The FHA currently guarantees  more than 1,000,000 mortgage loans. This agency has helped originate more than 30 million since its creation in 1934 as part of the New Deal. The FHA does not fund the home loans itself. However, It does insure private FHA approved mortgage lenders against loss. In this way, FHA mortgage lenders are encouraged to make loans to low and middle income borrowers who have less than perfect credit and would not otherwise qualify for a home loan.

Florida home Buyers of single family homes can put as little as 3.5% down payment when obtaining an FHA mortgage loan. Good credit history is not necessary, although is definitely a “PLUS.” Income to loan payment, and to total monthly payment, ratio requirements are less stringent than for conventional mortgage loans. The FHA home loan will sometimes help finance your closing cost up to 6%. Ask your FHA mortgage lender about this.

Florida home buyers should know the many advantages of the FHA mortgage loan programs. FHA home loans  were created to help increase home ownership. For the Florida home buyer the FHA program can simplify the purchase of a home, making financing easier and less expensive than a conventional mortgage loan product. Some highlights of the Florida FHA loan program include:

Minimal Down Payment and Closing costs.

Down payment less than 3% of Sales Price Gifts are allowed Seller can credit up to 6% of sales price towards closing and prepaid costs. 100% Financing available No reserves required. FHA regulated closing costs.

Easier Credit Qualifying Guidelines such as:  

No minimum FICO score or credit score requirements. FHA will allow a home purchase 1 year after a Bankruptcy. FHA will allow a home purchase2 years after a Foreclosure.

To take advantage of the FHA program in Florida, give us a call 1-800-570-0448 or visit http://www.fhamortgagefhaloan.com/

  For first time home buyers and other borrowers, the FHA home loans can have key advantages:

Easy Qualification – The FHA loan insures lenders against loss for loans made to properly qualified FHA home loan borrowers. So you’re likely to find FHA mortgage loans with terms that make it easier for you to qualify.

Minimal Downpayment Requirements – FHA mortgages can work with as little as 3% down and those funds can come from a family member, charity, or your employer. Although the FHA loan does not have a zero down mortgage option yet, you will find that your 1st Continental Mortgage loan officer can point you to many Downpayment assistance programs that work well with Florida FHA home loans.

Less than A-1 Credit is Okay – The Florida FHA home loan program exists to expand the pool of home buyers. Even borrowers with prior bankruptcies or mortgage lates get approved every day for FHA mortgages to buy or Refinance homes in Hillsborough County or any of the other Florida counties we serve. The FHA loan program uses credit quality, not credit score!

Lower Cost Over the Life of the Loan – The Florida FHA home loan rates are extraordinarily competitive. FHA’s lower risk to the lender means a better rate for the borrower.

Safeguards for Borrowers Who Get Behind – The Florida FHA loan mortgages also allow the lender more options in helping borrowers who fall behind keep their homes are get current again: special forbearance, workouts, even free mortgage counseling. Further, HUD can allow the lender to take past due payments and move them to the end of the loan and in some instance will actually pay your past due payments for you. Options to save your home you’ll never get from a conventional loan! In an uncertain world, this is another excellent reason for you to get an FHA mortgage.

Options for Manufactured Housing – Under certain conditions, you can even finance a Mobile Home or manufactured home using a Florida FHA mortgage loan. Call 1-800-570-0448 to get pre-approved for a Florida FHA loan for manufactured housing or just use our quick application to learn more!

FHA Loans Are Fully Assumable – When you are ready to sell your home, you can offer buyers FHA financing! All FHA loans can be assumed by qualified buyers.

These are just seven of the many good reasons to apply for an FHA mortgage. Call 1-800-570-0448 to speak with a friendly Florida FHA loan specialist now!

The FHA program has evolved since it started in 1934 and now has options for HUD insured loans that fit a variety of different borrowers and situations.

