Buying short sales with FHA loans

- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
With thousands of new homes entering the foreclosure process every month in each market area the question arises ever more frequently, “Can I use an FHA loan to purchase a short sale property?”
For the readers not familiar with short sales let us first define the term as it applies to real estate. As “short sale” on real estate is when the existing lien holder(s) agree to accept a lower amount than is currently owed on the existing loan(s).
If you need an example suppose the home owner has only one mortgage for $350,000 (existing payoff) on a home. Perhaps that home is currently valued only at $275,000. The home owner cannot refinance, the lender has failed to modify and foreclosure is looming so the lender agrees to accept a sales price equal to the current appraised value even though it is a full $75,000 lower than (short of) the payoff.
Answering the question, “can an FHA loan be used to purchase a short sale”, really is too simple. The answer is “yes” provided the property and transaction fall within FHA insurance guidelines. Remember FHA has maximum loan amounts, guidelines for property type and guidelines for property use.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Gov’t aims to help more “underwater” homeowners (sfgate.com)
- Government to push lenders to do short sales (sfgate.com)
First time home buyer's information
Buying a first home, even buying any home, can be a nerve racking and tedious adventure. As with anything else experience is the best teacher but short articles on blogs can help, too! Obviously it is not possible within a few lines of text to provide an in-depth education and exposition of the process of buying a first home. However a few short pointers of do’s and do not’s can be highly valuable. Follow that up with a contact form and you will be well on your way!
When is a property officially a "Short Sale"?
Continuing the great and enlightening discussion on the topic of short sales it has come time for the bane of the web: a poll. Actually polls are not the bane of the web but they are also usually skewed and completely unscientific when used in this manner. However, which is the same as but, your opinion and perspective is invited on this particular matter.
Having taught and “done” short sales for a number of years, in fact well before they were one of the biggest buzz-words in the industry, I have had the chance to work with many agents, sellers, buyer, banks, and lenders in multiple aspects of the process. Still there are “gaps” in understanding, approach and even the timing of a short sale. Moreover, and more personally important to me as the lender offering financing to people who are purchasing short sales, the timing of when a property officially becomes a short sale.
Secrets of Real Estate Investing?
You have seen them: the secrets of real estate investing. Anytime you see that word “secret” get out your wallet. I can tell you for a fact there are no secrets. In fact, anything that is a secret hasn’t been used. Gurus could not pack rooms for thousands of dollars if you accepted that there are no secrets. Alas, there are no secrets. But there is a randomly issued series of letters (ie blog posts) and let’s call this The Billionaire Real Estate Investor’s Super Top Secret Number One.
Alas, again, there are no secrets. But there are some really important things to learn!
Here are the CONVENTIONAL (Fannie Mae) FINANCE basics of real estate investing:
Borrower must be full doc – this means able to prove income and assets with acceptible documentation.
Borrower must not own more than three properties on credit.
Minimum loan amount – generally is $50,000
Property must be in move-in condition (there are caveats)
Interest rates at 80% LTV and below are very decent right now
Minimum of 15% down payment must be sourced and seasoned
Expect to pay a minimum of 20% down even in the face of the previous statement
Your MIDDLE credit score really is going to need to be in the high 600′s
Closing costs, depending on how desperate the bank or loan officer is, are going to be around 3% on a $150k loan
PMI companies do not currently offer insurance on investment properties (unless something changed before you read this)
Join me the next time for The Billionaire Real Estate Investor’s Super Top Secret Number Two: How to beat the Fannie Mae four property limit
But see, these are not secrets. They are just some things that not everyone knows. When you really need answers just pick up the phone and give me a call at 678-946-0101 or email me at REIBroker AT gmail.com
The Truth Is In Here: 100% Financing Is Available in 2008
My friend Lane Bailey visited me for lunch yesterday and said, “Ken, I know you tell people 100% loans are available and I know a lot of people have expired listings or are trying to sell by owner but everyone is terrified and skeptical. Is it not true that you can finance (home sales) at 100% with no down payment?”
Lane gets it. The fear is big and mostly unwarranted. Buyer’s need homes whether they are up-sizing, downsizing, transferring or adding to the investment portfolio. So here are the conditions:
1. This is a 95% first at Fannie Mae rates and qualification guidelines with a 5% (actually can go to 8%) conforming bank second. Everything is disclosed to all lenders prior to loan approval.
2. This is for owner-occupied single-family residences in Georgia or Florida only. No investments, no second homes, no multi-family properties. Must be stick built or modular only.
3. This is for full doc borrowers only who can demonstrate income and assets with certified verifications performed by the lender including the 4506T for income tax return verification from the IRS.
4. Purchase price maximum is $437,850 give or take a few thousand. The FNMA portion of the loan is limited to $417,000 in most parts of the metropolitan areas of Georgia and Florida and you can finance an additional 5% on top of that.
5. The property must be in MOVE IN CONDITION – no repairs are allowed.
6. Appraisal must be satisfactory by a lender approved, licensed appraiser.
7. Buyer must have a minimum of 90 days of reserves that are sourced and seasoned for 2 months. This means you must have had them for at least 60 days and you must be able to prove where they came from. Savings, checking, 401(k), CD, etc.
8. Minimum loan amount is $120,000
9. Minimum credit score is 680 (with stronger income and lower debt ratio or more reserves may be able to go as low as 640 but if you don’t make 5 times your house payment or have a minimum of 12 months of payment reserves chances are you will need a 680 middle score).
10. Call with your questions before you assume you are going to qualify and that the home is going to qualify. This will not work on rural properties for example. (We have other 100% options for rural property mortgages.)
And to the nay-sayers who say you do not deserve a home if you cannot make a 20% down payment let me give this very real life scenario:
Clients owned a property in Clayton County for several years. They refinanced a few years ago to take out cash to do some upgrades, pay down some high interest debt and help a child. They left 20% in equity in their home at the time of their refinance in 2005. Since then Clayton County has lost their school accreditation, suffered hundreds of foreclosures and now job losses. Property values there are “in the tank”. These people have spent much of their savings helping a child through a situation. The employed spouse has great credit, in the 700′s, and a good debt-to-income ratio. They are having to sell and move into a smaller, single story home, due to health issues with the relatively young non-working spouse. They have found a home in the $160,000 range which is perfect for them and they can easily afford the payments. Unfortunately to sell their existing home they must take $35,000 to the closing table because the sales price is $35,000 less than the pay-off (no, the lender will NOT approve a short sale). This will leave them with roughly $8000 in the bank. They have NEVER missed a payment on anything on the buyer’s credit. Perfect payment history – never a late, no collections, no charge-offs, no judgements, no liens.
These people deserve a 100% loan. So hush. Call 678-946-0100 or 1-866-046-0120 to qualify. We work with agents whether independent or associated. No, your lender probably cannot do this loan and will probably tell you we cannot either. They are wrong.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ff28a2f2-e9f5-4e5b-8ba2-d9df5771efa7)











Twitter
Skype