How To Qualify For FHA Loan in McKinleyville California (Humboldt County)

How To Qualify For FHA Loan in McKinleyville California (Humboldt County)

Looking for an FHA Loan in McKinleyville 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 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 lending companies with sufficient insurance; and to help stimulate the housing market by making mortgages more accessible and attainable for consumers with less than perfect credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in McKinleyville, 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 home loans 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 McKinleyville

Typically an FHA loan in McKinleyville 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 qualified for private mortgage insurance should look into whether an FHA loan is the popular option for their personal circumstances.

Another advantage of an FHA loan is that it’s an assumable 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 Humboldt 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 allow 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 readjusts annually after the initial fixed period. 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.

About McKinleyville California

The Wiyot and Yurok people continue to live here in their traditional territories and both groups are ingrained within the McKinleyville community.

McKinleyville is a community made up of a combination of smaller settlements. Joe Dows settled in the general area in the 1860s and that area was known as Dows Prairie. Slightly south was a small community called Minor (also known as Minorville). Minor was first settled in the late 19th century. Just south of Minor was Calville. Calville was settled by the employees of the California Barrel Company. After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, the community of Minor changed its name to McKinleyville in his honor. All three areas are collectively considered to be part of McKinleyville.

The first post office at McKinleyville opened in 1903, closed in 1921, and was reopened in 1955.

McKinleyville is a community with mainly retail and professional businesses to serve its residents but is not an incorporated city or town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 21.0 square miles (54 km), of which 20.8 square miles (54 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km), or 1.2%, is water.

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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 Humboldt 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 provided by personal lenders. Here’s a look at each of them.

  • FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans assist property buyers buy a house– and refurbish it– all with a single home loan. House owners can also utilize the program to refinance their existing mortgage and include the expense of redesigning tasks into the new loan. FHA 203( k) loans can be found in 2 types:
    • The limited 203( k) has a much easier application procedure, and the repair work or enhancements should total $35,000 or less.
    • The basic 203( k) needs extra documents and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, but the total worth of the home need to still fall within the FHA mortgage limit for the area.
  • Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular kind of reverse mortgage and is also guaranteed by the FHA. A HECM enables older property owners (aged 62 and up) with substantial equity or those who own their houses outright to withdraw a portion of their home’s equity. The quantity that will be offered for withdrawal differs by borrower and depends on the age of the youngest debtor or qualified non-borrowing spouse, present rate of interest and the lesser of the house’s assessed worth or the HECM FHA home mortgage limit or sales price.
  • FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy effective mortgages backed by the FHA enable homebuyers to buy homes that are already energy effective, such as EnergyStar-certified structures. Or they can be utilized to buy and redesign older houses with energy-efficient, or “green,” updates and roll the expenses of the upgrades into the loan without a larger deposit.
  • FHA Section 245( a) loan – Also called the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is geared at customers whose earnings will increase with time. You start out with smaller month-to-month payments that slowly go up. Five specific strategies are available: three plans that permit 5 years of increasing payments at 2.5 percent, 5 percent and 7.5 percent yearly. 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 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 limits are referred to as “ceilings” and “floorings” that FHA will insure. FHA updates restrict quantities each year in action to altering house costs.

FHA is required by law to adjust its amounts based on the loan limitations set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for standard home mortgages ensured or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and flooring limitations differ according to the expense of living in a certain area, and can be various from one county to the next. Areas with a greater expense of living will have higher limits, and vice versa. Special exceptions are produced real estate in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where house building and construction is more costly.

FHA Loan Relief

Loan servicers can offer some flexibility on FHA loan requirements to those who have actually suffered a serious financial challenge or are having a hard time to make their payments.

That relief might be in the form of a short-term period of forbearance, a loan modification that would lower 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 McKinleyville CA?

The FHA makes it relatively easy to qualify for a mortgage loan. Again, the government guarantees the loan, so mortgage lenders are more willing to approve mortgages. However, mortgage companies can (and do) set standards that are stricter than FHA requirements. If you’re having trouble with one FHA approved lender near McKinleyville 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 McKinleyville 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 requirements 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 attests 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 loans from FHA-approved loan providers in McKinleyville rather than the FHA itself, which only insures the loans. FHA-approved loan providers can have different rates and expenses, even for the very same loan.

FHA loans are available through numerous sources– from the greatest banks and cooperative credit union to community banks and independent mortgage lenders. Expenses, services and underwriting requirements vary amongst lending institutions or home loan brokers, so it’s crucial to search.

Discover more about how to find low FHA mortgage loan provider.


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