you as the buyer, will be responsible for coming in with the difference between the loan limit and the purchase price. What does this mean for Orange County Buyers? This is an encouraging change for many prospective Orange County home buyers that have the income, satisfactory credit, appropriate debt-to-income ratios but may not have the savings for a conventional loan program. The FHA loan limit for Orange County is now at $636,150. That is up $10,650 from last years limit of $625,500. As housing prices increase in this popular area it is a welcome opportunity. Let’s take a look at the median house prices in a couple of in demand cities to see how this new limit will be impactful: (Taken from Zillow 1/12/17) Costa Mesa: $725,200 Huntington Beach: $754,500 Santa Ana: $682,600 Anaheim: $553,900 Cypress: $624,400 Irvine: $776,600 Laguna Niguel: $790,500 Placentia: $661,300 Garden Grove: $545,200 Tustin: $670,400 Now look at the highest purchase price for the new loan limit, with the traditional 3.5% down: Purchase Price: $659,222 (<–Anything higher...
by Tim Storm | May 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
In Orange county, the FHA loan program is extremely popular amongst first time homebuyers compared to other mortgage programs. What many Orange County home buyers don’t always realize is that the FHA program can be the best home financing option for move up home buyers as well. Reasons for this include flexibility in underwriting guidelines, credit, and down payment. When is FHA Better Than Conventional Financing? FHA allows for approved lenders to provide loans with very low down payments to borrowers with less than perfect credit scores. The minimum down payment required is 3.5% of the loan amount and can be provided to borrowers with a credit score as low as 580. The FHA loan limit in Orange County in 2016 is $625,500. This means an Orange County home buyer can use FHA financing to buy a home up to $648,000 with only 3.5% down, which is better than any other Conventional loan program. The only program better than that is VA. (You would need to be a qualified active or retired military Veteran). The FHA program also has many other beneficial aspects for potential borrowers. Interest rates with an FHA loan are much lower than a majority of other programs. FHA also allows the down payment to be a gift from a source like a family member or charity. Because interest rates and loan pricing tends to be better with FHA than Conventional loans, it is easier for Orange County FHA lenders to cover the closing costs using a lender credit (which involves increasing the interest rate). If a borrower were to experience an extreme financial hardship, FHA...