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Qualifying for a FHA loan just got easier! Most lenders have required a 640 minimum FICO score for FHA purchases and refinance transactions. Effective TODAY, the minimum credit score for FHA Fixed Rate loans has been lowered to 620. Another good reason for buyers to get off the fence!!! Click here for more real estate news and advice. For more mortgage and finance information, visit my website's mortgage center .

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is giving homeowners and buyers until October 4 to lock in a low monthly insurance premium. After October 4, the monthly insurance premiums on FHA loans will increase by over 63%. What does this mean for home buyers? A home buyer purchasing a $200,000 home using a $193,000 FHA mortgage before October 4 would pay an insurance premium of $88.46 per month. If the same home buyer waits until after October 4, the insurance premium would jump to $148.01. Although the upfront mortgage insurance premium is going down after October 4, the long term impact to the home buyer is actually a net increase in their out of pocket costs because the monthly premium is going up by 63%. Sellers can pay the upfront premium or it can be financed into the loan amount, so homebuyers rarely pay the upfront premium out of pocket. On the other hand, the increase in the monthly premiums will be paid right out of the home buyer's pocket with their mortgage payment each m

If you've been passing up on buying a home because of the expense of anticipated cosmetic repairs, you're missing out on a great opportunity. Sure, it used to be that if you bought a home and then applied for a home equity loan to pay for repairs, the result would be two separate loans (or worse, a mortgage plus a short-term loan for repairs that often had a much higher interest rate). This is not the case anymore if you qualify for an FHA Streamlined 203(k) loan. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's FHA Streamlined 203(k) loan allows qualifying home buyers to finance up to an additional $35,000 into their mortgage to improve or upgrade their home before move-in. With this product, home buyers can quickly and easily tap into cash to pay for property repairs or improvements, such as those identified by a home inspector or FHA appraiser. And the best part is, the additional funds are combined into your mortgage, so you only have to worry about one loan. There are

What is FHA Mortgage Insurance? The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures mortgages offered by banks, savings associations, and other financial institutions. An FHA-insured mortgage is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. While FHA does not make loans, it benefits the homebuyer by providing mortgage insurance which encourages financial institutions to make affordable financing available. What Are the Benefits of an FHA Mortgage? FHA offers low down payment options, eligibility with less than perfect credit, a loan at a reasonable cost, and help if there is ever trouble making the mortgage payment. Because an FHA mortgage insures the lender against loss, an FHA mortgage typically has an interest rate that is competitive with the best in your market and lower than the rates charged for subprime and other non-prime mortgages. FHA is designed to help people buy a home and to help them keep it. In return for protecting lenders against loss, FHA require