Understanding the Pros and Cons of VA Loans: A Brief Guide

VA Loans have become increasingly sought home financing option among veterans and active servicemembers - thanks to easy qualification and down payment requirements. Guaranteed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), these flexible loans come with significant financial benefits that are not available in standard mortgage programs available for civilians. However, like every other loan option, there are certain pros and cons of VA loans, and therefore, wishful lenders need to be aware of both, before they file their application. Let’s take a look.

Pros of VA Loans

1. Zero Down Payments

The VA home mortgage requires no down payment; saving consumers minimum 20 percent of the loan value as compared to a traditional loan. The ultimate goal of this loan program is to help American Military Veterans or their spouses, in the event of their death from a service-related cause, to receive long-term financing. They need not pay any down payment in the lack of private financing.

2. No Prepayment Penalty

Conventional home loan programs may involve unfavorable terms such as prepayment penalties while VA loans don’t have such terms. As a home loan borrower, you can pay off your VA loan early without any fear of prepayment penalty.

3. No Closing Costs

Besides the basic loan origination fee, the VA home loan borrower need not pay any closing costs. Some of the closing costs that borrowers need not pay include lender document fees, recording fee above $17, transaction coordinator fee, notary and broker fees, and termite inspection fees. The seller of the home can pay all of the closing costs and prepaid penalties; amounting to six percent of the sales price.

Cons of VA Loans

1. Mandatory Funding Fee

VA Loans carry a mandatory funding fee that borrowers need to pay directly to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA funding fee refers to a set fee that is charged on every purchase loan or refinance. This fee varies if the military veteran already has a VA loan and making down payments for the same. Borrowers with service-related disabilities need not pay this fee.

2. Limited Number of Sellers

There may be a few sellers ready to sell their homes to VA home loan borrowers. One of the reasons behind these limited number of sellers is the stringent regulations of the department of Veteran Affairs. Another reason is buyers who are refinancing with a VA Loan may choose not to pay any closing costs, thereby forcing sellers to pay for them.

3. Funding Fee Increase

If you use your eligibility for a VA loan more than once, be prepared for an increase in the funding fee. Although you can use and reuse your VA mortgage benefit, after the first time, doing so becomes dearer for you. Let us take an example to understand this better. If you are a military veteran who buys a home with zero down payment and uses your home loan benefit for the first time, your funding fee is 2.15 percent. The funding fee, however, will be 3.3 percent if you use your home loan benefit for the second time.

Conclusion

If you qualify for a VA home loan program, you need to understand that the advantages of this type of loan greatly outweigh its disadvantages. If you are yet unsure about applying for this smart mortgage, it is prudent to get in touch with mortgage experts. However, before you hire an expert, make sure that you conduct a thorough research to verify their capabilities.

USDA Rural Development Home Loans in Texas: A Brief Guide

USDA rural development home loans are specialty mortgage that provide a way for families from low to very low income groups, to own a home in any USDA-designated rural area. In simple words, this loan is for those who wish to buy a decent, safe, modest, sanitary house, and use it as their primary residence. This program provides reduces their risk of approved lenders, by providing them a 90 percent loan note guarantee on every loan they offer to an eligible homebuyer. You can get financial support through this direct loan program as part of the USDA rural development in Texas. In fact, this loan is available across all the US states.

Eligibility to Apply for a USDA Loan

To apply for a USDA loan, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

1. Must meet income eligibility

2. Must be a US citizen or a non-citizen national

3. Must occupy the property as their primary residence

4. No instances of getting debarred or suspended from participating in federal                      programs.

5. Have capacity to repay home loan

6. Should purchase a property that fulfills all the program criteria

7. Should be willing to meet all the credit obligations in a timely manner.

Before you apply for this loan program, don’t forget to check the eligibility requirements carefully.

Income Eligibility

The USDA rural development Texas has levied a maximum income limit requirement in order to ensure that only people, who are in the moderate or low-income group get the benefits of this loan program. Wealthy homebuyers are not eligible for this loan. The income limit for applicants should not exceed 115 percent of the median income in the area.

Property Qualification

Prior to zeroing in on a property, it is best to check if the area where you live or looking for a property falls under the USDA designated rural areas or not. According to this program, only properties that are located in the eligible areas qualify for a Single Family Housing Guaranteed loan. In addition, it is mandatory that borrowers must occupy your chosen property as their primary residence. To check whether or not the area you are looking to purchase a property qualifies for single family housing guaranteed loan program, visit the official USDA website.

