What's the difference between a construction loan and a mortgage?

Construction loans are short-term, usually no longer than one year. These are usually interest-only payments based on the amount you have anticipated on your loan. Mortgages are long-term and the money is received in a lump sum. Payments usually consist of principal and interest.

A home construction loan is a short-term loan with higher interest rates that provides the funds needed to build a residential property. When you take out a mortgage, your lender makes a lump sum payment to the seller of the home. With a construction loan, your lender disburses the money in increments as the builder completes different phases of his new home. These “sweepstakes” usually occur after an inspector or appraiser checks the builder's progress.

After approval, the money goes to the builder and the next stage of the process begins. A construction loan is a short-term loan that covers only the costs of building custom homes. This is different from a mortgage and is considered specialty financing. Once the house is built, the potential occupant must apply for a mortgage to pay for the finished home.

Getting approved for a construction loan may seem similar to the process of getting a mortgage, but getting approved to start building a new home is a little more complicated. Consider how much the closing costs and other fees of obtaining more than one loan will add to the project. A construction loan (also known as a “self-construction loan”) is a short-term loan used to finance the construction of a home or other real estate project. Yes, construction loans usually have higher qualification standards in terms of credit rating requirements and down payment amounts.

Borrowers who intend to act as their own general contractor or build the house with their own resources are unlikely to qualify for a construction loan. A final loan simply refers to the homeowner's mortgage once the property is built, Kaminski explains. If a borrower who wants to build a home applies for a construction loan, the lender can pay the funds directly to the contractor and not to the borrower. The borrower may only be required to pay interest on a construction loan while the project is still under way.

This way, if something happens during the construction process, the half-built property catches fire or someone destroys it, for example, you are protected. A construction loan is used during the construction phase and is reimbursed once construction is complete. We hope you have a good knowledge base on home construction loans after reading this far, but you probably still have some questions in mind. With a construction to permanent loan, you borrow money to pay the cost of building your home, and once the house is complete and you move in, the loan becomes a permanent mortgage.

Decide whether you want to go through the lending process once with a permanent construction loan or twice with an exclusive construction loan.

Etta Tinder
Etta Tinder

Professional twitter maven. Amateur bacon aficionado. Lifelong foodaholic. Wannabe food guru. Friendly food geek. Amateur music practitioner.

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