Permanent construction financing is a type of loan that allows you to build or renovate your home. When the construction process is complete, this loan becomes a traditional mortgage without you having to go through another closing. You'll only have to pay one set of closing costs. When construction is complete, you can convert your construction funding into what is known as permanent funding.
Permanent financing is like a mortgage loan that you would get from a bank if you bought an existing home. Most permanent mortgage loans have a fixed rate and are paid in equal installments of principal and interest over a fixed term, such as 20 or 30 years. In most cases, you'll only have to repay the interest on the funds as they are withdrawn, not on the full amount of the loan. Depending on the lender, you may also have the option of converting your construction loan into a mortgage after construction is complete.
If this isn't an option, you can apply for a mortgage or a final loan to pay off your construction loan. Look, when you build a house, you get a mortgage that is specially set up to pay the builder during the process. This is true regardless of whether you get a standalone construction loan or a permanent construction loan. Usually, the mortgage lender pays the money lent to the builder directly in a series of drawings, and the money is released as the builder meets construction milestones.
As a borrower, your monthly payments cover only the interest on the loan, not the principal (the original amount you borrowed), so the balance is never paid off. And interest is charged only on money that has already been given to the builder. This loan finances the construction of a home and then becomes a fixed-rate mortgage once the home is completed. Others only charge interest on the rate you set for your final loan and then convert the balance into a full principal and interest payment when the home is ready.
We'll help you demystify construction loans by explaining how they work, the types of funding available, and what you'll need to qualify. The amount of construction finance that a lender will offer someone to build a home is usually calculated as a percentage (usually 80%) of the cost of construction. These loans allow you to eliminate one of the most expensive parts of home construction by hiring a general contractor. Converting your construction loan into permanent financing is a key step in realizing your long-term mortgage needs.
Now that the loan has closed and the deed and promissory note are registered with the County Registrar's Office, regular mortgage payments will begin, in accordance with the terms and repayment schedule set forth on the loan. The drawings are scheduled according to the construction schedule, and your lender is likely to send an inspector to assess the condition of the construction before each payment. If you are a general contractor or professional builder and want to build your home, a homeowner-builder construction loan could finance your project. The inspection process continues throughout the construction of the house, since it is necessary to review different aspects, such as plumbing and electrical work, before enclosing them in walls and other structures.
If you don't pay a construction loan, reclaiming property from the construction site, rather than a finished home, isn't ideal for the lender. Most often, people get short-term funding from a bank, often the bank that (assuming the subsequent application process goes well) will provide funding for construction. .