Last Few Words

Due to requirements that we just talked about, USDA loans are not ideal for everyone. They typically work best for people who intend to buy a primary residence in the USDA-designated rural areas. With the help of this loan program, these borrowers get the required financial support to buy their dream home. Should you wish to learn more about USDA rural development home loans, feel free to connect with one of our mortgage consultants for a no-obligation consultation.

Learn About the Refinance Options for a Veteran Home Loan

Veterans Affairs (VA) mortgages or Veteran Home Loans in Texas, Ohio, or in any other state of the US, have proven to be a boon for military veterans and servicemen looking to buy a home or refinance their existing mortgages. Low mortgage rates and stringent underwriting standards have resulted in an increasing demand for VA loans from refinancers. Refinancing with a VA home loan enables homeowners to refinance up to 100 percent of the home’s value, without having to pay for mortgage insurance. Let’s take a close look at what else is in store.

Low Interest Rate

Military homeowners who have an existing VA Home Loan can trim down their monthly payments or shorten their loan term through a streamline refinance program, better known as the Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL). This loan option is great for current VA loan holders who wish to realize significant savings; getting benefitted from lower interest rates.

One of the biggest merits of refinancing through the IRRRL is that it features little paperwork and often need little-to-no costs out of your pocket. Borrowers can easily roll closing costs into their total loan amount. A VA Loan also does not need a credit check or appraisal for refinances under IRRRL.

Refinancing your existing VA home loan through this program ensures borrowers to pay a lower funding fee that is typically 0.5 percent of the total loan amount. You can even add this to your loan balance. The IRRRL permits borrowers refinancing up to 100 percent of the home’s value.

Cash-Out Refinance

Cash-Out Refinance is an option for those with a current VA or conventional loan; looking to take benefit of their home’s equity to access cash for home improvements, pay off debt, emergencies, and other purposes. If you are a veteran with two mortgages and wish to refinance them into one loan, this refinancing option allows you to pay off first and second loans with a newly sanctioned loan. Maximum refinancers permit the homeowner to refinance up to 100 percent of the home’s value to pay off the old mortgages. Cash-Out Refinance is available to any qualified veteran homeowner, regardless of their availing an FHA, Conventional or USDA loan.

Remember

If you are a veteran and don’t have a VA home loan, you have the choice to refinance your conventional mortgage into a VA loan. If you apply to refinance a non-VA Loan into a VA loan program, the Department of Veterans Affairs considers it to be a cash-out refinance. The biggest advantage of this refinancing option is that it allows the homeowner to fully refinance the home’s value.

Conclusion

In most cases, refinancing a standard mortgage into a VA loan can indeed save you hundreds of dollars every month, allowing you to quickly recover the associated costs of refinancing. Besides, refinancing into a fixed rate loan from an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) gives you stability and surety concerning your monthly VA loan payments. If you wish to learn more, it is advisable to get in touch with a competent mortgage consultant.

USDA Home Loans: Eligibility and Benefits

Rural Americans can now realize their dream of homeownership, without having to go through the hassles of obtaining conventional loans that have much more stringent qualifications. The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, offers Rural Development Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program to potential homebuyers to buy a home in any of the “designated” rural areas. This mortgage program is available for the US citizens throughout the country including Texas through USDA-approved lenders. These state-specific lenders offer attractive loan terms to the applicants; provided they fulfill the eligibility requirements. USDA home loans Texas, for example, provide financial support to potential homebuyers with low or moderate income.

Read on to learn the basics of USDA loan before you apply for it.  
  

Eligibility Criteria

• Homebuyers primarily need to meet the following two requirements to qualify for a USDA loan: They can buy a home only in a USDA-designated rural area.
• Applicant's household income must not exceed 115 percent of the area’s median.

Other USDA Qualifying Standards

•  Homebuyers should not own any other home within the commuting distance of the intended property.
• The subjected property should be a primary residence.
• Homebuyers should ideally have a sound credit history.
• There should be a two-year gap before the loan application and bankruptcy discharge.

