FHA Loan Requirements
Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, moving to a new home, or want to refinance your existing conventional or FHA mortgage, the FHA loan program will let you purchase a home with a low down payment and flexible guidelines.
- The Facts About FHA Credit Requirements and FICO® Scores
- Do FHA Loan Requirements Apply to All Borrowers?
- Your FHA Loan Credit Qualifications
FHA Limits for Announced!
FHA loan limits were established to define how much you can borrow for a HUD-backed mortgage. Each state has different limits, so be sure to look up your state to understand what is available for your FHA home loan.
For , the FHA floor was set at $498,257 for single-family home loans. This minimum lending amount covers most U.S. counties. The FHA ceiling represents the maximum loan amount and is illustrated in the table below.
| FHA Limits (low cost areas) | |||
| Single | Duplex | Tri-plex | Four-plex |
|---|---|---|---|
| $498,257 | $637,950 | $771,125 | $958,350 |
Also for 2024, the FHA ceiling was set at $1,149,825 for single-family home loans. This represents the highest amount that a borrower can get through the FHA loan program. It applies to high cost areas in the United States and is illustrated in the table below.
| FHA Limits (high cost areas) | |||
| Single | Duplex | Tri-plex | Four-plex |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,149,825 | $1,472,250 | $1,779,525 | $2,211,600 |
Down Payment Grants for FHA Loans
Paying the upfront costs of buying a new home can be challenging. To help overcome this hurdle, many local and state agencies offer down payment assistance in the form of grants or second mortgages.
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FHA Loan Articles and Mortgage News
March 4, 2024 - If you want to build a house from the ground up using an FHA One-Time Close construction loan, you should research your options to ensure you’re making the right choice for the right project. Do you need an owner-builder loan, a renovation loan, or a construction-only loan?
March 3, 2024 - Whether you buy a home using an FHA mortgage or any other loan type, you must contend with closing costs, the down payment, and negotiate an interest rate with your lender. For newcomers, those two issues sound completely separate.
March 2, 2024 - Prices for home loan services are not standardized across the nation. Your local housing market’s trends will partly influence the cost of your loan, as will your financial data, such as FICO scores and loan repayment history. What can affect how much these services cost?
March 1, 2024 - Home loan interest rates are back in the 7% range, with dips back to the 6% range along the way. What do you need to remember in a time when the housing market is trying to improve but is hitting some rocky territory along the way? We cover some of the major issues in this article.
February 28, 2024 - If you are new to FHA loans, their requirements can be confusing at first, at least until you are more familiar with the loan program and its rules. A glance at the FHA loan approval basics typically needs a bit of explanation, as we’ll discover in this article.
February 27, 2024 - If you have never bought or built a home, your options may initially seem confusing. The more you learn about different loan types and the application of those home loans, the more you realize you have a wealth of options depending on your goals and needs for the home.
February 26, 2024 - FHA loans and other government-backed mortgages do not (on paper) require you to carry specific types of homeowner’s insurance, but you’ll want coverage just the same to protect your investment. Mortgage insurance protects the lender in case you default on the loan.
February 25, 2024 - Major lenders are warning home loan applicants about scams. These warnings are issued frequently. What makes the current round of warnings different and more urgent is the level of sophistication these swindles have reached recently.
February 24, 2024 - Some people wrongly assume that they’re safe once approved for an FHA home loan and start the process toward closing day. They feel that once the loan has been approved, the transaction is bulletproof until closing day. But that’s not true.
February 23, 2024 - If you are concerned about mortgage loan interest rates and decide to explore your options with an FHA adjustable rate mortgage, there are some details to know about these loans before you start. Borrowers are required to make a minimum down payment of 3.5%.
Homebuyer Terminology
If you’re getting ready to shop around for mortgage options, it’s a good idea to brush up on some of the technical terms in our Mortgage Glossary. You’re going to be hearing a lot of them!
