Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans are not loans from the government; rather they are a promise from the government that you will pay your loan for a lender. For many people, an AZ FHA loan makes the difference between getting a loan for a house and not getting one. Sub prime loans are loans that are direct from the lender and are based solely on your credit and history and don't offer great interest rates like a prime loan or a regular home loan. Sub prime loans are designed for home purchasers who don't qualify for a regular or prime loan or who don't have a strong, good credit history.



Sub prime loans charge a higher interest rate because the risk the lender is taking on the borrower. Due to the fact that the borrower doesn't have a very strong or very good credit rating or history, the chance that they will default (fail to pay) on their loan is much higher.

An FHA loan insures the lender against this high risk borrower, which benefits everyone. The lender is insured that the loan will be paid and the borrower can get better interest rates by having an FHA secured loan.

FHA secured loans have some of the lowest interest rates on the market, where sub prime loans carry at least three percentage points higher than the standard FHA loan interest rate. That equals to about $200 a month more for every $100,000 mortgaged, which makes a big impact on the borrower being able to pay the loan amount each month.

Sub prime loans are almost always adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) ? an ARM mortgage has a fluctuating interest rate that changes from time to time based on the prime interest rate plus the lender's margin. This interest rate, which usually changes once or twice in the first year then once a year after that, can greatly affect your mortgage payments each month, making them higher or lower. For many people, an ARM mortgage is a dangerous bet because if the mortgage interest rate goes up, they may not be able to afford the new higher payments.

The majority of AZ FHA loans are fixed rate loans, where the interest rate is determined at the beginning of the mortgage and stays the same throughout the term (usually three to five years). A fixed rate mortgage payment stays the same every month and is better for people who live on a budget. If by chance, you have an FHA insured adjustable rate mortgage in Arizona, the rate is capped at an increase of no more than one or two per cent each year. Subsequently, the lender fees for sub prime loans are also considerably higher than an FHA insured loan.

Many home buyers don't know these crucial facts and many of them could qualify to purchase a home with a fixed rate FHA loan in Arizona instead of a sub prime loan. Most low credit scoring borrowers feel as if they have no choice but to go with a sub prime loan , always be sure to check out AZ FHA loans before applying for a sub prime loan.