For many, a foreign national, the United States has always been a great place to invest in, especially Florida. Cities like #Miami and Orlando, which have been major destinations for tourists and investors alike.
Purchasing a home
There are no restrictions for foreign nationals (non-US citizens) when it comes to buying a house or condo in #Florida. Any person with a valid Visa can own property and rent it, if they want to.
Cash purchases are very common and close quickly, and cash sales have very low closing costs.
Where things can get complicated is when the financing the property.
Financing a home for a foreign national
Many options exist for foreign nationals when it comes to securing financing for a property in Florida, and lenders are constantly offering new mortgage programs for non-resident foreigners.
Rates for these foreign national loans are higher than what a person living in the US would pay since the buyer represents a greater risk for the lender and this translates into higher rates.
All foreign national mortgages share several common elements:
Down payments start at 25%
Rates vary a lot, they depend on market conditions
Most lenders need 6 to 12 months reserves
Buyer must have all funds in a US bank for at least 60 days
Reserves are the monthly #mortgage payment, PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance), so if the payment is $1,000 a month, lenders want to see from $6,000 to $12,000 in the bank. This shows that the buyer has enough money saved to make the payments.
Funds for 60 days in a US bank is often called “seasoned”. The catch here is that the account should not have any deposits in that 60-day period. Every single deposit made to that account will have to prove where it came from if done within those 60 days.
From my personal experience as a mortgage broker, proving where the transferred funds came from can be a nightmare. Avoid this at all costs.
Valid visa types
Not all visas qualify for a foreign national loan, and each lender decides what is valid for them.
Here is a list of accepted visas:
The buyer should not be on the OFAC list!
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), if the buyer is on this list, the sales will not go through at all. Do not be on this list.
Required documentation
Foreign national lenders require very little documentation for the most part. A basic rule of thumb is that the less documentation required, the higher the interest rate.
Do not use a “Full Doc” lender, this is only a good idea if the buyer is from countries like Canada or the UK.
Some common elements that all lenders will want to see are:
Copy of the passport
Copy of the Visa
If self-employed, a letter from a CPA stating the buyer’s annual income in USD.
For the self-employed, three credit reference letters.
If the buyer is an employee, letter from employer stating yearly income in USD.
Last two bank statements that have the funds for the purchase, including closing costs and reserves.
All documents must be in English, if not they will have to be translated and depending on the lender they translator might have to be certified. You can save time by having the letters written in English from the get-go.
Verifiable CPA letters on letterhead paper. The best verification is with an internet search that shows the CPA’s name, address, etc.
Closing costs
Closing costs are all the fees that the state of Florida and the county where the property is located collect at closing. These fees also include title company, attorney fees, broker fees, application fees, and any other fee related to the closing.
A good rule of thumb is that any purchase will have about 4% to 6% of the sales price in related closing costs. The buyer must be ready for these costs.
Some common closing costs include:
Appraisals
Home Inspections
Title Insurance
Processing fees
Conclusion
Financing a property in the US might seem daunting at first, but if the buyer has a good Realtor® and Mortgage Broker, the transaction should be a smooth one with a positive outcome.
This article was written and published by Accurate Mortgage Group (www.amglenders.com). Click here to view the original post. Nadjalisse Rodriguez is not affiliated with Accurate Mortgage Group, and the content above does not constitute legal advise.
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To buy or invest in #SouthFlorida's real estate market, contact:
Nadjalisse Rodriguez
Realtor Associate
NRodriguez@LiveinSFL.com
LiveinSFL.com
+1 561-573-9824
Follow: @LiveinSFL