If you plan on financing your purchase with either a VA or FHA loan, you need to make note of that in your offer. The reason for this is because the seller is burdened with additional financial and performance obligations by the government loans.
Settlement agents, escrow companies, lenders, and title companies often charge certian types of fees but it is prohibited by VA and FHA loans. These fees are known as "non-allowable" fees. They are charged in any case, but you in the role of the buyer, are "disallowed" to make a payment to them. What really happens is that instead of you paying, the seller ends us paying them.
Most of these "non-allowable" fees come from your lender. Only after you are pre-qualified by a loan officer you are eligible to make an offer and thereafter either you or your real estate agent can enquire about the quantum of lender's non-allowable fees. Experienced agents should also have an idea of what non-allowable fees will be charged by the escrow or settlement agent and the title insurance company.
Since these are fees the seller would not pay on an offer with conventional financing, this information must be included in your offer. You should also realize that since the seller will be paying these additional fees, they may be a little less negotiable on the price.
VA and FHA Appraisals
Home appraisal inspections on FHA and VA loans are a little more detailed than on conventional loans (and is more costly). The appraisers are required to perform certain minimum inspections as well as evaluate the market value of the property.
It's always a good idea to get an idea of what repairs will need to be done, even though this inspection doesn't substitute for a professional home inspection.
The seller is not obliged to pay for these additional costs in conventional financing situations and therefore you should include the estimated maximum expense for these repairs in your offer.
Otherwise the seller is signing the equivalent of a blank check, and they do not want to do that.
Similarly, whatever amount you name will most likely influence the seller's openness to negotiation on the price. If you decide to specify $500 as an estimate, then the seller may negotiate on his price less $500. It would have been possible to buy the house for $500 less than the price agreed by you and the seller if only no repairs were required. To solve this problem, your offer should include the following clause: "The require repair cost less than maximum amount allowed, the an excess on credit toward buyer's closing cost."
Article SourceLabels: About Loan, FHA Loans, VA Loans |
