If you are trying to get an Arizona mortgage with bad credit, it is important that you know all
of your options. There are several programs available to help Arizona borrowers
obtain a home mortgage, even if they have bad credit.
If you have a credit score of less than 640, you are
considered a sub-prime borrower in terms of credit worthiness. This can impact
your ability to obtain a home loan, care loan, or even a store credit card. You
may feel like there is no way out of your situation. However, you are not
alone. Nearly 42.5 million Americans have sub-prime credit. In addition, the
average credit score is about 678, meaning that the average American has less
than stellar credit.
If you find yourself being denied a home loan due to your
credit score, there are a number of options to help you find an Arizona mortgage with bad credit. One
loan type that is available for borrowers in the market for an Arizona mortgage with bad credit is a
hard money loan. A hard money loan is designed as an investment strategy and
isn't a good option for owning a home you intend to live in long term. A hard
money loan is backed by a group of investors, rather than a bank. The investors
will look at your property purchase as well as renovation plans to determine if
the loan is a good investment. If you have bad credit they are more likely than
a bank to look past your credit score if you have a sound investment idea. Hard
money loans are short term loans primarily designed to fix and flip a property
for a profit.
Adjustable Rate Mortgages, FHA Loans, and Hybrid Programs
Another type of loan a borrower in Arizona with bad credit
might consider is an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM. An adjustable rate
mortgage is a short term mortgage with a term of anywhere from 1 to 7 years.
During your initial term the interest rate on your mortgage is very low,
usually below the prime rate. This makes your payment relatively low as well.
The lower monthly payment allows borrowers with bad credit to qualify when they
may not be able to for a traditional 30 year loan. After the initial term of
you loan, the interest rate resets and your payment may be higher. This can be
a good option for someone who is on the road to repairing his credit and will
be able to refinance to a 30 year mortgage at the end of the adjustable rate
term. One thing to keep in mind with an ARM is that they require a 10%
down-payment. This helps ensure that the property value will not drop
significantly below the loan amount.
A final type of loan that can help individuals looking for
an Arizona mortgage with bad credit
qualify to purchase a home is an FHA loan. FHA stands for Federal Housing
Administration and this entity gives out a type of government backed loan.
Borrowers are only required to make a 3.5% down-payment so it can help keep
some cash in your pocket. In addition, the loan is insured by the federal
government so banks are more willing to lend to sub-prime borrowers. This
insurance will cost you though. Be aware that if you take out an FHA loan, you
will be required to pay make PMI payments. These can be anywhere from 80 to
over 200 dollars a month depending on the amount of your loan. You will make
them until the loan amount that you have is less than 80 percent of your
purchase price. The PMI payments are a type of insurance you pay to help secure
the investment in case of default.
A less well known type of loan for borrowers with bad credit
is an FHA hybrid loan. This loan type combines the government insurance of an
FHA loan with the low interest rates of an ARM. This loan does not require as
large of a down payment as a traditional ARM and there are also limits on the
amount that your interest rate can increase once the rate resets. The Federal
Housing Administration controls the market conditions of these loans to make
sure that even when it resets to the higher amount, the payment does not rise
as significantly as with a traditional ARM.
A home loan can be a great way to rebuild your credit and
put you on the path to having more borrowing capacity. If a home loan seems
like a good option, talk with a broker to discuss the specifics on the loan
type you are applying for and to find the right program and loan for you.