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Showing posts with label Renovations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renovations. Show all posts

What Type of Loans Exist for Renovations?



Are there any loan options for home renovations out there? There are two, but one is better than the other.

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There are two types of loans that you can get to help fund your renovation project: the FHA loan and conventional loan.

The conventional loan is the more difficult of the two to get approved for. You need more money down than the other one, and we don’t use that one very often for renovation projects.

The FHA 203K loan has two different options, depending on the size of your renovation project. There’s a streamlined loan that is for repairs that are $30,000 or less and a full FHA 203k that is for as much as you need, as long as the house appraises as repaired.


On a full FHA loan, you can do whatever you would like to the home, as long as it appraises.


When you apply for the loan, you need to have two separate contractors come out to the house and write a bid for the repairs that they see that need to be done. These two bids need to match—not on the dollar amount but on what needs to be done to the home. Those bids are then sent to the lender so they can approach for the requested amount.

For the streamlined FHA loan, those repairs can only go up to $30,000 and can’t be on anything structural, so no walls can be knocked out or rooms added. On a full FHA loan, you can do whatever you would like to the home—add or take out walls, add a new master bedroom or bathroom—as long as the house appraises with those items included and it’s under the lending limit, which in our area is $271,000.

If you have any questions about renovation loans, feel free to give me a call. I’d be happy to help you.

When Is the Best Time to Renovate Your Home?




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People commonly ask me about home renovations and if they will increase the value of their home. They also ask me about the best point in time to do a renovation on their home.
 

Contrary to popular belief, putting money into repairs and renovations on your home right before you sell it is not the best time to do so. The NAR has done a lot of research on this, and their data shows that most repairs and renovations will not get you a dollar for dollar return on a home. In fact, most repairs will not net you any extra money in a home sale.

In my opinion, the best time to renovate is right after you've moved into a home. That way, you can enjoy the repairs that you've made. It's best to do renovations as you live in your home because you will inevitably have to do them when you move out.

Buyers really dislike wallpaper right now, and if your home is worth more than $250K, you will probably have to install granite countertops if you want to sell for top dollar. Outdated carpet or parquet floors are also things that you should change if they're in your home right now.

If you have any other questions about renovations, please don't hesitate to contact me.