Planning to buy a property you can call home? Know about USDA Home Loan programs

It is an easy as well as accessible approach for the rural and suburban homebuyers. This program makes it easy for people to finally have a house they can call ‘Home’. And, majority of people don’t know how the USDA Home Loan Qualifications work and how accessible it is.

USDA Loan which basically stands for United States Department of Agriculture Home Loan is a program initiated by the United States Department of Agriculture for the people of Rural and Suburban areas who are eligible to be homebuyers. The program is a mortgage loan program with zero down payment facility as a part of Rural Development program. The motive behind this is to help families buy homes and upgrade their old properties. Also, the interest rate on this loan program is very low so that people can afford paying it. The purpose of USDA Home Loan is to improve the quality of life and economy of the rural America.
How does USDA Home Loan program work?

The program runs through a process as described below-

Apply: First of all, you need to find a lender who knows about the home loan program and is a verified lender to access such information. Also, the lender must be offering USDA financing as most lenders of the US approve USDA Home Loans. So, find the one that suits you best and apply for the loan.
Pre-approval: After your lender access your credit, employment and income related information then they check whether you have met the USDA Home Loan Qualifications or not. Once you are eligible for the loan you will get a pre-approval letter.
The property search: Now that you have received your pre-approval letter, then the next step is to find a house that is USDA eligible which is falls within the designated area and fulfils the other criteria. Once you find the appropriate house, you can then make an offer.
Lender’s Approval: Making an offer means adding property information to your loan file, later which your lender needs to make a final check through the file. The final check is called as the lender’s approval.
USDA approval: After the lender’s approval, the lender submits your loan file to USDA for its approval. And the USDA checks for the necessary information and approves the file by final signoff.
Closure: Last but not the least is when you sign the paperwork and after few days you finally own a home. Now, you can enjoy staying in your home after the mortgage process is complete.
USDA Home Loan Qualifications: What are the necessary requirements or eligibility criteria?

While the income limit varies from location to location as well as on the size of the property, but here are general eligibility requirements that one must follow-

One must hold a U.S. citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S.
A monthly payment of 29% or less than your monthly income must be made, and it includes principal, interest, insurance and taxes. Also, there must not be any other debts payment exceeding 41% of your income.
A credit score of 680 and above is preferred if you want higher debt ratios to be considered.
The property should be purchased in a rural area only.

Buy a property, make a home: Home Help for the Rural Residents

The need to have a house of your own is a wish every person of the rural household wants to conquer and with the right amount of help, yes all of you can. Rural Home Loans provided by the USDA is an initiative to make the economy and standard of living of the rural areas better.

What is Rural Housing Loan?

Rural Housing Loan is a part of the Rural Housing Service offering loans, grants and loan guarantees for single as well as multi-family housing. The idea is to help people build their own homes or upgrade their existing ones. The motive is to encourage the development of the rural areas by helping very low, low as well as moderate income residents buy and improve properties into homes. There is an eligibility criterion for the people to qualify so that they can be granted such loans. Also, this loan is only meant for someone who lives in the Rural area and wants to buy a home in the rural area itself.

Types of Rural Home Loans: -
Single Family Housing Programs: The USDA’s Rural Housing Loan includes the Single Family Housing Program to help the rural communities buy safe and affordable houses in the rural areas. Through this program the USDA invests loan guarantees so as to help the low and moderate income earning population of the rural residents build their homes. This program also includes the self-help housing, grants for elderly home owners and home repairs for the home owners as well.
Multi-Family Housing Programs: The initiative of this type of Rural Housing Loan is to provide safe, affordable, adequate, clean rental housing for all the very low, low and moderate income earning households of the rural areas. The fund generated under this program can also be used for home improvements, repairs and water disposal systems. Overall, USDA provides rental assistance to the potential buyers and eligible residents with their monthly rental costs.
More information about the Rural Home Loans: Myths and Facts to accept

Along with rural areas, there are other areas too that are as much eligible for Rural Home Loans as rural areas, the suburban areas are also eligible.
Rural Home Loans are subject to zero down payments which is also known as the USDA loans.
The income limit of a person should be below the income limit as prescribed by the USDA, as anybody having an income above the limit are not eligible for the loan.
A person who has yet not paid the first Rural Home Loan cannot be eligible for another loan. And, Rural Housing Loan is not restricted to just the first-time home buyers.
You must have a good credit score but in Rural House Loans lower credit scores are generally accepted.
This program has been introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture, so it becomes necessary on the part of the rural residents to find a lender who is qualified enough for the task.
Apart from having a US citizenship, it is important that your monthly payment against the Rural Home Loan doesn’t exceed 29% of your monthly income.

Prepare a Budget and then own a Home: USDA makes it as easy as it sounds.

Then it’s high time you introduce yourself to USDA Mortgage, a lesser known loan service for the greater good of the Rural population. And, guess what you can ascertain your budget too by simply using the USDA Loan Calculator.

What is USDA Mortgage?

The Mortgages that are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are called the USDA Mortgages. There are one of the fewer loans that are still available at no down payment applicable on home purchases. For every rural area that comes under the eligible areas, USDA Mortgage is the best option available for them to buy houses of their own. They have certain limits as far as the income is concerned and eligibility criteria for the rural residents to qualify.
USDA Mortgage Eligibility

USDA Loan Credit Requirements: A person who wants to get USDA loan should show a stable income, a good credit history and ability to repay the loan. Even though there is no minimum credit requirement but a credit score of 640 or above are granted the loan without any doubt. The lender needs to check your credit score, patterns of loan repayment, credit utilization and length of credit history before they apply for a USDA loan.
USDA Loan Income Requirements: Someone who has a stable income is preferred for USDA Mortgage. A lender checks for two years of consistent employment along with income tax returns for verification purpose.
Location Requirements: To know whether your area is eligible for a USDA Home loan, you must check the eligibility map. And, the best part would be if you ask your lender to check whether your preferred location is eligible or not. This loan has been introduced to help rural areas through development so any other area that doesn’t fall under the Rural category is not eligible for the loan. There are some Suburban areas that qualify though. Also, there are population factors to determine the same.
Property Requirements: The purpose of the USDA Mortgage is to provide people having low and moderate income with a safe and sanitary household. So, the basic requirements that you must include are, the house must be the buyer’s primary residence; the house must be having adequate facilities and access to transport, road, water as well as water disposal system.
Citizenship: It is one of the primary needs as the residents of the rural areas must be permanent U.S. citizens.
Employment: A person must have at least 2 years of continuous employment or stable work to qualify himself/herself for USDA Mortgage.
What is a USDA Loan Calculator?

A USDA Loan Calculator is basically a payment calculator used by the USDA to calculate an accurate USDA Mortgage. It is done by accounting monthly USDA Mortgage insurance, homeowner’s insurance, USDA guarantee fee and property taxes. It helps people ascertain their monthly payments that they have to make against the loan they are planning to take. With the help of this, people can draw a budget and then search for a property or home that fits their budget.