Home Buliding and Interior Design

Construction loans, especially owner builder construction loans, are tricky enough when the mortgage industry and housing market is doing well. Things got a lot tougher, though, when lenders tagged certain counties around the nation as being areas of declining values.

These counties are known in the mortgage industry as soft markets, and they are having a big effect on your owner builder loan terms whether you recognize it or not. If an owner builder wants to build his home in a county that is listed as a soft market, then he should expect to have different financing guidelines than someone who is building in a county that isn’t tagged as being an area of declining home values.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for someone who is caught in this situation, but the guideline changes are based on prudent lending principles. The biggest change that an owner builder needs to be aware of is the requirement for a larger down payment than normal.

For instance, if you are building your new home in a soft market, then you can expect to make a down payment of at least 10%. If your normal owner builder construction loan guidelines were for a 10% down payment to begin with, then you may have to put an additional 10% down.

For example, if you are building a home with an appraised value of $250,000, and your loan terms called for a 10% down payment of $25,000, then you may find in a soft market area that you have to actually put 20% down, or $50,000. If you are getting an owner builder construction loan that typically requires no down payment, expect a 10% down payment for any construction in a soft market.

Why is this fair? Look at it from the lender’s point of view. They are putting up a lot of money for you to build a home in an area where loan values are decreasing. Therefore, in order for them to still be able to provide loans, they need borrowers to cover the possible value decrease by bringing some cash to the table.

By requiring owner builders to make an extra 10% down payment, lenders are protecting the loan-to-value ratios in the event that the house value decreases by the time you are done building it.

It helps to look at it this way: the revised guideline for soft markets is actually a good thing. The alternative is that a bank refuses to provide owner builder construction loans in any county that is tagged as a soft market. Then, you would not even get the chance to build your new home.

Therefore, if you are an owner builder who wants to build your new home in an area that is a soft market, at least you still have some options with your construction loans. If bringing an extra 10% down payment is not a possibility for you, do not fret too much. The really good news is that the list of soft market counties around the nation is drastically decreasing in size.

Though there are no guarantees, the mortgage industry is hopeful that the list will be shrunk to a bare minimum size in the next six months or less. Once home values are done dipping, the counties will no longer be considered soft markets. Once this happens, owner builder construction loans can go back to their standard guidelines and down payment requirements.

If you are an owner builder, you are probably wondering if your county is affected by these soft market designations. The only way to find out for sure is to speak directly to the construction lender who provides the owner builder loans. They will be able to tell you for sure if your county is on their soft market list.

In general, owner builder construction loans in Florida, California, and northern Virginia are the ones that are affected the most. However, there are still plenty of other states that have counties with soft markets.

Therefore, do your best to get this information up front from your owner builder loan officer. Don’t wait until it is too late to find out that you have to bring extra cash to the closing table.

Owner builders who fully understand the effects of building in a soft market can plan around the guideline revisions and still build their dream homes, saving tens of thousands of dollars in construction costs. But, an owner builder who does not pay attention to the realities of the new market conditions will be the one to suffer the consequences.

Owner builder construction loans, like the rest of the mortgage industry, have had to tighten their belts to survive in today’s lending climate. For borrowers who wish to build their own homes, this translates into tougher guidelines to secure financing. However, there are still four creative ways that an owner builder has available to close on a construction loan without a down payment.

If you want to be an owner builder, then that means that you want to cut out the costs of a general contractor and build a home that is valued well beyond the total cost of construction. Therefore, you may think that this sweat equity that you are going to build into your home should cover any requirement for a down payment.

Not too long ago, you would have been right. Owner builder construction loans were being closed everyday with borrowers putting no money into the deal. Looking back, it seems almost insane for a lender to provide financing with no cash requirements for people who want to build a home without a general contractor. Heck, even loans that do require licensed, approved builders nowadays require some cash from the borrower.

So, if you want to be an owner builder today, you should expect to have a down payment of at least 5%. When you consider the level of risk that a construction loan represents to a lender, this is still a phenomenal deal. But, if you are an owner builder who has no real savings available for financing, you may be able to secure a loan with no down payment out of your pocket by using one of these five methods.

The first way to close an owner builder construction loan without bringing a down payment to closing is to get an exception to waive the Interest Reserve feature of the loan. The Interest Reserve is a pot of money wrapped into your loan to allow you to go through construction without paying the mortgage payments out of your pocket. It’s there to protect you, the owner builder, from having to make multiple house payments during the construction phase. But, if you are a well-qualified borrower, you can request an exception to waive this pot of money and make payments as you build.

