L. Sampson asked:




If looking for a no money down or 100 percent mortgage financing, you have several options. Understandably, many homebuyers have little cash on hand for a down payment. Because of the increase in home prices, saving the typical 20% is practically impossible. Fortunately, FHA home loan programs offer 100 percent mortgage financing, which eliminates the need for a large down payment. Here are a few tips on qualifying for a FHA home mortgage loan.

Employment Guideline for Getting a FHA Mortgage Loan

FHA loans are very flexible. Still, before approving a homebuyer for a FHA loan, the lender will carefully review several factors to determine whether they are an ideal candidate for a mortgage loan.

To acquire a FHA loan, lenders require steady employment. Usually, this involves two years of continuously working. It helps to maintain the same employer throughout the two years.

Individuals who change employers every four to six months or those who only held employment for half of the 24 months may have a hard time getting approved for a FHA loan. If unemployment was due to layoffs, illness, or other legitimate excuses, the lender may consider the applicant for approval.

Credit Guidelines for FHA Loans

When reviewing a homebuyer’s application for a mortgage loan, the lender will look at all credit activity that has occurred within the last two to three years. Concerning late payments, applicants cannot have more than two 30 days late payments within a two year period.

Bankruptcies must have a discharged date of at least two years. Furthermore, foreclosures must be at least three years old. In both cases, mortgage lenders require that homebuyers have begun re-establishing credit and building a good credit history.

Income Guidelines for FHA Loans

To qualify for a FHA mortgage loan, lenders will evaluate combine household incomes and other consumer debts (auto loan, credit cards, student loans, etc) to ensure that the mortgage payment does not exceed 30% of income. However, FHA loan lenders are flexible in this regards. Because of rising home prices and modest incomes, lenders may approve loans that exceed 30% of the homebuyer’s income.

Emma

Michael Kraus asked:




For much of the past year, mortgage rates have been at or near record low points. Unfortunately, many homeowners have been unable to take advantage of these rates due to declining home equity. Many homes have lost significant amounts of value since the housing market peaked in 2006. As a result, many homeowners now owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth (this condition is known as being “underwater” or “upside-down” on one’s mortgage). Homeowners who lack equity in their homes are frequently unable to meet the loan-to-value (LTV) ratios required by lenders in order to refinance their mortgages. These borrowers may be missing out on thousands of dollars worth of savings.

In response to this situation, the government created the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). HARP was designed to allow homeowners with little to no home equity to refinance into lower mortgage rates. HARP loans are available to borrowers with LTVs of as much as 125 percent, although the maximum LTV it varies by lender.

Some of the eligibility requirements for HARP are:

• The borrower’s mortgage must be owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
• The home must be the borrower’s primary residence
• The borrower must be current on their mortgage with no late payments in the last 12 month period
• The new loan must lower the borrower’s monthly payments

For a complete listing of the HARP eligibility requirements, check out the Making Home Affordable Webpage here.

The HARP loan program has been extended through June 11, 2011.

Tracy

Carrie Reeder asked:




When applying for a mortgage loan, your credit score plays a huge role. Thus, many people choose to establish a good credit history before applying for a mortgage. Having a low credit score will not necessarily prevent you from getting a mortgage. Likewise, it’s possible to get a mortgage with no credit history. Before applying for a no FICO score home loan, it is important to understand how these loans work, and how to qualify.

Purpose of Credit Scoring

Without credit reports and credit scoring, potential lenders would be unable to assess an applicant’s creditworthiness. Credit reports contain very detailed information about our credit history. For example, the length of credit history, number of credit accounts, outstanding balances, etc. Along with creditor information, reports also contain a three digit number. This is the FICO score. Credit scores range from 300 to 850. Higher scores obviously means better credit.

How Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Loan Approvals

Years ago, obtaining a mortgage loan with poor credit was rare. However, lenders have begun offering flexible programs, which make it possible for more families to qualify for home loans. Among these includes a variety of mortgage loans especially for people with bad credit.

Bad credit generally consists of several late payments, bankruptcies, foreclosures, collections, judgments, etc. All of these factors contribute to very low credit scores. Low credit scores equal higher interest rates, which will increase mortgage payments. Fortunately, there are loan programs in which FICO scores are not a primary factor.

What are No Credit Score Home Loans?

If you have bad credit or no credit history, you may qualify for a no credit score home loan. In many instances, homebuyers earn a sizeable income, in which they can afford to buy a home. However, because of past credit history, many will not qualify for a conventional home loan. Rather than wait until credit improves, these individuals may apply for loans without using credit scores.

Try using one of ABC Loan Guide’s
Recommended Poor Credit Mortgage Loan Companies.