Benefits of USDA Loan

 Zero Down Payment

Eligible USDA home loan applicants need not make any down payments. They can enjoy the flexibility of paying nothing out of their pocket during loan approval process. In addition, home buyers can finance the entire 100 percent of the property value. Besides, this type of loan allows borrowers to use a gift or grant towards the payment of their mortgage and other loan-related fees.
 

Attractive Fixed Interest Rates 

USDA mortgage lenders offer competitive and attractive interest rates to qualified homebuyers and their families on the guarantee of the USDA. These loans are available for 30-year fixed interest rate mortgages. USDA Streamline Refinance Program is another significant feature of this Rural Development Home Loan.

No Purchase Price Limit

 USDA loan program has no maximum purchase price limit. It means borrowers can receive any amount of loan. Lenders, however, determines the maximum loan limit depending on the applicant's ability to repay. An applicant’s credit history is a crucial factor to consider in making this decision.
 

Flexible Credit History Guidelines

USDA loan borrowers need to submit their credit history report to the department while applying for the loan. The credit guidelines are, however, not stringent related to credit score and debt-to-income ratio. There are times when this flexibility allows prospective homeowners even with low credit scores to qualify for a USDA home loan.
 

Conclusion

USDA loan program has become popular in the US because of its numerous salient features and benefits. The objective of the program is to encourage people to live in rural areas, and these benefits are attracting potential homebuyers with financial constraints.

Planning to Apply for an FHA Loan? Read this First!

The FHA is a mortgage loan program that is administered by the Federal Housing Administration. If you live in and around Texas, buying a home may not be a challenge; thanks to the thriving housing market of the state, and affordable home loans in Texas make living here an attractive proposition. Home loan options such as FHA have become popular among the homebuyers due to their low down payment requirement, attractive interest rates, and flexible lending regulations. If you are a first-time home buyer in Texas, an FHA loan is worth considering. However, before you apply for an FHA loan, it is essential to have some basic understanding about this financing option. On that note, let’s take a look at the finer lines of FHA home loans in Texas. 

 

Low Down Payment

One of the most attractive features of an FHA loan is that it requires just 3.5 percent down payment of the purchase price of a property. This percentage can be as high as 20 percent in the case of conventional loans. FHA borrowers have the flexibility make the down payment through gifts from family members towards the purchase of the house. Other allowed sources are grants from the state or local government down-payment assistance program.

Lenient Credit Score Requirement

People with less than adequate credit scores may qualify for an FHA loan. An FHA loan applicant, for instance, needs a credit score of 600 or more to get a mortgage with down payment as low as 3.5 percent. You need to make a minimum down payment of 10 percent if your credit score is below 600. The Federal Housing Administration allows prospective homebuyers, who have “non-traditional credit history or insufficient credit” to apply for this loan under specific circumstances. It is ideal to seek the help of a specialty mortgage firm to find out if you qualify for an FHA loan.

Closing Costs Included

If you fulfill loan-to-value (LTV) maximum guidelines, you will be able to finance a part of closing costs associated with FHA loans. You can roll out a specified amount of closing costs into your new FHA mortgage loan if your loan along with closing costs don’t exceed 96.5 percent of the fair market value (FMV) or selling price of the home; whichever is less. FHA closing costs are just like the expenses that borrowers incur on other mortgage loans. These closing costs include points, recording, title examination, title policy, and legal fees.

Debt-to-Income Ratio

If you are one of those FHA loan applicants with a high debt-to-income ratio, you may still qualify for this loan. You should, however, provide evidence that you can afford to make monthly payments. The FHA is more flexible with debt-to-income ratio limits as compared to other loans. The maximum limit of mortgage payment-to-income ratio is 29 percent while the total fixed payment-to-income ratio has a maximum limit of 41 percent.

Two-Part Mortgage Insurance

FHA loans need you to pay for two mortgage insurance premiums. The first is the upfront premium, which is 1.75 percent of the amount of the loan. This premium is often rolled into the loan amount to be paid by the lender. The second is the annual premium that you need to pay along with your monthly loan repayments. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the last FHA annual MIP rate was updated to 0.85 percent in January of 2015.

Conclusion

Now that you know almost everything about FHA loans, it is the time that you fulfill your homeownership dream. If you are looking for home loans in Texas, but utterly confused about the application process, consult a reputed mortgage consultant. A specialty mortgage consulting firm can guide you through the application process and help you secure an FHA mortgage loan seamlessly. Before applying, ask as many questions as possible to clear all your doubts.