If you are granted this exception, your interest payments that you make as you build will take the place of the down payment on your owner builder loan. However, this exception is getting tougher and tougher to get as the mortgage industry continues to tighten guidelines. You may be able to waive only a portion of the Interest Reserve and have to bring a portion of the typical down payment. That’s not bad, but let’s look at some other options available to you.

The second method is probably the most common way that an owner builder can avoid bringing a down payment to closing on the construction loan. If you own your house, you can cross-collateralize the equity from your current home to waive any down payment requirement. At some point while you build your new home, you will sell your current home prior to moving into the new house. An owner builder can use a portion of the profits from the sale of the old home to put into the new loan and move into the newly built house.

But, if you don’t own your home, then you may still be able to get an owner builder construction loan without a down payment by owning the land that you want to build on. If you have owned the land for less than a year, then you will get credit for the cash that you already put into it. Or, if you owned the land for over a year, then you get full credit for the actual value of the land. Imagine you bought the land for $30,000 a year ago. Today it might be worth $40,000. Even if you still owe $30,000 to pay it off, you will get credit for a $10,000 down payment as an owner builder!

If none of these three methods will work for you, then you might be able to secure financing using this fourth way: counting any of your pre-paid costs toward your down payment. For example, if you are an owner builder who has been planning your project for a while, then you may have already purchased blueprints and plan engineering. Or, you may have already installed a septic system on your land. Or, you may have made a deposit to a material package provider. Whatever the expense, if you can document it, then you can apply it toward your owner builder construction loan and avoid a down payment at closing.

And, finally, here’s the fifth, and maybe most creative, method. If you want to be an owner builder, you may be able to work out a deal with the seller of the land. If the seller will agree to hold back a portion of the purchase price, then you can close on the loan without a down payment. The seller will have to wait until you finish building your home until he gets paid that amount that he agreed to hold back.

Why would a seller do this? It’s simple, really. It’s a buyer’s market right now, and sellers are often desperate to sell their property. It may be a great deal for them to get the bulk of the sales price at closing, then get the remainder once the home is built. And, you can proceed with your owner builder construction loan without bringing any cash for a down payment to closing.

The mortgage industry has had to dramatically alter the lenient guidelines of yesteryear. However, if you want to be an owner builder, there are still some great ways to limit or eliminate potential down payment requirements.

After owner builders work their way through the maze of owner builder construction loan qualifying, it will be time to close on the loan. This is essentially where you sit down and sign a huge stack of documents that you will never read, or understand if you try.

Basically, this is where the owner builder loan promises to give you the money, and you promise to repay it. Sounds simple, but it will take a hundred or so pages to accomplish it.

Owner builders are typically free to choose any closing agent to conduct the closing. In most states, owner builders can choose either an attorney or a title company to perform this function. Some states require you to use an attorney.

Once you sign all the documents, the closing agent still must record them with the county registrar, making the owner builder construction loan official. This is usually the day after your signing.

During construction, as an owner builder requests specific loan draws, the lender will most likely request the closing agent to do periodic updates of the title to make sure no liens have been filed to date.

Most good owner builder construction loans are one-time-close, construction to permanent loans. Once you are finished building, there are no more closings to convert to your permanent mortgage. At this point most lenders simply send you a final loan agreement with the final loan amount and interest rate and terms for your signature. There should be no need to go back to the closing agent again for a second round of document signing if the owner builder loan is set up properly.

Owner builder loan closing costs typically consist of three components: broker/lender fees, loan fees, and third party fees. Remember two things about closing costs when considering owner builder financing.

First, closing costs for construction loans, in general, and owner builder construction loans, especially, are going to be slightly higher than costs for a plain purchase or refinance mortgage. Accept this and shop for the loan that best fits your needs. Do not waste your time looking for an owner builder construction loan that has the same terms as the refinance loan you did two years ago. Do not try to compare apples to pineapples.

Second, just because an owner builder construction loan has slightly higher costs does not mean that it is not a great deal. Remember the big picture. You are considering being your own contractor to build the exact home of your dreams and save tens of thousands of dollars doing so.

If your research shows that you can save, for example, $65,000 by being an owner builder, is it no longer a great deal if you only save $63,000? How about $58,000? $53,000? Realize that you are still saving a ton of money while building your dream home, despite the slightly higher financing fees that come with owner builder loans.

Brokers earn their income on owner builder loans by charging origination fees for their service. This is a percentage, called “points,” of the loan amount. One point equals one percent of the loan amount. By charging an origination fee, the broker is able to give you access to a lender’s wholesale rates. The broker is also able to represent you and your best interests by offering access to a variety of loan programs.

