Construction loans are considered to be riskier. You'll need solid credit and a down payment of 20 to 25%. The specific down payment requirement is determined by the cost of the land and the planned construction. If you already own the land, you can use it as equity for your construction loan.
Obtaining a home loan is often more difficult than a traditional mortgage. You'll likely need to have a better credit score and pay a higher down payment to qualify. If you're determined to build your home yourself, you may want to focus your search on construction loans for homeowners and builders (also sometimes known as self-employed home construction loans). These loans can give you access to the funds needed to build a home and, in some cases, can become traditional mortgages after construction.
In addition, before you can apply for a construction loan, you'll need to submit a construction contract, a construction schedule, designs, and a realistic budget. The FHA construction loan program, backed by the Federal Housing Administration, is open to people with a credit score as low as 500 with a 10% down payment. Yes, construction loans usually have higher qualification standards in terms of credit rating requirements and down payment amounts. Unlike some of the other construction loans mentioned above, these are offered by Rocket Mortgage.
If you need a mortgage to buy land, it's critical that you learn how home loans are different from home loans and what you'll need to qualify. The USDA also offers single-closing construction loans that will finance the purchase and construction of the land and then convert into a long-term mortgage. If you're an active-duty service member or a veteran, you might even qualify for a VA construction loan. If your home equity isn't enough to buy land directly, you may be able to use your home equity loan to make the down payment on a mortgage loan from a bank or credit union.
The VA allows military service members or qualified veterans to finance the construction of a home with a VA loan. In this way, obtaining land loans is always more complicated than buying an existing home, since an existing home gives the bank an immediate and tangible guarantee, while the new construction has more moving parts that can go wrong. This will help determine the number of loan distributions or drawings that will be granted to the builder to pay for several milestones during the construction phase. It can be difficult to qualify for these types of loans in today's housing market, but it's possible if you provide a well-researched construction plan that demonstrates your knowledge and skills in building homes.
In reality, borrowers never touch the funds available through construction loans because they are paid directly to the builder. A good aspect of a final loan is that the mortgage application for a newly built home is the same as for any other home.
