My Dream House was Turned Down for a Loan!

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What happens when you have the credit, income, and assets to buy your dream home, but the lender rejects the home itself?

If you can’t pay cash, you are left scrambling to find private financing. If you’ve already made an offer on the house, that can be stressful and embarrassing. It is better to know right upfront what types of properties Fannie Mae will not lend on.

10 Types of Homes that are Ineligible for a traditional loan backed by Fannie Mae

1) Bed and Breakfast homes

2) Houseboats

3) Senior Care Home or other continuing care facility

4) Timeshares

5) Condo or home where the Home Owner’s Association is named in a pending lawsuit

6) Homes with five or more units (a duplex, triplex, or fourplex is acceptable)

7) Manufactured homes that have not had the title converted to real property

8) A working farm or ranch or agricultural property (You would need a commercial loan for that.)

9) Raw land (Land with no house cannot qualify for a residential loan. You would need a land loan.)

10) Any house that is unsuitable for year-round living or is not accessible by road.

     This represents the ten most common ineligible properties. There are others, such as a motel or hotel.

     If you aren’t sure whether or not your dream home qualifies for a traditional loan or if you want to purchase an unusual property, discuss it with your loan officer right up front when you are getting pre-approved.

     As always, thank you for stopping by my blog. If you have a topic you would like to see addressed, please email me here.


Loan Limits For Conventional Loans

CA house1Good news for people buying a home in an area where home prices are typically higher than the national average:

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced they will continue the higher loan limits through 2013. Fannie and Freddie are government-owned companies that provide money to banks and mortgage lenders. Accordingly, they set certain rules and guidelines, such as the maximum loan amounts.

Loan Limits are as follows:

$417,000: Maximum loan in areas that do not have a median home price higher than average.

$625,500: Maximum loan in the most costly counties of the country.

By contrast, FHA offers a higher max. loan for the most costly counties: $729,750. Last year, Congress raised FHA loan limits after being urged by the real estate industry to do so.

$506,000: Maximum loan for higher priced counties (King, Pierce, Snohomish) in WA state where I reside.

To find out what the limit is in your county, contact your local loan officer. If you know you’re not in a high-priced area, then you can count on $417,000 as the limit for a conventional loan.

For borrowers who require a larger loan, there are jumbo loan programs available. Typically, these require a higher interest rate and possibly a larger down payment. Pricing and guidelines vary.