How The FHA Helps Self Employed Families Find Mortgages
Published by Fred at February 23rd, 2010It’s correct to assume that being self employed will work against you when applying for a mortgage. The Federal Housing Administration, a department in the United States government, will still hear your case. If you present a solid case, you can still be backed by the government and get a mortgage despite being a high risk individual.
The main problem lies within the fact that most self employed individuals don’t keep good records of their business activity. If you have just started out as a business owner, consider getting a tax professional to handle the work for you. That way you won’t have to deal with emerging laws or keep updated on new regulations.
The typical FHA mortgage lender will demand that the applicant has at least two years of income proved in the form of tax receipts. Some may be able to get by with only a year’s worth of receipts, but only if they have shown that the income is excessive and stable. Lenders may make judgments on the future outlook of the business to make a decision as well.
The business credit score of most start-ups is going to be zilch. That’s because most new start ups don’t have a lot of working capital to show, and most are likely to be in debt to a small business loan. That makes it increasingly hard to get a mortgage, as both the business credit and the personal credit line of the applicant are up for review.
One thing that can improve your chances is to find a co-borrower. A co-borrower can’t help you save on interest rates, but they will at least let you get approved if you have otherwise been denied. Finding a co-borrower is a lot easier said than done, however. The co-borrower will be responsible if you are unable to make payments, so usually only extremely close friends and family will even consider the act of co-borrowing.
Mortgage brokers increase the likelihood one will find a mortgage relatively quick by many times. Brokers have connections to a multitude of lenders, so they are able to find the best deals in a matter of minutes. Consider talking to a broker in your location, state, or even find one over the Internet that has good reviews. You will find that the fees they charge are nominal, and the savings they provide more than make up for it.
Final Thoughts
Your self employed lifestyle doesn’t have to be halted by the inability to afford a home. The first step is to review your credit rating, followed by avid searching with a mortgage broker of your choice. In as little as a month, you can close the deal and move in.
Learn more about fha mortgage and self employed fha.