On the top left hand side, click “Single Family Housing Guaranteed”
Click “Accept”
Enter the property address to determine if a specific house or general area is located in an USDA eligible area
The household income must be moderate as determined by USDA. The USDA Loan evaluates household income, which includes the combined income of all adults living in the household; even if they are not on the mortgage loan. Click here to determine your household income eligibility.
If it appears that the household income exceeds the moderate income thresholds established by USDA, do not throw in the towel just yet. USDA allows for deductions for child care and medical expenses as well as for children, students, and elderly members of the household that will be living in the USDA financed property.
This is not a farmer’s loan. As a matter of fact, the property cannot have any income producing capabilities, and when the land value of the property exceeds 30% of the appraised value additional requirements must be met.
The house has to be in fairly good condition. The appraisal type being utilized is an FHA appraisal, so make sure that there are not any safety related challenges(i.e. missing banisters, peeling paint, exposed electric).
This is a true no money down loan program. Or stated differently, you do not need a down payment.
While there is a monthly mortgage insurance premium (or prorated portion of an Annual Fee), the cost of the monthly mortgage insurance is 59% less than a comparable FHA Loan. This makes the USDA loan more affordable than an FHA Loan when analyzing down payment requirements and monthly mortgage payments.
The seller can pay all closing costs and pre-paids (i.e. escrows). Often the home buyer’s only out-of-pocket cost as part of the purchase transaction is approximately $550 for the appraisal report.
If the house appraises for more than the purchase price, the difference can be used to pay for closing costs and pre-paids (i.e. escrows). Only the USDA Loan program allows for closing costs to be rolled on top of the purchase price.
USDA has no restriction on whether you are a first time home buyer or move-up home buyer.
This loan program is only for primary residence (i.e. no second home or investment properties).
You should not own any other functional property; although there are some circumstances under which USDA may waive this requirement.
The preferred minimum credit score is 640. However, if you have a documented rent history, no late payments on your credit cards, and no new collections within the last 12 months, a credit score as low as 620 may be considered.
All property types including single family homes, town homes, modular, and even condominiums qualify for this loan program. Manufacture homes such as single and doublewides constructed prior to January 1, 2006 do not qualify.
There is no maximum mortgage amount, but the house does have to be considered moderate in a size
A Kentucky USDA home loan is a zero-dollar-down mortgage option provided by USDA’s Department of Rural Development.
This government-backed loan program comes in two types: direct loan, which is reserved for lower-income households and issued by USDA, and the guaranteed loan, which is reserved for low- to moderate-income families. The guaranteed loan is funded by private lenders, and USDA guarantees a portion of the loan against default.
The KY USDA home loan program is generally more beneficial to rural families than a conventional lending program, particularly for first-time homebuyers with lower- to median-level incomes.
Some of the benefits of Kentucky Rural Housing USDA loans include: • zero down payment • competitive interest rates • lower-than-average monthly mortgage insurance • relaxed credit requirements versus conventional loans
• no loan limits
How do I determine eligibility for a Kentucky Rural Housing USDA loan? To be eligible for a USDA home loan, borrowers must meet the program’s basic eligibility requirements. These requirements are relaxed compared to other mortgage options and are in place to ensure borrowers can make their monthly mortgage payments.
Here are a few of the basic Kentucky RHS USDA eligibility requirements:
• Income. Applicants must not have annual adjusted income greater than 115% of the median household income for the area. Check your county’s USDA income limit. This called compliance income.
• Credit. USDA’s guaranteed underwriting credit requirements. However, most lenders will want a 620 or preferably to get an Automated Approval 640 is the magic number in most cases. With regards to bankruptcy, 3 years is usually the date needed to lapse since your discharge. They actually require no minimum score but no lenders that I know of will do a no score loan.
• Employment. Applicants must have proof of two years of stable income and employment.
: Income: They will take your gross monthly income and develop two ratios for you: The front end ratio, which is called your housing ratio, and then the back-end ratio or total debt ratio is the house payment plus the total monthly payments listed on the credit report. If you pay child support, this is included in the qualifying ratios but utility bills, car insurance, cell phone bills, water bills etc, is not included. Typically 28% is used for the housing ratio, and
Student Loans: They are pretty tough on student loans and qualifying with your current student loan debts. They will make us use 1% of your outstanding balance on student loans, so sometimes this will cause the loan to get denied because your debt to income ratio is too high. If they are in an Income-Based repayment plan they will still make us use the .5% balance so keep this in mind. For example, let’s say you owe $50k in outstanding student loans, and your IBR plan calls for a $50 monthly payment. RHS will make us use $250, not the $50 IBR payment so you can see where this will cause issue on higher debt to income ratios on some loans.**********
If you are a Kentucky USDA Mortgage applicant who has student loan calculations will be changed to the following Fixed Payment Loans:
A permanent amortized, fixed payment may be used when it can be documented that the payment is fixed, the interest rate is fixed, and the repayment term is fixed.
