Assumability of VA Mortgages When You Buy or Sell

Assumability of VA Mortgages When You Buy or Sell

Assumability of VA Mortgages When You Buy or Sell

How are mortgages assumed when you buy or sell?

VA loans are of great use for veterans who do not have any or less source of income. Usually, the other lenders will not offer loans to veterans if there is a risk of default. In this case, VA provides a guarantee to the lender in case the borrower can not repay the loan.

The borrower can also go ahead and resell this financed house further, or they also have an option to buy a refinanced house. In case of either transaction, there is a transfer of assumable loan from one party to another. An assumable loan is a loan that is carried forward from one party to another in case of resale of the property.

In the case of a loan assumed from one party to another, the loan percentage is the most important information. Let’s assume there are 2 properties which one buyer is looking to purchase. One property comes with a mortgage percentage of 4%, and the other one comes with 6%. It is not tough to decide which the buyer will go for. A lower rate of interest means a lower repayment amount. Hence, it is important to make sure that the loan percentage quoted is competitive as per the market status.

Procedure involved in assuming a VA loan:

The first step in assuming a loan is that VA needs to approve any such action beforehand. If the approval is not taken the VA has all the authority to foreclose the loan. The seller, in this case, is liable for all the claims and foreclosure charges.

Other conditions that need to be met for an assumption of a loan are:

  1. The loan needs to be current, i.e. a running loan.
  2. VA provides guidelines as to who can assume the loan. The buyer must meet all these conditions laid down by VA.
  3. All the mortgage obligations laid down must be accepted by the buyer. In case the loan is defaulted on, the buyer needs to repay the loan to VA.

To assume the loan, the buyer has to pay processing fees and also the credit report cost. The processing fee is decided based on below factors and the least out of these:

  1. Cost of credit report and $300 on top of that. This is for servicers with automatic authority.
  2. Cost of credit report and $250 on top of that. This is for servicers without automatic authority.

The difference between these two is that with automatic authority, the lender has to finalize the application and let the seller know in 30 days. In case of services without automatic authority, the lender has to submit the application and other documents within 21 days to VA. Within another 21 days, all the participants will be notified. The transfer takes place one the sale is approved, and an additional .5% is included in the loan balance as a funding fee.

There are certain special cases as well in which the assumption is approved without taking into consideration the creditworthiness of the buyer. These cases are:

  1. Obligation continues to be with the seller after the sale after his willingness.
  2. The loan is to be saved from being defaulted on if the seller is in no condition to repay the loan.
  3. Seller has made all the attempts to find a buyer but cannot find one.
2 Comments
  • Robert Kellaway
    Posted at 18:29h, 18 July

    Dear VA,

    Please review the first paragraph of this page (copied below) to clarify and correct the grammar. In the 1st sentence I recommend replacing “less” with “limited”. The 2nd sentence is poorly written: suggest revising to “…will not lend to veterans if there is a risk of non-repayment of the loan.” The 3rd sentence: suggest deleting “in case” since the sentence begins with “In this case,”.

    “VA loans are of great use for veterans who do not have any or less source of income. Usually the other finance lending companies will not lend loan to the veterans are there is a risk for repayment of loan. In this case, VA provides guarantee to the lender in case if the loan cannot be repaid by the borrower.”

    Respectfully,
    Bob Kellaway

    • Adam
      Posted at 17:25h, 27 July

      Thanks Bob!

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