FHA Purchase Loan - What Are the Pros and Cons?

An FHA purchase loan can be a great a great wayThis means the new buyer of the home can take
for many families and individuals to qualify for a homeover the existing mortgage terms without triggering
loan. However, any mortgage loan should not beany due on sale clauses that are more common with
entered into without considering the pros and cons.other conventional home loans. This makes it much
This is no different with FHA home loans. Here, weeasier to sell the home at a later point in time.
take a look at the advantages and disadvantages toFHA Purchase Loan Disadvantages
help ensure you have a complete picture of what this1. There are low levels for loan limits than vary in each
type of loan entails:county.
FHA Purchase Loan AdvantagesThis means a prospective home buyer may not be
1. A number of cost saving areas.able to qualify for the amount of financing they need
You are allowed to borrow with as little as 3% interestto get the type of home they are looking for. This may
for the down payment. This is a big advantageresult in the family or individual settling for a lesser
compared to conventional loans where you are likelyhome.
to have a higher down payment of 20 to 25%. In2. Private Mortgage Insurance is required regardless of
addition, family can help gift, pay costs, or even cosign.the amount of the down payment.
Finally, the seller can pay closing costs and up to 6%This means you can't really avoid having to pay this
on the purchase price in closing costs and discountextra addition to the monthly mortgage payment.
points and some common conventional loan fees areHowever, you can pay off the loan early or sell it to a
not allowed.buyer with the existing loan terms included.
2. It is much easier to qualify for them than a3. FHA purchase loans tend to have more
conventional loan.requirements than other loans.
FHA loans have easier approval because of higherSince you are essentially getting insured by the federal
qualifying ratios of 29% for housing for existinggovernment for these home loans and are not putting
construction and 43% for new construction. In addition,down as much of your own money as conventional
the underwriting standards are more flexible. Thishome loans, you will have to fill out more paperwork
means you can still qualify with a bad credit history orthan a conventional loan would require.
even a bankruptcy or foreclosure in your past.As you can see, there are a number of advantage
3. There is no prepayment penalty.and disadvantages of FHA purchase loans. One thing
This means you are not going to get charged extrato keep I mind is that most home owners with FHA
money for paying off your loan early. This is a niceloans will refinance to a conventional loan when they
addition since many people gain more income as thecreate enough equity to drop off the mortgage
get older and can afford to pay off these loans early.insurance. This is a clear sign of the preference for
Plus. the lack of this penalty means home buyers canconventional loans over FHA purchase loans.
save some additional money that can be used in aHowever, it is no secret that these loans have helped
number of ways.many people get their first home and allow them the
4. The FHA purchase loan is assumable withplatform to move on to bigger and better homes and
qualifications.financing.