An FHA 203K Loan is offered through the Federal Housing Administration. The federal government has designed this type of loan to help lenders fund homes which are risky to purchase. Revitalizing neighborhoods and the providing of home ownership opportunities are the main goals of this type of loan.
An FHA203 K Loan is mostly designed for homes which are damaged and in need of great repair. This type of loan covers proper cost of all repairs necessary. The requirement for downpayment is quite low and the criteria to be eligible are simple. Any homeowner that has a home in need of repair can refinance with this type of loan. Remodeling of bathrooms, room additions, flooring and roofing are among the list of repairs included in this loan.
Benefits of the 203K Loan
- Can be used for foundation or structural repairs
- Can be used to repair a swimming pool
- No dollar cap on repair amount
- Can borrow up to 110% of the future repaired value
- Can go up to a 50% debt to income ratio
- Closing costs can be rolled into the loan
- Can be used for new purchase or refinance
- Can buy a foreclosure or existing home
- Available for single family or modular homes
Requirements the 203K Loan
- 640+ credit score required
- No bankruptcy in the last two years
- No foreclosure in the last three years
- Must be for primary residence
- Funds for repair cannot be used for luxury items
- Mobile homes and double wides are not allowed
A regular FHA203K loan is intended for a home in need of structural repair while a streamlined loan is utilized for a home with non-structural repairs. Any homeowner seeking this type of loan must live inside the home getting repaired. An FHA 203K loan must include the home’s value price along with the expected repair cost. A percentage of this loan must be provided by the homeowner as a down payment. This amount is typically below what many conventional loans require.
In applying, the applicant will need to provide proof of income, assets and a credit report. The home will need to be appraised and this appraisal must include the amount the home is worth after all repairs are complete. A proposal of work to be performed and the cost of each repair will need to be provided as well.
This loan is quite beneficial to any person(s) who aren’t able to buy a home without need of repair. If buying a fixer upper is for you, this is the loan type you should consider. On the other hand, there are not many lenders who offer this particular type of loan but there are lenders available.
Most mortgage financing plans provide only permanent financing. That is, the lender will not usually close the loan and release the mortgage proceeds unless the condition and value of the property provide adequate loan security. When rehabilitation is involved, this means that a lender typically requires the improvements to be finished before a long-term mortgage is made.
When a homebuyer wants to purchase a house in need of repair or modernization, the homebuyer usually has to obtain financing first to purchase the dwelling; additional financing to do the rehabilitation construction; and a permanent mortgage when the work is completed to pay off the interim loans with a permanent mortgage. Often the interim financing (the acquisition and construction loans) involves relatively high interest rates and short amortization periods. The Section 203(k) program was designed to address this situation. The borrower can get just one mortgage loan, at a long-term fixed (or adjustable) rate, to finance both the acquisition and the rehabilitation of the property.
To provide funds for the rehabilitation, the mortgage amount is based on the projected value of the property with the work completed, taking into account the cost of the work. To minimize the risk to the mortgage lender, the mortgage loan (the maximum allowable amount) is eligible for endorsement by HUD as soon as the mortgage proceeds are disbursed and a rehabilitation escrow account is established. At this point the lender has a fully-insured mortgage loan.
Eligible Property:
- To be eligible, the property must be a one- to four-family dwelling that has been completed for at least one year. The number of units on the site must be acceptable according to the provisions of local zoning requirements. All newly constructed units must be attached to the existing dwelling. Cooperative units are not eligible.
- Homes that have been demolished, or will be razed as part of the rehabilitation work, are eligible provided some of the existing foundation system remains in place.
In addition to typical home rehabilitation projects, this program can be used to convert a one-family dwelling to a two-, three-, or four-family dwelling. An existing multi-unit dwelling could be decreased to a one- to four-family unit.
An existing house (or modular unit) on another site can be moved onto the mortgaged property; however, release of loan proceeds for the existing structure on the non-mortgaged property is not allowed until the new foundation has been properly inspected and the dwelling has been properly placed and secured to the new foundation.
A 203(k) mortgage may be originated on a “mixed use” residential property provided: (1) The property has no greater than 25 percent (for a one story building); 33 percent (for a three story building); and 49 percent (for a two story building) of its floor area used for commercial (storefront) purposes; (2) the commercial use will not affect the health and safety of the occupants of the residential property; and (3) the rehabilitation funds will only be used for the residential functions of the dwelling and areas used to access the residential part of the property.
Condominium Unit:
The Department also permits Section 203(k) mortgages to be used for individual units in condominium projects that have been approved by FHA.
The 203(k) program was not intended to be a project mortgage insurance program, as large scale development has considerably more risk than individual single-family mortgage insurance. Therefore, condominium rehabilitation is subject to the following conditions:
- Owner/occupant and qualified non-profit borrowers only; no investors;
- Rehabilitation is limited only to the interior of the unit. Mortgage proceeds are not to be used for the rehabilitation of exteriors or other areas which are the responsibility of the condominium association, except for the installation of firewalls in the attic for the unit;
- Only the lesser of five units per condominium association, or 25 percent of the total number of units, can be undergoing rehabilitation at any one time;
- The maximum mortgage amount cannot exceed 100 percent of after-improved value.
After rehabilitation is complete, the individual buildings within the condominium must not contain more than four units. By law, Section 203(k) can only be used to rehabilitate units in one-to-four unit structures. However, this does not mean that the condominium project, as a whole, can only have four units or that all individual structures must be detached.
Example: A project might consist of six buildings each containing four units, for a total of 24 units in the project and, thus, be eligible for Section 203(k). Likewise, a project could contain a row of more than four attached townhouses and be eligible for Section 203(k) because HUD considers each townhouse as one structure, provided each unit is separated by a 1 1/2 hour firewall (from foundation up to the roof).
Similar to a project with a condominium unit with a mortgage insured under Section 234(c) of the National Housing Act, the condominium project must be approved by HUD prior to the closing of any individual mortgages on the condominium units
How the Program Can Be Used:
This program can be used to accomplish rehabilitation and/or improvement of an existing one-to-four unit dwelling in one of three ways:
- To purchase a dwelling and the land on which the dwelling is located and rehabilitate it.
- To purchase a dwelling on another site, move it onto a new foundation on the mortgaged property and rehabilitate it.
- To refinance existing liens secured against the subject property and rehabilitate such a dwelling
To purchase a dwelling and the land on which the dwelling is located and rehabilitate it, and to refinance existing indebtedness and rehabilitate such a dwelling, the mortgage must be a first lien on the property and the loan proceeds (other than rehabilitation funds) must be available before the rehabilitation begins.
To purchase a dwelling on another site, move it onto a new foundation and rehabilitate it, the mortgage must be a first lien on the property; however, loan proceeds for the moving of the house cannot be made available until the unit is attached to the new foundation.
