Monday, August 18, 2008

Fact Or Myth# 3- An FHA Loan Is A Better Deal

Category: Finance, Mortgages.

For low- income and bad credit borrowers, the FHA s mortgage loan program can sound like a dream come true.



What are the facts and what are the myths? Many borrowers have heard that the FHA won t look at your credit, needs less money down, and approves applicants that other banks won t. Read on to find out. The first common myth of FHA loans is that the US government s Federal Assistance Mortgage( FHA) program actually loans out money. Fact or Myth# 1- The Government Loans Money. This isn t the case. If you fail to pay the mortgage, the government guarantees that they will repay the bank instead.


An FHA loan is simply a bank/ credit union loan that is backed by a guarantee from the government. Because of this guarantee, the bank s lending requirements are much looser, because they re taking less risk. This is a half myth, half truth. Fact or Myth# 2- Your Credit Doesn t Matter. While the FHA won t base your loan on your FICO score, your credit history is still important. Instead of looking at just your credit report, the FHA may also look at your phone bills, utilities, rent history, among other bills to demonstrate your credit worthiness. What the FHA is looking for is a solid history of at least 12 months, where the borrower has made all his payments on time.


You also get the chance to demonstrate why you may have a bad credit score. Fact or Myth# 3- An FHA Loan is a Better Deal. For example, if you have an outstanding history of making on- time payments up until a medical emergency, and since then still managed to pay your consumer debts, you may still qualify for an FHA loan. While it s true that an FHA loan entails less risk for banking institutions and therefore they can charge less, an FHA loan may not always be a better deal. For low income or bad credit borrowers, FHA backed loans are almost always the better deal. The FHA is designed to be a self- sustaining institution, and therefore has to make money as well, in the form of insurance paid to the FHA.


For medium income or average credit, research and comparison is necessary to be sure whether FHA is for you or not.

No comments: