How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Stewartville California (Contra Costa County)
Looking for an FHA Loan in Stewartville California?
FHA loans have been a flexible mortgage program that’s been around since the 1930’s and is protected 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 rating 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 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 lending companies with sufficient insurance; and to help grow the housing market by making mortgages highly accessible and affordable for home-buyers with less than perfect credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Stewartville, 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 home loans at really attractive 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 Stewartville 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 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 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 Contra Costa 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 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 adjusts annually after the initial fixed period. The 3/1 and 5/1 FHA Hybrid products make it possible for 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 Stewartville California
Coordinates: 37°56′47″N 121°50′55″W / 37.94639°N 121.84861°W
Stewartville was an unincorporated place in eastern Contra Costa County, California that is now a ghost town. It was located 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 558 feet (170 m). It was a mining town for the nearby coal mines.
A post office operated at Stewartville from 1882 to 1902. The place was named for William Stewart, coal mine owner.
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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 house. 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 Contra Costa 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 used by personal 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 renovate it– all with a single home mortgage. House owners can likewise use the program to refinance their existing home loan and include the cost of renovating projects into the new loan. FHA 203( k) loans been available in two types:
- The minimal 203( k) has an easier application procedure, and the repairs or improvements should total $35,000 or less.
- The basic 203( k) requires additional paperwork and applies to improvements costing more than $5,000, however the overall worth of the residential or commercial property need to still fall within the FHA mortgage limitation for the location.
- Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM – A HECM is a popular kind of reverse home mortgage and is also guaranteed by the FHA. A HECM permits older homeowners (aged 62 and up) with substantial equity or those who own their homes outright to withdraw a portion of their house’s equity. The quantity that will be offered for withdrawal differs by customer and depends on the age of the youngest borrower or qualified non-borrowing spouse, present interest rates and the lesser of the house’s evaluated worth or the HECM FHA home loan limit or sales price.
- FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy efficient home mortgages backed by the FHA allow property buyers to acquire homes that are currently energy effective, such as EnergyStar-certified structures. Or they can be used to purchase and redesign older houses with energy-efficient, or “green,” updates and roll the expenses of the upgrades into the loan without a larger down payment.
- FHA Section 245( a) loan – Also called the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is tailored at borrowers whose incomes will increase with time. You start out with smaller sized regular monthly payments that gradually increase. Five specific plans are offered: 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 boosts 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 flooring 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 limits are described as “ceilings” and “floorings” that FHA will insure. FHA updates restrict amounts each year in action to changing house rates.
FHA is required by law to change its quantities based on the loan limitations set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for conventional home loans ensured or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and flooring limits vary according to the expense of living in a specific area, and can be various from one county to the next. Locations with a higher expense of living will have higher limitations, and vice versa. Special exceptions are produced real estate in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where home construction is more costly.
FHA Loan Relief
Loan servicers can use some flexibility on FHA loan requirements to those who have suffered a major monetary challenge or are having a hard time to make their payments.
That relief might be in the form of a short-term duration of forbearance, a loan modification that would lower the rates of interest, extend the repayment 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 Stewartville 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 mortgage loans. However, mortgage lenders can (and do) set standards that may be stricter than FHA requirements. If you’re having trouble with one FHA approved lender near Stewartville CA, you might have better luck with another.
Note: you never know until you apply. Even if you think you won’t qualify after reading this page, talk with an FHA approved lender in Stewartville 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 applicants. If you’re lucky 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 shows 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 mortgage from FHA-approved lenders in Stewartville instead of the FHA itself, which just guarantees the loans. FHA-approved lenders can have different rates and expenses, even for the very same loan.
FHA loans are available through many sources– from the biggest banks and credit unions to community banks and independent mortgage loan providers. Expenses, services and underwriting requirements differ among lenders or home loan brokers, so it’s essential to look around.
Learn more about how to find low FHA home mortgage lending institution.