Miami Dade County Mortgage

Providing mortgage solutions for real estate buyers and owners throughout the Miami Dade county area.

Like many home buyers and homeowners looking for a mortgage in Miami and Dade county, 1st Continental Mortgage has weathered the storm and come out stronger and wiser. With a keen focus on core principles and products like the FHA home loan, we’re ready and able to make a broad range of real estate loans throughout Miami Dade County.

Mortgage Programs With Minimal Down payment and Closing Cost

Down payment less than 3% of Sales Price 100% Financing options available Seller can credit up to 6% of sales price towards buyers costs. No cash or bank reserves are required. FHA regulated closing costs.

Easier Credit Qualifying Guidelines

No minimum Credit Score or credit score requirements. FHA will allow a home purchase 1 year after a Bankruptcy. FHA will allow a home purchase 2 year after a Foreclosure.

Apply now at www.FHAmortgagePrograms.com

A Dade County Mortgage Lender with Years of Experience!
Experience counts when choosing a mortgage lender, especially in the current Dade County real estate market where home values have slipped and lenders are scrutinizing loan applications far more closely.

It is especially important for first-time home buyers in Dade County communities like Miami Beach and Coral Gables to work with a knowledgeable, service-oriented, and experienced residential loan expert like the ones at 1st Continental Mortgage. Call today at 1-800-570-0448.

Dade County’s FHA Home Loan Boom

As experts in Dade County FHA loans, 1st Continental home loan specialists have helped first time home buyers in communities such as Aventura and West Miami, FL secure the funding necessary to buy homes.

With low interest rates and a glut of homes on the market in Dade County, it’s an excellent time for renters to become first time home buyers in Miami-Dade communities from Bal Harbor to Virginia Gardens.

Because FHA home loans are government backed, lenders making loans on property in Dade County can qualify buyers who have less than perfect credit so long as they have a stable employment history, have a modest down payment, and meet the other FHA home loan requirements.

In the last 6 months, we have seen record numbers of applications for FHA financing from Dade County from cities like Opa-Loca, Pinecrest, and Miami Gardens.

To learn more about the FHA home loan program or to apply for an FHA mortgage in Dade County cities such as North Miami or North Miami Beach, call 1st Continental Mortgage at1-800-570-0448.

Working with experienced Dade County FHA lender will help you get the right home loan. You will have a broker with substantial experience in FHA mortgages, government guaranteed VA home loans, and other special mortgage programs for which you may qualify helping you secure the right loan to buy your Dade County home.

Very few things are worse for you as a home buyer than working with a mortgage broker without enough experience in FHA loans to properly prepare and document a loan application. At a minimum, it delays getting your financing approved. At worst, it can result in your missing your closing date, losing out on a home you want, or not getting approved for an FHA loan at all.

Preparing to Buy a Home in Dade County: Mortgage Pre qualification and Mortgage Pre approval

When a home priced below market in Sunny Isles Beach, FL or Miami Springs, FL comes on the market, it doesn’t last. The selling agent is going to accept the best offer from a pre-approved buyer because he or she does not want to tie up the property with a Home Buyer who can’t get the mortgage financing to close the deal.

Many Dade County real estate agents insist on getting a pre-approval letter with any offer. Because some Dade County mortgage brokers were doing pre qualification letters on nothing more than a conversation with a potential buyer – no credit check, no verification of employment or assets – many Dade County Realtors now require more than a pre qualification letter to accompany any offer to buy.

What does that mean to you?

Get a mortgage pre approval before you look at any homes in Bay Harbor Islands, FL or Florida City or anywhere in Dade County. You will know exactly how much home you can afford, and selling agents will be more likely to accept your offer because you have demonstrated your ability to get financing for your Dade County home.

How Having the Right Mortgage Lender Helps You

Many Dade County home buyers focus on finding the perfect home, not on finding the right mortgage lender to help them get the best loan to finance it. As a result, they pay higher-than-necessary interest rates and get home loans with less than ideal terms.

