Build a Home on Your Own Lot
The One-Time Close Loan is a mortgage program that finances the lot purchase (if necessary), the construction and permanent loan of a new home, all wrapped up in a single mortgage with a single closing. That's why it's called a "One-Time Close."
If you've decided to have your new home built from scratch, you might be wondering how to finance the construction and purchase. Previously, your only option would have been to secure a construction loan and then applying again for a permanent mortgage. You would have two closings, which means paying two sets of closing costs and having to re-qualify for the second loan once construction is complete.
The One-Time Close Loan, also known as a Single Close Loan, combines this process with a construction-to-permanent mortgage. You need only qualify once and pay a single set of closing costs. Your fixed-interest rate is locked in and the entire loan is in place before construction on your new home begins. Payment is only due after construction is complete when the loan automatically converts to a permanent mortgage.
Who Is This Loan For?
Homebuyers who are having trouble finding their dream home might decide it's not the right time for them to buy. After all, why go through the stress of a mortgage process for a home that you're just settling for? Well, maybe you don't have to! Maybe you can have the home you want - down to all the details and specifications - built from the ground up, with your own specifications. The One-Time Close loan can make that process a little easier for first-time homebuyers, and our lenders can help you find skilled contractors to make that dream home a reality.
You might even own your land already! This makes things more affordable and simpler. By owning the land your future home is going to sit on, you can use any equity you have accumulated towards your down payment.
Benefits of a One-Time Close Loan
The One-Time Close loan gets you from ground-breaking to move-in with a single mortgage, which streamlines the process, significantly. But it takes the pressure off you in other ways as well. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) both offer a version of the Single Close loan. While each agency may have certain additional requirements, there are some aspects both share.
Similar to other loans offered by the VA and FHA, the One-Time close loan comes with low interest rates as well. Getting a VA or FHA loan also means that you won't have to put up a huge down payment before construction starts, since these agencies have low requirements for upfront payment.
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January 11, 2024The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis estimates there were just under 18 million veterans in 2023. Add to that number of members of the Guard and Reserve, and you get approximately 19 million 360 thousand people. What do they need to know before taking advantage of their VA home loan benefits or the FHA One-Time Close construction loan program to build a home on their lot or land they buy with the loan?
January 4, 2024What makes an FHA One-Time Close construction loan (or any other type) different from a home loan to buy an existing home? Aside from the obvious aspects, such as needing to own or buy a plot of land to build on and hiring contractors to do the work to build the property, how do single-close construction loans differ?
January 3, 2024There is an FHA / VA backed One-Time close construction to permanent financing program currently available to eligible veterans with $0 down payment and to others with 3.5% down payment. Current lower home inventory levels may make it a good time to start planning to build a home utilizing this Single Close program.
