So Steve, What are the requirements for the USDA program? So USDA has a few interesting requirements First of all, you'll need to have at least a 580 credit score Some lenders require a 620 credit score Your household income has to be under the county maximum Like a lot of down payment assistance programs This is based on family size So 1 to 4 is one category and then 5 and above is a higher threshold for qualifying What's unique about this one is the home has to be within a designated area. So, Typically what that means is… NOT within a metropolitan area So within our area here (Riverside county) Our local cities around her don't qualify But we only need to go 10 miles away to where there's an open area where there's Several homes that qualify.
USDA stands for United States Dept of Agriculture But it's NOT a farm loan. Specifically, they don't finance this program for farms. It has to be a Single Family home without a barn structure on the property. and then it also has some home price limitations. The Threshold is a little bit lower than say an FHA loan for the loan limits. Ok, and how does this program differ from other Down payment programs? So it's different because it's not really a down payment program but it allows financing up to a 100% of the purchase price And it's interesting because you can actually use this program with 1 or 2 of the other programs.
If you need closing cost assistance But, what's unique it's a 100% Financing So you don't need a 2nd or a 3rd lien on the property. Your interest rates are typically lower Than if you combine it with a down payment assistance programs And you don't have to repay any down payment assistance It has a monthly factor It's like mortgage insurance upfront It's financed at a monthly component Much less than FHA So if you can qualify for this program It's better than FHA And As I mentioned, rates and payments Are typically lower on this program So USDA is really a great program. Great! And on average How much does the home buyer have to come in with out-of-pocket? So Again, we are financing the whole loan Purchase price up to 100% So the only thing remaining is then the closing costs Typically, plan on around 3% of the purchase price for funds to close.
The question there then becomes, Well, Where does that come from? Typically, we ask the seller to cover those costs And if we can get the seller to cover 3% Then, the buyer may only need to come in with an earnest money deposit. And they may even get most or all of that back. If the seller is covering all the fees. One unique feature about USDA Versus all other loans is that if the home appraises for more than the purchase price We can finance the closing costs Up to that appraised amount So, no other loan I know that we can actually finance the closing costs.
On that type of loan What type of home buyer is this program ideal for? So certainly those that don't have access to money for a down payment Anyone that wants to live that doesn't have to live within a metropolitan area because, again, the house has to be in an area that is not in a high densely populated area It's also suited well for people who have some credit issues and anybody that qualifies for this program would definitely be better served than going FHA so those type of people. And besides the Area restrictions are their any other property restrictions? So property restrictions are going to be similar to FHA They'll do manufactured homes They'll do homes with Casitas So no real other restrictions. Just if it conforms to the FHA guides then it should qualify for USDA There's a couple little quirky things That you don't run into very often Like you can't actually have a barn on the property It definitely can't be for agricultural purposes It has to be for residential purposes Ok Great! Thanks Steve
