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First Time Home Buyer Programs And Most Favored Types Of It

First Time Home Buyer Programs And Most Favored Types Of It

Amanda Byford
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Introduction To First Time Home Buyers

The process of buying a new home is one of the most intimidating experiences, especially when it is your first time. 

The important decision to make is about the loan programs as there are a lot of them to choose from. 

For many, it is one of the difficult decisions to make as buying a home with the right loan program will yield the best benefits. 

In this post, we will learn about the best loan programs available for first time home buyers (FTHB).

Who Is A First-Time Home Buyer?

As a layman, the definition of the FTHB could be different from what the lenders and the banks define. 

According to them, the FTHB is an individual who has not owned residential real estate under his or her name in the last thirty-six months. 

So if you haven’t owned a real estate property in the last thirty-six months and if you are planning to buy one now, you could take benefits of these first time home buyer programs and grants.

What Are The Types Of First-Time Home Buyer Programs?

As an FTHB, the costs of taking a mortgage or a home loan could be formidable. 

Hence there are a lot of loan programs available to cover these costs and some programs even provide down payment assistance. Let’s dive into some of the most favored 1st time home buyer programs.

Down Payment Loan Grants and Programs

When you are planning to buy a home using a mortgage or a loan, the down payment is one of the biggest expenses that you incur. 

There are a lot of programs that would help you to cover a portion of your down payment.

Down Payment Assistance Grants

There are many grants available that the borrower can qualify for to get assistance for the down payment. 

The grant requirement could vary depending on your county and state. 

Hence it is suggested to check your local or state government to know more about the down payment assistance grants in your county or state.

Down Payment Assistance Loans

If you are not sure that you can cover the entire down payment to buy a new home, you can apply for some down payment assistance loans through certified lenders. 

These loans will help you to cover part of your down payment such as deferred payment loans, forgiven loans, or second mortgages.

In deferred payment loans, the amount of the loan needs to be paid in full if you are selling, moving, refinancing, or paying off your primary mortgage.

In the forgiven loans, the loan is forgiven for a specific number of years. However, if you move, sell, refinance, or pay off the primary mortgage before the number of years specified, you would be violating the term of forgiveness.

In the second mortgage assistance program, the payment of the second mortgage is paid simultaneously along with the primary mortgage.

Closing Assistance Programs

Taking a mortgage is going to cost about three to six percent of your loan amount which could also be a huge cost as a first time home buyer. 

Just like down payment assistance programs, there are some private as well as government-backed programs that could help you to cover your closing costs. 

You can also ask the seller to cover part of the closing cost under “Seller Concessions” to lower your overall closing costs.

Government Backed Loan Programs

There are few loan programs for FTHB that could help them to lower their down payment along with flexible credit rating requirements and possibly low-interest rates. 

The reason why these loan programs give so much benefit is that these loans are backed by government agencies and lenders and banks have less risk in lending on these loan terms. 

The most common government-backed loans are VA, USDA, and FHA loans and each of the loans has its qualifying requirements.

Good Neighbor Next Door Program

This special program is for home buyers who are in the profession of firefighting, teaching, law enforcement officer, or emergency medical technician by the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this program, the qualified borrower can get fifty percent off on the listed price for the properties listed in HUD’s inventory.

Conclusion

Many conventional loan programs offer low down payments for as low as three percent. 

Most first time home buyer loans vary based on the location of the property that you are looking to buy. 

It is always recommended to get in touch with your local and trusted loan officer to get more information on these programs that will help you decide which one would be most beneficial for buying your new home.

Amanda Byford

Amanda Byford has bought and sold many houses in the past fifteen years and is actively managing an income property portfolio consisting of multi-family properties. During the buying and selling of these properties, she has gone through several different mortgage loan transactions. This experience and knowledge have helped her develop an avenue to guide consumers to their best available option by comparing lenders through the Compare Closing business.

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