The "FHA" One-Time-Close Loan
Single Close Loans allow you to wrap up the financing of lot purchase, construction and permanent mortgage into one loan insured by the FHA. Under this option, you can apply for a 15- or 30-year loan with a fixed rate that’s locked in before construction on your new home begins.
With a Single Close Loan comes a single set of closing costs. These costs can be partially paid for you, since the FHA allows interested party contributions (sometimes referred to as seller concessions, although commonly paid by the builder in the case of a construction-to-permanent loan) up to 6 percent of the total acquisition cost.
What is an FHA Loan?
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is a government agency within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In an effort to stimulate America’s housing market and assist Americans in securing safe and affordable housing, the FHA insures mortgages on single and multifamily homes.
The FHA offers homebuyers a number of mortgage options, including the One-Time Close Construction-to-Permanent loan. The loan is provided by private, FHA-approved lenders and is backed by the FHA, giving lenders peace of mind about approving borrowers for large mortgages.
Who Can Apply
While only veterans and rural residents can apply for loans with the VA, securing a Single Close Loan with the FHA is easier for other homebuyers. It also allows you to take advantage of the FHA’s lenient borrower guidelines.
There is a low down payment requirement of 3.5 percent. If you already own the land on which your new home is being built and have equity in the land, the equity can be used towards the 3.5% down payment. Furthermore, the down payment can be paid for entirely with "gift funds."
Most lenders typically have a credit score requirement of at least 620. The FHA also requires proof of employment and income, and no late or missed payments in the last 12 months.
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October 18, 2023If you want to build your home from the ground up using a One-Time Close construction loan, you should be aware of home loan scams that could affect your transaction. Some mortgage scams are attempts to get the buyer to wire money to a third party in direct contradiction to the arrangements you and the lender have worked out ahead of time.
October 11, 2023With a government-backed purchase loan such as an FHA or VA home loan, your low downpayment options include no money down for VA mortgages and 3.5% of the price of the home for FHA mortgages. With the FHA version of a government-backed home loan, there are no early payoff penalty issues for those who decide to refinance later to try to get into a better interest rate.
October 4, 2023How much is my mortgage payment on a One-Time Close home loan? The answer isn't as simple as providing a dollar amount, as we will explore. A more important question for many construction loan applicants? How much of my monthly income will my mortgage require?