Working directly with a lender is also occasionally an option. Direct lenders are typically compensated the same way as a broker; by charging points.

Perhaps the best option is working with an organization that has expertise in owner builder loans, that is a direct lender, and that also has the option of acting as a broker when needed. This will give you the best of both worlds while ensuring you are working with a specialist.

The number of points you should expect to pay will vary by loan program and lender. For very specialized loans such as owner builder construction loans, it is common to pay approximately two to three points in total fees. This is a small price to pay for access to a program that will allow you to save tens of thousands of dollars while building the home of your dreams.

In addition to broker or lender fees, your loan’s closing costs will include loan fees. These fees include items such as underwriting, document preparation, draw administration, loan processing and a variety of the other small fees. For a construction to permanent loan (remember you are getting two closings in one), expect to pay approximately a half to one percent of your loan amount in total for these fees. Most of these fees are fixed amounts, so the percentage will be higher for lower loan amounts.

The third component of your owner builder closing costs are made up of things the lender or broker has no control over, hence the name “third party” fees. Third party fees are also, for the most part, not affected by the type of loan you choose. They are, however, influenced by the size of the loan. Third party fees consist of your closing agent’s fees, title search and title insurance fees, recording fees to the state, county or locality and any state or local taxes. Most of these items are set by the state and local governments and are simply the price of buying or owning a home in that area.

All told, owner builders can reasonably expect to pay approximately two and a half to four percent of their construction loan amount in closing costs. Some states may have high transfer taxes, excessive title insurance fees or other high state or local fees that will increase your costs.

Overall, the total closing costs are not bad when you consider you are closing on two loans in one and being given a loan to undertake a process most lenders consider extremely risky. Plus, owner builders get to build their dream home while saving tens of thousands of dollars.

Owner builder construction can save you 15% to 35% during the construction of your own home by cutting the costs of hiring a general contractor. However, if you don’t take the planning and construction seriously, then you could end up losing a lot of money and your dream home. Therefore, you need to have these four attributes to be a successful owner builder.

1. An owner builder will need to have strong project management skills. Owner builder construction loans are designed to allow you to act as your own general contractor. That means that you are going to hire your own sub-contractors and oversee their work. Therefore, an owner builder must be able to successfully manage the hiring of multiple sub-contractors as well as manage their labor during construction.

Owner builder construction is simply a long project. And, if you have sound project management skills, then you should be able to manage the construction of your new home. For example, you will need to make sure your sub-contractors show up to work on time, stay through a full day’s worth of work, and actually perform quality work during construction.

Because an owner builder is the general contractor for the construction loan, it will be your job to keep all of the sub-contractors informed about the timeline of the project. For instance, if your foundation is taking longer than anticipated, you will need to let your framing crew know immediately so you can schedule when they need to be on site to start the framing. If an owner builder doesn’t keep the labor strictly scheduled, he will lose precious time and money during construction.

2. A successful owner builder will be good at planning. Most people unfortunately make the mistake of assuming that the most important aspect of owner builder construction is during the actual construction phase. But a smart owner builder knows that the battle is won or lost during the planning phase.

In fact, owner builder construction loans are designed to help you with this part of the process. During the loan and planning stages, an owner builder will take the time to find the right piece of land to go with the right home plans. Then, a budget needs to be compiled based on written bids and quotes from local sub-contractors who have reviewed the blueprints.

If an owner builder fails to take these steps seriously, they will fail during construction. In other words, if you rush through the planning stages, you will have trouble getting your building permits and will lose a lot of time and money in labor and materials during the actual construction.

3. A good owner builder understands the value of follow-up and inspections. If you don’t take the time to inspect the materials that are delivered on site or inspect the labor that your sub-contractors have completed, then your home will be riddled with problems by the time you move in.

This is not to say that an owner builder has to be able to personally inspect the sub-contractors’ labor to ensure it meets specific building codes. That would require years of experience in the building industry, which is not a requirement to be a good owner builder. Instead, you need to take the time to be on site with local county building inspectors.

As each phase of construction is completed, make sure that the county inspectors are doing a thorough inspection to ensure the labor and materials in your home exceed the minimum building code requirements. In fact, you should not pay any of your sub-contractors for their labor until their work has been thoroughly inspected and deemed satisfactory. An owner builder who pays their sub-contractors for labor before satisfactory work is completed will have a very hard time getting those sub-contractors back on site to make any necessary corrections.

