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Using FHA 203K Loan to Purchase a Fixer-Upper

Across Wisconsin there are a large number of short sale homes available to buyers. A short sale is a home being sold for an amount less than the existing mortgage balance. These homes often have a few cosmetic repairs that need to be made in order to make the home more presentable, if not safe. For years the issue of repairing a home prior to purchase was a catch 22. The bank or seller was not willing to spend extra money on a home that they are selling. The buyer could not make the repairs because they did not legally own the home. The FHA 203k loan solves that problem with ease.

Two Kinds of Loans

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) offers a loan called the 203k mortgage, named after the code section where the loan is found in the FHA guidelines. This loan is offered as a Streamline version and the regular version. The streamline was designed to offer lower amounts designated for repairs and slightly less paperwork. Both loans are ideal for Wisconsin homebuyers who wish to purchase a home in need of some repairs.

How the Loan Works

The loan program allows buyers to purchase a home based on the sales price. In addition, the buyers can borrow extra money to make the necessary repairs. Once the loan is approved and closed, the extra money is placed in an escrow account. The contractor that is doing the work will receive payment once the work is completed. This protects the borrower and the lender against problems with the repair process.

The amount needed for repairs is added to the loan for the purchase and the homebuyer makes one payment, at one interest rate, on the entire loan. Since mortgage rates are so cheap right now it is a wonderful way to buy a home that may be priced below market value due to some simple fix-ups.

Loan Amounts

The Streamline 203k loan will allow Wisconsin homebuyers to borrow a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $35,000 to be used towards the repairs. The regular 203k loan allows much more as a percentage of the sales price and the estimated appraised value after the proposed repairs have been made. The regular 203k loan will need the involvement of an appraiser, home contractor and loan officer from the very beginning to make sure the loan and repairs meet the guidelines of the program

What Can be Done with 203k?

Wisconsin homebuyers often ask about the types of repairs that can be done with the Streamline 203k program. The following list shows some of the more popular tasks accomplished using this type of loan

New gutters and a new roof
New Heating and air conditioning system or repairs to the existing system
Plumbing updates and repairs
Electrical updates and repairs
Bath and kitchen remodels, to a lesser extent
New flooring of any type; wood, carpet, tile
Painting for both exterior and the interior
New windows and doors
Energy efficient appliances

The 203K loan allows many types of repairs and improvements that can greatly enhance the value of a home and give buyers a chance to purchase a place at a savings. This loan is ideal for Wisconsin short sales or foreclosures.

Original Post - Using a FHA 203K Mortgage for Rehab

This communication is provided to you for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon by you. Rock Realty is not a mortgage lender and so you should contact a FHA lender directly to learn more about its mortgage products and your eligibility for such products.

A couple of months ago I received an reo listing from an asset management company that sometimes sends me listings, not many, but hey every little bit helps. They ordered the CFK, and although I am usually succesful with cfks, in this case the homeowner did not agree to it. She was receiving advice from an attorney/friend that told her to stay in the house. After a while, as it happens, I was notified of the lock out date. The family was already gone on the lockout date, but they had destroyed the property. Among many other things, they took of all the electric outlet covers throughout the house and left the wires exposed. The house has illegal additions, code violations, an empty pool, electric issues, they broke walls, took all appliances, Central A/C, etc. Since I am very familiar with the way this particular city works, I sent in a document attached to the bpo explaining everything and advising what needed to be done before the house started showing to avoid problems with the city. Needless to say they sent my bpo back 3 times because the appraissal came in at a higher value. Of course the appraisser was not using reo comps with similar illegal additions and/or conversions. He failed to mention that probably more than half the house would have to be demolished because it was done without permits. Finally my price is approved and the property goes on the market, I go back to the property before listing it on the mls to make sure it was ready to be showed. When I get there, I find the only thing done was the trash out and they caped the exposed wires. I again write to the am and send pics, since they have their own preservation co to do everything, they've decided that was all they were going to do to sell the property as is. Ok, well I dont want to be a pain...To make a long story short, the house has been on the market for less than a week and somehow the city already heard about this beauty and went there today (without even notifying me) I don't know how they got in. They later faxed a 2 page long violation to my office listing everything they could think of and they want it fixed yesterday. Now for the plastic cover plates that I recommended to put on all the electric outlets just to make it look decent we have to hire an electrician, pull permits and pay fines!!! They are going to make my life miserable and hold up the sale for months and many of this problems could have been avoided by just doing some minor work in the house, not only to avoid problems with the city, but also for safety issues. Now even the mosquitoes in the neighborhood are coming from inside this house. LOL. I could only laugh when I saw what they were hitting us with. I love my job, I work very long hours, try to stay optimistic in all situations and will go the extra mile to get issues resolved and close the deal. This one will close, I know that, but Im going to have to move into the city office until everything is done the way they want it and they take pity on me or get tired of having me around. Oh... and drain my pockets while I wait for reimbursement.

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Using FHA 203K Loan to Purchase a Fixer-Upper

This communication is provided to you for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon by you. Rock Realty is not a mortgage lender and so you should contact a FHA lender directly to learn more about its mortgage products and your eligibility for such products.

How do I say I told you so to an Asset Manager?

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