Many mortgage lenders offer these sorts of loans. However, homebuyers must meet certain criteria. For example, most lenders will only finance 70% or 80% on a no credit score loan, thus the homebuyer must have a down payment of approximately 20% – 30%. Secondly, most lenders require full documentation on these loans. Thus, homebuyers needing a no doc or stated income loan may not qualify.

Angela

iamjoesmamma asked:


My husband and I are in need of a bigger house. The sooner we can get it, the better. We refinanced our mortgage on our current home almost 2 years ago, but that was before our 4th child was born. The house is in both of our names, but originally it was just in my husband’s name until we refinanced. Our credit was bad, but has improved. 5 months ago, mine was 620, and my husbands was just below 600. We haven’t had any late payments since the refinance and my husband and I both have a decent income. We live in central IL and the cost for a house that would be big enough for us would be between $75,000 and $180,000, depending on the condition of the house. Together, my husband and I make about $42,000 a year. Our current home will be worth about $85,000 to $90,000 when we are finished remodeling. Could I apply for a home loan within the next few months or would it be wise to wait another year to 18 months before applying?
I forgot to add that the income amount that I listed is what we bring home after taxes and such are taken out.
We would have to sell the house we are in. we only owe about $52,000 on it. We don’t want to put in on the market until we know that we would be able to buy another house. We are in a great location but we have outgrown our house. We are right across the street from the elementary school in our town.

Daniel

Blank asked:


Interest rates and home prices have risen over the years making it harder and harder for first time buyers to qualify for a home loan. Many financial analysis say now is the time to buy a house before rising rates price you totally out of the market. But what if you have bad credit? Can you buy a home right now if your credit is not up to par? For a lot of consumers with bad credit the answer to that question is yes. If you have had credit problems but have a minimum credit score of 580 and stable income, in most cases, you will be able to qualify for a bad credit home loan aka sub-prime mortgage loan. Sub-prime mortgage loans specifically cater to people who have had credit problems such as bankruptcy, late payments, judgments, collections and a high debt ratio. So… what this means is if you have these type of problems you may still be able to buy your dream home now rather than having to wait years while you try to clean up and re-establish your damaged credit history.

With a bad credit home loan you should expect to pay a higher rate than you would with a standard conventional loan. How high of a rate you pay will depend on several factors:

Your credit score

Your debt ratio

The severity of your bad credit

The lender you choose

If your situation places you on the higher end of the interest rate scale then you should view your loan as a temporary solution to turn you into a homeowner with the ultimate goal of improving your credit standing so that you can refinance to lower rate loan in 2-3 years.

Bad credit home loans are not available from all mortgage lenders. Only those lenders who specialize in or offer sub-prime mortgage loans will offer these programs. Make sure you are honest up-front about your financial situation and your credit history when you go to apply for a home loan so that your credit does not get pulled needlessly by a lender who does not even offer the kind of loan products unique to your situation. Just one unnecessary inquiry hit to your credit can be disastrous if you are teetering on the brink of the minimum 580 credit score because every time your credit report is pulled it has the potential of lowering your score even further.

Most lenders who do offer bad credit home loans will advertise this fact. There are also resources on the web that can steer you in the right direction. Websites such as http://www.badcreditloanshop.com and http://www.equityloansource.com offer a wealth of information on home loans for people with bad credit as well as sub-prime mortgage lender sources.



KURT

hopeful77 asked:


My mortgagecompany issued me a moratorium for 4months (postponed payments)due to hurricane Wilma. This Hurricane displaced us for a couple of months and caused an extreme Financial hardship. The mortgage company(Wells Fargo Home mortgage) has on their records that they will not report any late payments and/or there will be no negative credit reporting.However, after i sent the payments and checked my credit report they indeed reported 120 days late payments to the major credit bureaus. When i talk to the represenatives they indeed see the notes about not repoting late to the credit bureau and even waived every late charge,but are adamant about not removing the negative reporting. I was a loyal consumer and my lateness was due to “acts of Nature” beyond my control. Initially the moratorium helped our family, but in the end it has really hurt my credit worthiness. I am having difficulty securing another home loan (sold previous property)because of the negative reporting. What can I do?

EMANUEL

hopeful77 asked:


My mortgagecompany issued me a moratorium for 4months (postponed payments)due to hurricane Wilma. This Hurricane displaced us for a couple of months and caused an extreme Financial hardship. The mortgage company(Wells Fargo Home mortgage) has on their records that they will not report any late payments and/or there will be no negative credit reporting.However, after i sent the payments and checked my credit report they indeed reported 120 days late payments to the major credit bureaus. When i talk to the represenatives they indeed see the notes about not reporting late to the credit bureau and even waived every late charge,but are adamant about not removing the negative reporting. I was a loyal consumer and my lateness was due to “acts of Nature” beyond my control. Initially the moratorium helped our family, but in the end it has really hurt my credit worthiness. I am having difficulty securing another home loan (sold previous property)because of the negative reporting. What can I do?

ROBBIE