No Money Down
Loans must be from lending institutions that have been approved by RHS. Loans have 30-year terms and fixed rates at market interest rates. Loans may be for up to 100 percent of market value or for acquisition cost, whichever is less. The maximum loan amount is based on what the homeowner can afford. Loans may include closing costs, legal fees, title services, the cost of establishing an escrow account, and other prepaid items as long as the appraised value is higher than the sales price. In addition, RHS charges the lender a one-time guarantee fee of 2 percent of the loan amount. The lending institution may choose to pass this charge along to the borrower. No private mortgage insurance is req uired, and the loans have Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae acceptability on the secondary market. RHS guarantees the loan at 100 percent of the loss for the first 35 percent of the original loan and the remaining 65 percent at 85 percent of loss.