Non-Fixed Payment Loans (i.e. deferred, income based, graduated, adjustable, etc.): The payment should be calculated as the greater of 0.5% of the loan balance or the actual payment reflected on the credit report. No additional documentation is required.
• Property location. Homes must be located within a rural area, as defined by USDA. Rural areas are any that have a population less than 35,000 depending on the area’s designation. Use this tool from USDA to determine if a specific address is eligible.
• Physical property. Homes must be the borrower’s primary residence, have direct access to a street, and have adequate utilities and water and wastewater disposal, among other things No working fams allowed or properties that income producing livestock or crops.
For those with lower incomes, a USDA direct loan provides greater opportunities for lending, as its credit and income requirements are more lax than the guaranteed loan option.
Disclaimer: No statement on this site is a commitment to make a loan. Loans are subject to borrower qualifications, including income, property evaluation, sufficient equity in the home to meet Loan-to-Value requirements, and final credit approval. Approvals are subject to underwriting guidelines, interest rates, and program guidelines and are subject to change without notice based on applicant’s eligibility and market conditions. Refinancing an existing loan may result in total finance charges being higher over the life of a loan. Reduction in payments may reflect a longer loan term. Terms of any loan may be subject to payment of points and fees by the applicant Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS#57916http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
Here are a few reminders about the Kentucky USDA Rural Housing Service (RHS) Section 502 Guaranteed program which provides very-low-, low- and moderate-income rural residents access to affordable housing finance options with little or no down payment or out-of-pocket costs.
• Eligibility Link – Access the USDA Home page, click here.
• Income – To determine eligibility of an applicant/household, click here.
• Property Eligibility – To determine whether the property is located in a designated rural area, click here.s
30 year fixed rate loan terms only, Purchase or refinance, If refinancing must be existing USDA home loan. No cash out allowed.
• Occupancy – Owner occupied only.
• Maximum Loan Amount-No max loan amount
• Max DTI – GUS approved, generally 45% (front end sensitive)/ Manual 29/41.
• Guaranty Fee/Annual Fee – there is a 1.00%/ 0.35% (monthly).
• Down Payment – Down payment not required but if any cash to close, must be borrowers own funds. Gifts are not allowed.
• Interested Third Party Contributions – An amount of 6% of the sales price can be contributed towards closing costs.
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If you meet income eligibility requirements and are looking to settle in a rural area, you might qualify for the KY USDA Rural Housing program. The program guarantees qualifying loans, reducing lenders’ risk and encouraging them to offer buyers 100% loans. That means Kentucky home buyers don’t have to put any money down, and even the “upfront fee” (a closing cost for this type of loan) can be rolled into the financing.
Fico scores usually wanted for this program center around 620 range, with most lenders wanting a 640 score so they can obtain an automated approval through GUS. GUS stands for the Guaranteed Underwriting system, and it will dictate your max loan pre-approval based on your income, credit scores, debt to income ratio and assets.
CREDIT SCORES UNDERWRITING USDA MORTGAGE FOR RURAL HOUSING
This attachment illustrates the approach to reviewing credit history when a loan is
manually underwritten by an approved lender. Credit score over 680: Perform a basic level of underwriting to confirm the
applicant has an acceptable credit reputation. Perform additional analysis if the
applicant’s credit history has indicators of unacceptable credit as noted in Paragraph 10.7 of this Chapter. Credit score 679 to 640: Perform a comprehensive level of underwriting.
