How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Fuller Acres California (Kern County)

How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Fuller Acres California (Kern County)

Looking for an FHA Loan in Fuller Acres 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 credit 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 requirements.

The FHA program was created in response to the rise of foreclosures and defaults that happened in 1930s; to provide lenders with adequate insurance; and to help spark the housing market by making home loans highly accessible and attainable for home-buyers with less than perfect credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Fuller Acres, California. Essentially, the federal government insures loans for FHA-approved mortgage 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 Fuller Acres

Typically an FHA loan in Fuller Acres 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 loan.

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 scenario.

Another advantage of an FHA mortgage loan is that it’s an assumable mortgage 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 Kern 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 vigorous 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 changes annually after the initial fixed time frame. The 3/1 and 5/1 FHA Hybrid products allow 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 very little even on a worst case rate change.

About Fuller Acres California

Fuller Acres (formerly, Hilltop) is a census-designated place in Kern County, California. It is located 7.25 miles (12 km) southeast of downtown Bakersfield, at an elevation of 420 feet (128.02 m). The population was 991 at the 2010 census.

At the 2010 census Fuller Acres had a population of 991. The population density was 1,313.7 people per square mile (507.2/km). The racial makeup of Fuller Acres was 607 (61.3%) White, 13 (1.3%) African American, 12 (1.2%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 329 (33.2%) from other races, and 29 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 768 people (77.5%).

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 244 households, 138 (56.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 137 (56.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 30 (12.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 30 (12.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 30 (12.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 35 households (14.3%) were one person and 7 (2.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.06. There were 197 families (80.7% of households); the average family size was 4.46.

The age distribution was 346 people (34.9%) under the age of 18, 114 people (11.5%) aged 18 to 24, 259 people (26.1%) aged 25 to 44, 209 people (21.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 63 people (6.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 27.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.4 males.

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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 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 Kern 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.


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Kinds Of FHA Loans

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

  • FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans assist homebuyers acquire a house– and refurbish it– all with a single mortgage. House owners can also utilize the program to refinance their current home mortgage and include the expense of renovating jobs into the new loan. FHA 203( k) loans been available in 2 types:
    • The minimal 203( k) has an easier application process, and the repair work or enhancements need to amount to $35,000 or less.
    • The standard 203( k) needs additional documentation and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, but the overall worth of the home must still fall within the FHA home loan limitation for the area.
  • House Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular kind of reverse mortgage and is likewise guaranteed by the FHA. A HECM enables older property owners (aged 62 and up) with significant equity or those who own their houses outright to withdraw a part of their house’s equity. The amount that will be readily available for withdrawal differs by debtor and depends upon the age of the youngest debtor or eligible non-borrowing partner, present interest rates and the lower of the home’s appraised value or the HECM FHA mortgage limitation or sales price.
  • FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy effective mortgages backed by the FHA permit homebuyers to buy homes that are already energy effective, such as EnergyStar-certified structures. Or they can be utilized to purchase and renovate older houses with energy-efficient, or “green,” updates and roll the costs of the upgrades into the loan without a larger down payment.
  • FHA Section 245( a) loan – Also referred to as the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is geared at debtors whose incomes will increase over time. You start out with smaller sized month-to-month payments that gradually increase. Five specific strategies are readily available: three strategies that permit five years of increasing payments at 2.5 percent, 5 percent and 7.5 percent every year. 2 other plans set payment boosts 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 most of the nation is $314,827, up from $294,515 in 2018. For high-cost locations, the ceiling is $726,525, up from $679,650 a year earlier. These limits are referred to as “ceilings” and “floorings” that FHA will guarantee. FHA updates restrict quantities each year in reaction to altering house costs.

FHA is needed by law to change its amounts based upon the loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for conventional home loans ensured or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and floor limitations vary according to the expense of living in a certain area, and can be different from one county to the next. Locations with a higher cost of living will have greater limits, and vice versa. Special exceptions are made for housing in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where home construction is more expensive.

FHA Loan Relief

Loan servicers can use some versatility on FHA loan requirements to those who have actually suffered a severe monetary difficulty 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 lower the rates of interest, extend the payback period, or delay 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 Fuller Acres CA?

The FHA makes it relatively simple to qualify for a home loan. Again, the government guarantees the loan, so lenders are more willing to approve loans. However, lenders can (and do) set standards that are stricter than FHA requirements. If you’re having trouble with one FHA approved lender near Fuller Acres CA, you might have better luck with looking around for 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 Fuller Acres 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 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

Debtors get their home mortgage from FHA-approved lenders in Fuller Acres instead of the FHA itself, which just insures the loans. FHA-approved lenders can have various rates and expenses, even for the exact same loan.

FHA loans are available through many sources– from the biggest banks and cooperative credit union to neighborhood banks and independent mortgage lending institutions. Expenses, services and underwriting requirements vary amongst lending institutions or home loan brokers, so it’s crucial to shop around.

Find out more about how to find low FHA home loan lender.


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