Many people dream of building a brand new home to their exact specifications. However, home development is complicated and challenging if you need to get a loan to pay for it.

A construction loan is usually a short-term, interim loan necessary to pay for building a house. As work on the home progresses, the lender pays out money in stages. The short term usually has a maximum of one year with variable rates that go up and down depending upon the prime rate. The loans rates are higher than typical permanent mortgage loans. To get approval for the loan, the lender will review the construction timetable, detailed plans and a realistic budget. When approved, the borrower will be put on a bank draft schedule that coincides with the project’s construction stages and will only make interest payments during construction. There are two main types of construction loans, including:

• Construction to Permanent Loan – After borrowing to pay for the construction costs to build your home and you move in, the loan is converted into a permanent mortgage, making it a two-in-one loan. The borrower then has only one set of closing costs to pay. During the construction phase, you pay interest on the outstanding balance on a variable interest rate which fluctuates up and down. With a permanent mortgage and a possible loan term of 15 to 30 years, the payment covers a fixed or variable interest rate as well as the principal amount.
• Construction Only Loan – These are two separate loans; one for the home’s construction, which is usually a year or less, and a mortgage loan to pay off the construction. With this type of loan, your down payment can be smaller. This is a good option for people that own a home and are building another home. Although cash is temporarily limited in the present, once the home sells there will be more money to pay the mortgage on the completed house. You have two separate sets of fees for these loans and if your financial situation becomes unstable, you may have difficulty qualifying for it.

Qualify for a home construction loan may be more difficult than qualifying for a traditional mortgage. With traditional mortgages, your home is your collateral, meaning that the bank can seize your home if you default. In a home construction loan, the bank cannot do this so their risk is much bigger. To offset the risk, there are more stringent requirements to get the loan, including good to excellent credit, a stable income, a low debt-to-income ratio and a 20% down payment. Your lender may want detailed information about the lot, house size, materials used and which contractors will be working on the house.

If you want to build a new home, the road ahead may be challenging. The more you know, the easier the challenges. All the more reason to work with Superior Mortgage Co., Inc. We specialize in residential and commercial loans, will answer all your questions and proudly provide the best products and services available. Whether you want to purchase, refinance or take advantage of a home equity loan, we can help. Contact us at 845-883-8200.