4. Owner builder construction requires strong negotiation skills. If you want to save as much money as possible while building your own home, then you will need to be willing to negotiate for lower labor and material costs.

In today’s housing market, an owner builder truly has a great advantage when it comes to negotiating with sub-contractors. A few years ago, sub-contractors were in high demand as everyone was building as many homes as possible. With the current housing market slow down, the construction has also slowed down.

This means that there are a lot of hungry sub-contractors looking for work. This means that a savvy owner builder can negotiate for lower labor and material costs to save as much money as possible. Don’t be shy about it. Remember, the sub-contractors will be working for you – not the other way around.

So, if you want to be a successful owner builder, you will stand a much better chance if you know and fully understand the importance of these four attributes. Notice that not one of these attributes mentions anything about having to be able to swing a hammer or hang drywall. Instead, owner builder construction is won or lost at the planning and management level.

Banks used to be the place that those looking to buy a home would go for it but not anymore. Now there are many more options besides getting your mortgage through your bank or credit union. And nowadays you do not even need to have good credit!

Many people still prefer mortgage banks because they can get their loan direct from them and this simplicity is sought after. When you get one of these mortgage it is those at the bank that will go over your application carefully and then make the final decision about whether it is going to be approved or not.

There are some definite benefits of choosing a mortgage from a mortgage bank and one of the biggest draws of these banks is their reliability. These banks are watched by the federal government and they have regulations that make them trustworthy.

It is also nice to work with mortgage banks because you get your loan straight from them. This means you can get your questions answered accurately every time and you can also save money on different mortgage fees and costs since there is much less work on their end. And if this is a bank that you have business with in other areas they might even be willing to give you better terms on your mortgage loan. You will find that these types of mortgages are often faster to get than some other loans.

The only possible drawback to getting a mortgage bank loan is the fact that some of these banks have limited choices in the types of mortgage that they offer. These banks have their own programs and this is about it.

Mortgage brokers are another way that many people choose to go when they need a mortgage loan. Mortgage brokers are middlemen and they often will try to sell you mortgages from different places since they are not often affiliated with just one bank or other financial institution. These brokers will go through all of the mortgage products on the market to find the one that suit you and your situation the best.

Mortgage brokers are good because they offer such a wide variety of different mortgage products to you. You will have the choice of many different lenders and types of mortgages. And since these brokers have so many products at their disposal they can help you to find the perfect mortgage. They can actually help people who would normally not be ale to get a mortgage get approved for one. And most importantly since the mortgage broker does the shopping for you, you can save a lot of time and energy working with one.

Mortgage brokers are not all wine and roses however, for example some will hit you with hidden charges. Learning about loans before you apply for one will give you a good edge. And be careful of the mortgage broker that you choose because they do not have to be licensed in order to do what they do.

The majority of banks will not offer you many options as to the type of mortgages that you can get from them. And even these are often farmed out to other lenders on they secondary market.

It is getting more and more common for construction companies and homebuilders to offer their own mortgages to customers. They work in conjunction with mortgage companies or brokers in order to make things convenient for both them and the customers.

Online lenders are getting into the mortgage market in a big way. You can get a loan online quickly and easily no matter where you live. And the rates on these loans are often quite astounding.

So which lender should you choose? Good question. Lets break it down. If you have great credit and you have been working at the same place for a long time then a mortgage from an online lender is a good choice for you as is a mortgage bank. As long as they see you are reliable you will do well with them and get good interest rates. Banks are also good for people who have more than one mortgage. If you own other properties for instance.

Mortgage brokers are good for people who are their own boss and who don’t like to share any more financial information than they have to. And if your primary concern when it comes to getting a mortgage is the speed at which you can get it then you should talk to home builders and real estate company lenders because they can get you one the fastest.

There are some other things that you can do to get the right mortgage for your situations. Asking your friends and family member how they fared with their mortgages is a good start and always check out the credentials and the certificates of the lenders that you are thinking of choosing. You can even check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints against the company or bank.

Take some time to learn the ins and outs of mortgages before you make your final decision. This can keep you from getting taken advantage of. Don’t get sucked into something that sounds too good to be true. Check into everything before you sign off on it.

Some lenders will try to take advantage of borrowers so take care in all of your decisions. You need to be working with a trustworthy and reliable lender, not one who is not on the level. Peak season is the most important time to be careful since it is at these times that bad lenders will try to take advantage of you. They will lie to you about their rates or even hit you with extra costs and tons of hidden fees.

