How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Constantia California (Lassen County)

How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Constantia California (Lassen County)

Looking for an FHA Loan in Constantia California?

FHA loans have been a flexible home loan program that’s been around since the 1930’s and is 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 pay. Something also worth noting is that the FHA loan limits affect your FHA mortgage insurance – its just part of the FHA loan requirements.

The FHA program was created in response to the rise of foreclosures and defaults that happened in 1930s; to provide lending companies with adequate insurance; and to help grow the housing market by making mortgages highly accessible and affordable for consumers with less than perfect credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Constantia, 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 mortgage payments.

Because of that insurance, mortgage lenders 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 Constantia

Typically an FHA loan in Constantia is one of the easiest types of mortgage loans to get approved 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 mortgage.

Borrowers 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 home loan which means if you want to sell your house, 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 Lassen 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 home loan programs will make it possible for 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 relative, 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 changes annually after the initial fixed time frame. The 3/1 and 5/1 FHA Hybrid products permit 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.

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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 home loan or to buy the property. 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 Lassen 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!)

Kinds Of FHA Mortgage Loans

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

  • FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans assist property buyers buy a home– and refurbish it– all with a single home mortgage. House owners can likewise utilize the program to re-finance their current home loan and add the expense of remodeling projects into the brand-new loan. FHA 203( k) loans been available in 2 types:
    • The minimal 203( k) has an easier application process, and the repairs or enhancements should total $35,000 or less.
    • The standard 203( k) requires extra documentation and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, however the overall value of the property should still fall within the FHA home loan limit for the area.
  • Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular kind of reverse home loan and is likewise guaranteed by the FHA. A HECM allows older property owners (aged 62 and up) with significant equity or those who own their houses outright to withdraw a part of their home’s equity. The quantity that will be offered for withdrawal varies by customer and depends upon the age of the youngest customer or qualified non-borrowing spouse, present interest rates and the lower of the home’s evaluated value or the HECM FHA home mortgage limit or sales price.
  • FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy effective mortgages backed by the FHA allow property buyers to buy homes that are currently energy efficient, such as EnergyStar-certified buildings. Or they can be utilized to purchase and remodel older homes with energy-efficient, or “green,” updates and roll the expenses of the upgrades into the loan without a bigger down payment.
  • FHA Section 245( a) loan – Also known as the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is geared at customers whose earnings will increase with time. You start with smaller sized month-to-month payments that slowly go up. 5 particular strategies are available: three plans that allow 5 years of increasing payments at 2.5 percent, 5 percent and 7.5 percent each year. Two other plans set payment increases over 10 years at 2 percent and 3 percent annually.

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FHA Loan Limits for 2023

For 2019, the floor limit for FHA loans in the majority of the country is $314,827, up from $294,515 in 2018. For high-cost areas, the ceiling is $726,525, up from $679,650 a year ago. These limitations are referred to as “ceilings” and “floors” that FHA will guarantee. FHA updates restrict quantities each year in reaction to changing home prices.

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

FHA Loan Relief

Loan servicers can offer some versatility on FHA loan requirements to those who have suffered a serious monetary difficulty or are struggling to make their payments.

That relief might be in the form of a short-term period of forbearance, a loan adjustment that would decrease the rates of interest, extend the payback period, or postpone 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 Constantia CA?

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

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

Income limits: there are none. You’ll need enough to show that you can repay the 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 qualifications 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

Customers get their home mortgage from FHA-approved loan providers in Constantia instead of the FHA itself, which only guarantees the loans. FHA-approved loan providers can have various rates and expenses, even for the very same loan.

FHA loans are available through numerous sources– from the biggest banks and cooperative credit union to community banks and independent home loan loan providers. Costs, services and underwriting standards differ among lending institutions or home loan brokers, so it’s essential to shop around.

Find out more about how to discover low FHA home mortgage loan provider.


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