A good mortgage lender will help you by doing these things:

Doing the preliminary work to give you an accurate picture of the price range of Dade County home that you can afford: Whether you are qualifying for a Jumbo loan to buy a luxury condo in South Miami or a manufactured home loan to buy a lot and home in Homestead, Florida, you need to know how large a loan you can get before you start home shopping in Dade County; Identifying the best mortgage program to use to buy your home in Doral or Key Biscayne or any other Dade County community: The team of mortgage brokers from 1st Continental Mortgage will be happy to help you compare Dade County mortgage programs to assure you of getting the best combination of rate and terms on your home purchase or refinance; Explaining the documentation required to get your Dade County home loan: Your licensed FL mortgage broker will assemble your loan package and check that you have met your lender’s requirements before he submits your loan package to the lender; Giving you an accurate good faith estimate on your Dade County home loan: Some Dade County brokers are notorious for playing games with the numbers on their good faith estimates. They underestimate insurance costs or taxes or omit line items to make the bottom line on their good faith estimates come in lower than those of other Dade County mortgage brokers. These shady mortgage brokers count on the fact that their deception will not become apparent to the home buyer until the HUD arrives right before the closing. Then, the home buyer will pay the difference just to avoid having to start over with another mortgage broker and Florida mortgage lender. It’s unethical, but mortgage brokers in Miami, FL and Miami Shores Village, FL do it all the time. It’s no way to earn a reputation as a competent and customer-focused mortgage broker in Dade County. Expect a properly prepared good faith estimate and white glove service from 1st Continental Mortgage, whether you are buying a home in Hialeah, Miami Springs or any of the other cities in Dade County. Keeping you updated on the progress of your lender in approving your financing for your Dade County home: 1st Continental Mortgage will be proactive in keeping you informed of the status of your Dade County home loan and in dealing with any issues that might delay the closing of your Dade County FHA loan in Hialeah Gardens or any other Dade County neighborhood. Whether you are refinancing an ARM in South Bay Village or getting a mobile home loan in Pahokee, we will give you the best combination of interest rates and terms on your Dade County mortgage. Coordinating the activities of the many professionals who play a role in getting your Dade County home loan closed: Your 1st Continental Dade County mortgage specialist will be your liaison in dealing with Realtors, appraisers, home inspectors, underwriters, title company representatives, etc. You can relax knowing that your mortgage broker is taking care of the details so that your closing will happen on-time and without any surprises.

1st Continental Mortgage’s mortgage pros will be your single point of contact for your mortgage in Biscayne Park or El Portal or any other Dade County city. Call them today at 800-570-0448.

Dade County Pre foreclosure and Bank Owned Properties Attract Miami Real Estate Investors

Prices that are much lower than a year or two ago and the high rate of foreclosure on sub-prime mortgages has created strong interest in Dade County real estate among real estate investors. Many of our best repeat mortgage customers in Dade County are real estate investors purchasing pre-foreclosure homes in cities like Medley, FL or South Miami or rehabbers buying and flipping REOs in Surfside or Sweetwater.

Seasoned real estate investors recognize that now is an excellent time to be bargain hunting in Dade County’s real estate market. With the long term prospects for continued population growth and with good prospects for the Dade economy, now may be the right time to buy investment property in Dade County.

FHA 203b home loans allow qualified home buyers to borrow 100% of the purchase price of a home and up to $5000 to make repairs on Fannie Mae foreclosures. FHA home loans and specialized home loans such as the FHA 203b loan have been popular home loans for investing in Miami Dade County real estate.

Whether you are buying a first home with an FHA mortgage in North Bay Village, building a custom luxury home in Islandia, or looking to buy a bargain priced pre foreclosure using a conventional mortgage in Indian Creek Village, you should start now by calling 1st Continental Mortgage at 1-800-570-0448. Don’t miss the best opportunity to buy a home in Dade County in decades.

