If you have been denied a home loan in the past due to bankruptcy, bad credit, or sub-prime credit, you may think that purchasing a home is out of your reach. Many borrowers don’t know that there are a variety of programs available to them, even if they have less than perfect credit. Don’t let bad credit hold you back from obtaining a new home for your family or as an investment. Learn about your options for purchase and talk with a mortgage broker.

One program that can help individuals looking for Arizona home Loans with bad creditqualify 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.

Another loan type that is available for borrowers in the market for Arizona home Loans with bad credit 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 program that a borrower in Arizona with bad credit might consider 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.

A bad credit score in terms of obtaining a home loan is classified to be at or below about 640, but this has varied with time and location. However, according to national credit bureaus, the average American’s credit score is around 678, meaning that most people don’t have perfect credit. If you have bad credit, there are a number of events that could have gotten you there that are beyond your control. Divorce, job loss, inability to make mortgage payments due to an over-inflated housing market, and the recent recession are all factors that have negatively impacted may people’s credit scores.

If you are looking for Arizona home Loans with bad credit you are not alone. Approximately 42 million Americans have a sub-prime credit score. Don’t let your bad credit keep you from owning a home when there are so many bad credit loan programs available to Arizona residents.

If you want to take control of your home ownership or real estate investment dreams, stop letting credit hold you back.

Call a licensed Arizona mortgage broker today. A broker can discuss your options regarding Arizona home Loans with bad credit and help you find the loan to best fit your needs. Stop waiting, call today!

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO