More low down payment options

 Loan Programs, Residential Mortgage  Comments Off on More low down payment options
Aug 222018
 

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have 3% down conventional loan programs that target low-to-moderate income folks. We used to call these community lending programs because they’re designed to fulfill Fannie and Freddie’s mandate to provide assistance for mortgages to low and moderate income families and underserved areas. The programs go by the monikers HomeReady and HomePossible.

Unlike the programs we discussed yesterday, you don’t have to be a first-time homebuyer to qualify. However, if the buyers are first-timers, one of them must complete a homebuyer education course for the HomePossible program. For HomeReady, one must complete homebuyer education regardless of first-timer status.

The programs are income-limited. By that I mean your total income cannot exceed a limit, which can differ even within a given county. For both programs, the limit typically is set to an area’s median income. However, the programs waive the limit in disaster areas and in certain areas Fannie and Freddie consider to be underserved. Call me if you want some help determining the income limit for your area.

So, given the programs we discussed yesterday, who cares that we have another 3% down program? Three reasons:

– Conventional low down-payment programs require mortgage insurance, which can bump up your housing payment quite a bit. HomeReady and HomePossible have lower mortgage insurance rates than the other low down payment programs.

– Second, the programs’ easier guidelines may make it easier for you to qualify.

– Finally, you don’t have to be a first-time homebuyer. For HomePossible, you can’t currently own other real estate, but Freddie carves out some exceptions to that in cases of divorce or inheritance.

The programs have other features and restrictions that may make one more appropriate for you than the other. Give me a call to see what’s the best fit for your situation.

Freddie adds another low down payment option

 Loan Programs, Residential Mortgage  Comments Off on Freddie adds another low down payment option
Aug 202018
 

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

Freddie Mac recently joined Fannie Mae in offering a 3% down conventional loan program with no income limitations. Freddie calls its program HomeOne, and like Fannie’s program, it targets first-time homebuyers.

A lot of folks hear that, first-time homebuyers, and tune out, but you may be a first-time homebuyer and not realize it. Fannie and Freddie define a first-time homebuyer as someone who hasn’t owned real estate in the last 3 years. Freddie expands that definition to allow folks who owned a home with their ex-spouse to qualify.

If you’re buying a home with another person, only one of you has to be a first-time homebuyer. And if all of you are first-time homebuyers, one must complete a homebuyer education course prior to closing. The cost is minimal, and most folks complete the course online.

The programs are limited to single-family homes and condos and have a min credit score of 620. The 3% down payment may come from your own funds or from an acceptable gift source, such as a family member. It can’t come from the seller, but the seller can contribute up to 3% of the price towards your closing costs.

With this offering, Freddie and Fannie finally have comparable low down payment programs. The two have nuanced differences, so give me a call to see if one program is more appropriate for you than the other.

Next time, we’ll look at conventional low down payment options that specifically target low-to-moderate income folks.