How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Blanchard California (Mariposa County)

How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Blanchard California (Mariposa County)

Looking for an FHA Loan in Blanchard California?

An FHA loan is a mortgage that’s insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). They are popular especially among first time home buyers because they allow down payments of 3.5% for credit scores of 580+.

How Does an FHA Loan Work?

Borrowers can qualify for an FHA loan with a down payment as little as 3.5% for a credit score of 580 or higher. The borrower’s FICO score can be between 500 – 579 if a 10% down payment is made. It’s crucial to remember though, that the lower the credit rating, the higher the interest borrowers will receive. Something also worth noting is that the FHA loan limits affect your FHA mortgage insurance – its just part of the FHA loan qualifications.

The FHA program was created in response to the increase of foreclosures and defaults that happened in 1930s; to provide lenders with adequate insurance; and to help stimulate the housing market by making home loans much more accessible and affordable for consumers with not so great credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Blanchard, California. Essentially, the federal government insures loans for FHA-approved lenders in order to reduce their risk of loss if a borrower defaults on their home loan payments.

Because of that insurance, mortgage companies can, and do, offer FHA mortgages at really attractive mortgage loan interest rates and with less stringent and more flexible qualification requirements. The FHA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.


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Benefits of FHA Loans: Low Down Payments and Less Strict Credit Score Requirements

FHA Loan in Blanchard

Typically an FHA loan in Blanchard is one of the easiest types of mortgage loans to qualify for because it requires a low down payment and you can have less-than-perfect credit. For FHA loans, down payment of 3.5 percent is required for maximum financing. Borrowers with credit scores as low as 500 can qualify for an FHA loan.

Consumers who cannot afford a 20 percent down payment, have a lower credit score, or can’t get approved for private mortgage insurance should look into whether an FHA loan is the popular option for their personal circumstances.

Another advantage of an FHA home loan is that it’s an assumable mortgage loan which means if you want to sell your home, the buyer can “assume” the loan you have. People who have low or bad credit, have undergone a bankruptcy or have been foreclosed upon may be able to still qualify for an FHA loan.

FHA Allows a 3.5% Down-Payment

For today’s home buyers, there are only a few mortgage options which allow for down-payments of five percent or less for residents of Mariposa County. The FHA is one of them.

With an FHA mortgage, you can make a down-payment as small as 3.5%. This benefits home buyers who don’t have a lot of money saved up for down-payment; and, home buyers who would rather save money for moving costs, emergency funds, or other needs.

FHA Allows 100% Gift Funds

The FHA is aggressive with respect to gifts for down-payment. Very few loan programs will enable your entire down-payment for a home to come from a gift. The FHA will.

Via the FHA, your entire 3.5% down-payment can be a gift from parents or another family member, an employer, an approved charitable group, or a government home-buyer program. If you’re using a down-payment gift, though, you’ll need to follow the process.

The FHA Hybrid provides for an initial fixed interest rate for a period of three or five years, and then readjusts annually after the initial fixed time frame. The 3/1 and 5/1 FHA Hybrid products enable up to a 1% annual interest rate adjustment after the initial fixed interest rate period, and a 5% interest rate cap over the life of the loan. The new payment after an adjustment will be calculated on the current principal balance at the time of the modification. This insures that the payment adjustment will be minimal even on a worst case rate change.

About Blanchard California

Blanchard is an unincorporated neighborhood in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, California. It is located 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometres) east-northeast of Don Pedro Camp, at an elevation of 1165 feet (355 m).

An article office ran at Blanchard from 1894 to 1953, relocating 1938. The name recognized Rosie M. Blanchard, its first postmaster.

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Who Are FHA Loans For?

FHA loans are offered to low-income individuals who have credit scores as low as 500. Individuals with a credit score between 500-579 can obtain an FHA loan with a down payment of 10%; individuals with a credit score higher than 580 can get an FHA loan with as little as 3.5% down. The Federal Housing Administration does not lend the borrower the money to take on a mortgage or to buy the house. Rather, the borrower pays a monthly or yearly mortgage insurance premium to the FHA to insure the loan which the lending institution issues to him or her. In case of default, the lender’s financial risk is minimized since the FHA would step in to cover the payments.

Having no credit history is not a problem with an FHA loan for Mariposa County. Instead of your credit report, the lender may look at other payment-history records, such as utility and rent payments.

Even people who have gone through bankruptcy and foreclosure may still qualify for an FHA loan. However, the lower the credit score and the lower the down payment, the higher the interest rate.


(Or call 213-474-7389 to ask a local lender anything!)

Types of FHA Home Loans

In addition to its popular FHA loan, the FHA likewise guarantees other loan programs offered by private lending institutions. Here’s a take a look at each of them.

  • FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans help homebuyers purchase a house– and remodel it– all with a single home mortgage. Property owners can also utilize the program to refinance their existing mortgage and add the cost of remodeling jobs into the brand-new loan. FHA 203( k) loans been available in two types:
    • The minimal 203( k) has an easier application procedure, and the repair work or improvements need to total $35,000 or less.
    • The basic 203( k) needs extra documents and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, however the overall worth of the property should still fall within the FHA home mortgage limit for the location.
  • Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular type of reverse mortgage and is also guaranteed by the FHA. A HECM enables older homeowners (aged 62 and up) with significant equity or those who own their houses outright to withdraw a portion of their home’s equity. The amount that will be readily available for withdrawal varies by customer and depends upon the age of the youngest customer or qualified non-borrowing spouse, existing interest rates and the lower of the home’s assessed worth or the HECM FHA home loan limitation or sales price.
  • FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy efficient home mortgages backed by the FHA enable property buyers to purchase houses that are currently energy effective, such as EnergyStar-certified buildings. Or they can be used to buy and renovate older houses with energy-efficient, or “green,” updates and roll the costs of the upgrades into the loan without a larger deposit.
  • FHA Section 245( a) loan – Also referred to as the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is tailored at borrowers whose earnings will increase in time. You start out with smaller regular monthly payments that gradually increase. Five particular plans are available: 3 strategies that allow 5 years of increasing payments at 2.5 percent, 5 percent and 7.5 percent annually. 2 other plans set payment increases over 10 years at 2 percent and 3 percent each year.

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FHA Loan Limits for 2023

For 2019, the flooring limitation for FHA loans in the majority of the nation is $314,827, up from $294,515 in 2018. For high-cost areas, the ceiling is $726,525, up from $679,650 a year back. These limitations are described as “ceilings” and “floorings” that FHA will insure. FHA updates limit quantities each year in reaction to altering home prices.

FHA is needed by law to change its quantities based on the loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for conventional mortgages guaranteed or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and floor limits differ according to the cost of living in a specific location, and can be different from one county to the next. Areas with a greater expense of living will have higher limits, and vice versa. Unique exceptions are made for housing in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where home building is more expensive.

FHA Loan Relief

Loan servicers can use some versatility on FHA loan requirements to those who have suffered a major monetary hardship or are struggling to make their payments.

That relief might be in the form of a temporary duration of forbearance, a loan adjustment that would reduce the interest rate, extend the payback duration, or defer part of the loan balance at no interest.

The FHA Hybrid Adjustable Rate

FHA administers a number of programs, based on Section 203(b), that have special features. One of these programs, Section 251, insures adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) which, particularly during periods when interest rates are low, enable borrowers to obtain mortgage financing that is more affordable by virtue of its lower initial interest rate. This interest rate is adjusted annually, based on market indices approved by FHA, and thus may increase or decrease over the term of the loan. In 2006 FHA received approval to allow hybrid ARMs, in which the interest is fixed for the first 3 or 5 years, and is then adjusted annually according to market conditions and indices.

How do you Qualify for an FHA Loan in Blanchard CA?

The FHA makes it relatively easy to qualify for a loan. Again, the government guarantees the loan, so lending companies are more willing to approve mortgage loans. However, lending companies can (and do) set standards that are stricter than FHA requirements. If you’re having trouble with one FHA approved lender near Blanchard CA, you might have better luck with another.

Note: you never know until you submit an app. Even if you think you won’t qualify after reading this page, talk with an FHA approved lender in Blanchard to find out for sure.

Income limits: there are none. You’ll need enough to show that you can repay the mortgage loan but these loans are geared towards lower income borrowers. If you’re fortunate enough to have a high income, you aren’t disqualified like you might be with certain first-time home buyer programs.

FHA Closing Costs

While FHA defines which closing costs are allowable as charges to the borrower, the specific costs and amounts that are deemed reasonable and customary are determined by each local FHA office.

FHA Debt Ratios

In order to prevent home-buyers from getting into a home they cannot afford, FHA guidelines have been set in place requiring borrowers and/or their spouse to qualify according to set debt to income ratios.

FHA Credit Issues

An FHA loan applicant’s past credit performance that demonstrates good credit history and a solid track record of timely payments will likely be eligible for the mortgage.

How to Find FHA Lenders

Borrowers get their home loans from FHA-approved lending institutions in Blanchard instead of the FHA itself, which only insures the loans. FHA-approved lending institutions can have various rates and costs, even for the very same loan.

FHA loans are readily available through many sources– from the biggest banks and credit unions to neighborhood banks and independent mortgage loan providers. Costs, services and underwriting standards vary amongst lenders or mortgage brokers, so it’s important to shop around.

Learn more about how to find low FHA home loan lending institution.


(Or call 213-474-7389 to ask a local lender anything!)