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Refinance from FHA to a VA Loan to Drop Mortgage Insurance

refinance fha loan to va home loanA refinance from an FHA home loan into a VA home loan is a great way to drop FHA monthly mortgage insurance, at least for those Veterans who are eligible. The monthly mortgage insurance on an FHA loan can really add on to your mortgage payment. And for FHA loans with case numbers pulled after June 3, 2013, the monthly mortgage insurance may never drop off. Even for FHA loans will Case numbers pulled prior to June 3, 2011 the monthly mortgage insurance will be on the loan for anywhere from 5 years to 11 years, depending on the original loan to value and term of the loan.

Why Would a Veteran Have an FHA Loan?

It is surprising that a Veteran would even have an FHA loan in the first place. Except for situations where the Veteran didn’t have full entitlement available for a home purchase, the VA program will be better for the Veteran in almost any situation. However, because not all California lenders are familiar with the VA home loan program Veterans will sometimes be pushed into an FHA loan. Also, sometimes Veterans are not aware of the advantages the VA program has over FHA.

  • VA will allow for $0 down payment | FHA requires 3.5% down payment.
  • VA does not have monthly mortgage insurance | FHA uses a factor of 1.35% for monthly mortgage insurance when the down payment is less than 5%. (1.3% when 5% or more is put down). A $400,000 FHA loan would have monthly mortgage insurance of $450, versus $0 for VA. Huge savings for VA.
  • VA only requires a two year wait after a foreclosure. | FHA requires three years.
  • While VA does have a 100% loan limit, which is based on the county where the property is located, it is possible for a Veteran to get a loan amount above and beyond the 100% VA loan limit by coming in with a small down payment. This is referred to as a Jumbo VA Loan. There are lenders in California who will loan up to $1,500,000 on a VA Jumbo Loan. FHA also has limits based on the county of the property, which cannot be breached.

Refinance from FHA to VA

A refinance from a non-VA loan into a VA loan is not a “streamline refinance” or IRRRL. It is a full refinance, with income and asset documentation, appraisal, and credit. Also, in California a clear termite inspection report is required. The refinance process typically can take less than 30 days. Also, depending on whether there is equity in the property it may be possible to consolidate some debt. Some lenders will allow a refinance up to 100% of the appraised value. Also, combining a 2nd mortgage or equity line to 100% loan to value is possible. If a VA borrower wants to consolidate credit card debt, or pull cash out for another purpose (home improvement), most lenders will cap the loan at 90% of the property value. However, there are lenders who will allow cash back to the borrower all the way to 95% of the appraised value.

A refinance from FHA to VA does not make sense 100% of the time, so its important to talk with a California VA lender who can prepare custom loan scenarios, as well as a Side by Side Analysis comparing your current loan to the refinance loan options.

Authored by Tim Storm, a California VA Loan Officer specializing in VA Loans. MLO 223456. – Please contact my office at the Home Point Financial. My direct line is 949-640-3102. I will prepare custom VA loan scenarios which will be matched up to your financial goals, both long and short term. I also prepare a Video Explanation of the your scenarios so that you are able to fully understand the numbers BEFORE you have started the loan process.

How to Restore Your VA Eligibility

how to restore VA eligibilityMany Veterans don’t realize that it is possible to restore VA eligibility for a home loan. The VA home loan is not just for first time home buyers and is not a one time use program. However, there are guidelines that effect a Veterans ability to have more than one VA loan at a time. It is important that once a previous VA home loan has been paid off that the Veteran notify VA of the disposition of the loan. Once VA has proof of the pay off of the loan then the Veterans Entitlement can be restored. There are a few different possibilities when it comes time to restore your VA eligibility.

 Use the VA Form 26-1880 to Restore VA Eligibility

  • If you bought a home with a VA home loan previously and then sold the home you will need to complete the VA Form 26-1880 (you will complete the form in any situation). You will also need to send in a copy of the certified closing statement for the sale of the home. Once VA verifies the loan has been paid off satisfactorily then the Entitlement and VA eligibility should be restored back to 100%.
  • If you bought a home with VA financing previously and later paid off the VA loan but still own the home, then you may apply for a One Time Only Restoration of Entitlement to purchase another home. Proof of the loan being paid off needs to be verified by VA, and of course the complete VA Form 26-1880 needs to be completed.
  • If you bought a home previously with VA financing and later sold the home, with the buyer assuming your VA loan, then you may use the 1880 form to check as to whether you have at least a partial Entitlement remaining. Until the assumed VA loan is paid off you will not have 100% Entitlement. However, depending on the new purchase price you may still be able to buy a home with VA financing with $0 down with a partial Entitlement.

Retrieve Your Certificate of Eligibility Before you Make an Offer on a Home

It is very important that you retrieve your Certificate of Eligibility before making an offer on a home. The VA Form 26-1880, also known as the Request for Certificate of Eligibility, just needs to be submitted to VA. For California Veterans, the fastest and easiest way to do this is through a California VA approved lender, who can quickly access the Certificate of Eligibility through the VA portal. A direct California VA lender should be able to access the Certificate of Eligibility within minutes in many cases. If there is information that VA needs to verify it could take a few days, but is still quicker than having the Veteran mail the 1880 form in.

Authored by Tim Storm, a California VA Loan Officer specializing in VA Loans. MLO 223456. – Please contact my office at the Home Point Financial. My direct line is 949-640-3102. I will prepare custom VA loan scenarios which will be matched up to your financial goals, both long and short term. I also prepare a Video Explanation of the your scenarios so that you are able to fully understand the numbers BEFORE you have started the loan process.