An owner builder construction loan, just like any construction loan, will not have any mortgage insurance payments while you build. So, why is it then that mortgage insurance companies are having a huge impact on your ability as an owner builder to secure your loan? The answer lies within the banks’ rules for converting you to permanent financing once the home is built.

Even though an owner builder loan has no mortgage insurance to worry about during the construction phase, the lender has to have a plan for when you are done building your home. They need to know that there is a way to secure financing once the home is built. Otherwise, the construction lender will be stuck holding the mortgage and unable to free up enough capital to lend to other owner builders. In fact, the best owner builder construction loan programs are designed to convert automatically from construction to permanent financing without making the borrower go through two rounds of closing costs.

Therefore, construction lenders have to take the permanent loan into consideration when qualifying a borrower for the construction phase. And, thus, the mortgage insurance guidelines that apply to permanent financing will greatly affect the construction loan, whether it’s for an owner builder or for someone who has hired a general contractor.

So, what are the recent mortgage insurance guidelines that are reeking havoc on banks’ ability to provide loans? Let’s start with the basics. Mortgage insurance companies provide a safety net to banks in the events that the borrower does not make payments on time – or at all. Therefore, banks do not like to lend money without having mortgage insurance in place.

In the past, an owner builder lender, just like other banks, could easily purchase mortgage insurance for its loans. The mortgage insurance companies had very lenient guidelines on what was required to get a mortgage insurance commitment. However, with all of the foreclosures that have been dumped on the market and all of the people having trouble making their mortgage payments on time nowadays, these mortgage insurance companies have come up with some stricter guidelines to protect their investment in the loan.

For example, let’s say you are an owner builder who wants to build his own house for his family to live in. Even though there is no mortgage insurance during construction, the owner builder lender will want to have a permanent loan lined up for you so that you can move into your new home once construction is complete. Even if a bank is willing to lend money based on their set of guidelines, they still need to acquire the mortgage insurance commitment for the loan. If the mortgage insurance company has stricter guidelines than the bank, then the bank will have to default to the stricter requirements in order to get the mortgage insurance commitment and fund the loan.

Looking back to the example of our owner builder construction loan, the bank might be willing to fund your loan based on the fact that the value of your future home is going to be well above the total cost to build. In other words, when you’re done building as an owner builder, your total loan amount will be less than the appraised market value of the home. For example, the bank might be willing to fund the construction loan based on the fact that your total loan amount will be 90% or less of the future appraised value.

In this way, the owner builder lender can say to the borrower that no cash is needed out of pocket. Indeed, the lender is willing to treat the future equity in your home as a replacement for a down payment. But, if the mortgage insurance companies refuse to provide mortgage insurance without seeing some cash into the deal from the borrower, then the lender is forced to tighten their requirements to meet the mortgage insurance company’s guidelines.

Owner builder construction loans have certainly fallen victim to these tightening guidelines, making it difficult for them to provide financing without a down payment. So, what’s the solution? Really, there are only two basic ways to work around this. One way is to simply require the owner builder to bring cash to closing for the construction loan. The second way is to try to lend without mortgage insurance.

The only way to avoid mortgage insurance with most lenders is to have a loan that is less than 80% of the appraised market value of the home. In the lending world, this typically requires a 20% down payment. But, owner builder construction offers a unique way to achieve this without putting 20% cash into the project.

Instead, the owner builder can create 20% in sweat equity while they build their home, saving money by eliminating the general contractor and doing some of the labor themselves. Therefore, when an owner builder finishes construction on his new home, it is not unreasonable that there will be 20% or more in instant equity built into the home.

If owner builder construction loans can finance the construction based on an approved budget that shows that the permanent loan will be no more than 80% of the finished appraised value, then these owner builder lenders do not have to get a commitment for mortgage insurance. If there is no need for mortgage insurance, then the lender can fund owner builder loans without having to adhere to any extra requirements from the mortgage insurance company.

Because owner builder construction loans typically have their own minimum construction budget requirements, it may be tough for a borrower to get a budget approved at the 80% level. In some cases, the owner builder will still have to bring some minimal amount of cash to closing to make up the difference. But, even in these cases, it is a far cry from the larger requirements from the mortgage insurance companies. This is something every owner builder can be grateful for.

Most new homes in America are built by builders or developers who build the new home with their own money or lines of credit in order to sell the finished home to the new customer. The new buyer simply obtains a regular “purchase money” loan and buys the house.

This is the simplest form of construction financing. Of course, the builder’s borrowing costs are built into the price the new home buyer pays.