Florida home buyers should know the many advantages of the FHA mortgage loan programs. FHA loans were created to help increase home ownership. For the Florida home buyer the FHA home loan program can simplify the purchase of buying a  Florida home, making financing easier and less expensive than an other home loan program. Some highlights of the Florida FHA loan program include:

Minimal Down Payment and Closing costs.

Down payment less than 3% of Sales Price Gifts are allowed Seller can credit up to 6% of sales price towards closing and prepaid costs. 100% Financing available No reserves required. FHA regulated closing costs.

Easier Credit Qualifying Guidelines such as:

  No minimum FICO score or credit score requirements. FHA will allow a home purchase 1 year after a Bankruptcy. FHA will allow a home purchase2 years after a Foreclosure.

To take advantage of the FHA program in Florida, give us a call 1-800-570-0448 or use our quick application at www.FHAmortgageFHALoan.com

Common FHA Mortgage Questions Why should I apply for an FHA home loan?

There are lots of good reasons to choose an FHA home loan over other Florida mortgage programs, especially if one or more of the following apply to you:

You’re a Florida first-time homebuyer. You want to keep your monthly payments as low as possible. You’re worried about your monthly payments going up You don’t have a lot of money to put down on a house.   You’re worried about qualifying for a loan. You don’t have perfect credit.

If any of these things describe you, then an FHA home  loan may be right for you. Why? FHA home loans offer many benefits and a level of security that you won’t find in other loans including:

Low cost: FHA home loans have competitive interest rates because the federal government insures the loans for lenders.

Lower down payment requirements: FHA home loans have a low 3.5% down payment and the money can come from a family member, employer or charitable organization as a gift.

Easier qualification: Because FHA insures your mortgage, FHA mortgage lenders may be more willing to give you FHA home loan terms that make it easier for you to qualify.

Less than perfect credit: You don’t have to have perfect credit to get an FHA home loan. In fact, even if you have had credit problems, such as a bankruptcy, it’s easier for you to qualify for an FHA home loan than any other mortgage program.  

More protection to keep your home: The FHA has been helping people since 1934. Should you encounter hard times after buying your home, the FHA has many options to keep you in your home and avoid foreclosure.

FHA insures loans for lenders against defaults - it does not lend money or set interest rates. For the best interest rate and terms on a mortgage, you should compare mortgages from several different lenders. An FHA-approved lender can help you start the loan application process.

You may use an FHA-insured mortgage to purchase or refinance a new or existing 1- to 4-unit home, a condominium or a manufactured or mobile home (provided it is on a permanent foundation).

What kinds of FHA home loans does FHA offer?

Fixed-rate loans - Most FHA home loans are fixed-rate mortgages (loans). The advantage of a fixed-rate mortgage is that your interest rate stays the same during the loan period, so you know exactly how much your monthly payment will be.

Adjustable rate loans – First-time homebuyers can be a little stretched financially. With FHA’s adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), the initial interest rate and monthly payments are low, but these may change during the life of the loan. FHA uses the 1-Year Constant Maturity Treasury Index (CMT) to calculate the changes in interest rates. An index is a measure of interest rate changes that determine how much the interest rate on an ARM will change over time.

The maximum FHA home loan that the interest rate on your FHA home loan may increase or decrease in any one year is 1 or 2 percentage points, depending upon the type of ARM you choose. Over the life of the loan, the maximum interest rate change is 5 or 6 percentage points from the initial rate. The advantage of selecting an ARM is that you may be able to expand your house-hunting value range because your initial interest rate will be low, as will your payment. Click for a more in-depth explanation…

Purchase/Rehabilitation loans – Sometimes you might see a home you’d like to buy, but it needs a lot of work. FHA has a loan for rehabilitating and repairing single-family properties called the SF Rehabilitation Loan program (203k). You can get one loan which combines the mortgage and the cost of repairs. The mortgage amount is based on the projected value of the property with the work completed. The advantage of this loan is that you can buy a home that needs a lot of work, but have only one mortgage payment, and you can complete the repairs after buying the home.
Read more about these loans.