Home Loan Available in Texas for Veterans and Service members

Veterans and servicemembers living in Texas have plenty of options, when it comes to financing a home purchase. According to the data released by US Census Bureau in 2014, there were approximately 1.5 million veterans in Texas, making it the state with the second highest veteran population in the US. This blog discusses three most-used home loan programs available in Texas for those who risk it all, for the greater good. Let’s take a closer look.

Veteran Housing Assistance Program

This loan program by Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) is designed to assist state veterans in buying home at a low-interest rate. A veteran, however, needs to meet the eligibility criteria, before applying for the VLB loan. A veteran needs to be an active duty member, in the reserves for a specific qualifying time period for retirement or a member of the Texas National Guard to quality for VLB loan. Veterans who serve for at least 90 active duty days qualify for the loan program.

Multifamily units, single-family home, condominium and townhome in Texas qualify for the loan program. A veteran doesn't need to make a down payment, but it is necessary to show that the applicant has a primary residence in Texas and plans to stay in the new home for a period of three years or more.

Land Loan

A veteran, who wishes to build a house can apply for a land loan program. It gives enough flexibility to build a custom home that meets the accessibility needs of the disabled or injured individuals. A veteran needs to look at the available residential acreage in Texas and apply for a loan amount to purchase the land. A separate VA loan, in addition to the land loan, could be applied for to construct the house.

VA Financing

VA loan, introduced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is the last home financing option for veterans. The applicant doesn't need to be a resident of Texas to avail the loan. VA home loan has a low-interest rate and a veteran doesn't need to make down payment at the initial stage. Whether a veteran needs to buy or build a house, VA loan is a great option. A veteran can also apply for a VA loan to install energy efficient lights and water heating system in the house. It is essential for a veteran to qualify the eligibility criteria to get approval for any of the three above discussed programs. Seeking the advice of a VA loan specialist often speed-up the process and makes it hassle-free for the applicant.

FHA Loans: All You Need to Know

The Federal Housing Authority backed mortgage, also known as FHA loans make home-ownership an achievable dream for many first-time homebuyers – thanks to flexible borrower requirements. Compared to conventional loans, FHA loans are easier to obtain due to many reasons, such as a low down payment of only 3.5 percent, and a low credit score. Despite it being an easy financing option, not everyone qualifies for FHA loans as there are few criticalities involved. In this article, we discuss these all the aspects of FHA loans. Let’s start.

FHA Loans: Mortgage for Primary Residence

Federal Housing Authority doesn’t directly provide FHA loans to people. Borrowers get this loan from  FHA-affiliated lenders, and FHA’s task is to insure the loan. There are numerous FHA loan lenders in Texas, Virginia and other states who provide these loans based upon a uniform set of  guidelines set-up by the FHA. The FHA, however, provides flexibility to lenders in setting standards for determining basic requirements and loan eligibility.

FHA loans are financed only for borrower’s principal residence that needs to be owner-occupied. This loan may not be utilized for rental properties or any other form of investment. Other properties eligible for FHA loan includes: townhouses, row houses, detached and semi-detached houses.

Maximum Loan Amount

The maximum loan amount a borrower can receive with FHA loan program depends on two factors:

1.      The statutory limit for the geographical area where the property is located.

2.      The loan-to-value ratio for the specific property.

Though, with all these factors in hand, in most areas loan limit is $271,050; however, in costly areas such as Alaska and Hawaii it goes up to $625,550.

Credit Score Requirement

A minimum credit score requirement for getting any conventional loan is 620, however, a credit score of 500 works for FHA loans. It means that people with poor credit score may easily qualify for FHA loan programs. Though, a borrower may be disqualified from availing this loan scheme in certain situations such as if he fails to make timely payment of bills or any other dues.

Employment and Income Requirements

Borrowers with basic eligibility criteria of stable employment and income are eligible for FHA loan program. Usually, lenders like to see two years of steady employment history and lenders also expect borrowers to continue the job for at least next three years after obtaining the loan.

Conclusion

Keeping these factors in mind you can see that the FHA loan program is much more flexible than any other conventional loan programs. Therefore, if you are facing financial crunches, but still have a dream to own a home, the FHA loan program is the right way to go.