Increasingly, however, this form of financing is becoming rarer. Often, builders are becoming more reluctant to use their own funds to build for someone else as their banks are tightening their lines of credit and making it more difficult and expensive for them to get the needed funds.

As builders become less likely to fund your new construction, prospective new home owners who wish to build a custom home are forced to fend for themselves when it comes to construction financing.

Enter the construction to permanent (CTP) loan.

There are a wide variety of construction loan choices out there. And many of them are woefully inadequate for most people – especially if you want to act as your own general contractor (known as owner-builder construction).

Local banks tend to be very conservative and will not even consider lending their money unless you fit exactly into their guidelines. This typically means having a fixed price contract with a licensed and approved builder, selling your current home prior to qualifying, and even making a large down payment or owning the land first.

Occasionally, a local bank will give you permission to be your own contractor, if you jump through enough hoops for them. They may require an extra large down payment or that you own the land free and clear before they lend you the money to build. In the end, most local bank’s construction loan programs will have one or more restrictions that make their programs unusable, more restrictive and even more expensive than a good alternative.

As an owner-builder, your search for a construction loan should be focused on finding the loan features that will best fit your scenario. Finding this type of program gives you the greatest chance of success and your best opportunity to save money on your project.

Within the world of owner-builder construction loans, there are only a handful of options that make sense. Some of the features that should be most important are:

o Ability to be your own contractor without needing to make a large down payment – if any at all. “Large” means anything more than 5% for a conventional size loan and 10% for a loan up to $1,000,000.

o No “consulting fees” or monthly “administrative” fees charged to you just for doing a loan. Please understand, you need to expect to pay for an owner-builder loan in the form of origination or discount fees, but you should not also need to pay a consulting fee.

o No requirement to sell your current home before you can qualify for the new construction loan. Many lenders will force you to sell your current home before you start building the new one, meaning you will be forced to move twice in a short time just to get the loan.

o No payments, interest or other, while you build. The best CTP loans allow for an “interest reserve” to be built right into your new loan so you are not forced to make both your current home’s payment plus the new one. Most programs that allow for an interest reserve also allow you to choose to make the monthly interest payment if you want.

o No upfront or “application” fees. Avoid any lender who requires any kind of upfront fee or “deposit” of any kind.

o Easy draw administration and unlimited draws. This means easy for you, the owner-builder, not the bank or your sub-contractors. After all, if you can’t get access to and control your money, all the other terms really don’t matter.

o One-Time closing. The best construction loans allow you to close only once for both your construction funds and your permanent mortgage. This will save you several thousand dollars in the long run.

o A staff of professionals who understand both construction and construction financing. Ask the person you are speaking with how many homes they have built themselves as an owner-builder. If you are dealing with a loan officer who has never built his or her own home and cannot speak to you from specific experience, you should look elsewhere.

The importance of working with knowledgeable professionals cannot be stressed enough. Half of the battle is learning to ask the right questions.

Note that the above list did not mention anything about construction interest rates. It is not that rates are not important; it is just that they are among the least important features of a good owner-builder construction loan.

This does not mean that owner-builder loan interest rates are necessarily higher than other construction loan rates – they will probably be about the same. But, who cares? It really shouldn’t matter to you if the interest rate during the period of construction is the same, a little lower, or even a little higher than a construction loan in which you are required to hire a builder.

Why? There are a couple of reasons, actually.

First and foremost, you are seeking a loan that will enable you to save tens of thousands of dollars by acting as your own contractor. The tiny (and it is tiny) difference in interest you will pay over a six to twelve month period is meaningless when compared to what you will save by being your own GC.

Second – and this is important to remember – despite the fact that every potential owner-builder is positive that he or she will build successfully on time and under budget, the reality is that owner-builder loans represent the most risky category of construction loan a lender can make. That is why there are so few available to start with. And, that is why you need to be prepared to pay a little more for the privilege of getting one of these loans.

Smart owner-builders understand that they need to focus on that “big picture.” Your goal is to build the exact home you want, your way, while saving tens of thousands of dollars. If the vehicle you need to reach that goal costs a little more, why should it matter? It is important to remember that:

A) Construction loans are short-term loans and the rates are therefore tied to short term funds – typically the prime rate. As the prime rate goes up, construction rates* will follow. And, vice-versa.

B) Owner-builder construction loans are very risky and very specialized. Accept this fact and the fact that you may pay a little more for the privilege of having access to this type of money.

C) Your permanent rate, and the choices you have related to that, is the more important thing to consider when looking at rates.

D) Rates are the least important feature to shop for. Remember to focus on the features that will benefit you the most and help you accomplish your goal – the big picture!

