How To Qualify For FHA Loan in Thousand Palms California (Riverside County)
Looking for an FHA Loan in Thousand Palms 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). Popular with first-time home-buyers, FHA mortgages require more flexible minimum credit scores and down payments than many conventional loans.
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 important 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 qualifications.
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 home loans much more accessible and attainable for home-buyers with less than stellar credit or a low down payment due to FHA mortgage limits in Thousand Palms, California. Essentially, the federal government insures loans for FHA-approved mortgage companies 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 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 Thousand Palms 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.
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 home loan is that it’s an assumable mortgage which means if you want to sell your property, 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 Riverside 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 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 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 adjustment. This insures that the payment adjustment will be minimal even on a worst case rate change.
About Thousand Palms California
Large colonies of fan palms have for long been named a thousand palms. This area was previously known as 100 Palm Spring, as seen on 1874 maps and an official Land Office map dating to 1891. The post office was established in 1915 and the area was named Edom, California after the ancient Asian nation. However, in 1919, a residents petition was carried out and the name was changed to Thousand Palms.
The location had a post office called Edom in 1913. The post office was moved in 1938 and then renamed as Thousand Palms in 1939.
Thousand Palms is located at 33°49′01″N 116°23′14″W / 33.816868°N 116.387143°W.
It borders the cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 23.6 square miles (61 km2), all of it land.
The Coachella Valley Preserve is a 20,000-acre large nature preserve consisting of several natural desert oases, aeolian sand dunes, and California fan palm tree groves. It is home to endangered wildlife such as the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard and other rare endemic species to the Sonoran Desert. The oases with their springs and ponds were created as the lines of the San Andreas Fault allow for underground water to rise to the surface. It is home to 183 bird species, and also an endangered fish species, the Desert pupfish. The preserve has over 25 miles of hiking trails and has been inhabited for centuries by Native Americans. The preserve was also a popular stagecoach stop between Los Angeles the gold mines along the Colorado River.
Other Cities You May Be Interested In
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 house. 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 Riverside 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 personal loan providers. Here’s a take a look at each of them.
- FHA 203( k) loans – These FHA loans help property buyers buy a home– and remodel it– all with a single home loan. Homeowners can also utilize the program to re-finance their current home mortgage and include the cost of redesigning tasks into the new loan. FHA 203( k) loans can be found in 2 types:
- The minimal 203( k) has a much easier application procedure, and the repairs or enhancements need to total $35,000 or less.
- The basic 203( k) needs extra documentation and applies to enhancements costing more than $5,000, but the overall worth of the home must still fall within the FHA mortgage limit for the area.
- 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 property owners (aged 62 and up) with considerable equity or those who own their homes outright to withdraw a part of their home’s equity. The quantity that will be offered for withdrawal differs by customer and depends on the age of the youngest customer or qualified non-borrowing partner, current rate of interest and the lower of the home’s assessed worth or the HECM FHA home loan limit or prices.
- FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program – Energy efficient home loans backed by the FHA permit property buyers to acquire homes that are currently energy efficient, such as EnergyStar-certified buildings. Or they can be utilized to buy 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 called the Graduated Payment Mortgage, this program is geared at debtors whose earnings will increase over time. You start with smaller sized month-to-month payments that slowly increase. 5 particular plans are available: three plans that allow five years of increasing payments at 2.5 percent, 5 percent and 7.5 percent yearly. 2 other plans set payment increases over 10 years at 2 percent and 3 percent each year.
(Or call 213-474-7389 to ask a local lender anything!)
FHA Loan Limits for 2023
For 2019, the flooring limitation for FHA loans in the majority of the country 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 limit quantities each year in response to changing home costs.
FHA is needed by law to change its quantities based upon the loan limitations set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, for standard mortgages guaranteed or owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ceiling and flooring limitations differ according to the cost of living in a particular area, and can be different from one county to the next. Areas with a greater cost of living will have higher limitations, and vice versa. Special exceptions are made for housing in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands, where home building is more pricey.
FHA Loan Relief
Loan servicers can provide some flexibility 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 short-lived period of forbearance, a loan modification that would lower the rates of interest, extend the repayment duration, 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 Thousand Palms CA?
The FHA makes it relatively simple to qualify for a mortgage. Again, the government guarantees the loan, so lending companies are more willing to approve mortgages. However, lenders can (and do) set standards that can be stricter than FHA requirements. If you’re having trouble with one FHA approved lender near Thousand Palms 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 Thousand Palms 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 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 demonstrates good credit history and a solid track record of timely payments will likely be eligible for the mortgage.
How to Find FHA Lenders
Borrowers get their home mortgage from FHA-approved lending institutions in Thousand Palms rather than the FHA itself, which just insures the loans. FHA-approved loan providers can have various rates and expenses, even for the same loan.
FHA loans are available through many sources– from the most significant banks and cooperative credit union to community banks and independent home loan lending institutions. Expenses, services and underwriting requirements vary among loan providers or mortgage brokers, so it’s essential to shop around.
Discover more about how to find low FHA mortgage loan provider.