Indian Reservations and Other Restricted Lands – A family who purchases a home under this program can apply for financing through an FHA-approved lending institution such as a bank, savings and loan, or a mortgage company. To qualify, the borrower must meet standard FHA credit qualifications. An eligible borrower can receive approximately 97% financing and use a gift for the downpayment. Closing cost can be financed; covered by a gift, grant or secondary financing; or paid by the seller without reduction in value. More… 

How do FHA-insured loans compare to subprime loans?

Subprime loans are loans designed for homebuyers who don’t have a strong credit history or can’t qualify for a regular or prime loan. Lenders charge a high interest rate on subprime loans because the risk that a homebuyer may not make their payments is high. Because FHA insures the lender against this risk, the interest rates on FHA-insured loans are generally among the lowest in the market. Most subprime loans carry interest rates at least 3 percentage points higher than an FHA-insured loan. On a $100,000 mortgage, the monthly payment for a subprime loan would be over $200 a month higher than an FHA-insured loan.

The majority of subprime loans are also ARMs, where the interest rate can change a lot and greatly increase your monthly payments. Most FHA-insured loans are fixed-rate loans where the mortgage payment always stays the same. If you have an FHA-insured ARM loan, the rate can’t go up by more than one or two points in a year. The fees that lenders charge their borrowers for processing a subprime loan are also generally higher than on an FHA-insured loan.

Most subprime loans carry a heavy prepayment penalty that you must pay if you want to refinance your loan to a lower interest rate. These penalties can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. There is never a prepayment penalty on an FHA-insured loan. You can refinance at any time and not worry about paying any penalties.

Unfortunately, because they don’t know these facts, many homebuyers who could qualify to buy a home with a fixed-rate FHA-insured loan only apply for subprime loans. Check out an FHA-insured loan before settling for a subprime loan!

How do FHA home loans compare to conventional loans?

Conventional loans usually require a larger downpayment than FHA and if you have less than perfect credit you may not qualify for an affordable mortgage with a low interest rate . The best thing to do is compare the cost of the conventional loan to an FHA-insured loan line-by-line. What are the fees for each? What is the interest rate? How much is the mortgage insurance? How much downpayment is required? For some borrowers, a conventional loan may be less expensive. For many others, getting an FHA-insured loan is the way to go.

Do you have to buy mortgage insurance on an FHA home loan?

Yes – as you will with most loans.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 provides for a one-year moratorium on the implementation of FHA’s risk-based premiums beginning October 1, 2008.  Consequently, effective with new FHA case number assignments on or after that date, FHA will no longer base its mortgage insurance premiums on a combination of credit bureau score and loan-to-value ratio.  The new premiums (upfront and annual) to be implemented for all loans for which a case number is assigned on or after October 1, 2008, are described below.  Mortgagee Letter 2008-16 is rescinded in its entirety.  Please note that certain parts of that mortgagee letter are retained and reiterated in the guidance that follows.

UFMIP= Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premiums:  FHA home loans will charge an upfront premium in an amount equal to the following percentages of the mortgage: 

Purchase Money Mortgages and Full-Credit Qualifying Refinances = 1.75 Percent Streamline Refinances (all types) = 1.50 Percent

Most home loans require mortgage insurance when your downpayment is less than 20% of the sales price. On conventional and subprime loans, mortgage insurance is provided by private companies. Whether private mortgage insurance is less than, equal to, or more than an FHA-insured loan’s insurance will depend upon the loan program and your qualifications.

Compare the cost of FHA home loan home loan compare  to subprime and conventional types of loans over the life of your loan. Then compare how much each one costs monthly. With the protection and value you get from an FHA home loan you will find it’s a very good deal.