If you are looking for a USDA Home Loan in North Carolina – you might want to do it before the end of September! More Rule Changes! Okay, so you don’t HAVE to buy before October 1st. It’s not like the 100% no money down program is going away – it’s just changing the way the PMI (which they call Guarantee Fee) is being charged. Starting at the end of September, the USDA Rural Guaranteed Loans will have an annual fee that is collected on a monthly basis. The upfront fee will be coming down as the guarantee fee is changed.
Currently, the guarantee fee for this loan is 3.5% of the loan amount which includes the guarantee fee, so it actually works out to about 3.63% of the net loan. If you are into algebra, the equation for that would be purchase price/.965-purchase price=guarantee fee.
The new USDA PMI Rates for 2011 will be 1% of the total loan amount plus a .3% annual fee. The calculations on this fee are a lot more complicated because it is calculated on the average yearly principal balance. So, to do a simple back of the napkin calculation of what it will cost think about this:
$100,000 loan amount – add 1% for the upfront PMI fee. So your monthly Principal and Interest payments are based upon $101,000.
On a monthly basis, you will be paying $25 a month for that original $100,000 loan during the first year… as your balance goes down, the amount you will be paying will diminish as well!
This will put USDA mortgage loans more in line with other low down payment programs. However, USDA Home Loans will still compare much better than FHA or Conventional loans due to the fact that the annual guarantee amount (the monthly payment) will be so low, and will be diminishing each year. In comparison, FHA loans require a 3.5% down payment, and have an annual PMI (mortgage insurance) rate of .9%, three times what the guarantee fee will be with USDA home loans on a 100% down program.
If you have questions about USDA Home Loan Qualifications, Credit Score Requirements, or want to know what Counties Qualify for this program in North Carolina, Call Steve and Eleanor Thorne, NC’s USDA Home Loan Experts! 919-649-5058
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