Did you know a family Memember can Lend the borrower their downpayment and closing cost? Read the 4155

Family Member Lending-Family members (defined below) may help with the costs of acquiring a home in the form of a gift or a loan. All such gifts must also meet the requirements of paragraph 2-10(C). FHA permits family member to lend on a secured or unsecured basis, up to 100 percent of the homebuyer's required cash investment. This lending may include the downpayment, closing costs, prepaid expenses and discount points. If the money lent by the family member is secured against the subject property, whether borrowed from an acceptable source or from the family member's own savings, only the family member provider(s) may be the note holder. FHA will not approve any form of securitization of the note that results in any entity other than the family member being the note holder, whether at loan settlement or at any time during the mortgage life cycle.
Further, if the funds that are lent by the family member are borrowed from an acceptable source, the homebuyer may not be a co-obligor on that note (e.g., the son and daughter-in-law may not be co-obligors on the note used to secure money borrowed by the parents that in turn was lent for the down payment).

The following financing terms and conditions also apply:

1. The maximum insurable mortgage is not affected by gifts or loans from family members.

2. The combined amount of financing may not exceed 100 percent of the lesser of the property's value or sales price, plus normal closing costs, prepaid expenses, and discount points. While the family member may lend 100 percent of the cash investment requirements, cash back to the homebuyer (beyond refund of any earnest money deposit) at closing is not acceptable.

3. If periodic payments of the secondary financing are required, the combined payments may not exceed the borrower's reasonable ability to pay. The secondary financing payments are to be included in the total debt-payment-to-income ratio (i.e., the "back-end" ratio) for qualifying purposes.

4. The second lien may not provide for a balloon payment within five years from the date of execution.

5. If the family member providing the secondary financing borrows those funds, the source may not be any entity with an identity-of-interest in the sale of the property, including the seller, builder, loan officer, real estate agent, etc. Mortgage companies that have retail banking affiliates may have that entity make a loan to the family member, providing the secondary financing for the home purchase. However, the lending institution may not make such financing available under terms and conditions more favorable than to other borrowers (i.e., there may not be any special considerations provided in connection between making the mortgage and lending funds to family members to be used as secondary financing for the purchase of the home).

6. An executed copy of the document outlining the terms of the secondary financing must be maintained in the lender’s file. An executed copy of this agreement also must be provided in the endorsement binder.

For the purposes of this paragraph, a “family member” is defined as a child, parent, or grandparent of the borrower or borrower’s spouse. Included in this definition are legally adopted sons or daughters (and a child who is a member of an individual's household, if placed with such individual by an authorized agency for legal adoption by that individual), and foster children. The term "child" means a son, stepson, daughter, or stepdaughter.

FHA Tip: Down Payment can be borrowerd?

Did you know that there are circumstances where your borrower can borrower the down payment? This is per the 4155
Collateralized Loans. Funds can be borrowed for the total required investment as long as satisfactory evidence is provided that the funds are fully secured by investment accounts or real property. Such assets may include stocks, bonds, real estate (other than the property being purchased), etc.
In addition, certain types of loans secured against deposited funds, such as signature loans, the cash value of life insurance policies, loans secured by 401(k)s, etc., in which repayment may be obtained through extinguishing the asset; do not require consideration of a repayment for qualifying purposes. However, in such circumstances, the asset securing the loan may not be included as assets to close or otherwise considered as available to the borrower.
An independent third party must provide the borrowed funds. The seller, real estate agent or broker, lender, or other interested third party may not provide such funds. Unacceptable borrowed funds include signature loans, cash advances on credit cards, borrowing against household goods and furniture and other similar unsecured financing

FHA Tip: FHA only allows a borrower to have one FHA loan except..

HUD only allows a borrower to have 1 FHA loan. Unless... according to the 4155 there are 4 scenerios that allow an exception to this rule:

"A.Relocations. If the borrower is relocating and re-establishing residency in another area not within reasonable commuting distance from the current principal residence, the borrower may obtain another mortgage using FHA insured financing and is not required to sell the existing property covered by a FHA-insured mortgage. The relocation need not be employer mandated to qualify for this exception. Further, if the borrower returns to an area where he or she owns a property with an FHA-insured mortgage, it is not required that the borrower re-establish primary residency in that property in order to be eligible for another FHA insured mortgage.
B. Increase in Family Size. The borrower may be permitted to obtain another home with an FHA-insured mortgage if the number of legal dependents increases to the point that the present house no longer meets the family's needs. The borrower must provide satisfactory evidence of the increase in dependents and the property’s failure to meet the family's needs.
The borrower also must pay down the outstanding mortgage balance on the present property to a 75 percent or lower loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. A current residential appraisal must be used to determine LTV compliance. Tax assessments, market analyses by real estate brokers, etc., are not acceptable as proof of LTV compliance.
C. Vacating a Jointly Owned Property. If the borrower is vacating a residence that will remain occupied by a co-borrower, the borrower is permitted to obtain another FHA-insured mortgage. Acceptable situations include instances of divorce, after which the vacating ex-spouse will purchase a new home, or one of the co-borrowers will vacate the existing property.
D. Non-Occupying Co-Borrower. A non-occupying co-borrower on property being purchased with an FHA-insured mortgage as a principal residence by other family members may have a joint interest in that property as well as in a principal residence of their own with a FHA-insured mortgage. (See paragraph 1-8 B for additional information).
Under no circumstances may investors use the exceptions described above to circumvent FHA’s ban on loans to private investors and acquire rental properties through purportedly purchasing "principal residences." Considerations in determining the eligibility of a borrower for one of these exceptions are the length of time the previous property was owned by the borrower and the circumstances that compel the borrower to purchase another residence with an FHA-insured mortgage. In all other cases, the purchasing borrower either must pay off the FHA-insured mortgage on the previous residence or terminate ownership of that property before acquiring another FHA-insured mortgage "

Keep in mind scenerio B is very hard to prove.

FHA Tip Counting Future Raise

FHA allows a borrower to use a raise if it is documented by the employer and received 60 days from the date of closing. Remember that the underwriter will look at the over all risk and make sure that this makes sense. Sometimes underwriters will require that the paystub is received showing the raise before closing. Make sure you know what the 4155.1 says so that you can communicate this with your underwriter and discuss the risk that the file could have with out the documentation. This information is found in 4155.1 Rev 5 Paragraph 2-7

Condo's

requires that condo's be approved by FHA. You can check the condo approvals by going to this web site https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm. Here you will find your Condo ID.

If you Condo is not approved you can refer to Mortgage Letter 8-1-96 and possibly do a spot approval. You will need the Home Owners Association to complete items 1-13. This will be submitted with you loan and the DE underwriter has the authority to approve Spot condo's

The section of the act for condo's is 234(c). The ADP code if it is a Fixed rate is 734, if it is an ARM 731 and if it is a buy down it is 797


Town homes and PUD fall under the FHA section of the ACT 203b and do not have to be approved by HUD.

The MIP is calculated the same as on the 203b program (previously this was not the case but changed with Mtg letter 2005-38)