Austin Home Renovation Loans

A home renovation loan is a great way to have the home you always dreamed of having. If you have an Austin (or elsewhere) home or investment property that you need to update, you can learn more about a home renovation loan and how you can finance your project with this helpful home renovation loan FAQ.

What Is a Home Renovation Loan?

A borrower can finance renovation or repair costs within her loan when she does a renovation loan. With this type of loan, a homeowner can have the costs of construction to be rolled into the loan. There are several types of mortgage options available.

Can a home renovation loan be part of a refinance?

Yes, you can do a home renovation loan as part of a refinance and can borrow up to 95% of the appraised value of the home subject to completed renovations. That means that the appraiser will take the renovations into effect on the appraisal so you get credit for the upgrades.

What type of repairs can be done?

Think cosmetic and safety. You cannot add square footage (adding square footage is considered a remodel). Structural repairs, like roofs and foundations, are allowed within reason. People generally repaint, replace counters and flooring, fix plumbing and HVAC issues, etc.

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Additional Home Renovation Loans FAQs

You can definitely do that. Like the refinance program above, the appraiser takes the upgrades into effect on the appraiser. You will close on the purchase of your new home per the purchase contract terms and add the construction terms to the transaction. While we process your loan, you gather bids from contractors and select one to do the work. We add the costs to the purchase price and then determine the loan amount per your program guidelines.

We have jumbo construction and renovation loan programs. Contact us to learn more about these program.

No. Many investors, including FNMA and FHA, do not allow this as it can lead to potential fraud. Even if you are a licensed contractor, the construction funds must be disbursed to a legitimate third party contractor(s).

In short, we offer FNMA, FHA and a jumbo renovation product. FNMA’s Homestyle program allows renovations up to 95%; FHA allows repairs/renovation to 96.5% via the 203k programs, and jumbo to 80% of purchase price (plus construction costs) for purchases. The same percentages apply to refinances but we use the appraised value with improvements to be completed.

In short, yes. We can do a simple escrow holdback where the seller sets aside a portion of his proceeds to fund your renovation costs.

Yes. FNMA, FHA and most lenders do have limits. It depends on the program but can be either small or very large. For more details, connect with us to discuss your specific project to determine the right program for your project.

Depending on the program being used, we can go up to 180 days to complete the project. That being said, not all programs offer that generous of a timeline. It is wise to get a solid completion estimate up-front from the contractor as extensions can get expensive. If you need a longer timeline, we will be discussing a construction loan.

it depends on the program but yes appliances are allowed to be added with most.

The builder or contractor will submit a draw request to our construction department who will, in turn, disburse the draws to him after inspection.

That depends upon the program. A renovation borrower may have between one and three contractors.

Yes. We do offer a program for the addition of a pool.

Once the bank disburses the remaining construction funds, the contractor will sign an “all bills paid” affidavit to ensure no liens remain outstanding. You don’t need to do anything!

Austin’s Choice for Home Renovation Loans

Call our office at 512-203-8244 or fill out our form to contact me for any additional questions and a complimentary consultation on how we can help with your home improvement loan today.

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