Florida FHA Mortgage – Check Out the F.H.A.’s Rules
The Federal Housing Administration used to be known as a place for Florida borrowers with tarnished credit histories. But now, it has become a destination for Florida borrowers whose credentials are respectable, but not stellar. qualify for the best interest rates on a new or refinanced mortgage, you need to have a top-notch credit score and a substantial down payment or home equity. But if you have less than perfect credit and less than 20 percent in home equity, an important threshold, you’ll have to pay a lot more. And that’s why many of those Florida borrowers are turning to the F.H.A.
The F.H.A. requires down payments of only 3.5 percent and has less stringent credit requirements than conventional mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-controlled mortgage finance companies. F.H.A. mortgages also have become one of the least expensive alternatives for new mortgages and refinancing, given the increase in fees tacked onto traditional loans.
“Just about any Florida buyer that is putting down less than 20 percent needs to consider F.H.A. financing,†said Thomas Martin , executive vice president of FHAmortgagePrograms.com. “That doesn’t mean they need to take it, but they should consider it.â€
The F.H.A., which was created during the Great Depression, does not make loans, but insures mortgages that meet its guidelines. Because the F.H.A. is the only viable option for a lot of Florida mortgage applicants , its loans now account for a much larger percentage of all mortgages. In 2005 and 2006, at the height of the housing boom, only 1.8 percent of all mortgages were F.H.A.-backed, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. Last year, that number ballooned to 17.1 percent. The F.H.A. now insures 4.8 million single-family mortgages worth about $550 billion.
Historically, F.H.A. loans carried a certain stigma. They were viewed as hard-to-obtain loans for low-income consumers with checkered credit histories and small down payments. They also tended to be more expensive.
But in the current market, the opposite is often true. Qualifying for a regular Florida mortgage has become more expensive, sometimes prohibitively so, given the many fees that are now layered onto conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The fees are generally levied on Florida borrowers deemed to be more risky. The charges depend on your credit score and the amount of money you’re borrowing relative to the value of your home. But they tend to hit people with credit scores under 700 and less than 20 percent in home equity. Carrying a home equity loan may result in extra fees, as will taking cash out of your home when you refinance.
The extra charges aren’t the only hurdle consumers may face. Florida mortgage applicants with less than 20 percent in home equity must also purchase private mortgage insurance. The insurance has become much more difficult to qualify for and more expensive, especially in areas where home values have declined the most.
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