The smart shopper shops for loan features, not interest rates. The features that an owner builder needs are not necessarily the same as those a borrower hiring a general contractor needs. Refer back to the list of important features above as you examine loan programs. And always remember that you are in charge during this process.

Owner builder construction loans are complicated compared to simple purchase loans or refinance mortgages. So, you need to make sure you look for financing that has the features you need to make your project as successful as possible.

Acting as an owner builder, you are going to manage the construction of your new home, which is no small job. Therefore, you will need to make sure your construction loan is set up to help you succeed. Always ask these five questions before settling on your financing.

1. Does the owner builder construction loan have any monthly consulting fees?

Some loan programs charge a monthly owner builder consulting fee under the premise that the program will provide off-site guidance while you construct your house. Though you definitely want a loan program that will be available to answer questions while you build the home, you don’t want to pay a monthly fee to somebody who will never step foot on your job site.

These monthly owner builder consulting fees are simply a way to extract extra money out of the customer during the construction phase of the project. There are enough expenses involved in building a house. You don’t need to spend extra money each month for an off-site consultation that you may or may not ever use.

Obviously, like any other loan program, owner builder construction loans will have fees associated with the program. But, these fees should be a part of the financing, just like other construction loans. You shouldn’t have to pay additional monthly consulting fees for the pleasure of being an owner builder.

2. Are there a limited number of construction draws for an owner builder?

During construction, an owner builder will typically take anywhere from eight to thirteen draws to get their home built. Unfortunately, there is no method of truly knowing the exact number you will need until you are done building the home. This is because owner builder construction involves paying sub-contractors as you complete individual construction items.

For example, an owner builder will want to pay the foundation sub-contractor once the foundation is completed. Likewise, you will pay the framing crew once the rough framing is done. As you can imagine, there are countless examples of different steps needed to build your house.

Therefore, you need to make sure that your owner builder construction loan does not limit the number of draws that you can take during construction. Some programs will only allow for five or six draws. That means that you have to get sub-contractors to wait until you have completed large portions of the construction project before you pay them. Or, as the owner builder, you will have to pay them out of your own pocket until the loan program reimburses you.

It is much easier on your wallet if you make sure your loan program provides unlimited draws to allow you to reimburse your sub-contractors as each individual construction step is completed. It will keep your sub-contractors happy and keep money in your pocket.

3. What is the loan’s down payment requirement for being an owner builder?

Some owner builder construction loans have excessive down payment requirements for you to build your own home. Often, you will have to make a down payment in excess of 20% to qualify for the program.

With these types of requirements, an owner builder is often left with very little cash in his own bank account. This can mean trouble during construction. No matter how well you plan your project and your budget, there are always going to be some cost overruns here and there.

Overall, an owner builder will save a ton of money, and these minor cost overruns are no big deal. However, if you have depleted your cash by making an excessive down payment, you will be hard pressed to cover the extra amount of funds required to get your home built. This could lead to over use of your credit cards and even hurt your credit scores.

4. How many closings does this owner builder loan require?

You definitely want to make sure your owner builder construction loan has only one closing. It is possible to find a program that has two closings – one for the construction phase, and one for the conversion to the permanent loan.

However, two closings will cost you extra money once your house is built. With two closings, you will need to pay for two sets of closing costs, including points, title work, closing agent fees, recording fees, etc.

But, if you can find an owner builder program that will wrap the two loan phases into one closing, then you can save yourself some time, money, and headaches. In fact, some programs will even finance your closing costs to minimize any money you have to pay out of your pocket.

5. Does the owner builder construction loan require me to have a site supervisor or hire sub-contractors from an approved list?

Unfortunately, there are owner builder loan programs available that will not allow you to hire any sub-contractor or material provider that you would like to hire. By forcing you to hire sub-contractors from a list of approved contractors, the program is limiting the amount of savings you can achieve.

An owner builder saves a lot of money by shopping for the right sub-contractors and material providers to build his house. Sometimes, you will get four or five quotes for a particular piece of the puzzle. For example, you may look at four or five plumbers before you choose the one you want.

If you are limited in the contractors that you can hire, you will not have the flexibility that you need to be as successful financially as you wanted. Similarly, if an owner builder must hire a site supervisor to help manage his project, there will often be a required payment involved. If you have to pay a site supervisor thousands of dollars, then that is equity that you are losing in your home.

By all means, if you need a site supervisor to help you with the construction of your home, then they are worth the money. But, if you can be a successful owner builder without a site supervisor, then wouldn’t it be nice to have a loan program that gives you the option?

Therefore, every owner builder needs to ask these five questions when looking for the right construction loan program. Without the right loan features, it will be very difficult for any owner builder to be successful.

Getting a loan pre-approval from a lender is a quick, easy process. Typically, you fill out a few pages about your financial situation, the bank runs the numbers through a computer approval system, and you’re pre-approved the next day.

So, how do so many people mess it up so badly? Simply put, people lie (either to themselves or about themselves) when filling out a loan application.

We’ll look at examples from customers who applied for owner builder construction loans, but the principles of filling out a home loan application will apply equally well to anyone who wants a loan to buy or refinance a home.

Owner builder construction loans are for individuals who wish to build their own house without having to hire a general contractor. Therefore, they manage the sub-contractors themselves and oversee the project.

However, an owner builder loan application is no different from a standard purchase loan or refinance loan application. Almost every bank across the country will use a form known as a Uniform Residential Loan Application, also known as a 1003.

On this 4 or 5 page form, you simply fill in information about your financial situation. On the first page, you’ll cover simple info about the property as well as information about your address, phone, social security number, etc.

The second page will cover your work history and income. The third page will cover your assets and your monthly debts. All in all, the process is not difficult. In fact, anyone, whether you are an owner builder or someone looking to refinance an existing home, can fill it out without too much difficulty.

Therefore, the mistakes that are seen on owner builder loan applications be due to reasons other than misunderstandings. Indeed, almost every mistake occurs when an owner builder decides to embellish his qualifications or thinks it’s unimportant to be as accurate as possible.

You may be asking yourself why it’s such a big deal. Why should you care if you round off your numbers on the application? After all, it’s just a pre-approval. The bank will collect all of the real paperwork later on.

Here’s an example from a recent owner builder loan. A loan applicant decided the pre-approval was not worth his time to provide detailed information about his financial situation. He rounded up his income and failed to mention the child support payments that he is obligated to make each month.

In the case of this owner builder, the application was pre-approved quickly and easily. Why wouldn’t it be? On paper, everything looked great. But, when the bank started collecting the official income documentation and discovered the child support payments being deducted from the pay stubs, the borrower no longer qualified for the loan.

Not a big deal, right? Wrong. This owner builder had already put money down on a piece of land that he wanted to buy as well as purchased blueprints for his new home he wanted to build. Imagine the frustration and anger he caused himself when he found he was no longer qualified for the loan and he lost the money he wasted on blueprints.

Even though this is an example from owner builder construction, it still applies to anyone filling out a Uniform Residential Loan Application. Imagine you are buying a home and make a large earnest money deposit on the house you want based on getting pre-approved from your bank. Now imagine that your pre-approval is based on inaccurate information that you told the bank. In fact, imagine that you also wasted money out of your pocket for the home inspection and the appraisal.

So, what can you do? Whether you are looking for an owner builder construction loan or any other type of mortgage: tell the truth.

Do not think that embellishing your financial picture will help. It will only hurt you in the long run when the lender discovers the errors. You are better off getting an accurate pre-approval based on accurate information.

And, if you are unsure about your exact income numbers or your exact amount of assets, then estimate conservatively. That way, if your income or assets turn out to be higher than you estimated, you will still be approved and qualified for the loan program you are counting on. It works for owner builder construction loans. It works for refinances. It works for home purchases. It works.

In fact, one great piece of advice is to supply copies of your W2 forms, your pay stubs, and your asset statements when getting your pre-approval. Many customers, not just owner builder customers, don’t want to take the time to do this, because it’s a hassle. But, your loan officer can use these documents to ensure the pre-approval is based on accurate calculations. Besides, you are going to have to submit these documents for underwriting anyway.

For example, a recent owner builder borrower took the time to submit his pay stubs when he applied for his construction loan. A big portion of his income came from bonus pay. It turned out that he could only get credit for the average of his bonus pay over the last two years, in addition to his full base salary. Therefore, his gross income was calculated slightly lower for the loan that he thought it would have been.

In this case, the owner builder fortunately still qualified for the construction loan. However, you can see how miscalculating income can lead your pre-approval to be inaccurate. Therefore, don’t take any chances. Submit your documentation paperwork when you fill out the application.

So, if you are thinking of applying anytime soon for a mortgage for a home purchase or a simple refinance, then take a lesson from the world of owner builder construction loans. Do not discount the importance of providing accurate information about your financial situation on the Uniform Residential Loan Application. The pre-approval is a quick and easy process, but it’s also a very important one. Owner builder construction loans are no different in this respect.