Underwrite all aspects of the applicant’s credit history to establish the applicant has an
acceptable credit reputation. Credit scores in this range indicate the applicant’s
reputation is uncertain and will require a thorough analysis by the underwriter of the
credit to draw a logical conclusion about the applicant’s commitment to making
payments on the new mortgage obligation. The applicant’s credit history should
demonstrate his or her past willingness and ability to meet credit obligations. Credit score less than 640: Perform a cautious level of underwriting. Perform a
detailed review of all aspects of the applicant’s credit history to establish the applicant’s
willingness to repay and ability to manage obligations as agreed. Unless there are
extenuating circumstances documented in accordance with this Chapter, a credit score in this range is generally viewed as a strong indication that the applicant does not have an acceptable credit reputation. Little or no credit history: The lack of credit history on the credit report may be
mitigated if the applicant can document a willingness to pay recurring debts through
other acceptable means such as third party verifications or cancelled checks. Due to
impartiality issues, third party verifications from relatives of household members are not
permissible. Lenders can develop a Non-Traditional Credit Report for applicants who
do not have a credit score in accordance with Paragraph 10.6 of this Chapter.
An applicant with an outstanding judgment obtained by the United States in a
Federal court, other than the United States Tax Court, is not eligible for a guarantee
unless otherwise stated in this Chapter.They also allow for a manual underwrite, which states that the max house payment ratios are set at 29% and 41% respectively of your income.
See link here for more detailed guidelines for credit score, disputed accounts, foreclosures, trade line requirements bankruptcies below:
Indicators of unacceptable credit. The following indicators require documentation
meeting the criteria of Section 10.8 to approve an applicant’s loan request for manually
underwritten loans: Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Guidelines
Foreclosure within 3 years:
Including pre-foreclosure activity, such as a pre-foreclosure sale or short sale
in the previous 3 years (refer to Attachment 10-B for additional guidance);
Bankruptcy within 3 years:
Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged in the previous 3 years;
An elapsed period of less than 3 years, but not less than 12 months, may
be acceptable if the applicant meets the criteria of Section 10.8 of this
Chapter.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy that has yet to complete repayment (repayment plan in
progress) or has completed payment in the most recent 12 months.
Plans that are completed for 12 months or greater do not require a credit
exception in accordance with Section 10.8;
Late mortgage payments if any mortgage trade line during the most recent 12
months shows 1 or more late payments of greater than 30 days
Collections Accounts
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In an effort to minimize future risk of open collections left unpaid, the lender will
consider the following during the capacity analysis of the loan request, regardless of the
method utilized to underwrite:
1) Determine if the total outstanding balance of all collections accounts of all
applicants is equal to or greater than $2,000. Unless excluded by state law,
collection accounts of a non-purchasing spouse in a community property state are
included in the cumulative balance of all collections.
2) Remove all medical collections and all types of charge off accounts from the total
balance. Medical collections and charge off accounts must be clearly identifiable
on the credit report.
3) If the remaining outstanding balance of collection accounts are equal to or greater
than $2,000, any of the following actions will apply:
a. Payment in full of all collection accounts at or prior to closing.
b. Payment arrangements are made with each creditor for each collection
account remaining outstanding. A letter from the creditor or evidence on
the credit report is required to validate the payment arrangements. The
agreed upon monthly payment for each outstanding collection account
will be included in the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio.
c. In the absence of a payment arrangement, the lender will utilize in the
debt-to-income ratio a calculated monthly payment. For each collection
utilize 5% of the outstanding balance to represent the monthly payment.
They loan requires no down payment, and the current mortgage insurance is 1% upfront, called a funding fee, and .35% annually for the monthly mi payment. Since they recently reduced their mi requirements, USDA is one of the best options out there for home buyers looking to buy in a rural area.
A rural area typically will be any area outside the major cities of Louisville, Lexington, Paducah, Bowling Green, Richmond, Frankfort, and parts of Northern Kentucky.
There is also a max household income limits with most cutoff starting at $87,000 for a family of four, and up to $115,000 for a family of five or more.
Kentucky FHA, VA, USDA & Rural Housing, KHC and Fannie Mae mortgage loans.
Disclaimer: No statement on this site is a commitment to make a loan. Loans are subject to borrower qualifications, including income, property evaluation, sufficient equity in the home to meet Loan-to-Value requirements, and final credit approval. Approvals are subject to underwriting guidelines, interest rates, and program guidelines and are subject to change without notice based on applicant’s eligibility and market conditions. Refinancing an existing loan may result in total finance charges being higher over the life of a loan. Reduction in payments may reflect a longer loan term. Terms of any loan may be subject to payment of points and fees by the applicant Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS#57916http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
— Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. The content in this marketing advertisement has not been approved, reviewed, sponsored or endorsed by any department or government agency. Rates are subject to change and are subject to borrower(s) qualification.
620+ MIN FICO– REFERS AND GUS ACCEPTS!
Kentucky USDA Mortgage Lender for Rural Housing Loans 