How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Rio Linda California (Sacramento County)
Looking for an FHA Loan in Rio Linda 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 significant to remember though, that the lower the credit worthiness, 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 qualifications.
The FHA program was created in response to the increase of foreclosures and defaults that happened in 1930s; to provide lenders with sufficient insurance; and to help spark the housing market by making home loans highly accessible and attainable for consumers with less than stellar credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Rio Linda, 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 lenders can, and do, offer FHA mortgages at really attractive mortgage 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.
(Or call 213-474-7389 to ask a local lender anything!)
Benefits of FHA Loans: Low Down Payments and Less Strict Credit Score Requirements
Typically an FHA loan in Rio Linda 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 loan.
Borrowers 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 scenario.
Another advantage of an FHA mortgage 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 Sacramento 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 mortgage loan programs will permit 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 adjusts 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 very little even on a worst case rate change.
About Rio Linda California
The Rio Linda/Elverta community is located on part of the Rancho Del Paso Mexican land grant of 1844. In 1910, a Fruit Land Company of Minneapolis acquired 12,000 acres (49 km) of the Grant and in 1912 the area was subdivided. Renamed Rio Linda in 1913, it was known as ‘Dry Creek Station’, a flag stop for the Northern Electric Railroad, renamed the Sacramento Northern Railway after joining the San Francisco–Sacramento system to improve service the Sacramento Valley. Two families settled in Rio Linda by 1912, three more arrived in 1913, and nine more in 1914. By 1918, approximately fifty families in the community, mostly of Scandinavian and German descent. By 1920, poultry farming had proved to be feasible in the area which was advertised throughout several Eastern states during the 1920s. the Sacramento Northern Railway stopped commuter services in 1940 redirecting focus to freight in the wake of World War II. An association was formed between Rio Linda and Elverta in 1942 as the area became more well known for its excellent poultry production. Steady growth throughout the second half of the 1900s aided by its proximity to the Sacramento metropolitan area and an urban exodus known as white flight from the early-1950s to the mid-1960s.
Rio Linda is located at 38°41′25″N 121°27′14″W / 38.69028°N 121.45389°W (38.690252, -121.453814). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.9 square miles (26 km2) of it land. The soil type of the area consists primarily of hard pan made up of silted clay and fine sands.
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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 annual 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 Sacramento 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 Mortgage Loans
In addition to its popular FHA loan, the FHA also guarantees other loan programs offered by private lenders. Here’s a take a look at each of them.
- FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans assist property buyers purchase a house– and refurbish it– all with a single home mortgage. Homeowners can also utilize the program to re-finance their existing home loan and add the expense of redesigning projects into the new loan. FHA 203( k) loans can be found in 2 types:
- The minimal 203( k) has a much easier application process, and the repairs or improvements should amount to $35,000 or less.
- The basic 203( k) requires extra paperwork and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, however the overall value of the property must still fall within the FHA home loan limit for the location.
- Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular type of reverse home loan and is likewise 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 part of their house’s equity. The amount that will be offered for withdrawal varies by customer and depends on the age of the youngest customer or qualified non-borrowing spouse, current rates of interest and the lower of the house’s appraised worth or the HECM FHA mortgage limitation or prices.
- FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy efficient mortgages backed by the FHA allow homebuyers to buy houses that are already energy effective, such as EnergyStar-certified structures. Or they can be utilized to purchase and renovate older homes 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 called the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is geared at borrowers whose incomes will increase gradually. You start with smaller sized monthly payments that slowly increase. Five particular strategies are available: three plans that enable 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 every year.
(Or call 213-474-7389 to ask a local lender anything!)
FHA Loan Limits for 2023
For 2019, the floor limit 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 ago. These limitations are described as “ceilings” and “floorings” that FHA will guarantee. FHA updates restrict amounts each year in action to changing house prices.
FHA is required by law to change its amounts based on the loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for standard home mortgages guaranteed or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and flooring limits differ according to the expense of living in a certain location, and can be different from one county to the next. Locations with a higher expense of living will have higher limitations, and vice versa. Unique exceptions are made for real estate in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where house building and construction is more expensive.
FHA Loan Relief
Loan servicers can use some versatility on FHA loan requirements to those who have suffered a severe monetary difficulty or are struggling to make their payments.
That relief might be in the form of a momentary duration of forbearance, a loan adjustment that would lower the rate of interest, extend the payback period, 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 Rio Linda CA?
The FHA makes it relatively simple to qualify for a mortgage loan. Again, the government guarantees the loan, so mortgage companies are more willing to approve loans. 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 Rio Linda CA, you might have better luck with shopping around for a better option.
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 Rio Linda to find out for sure.
Income limits: there are none. You’ll need enough to show that you can repay the home loan but these loans are geared towards lower income applicants. 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 shows 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 loan providers in Rio Linda rather than the FHA itself, which just insures the loans. FHA-approved lending institutions can have various rates and expenses, even for the same loan.
FHA loans are readily available through many sources– from the biggest banks and cooperative credit union to community banks and independent home loan lending institutions. Costs, services and underwriting requirements vary among lenders or mortgage brokers, so it’s important to search.
Find out more about how to find low FHA mortgage loan provider.
