Let's say the interest rate on your construction loan is 6%. 6% is an annual number, and 6 divided by 12 is 0.5, so your monthly interest rate is 0.5%. That will be your interest payment next month. This section will look at the three types of government construction loans and their qualification criteria.
This is why lenders charge higher interest rates on construction loans than on typical mortgages, where they can simply sell the house and get their money back if the borrower doesn't make payments. This means that the borrower will pay interest-only payments while construction is in progress and will pay the remaining principal in a single payment at the end of construction. Once the construction project is finished, the borrower can repay the entire loan or refinance it to convert it into a mortgage. In most cases, the first loan advance includes an initial deposit in the interest reserve account in an amount sufficient to make loan payments throughout the construction period.
At the end of the construction period, the loan is due in full or its payments are converted into principal and interest. In addition to the difference in who gets the money, a loan for homeowners and builders is very similar to an exclusive construction loan. Construction loans have a defined “construction period”, which is the amount of time the borrower has to complete the project. The amount of the interest reserve fund is calculated at the beginning of the construction period and it is essential to make an accurate calculation to ensure that there is enough money to make payments throughout the construction period plus a reserve.
Unlike normal mortgages, lenders consider construction loans to be riskier because if the borrower doesn't pay throughout the loan, the lender won't have any collateral to collect. Most construction loans are closed lines of credit, meaning they start with a zero balance at the time of origination and increase over time. As a result, you may need to start with a conventional construction loan and refinance it to convert it into a 30-year USDA mortgage. These options allow the borrower to obtain funding for a construction loan at a relatively low interest rate.
Towards the end of the construction period, interest will increase significantly as the loan balance nears its peak. When analyzing a construction proforma, you should be able to determine whether the interest reserve is determined by an empirical calculation or by a sophisticated analysis that takes into account a schedule of construction drawings. A homeowner-builder loan provides funding directly to the owner, but they may require certain evidence that the owner is qualified to supervise construction.
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