We all know pets often need a way to get from the Laundry Room to the garage, but installing a doggy door on a fire door is not a good move to secure an FHA loan. Why is that? A fire door is designed to reduce the spread of fire, but when a pet door is installed in the fire door, the firewall is compromised. If you’ve ever cared to look, there should be a difference between the door to the garage (fire door) and many of the other doors in your home. Whereas bedroom doors are often hollow on the inside, the fire door to the garage is solid because it is designed to stop fire. All things considered, this is a safety issue in the eyes of FHA, so the problem must be cured according to FHA minimum property standards. A small hole may not seem like a big deal, but fire doesn’t discriminate against size, does it?
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Question from Buyer: Hello. I stumbled upon your video because I made an appointment to look at a house and the Realtor told me she hoped I had a conventional loan because an FHA loan has issues with the chipping paint on the outside. I have no idea if the paint is lead (the house was built in 1940 so there is a possibility). What are the options if the FHA loan is what I was approved for but don’t have the money to have the house painted? Could money be held in escrow to have the house painted or would the seller maybe pay to have it painted? Any help you could give me would be great! Great video!
that the issue needs to be cured – no matter how it gets done. Any paint surface that is defective (flaking, chipping or peeling paint) will have to be properly remedied and sealed. There won’t need to be any lead-base paint test. 3) A third option actually is to do an FHA 203K loan so you can get certain repairs like this taken care of without spending money out-of-pocket. You’d actually buy the property and then specific predetermined repairs would be made after the close of escrow from money bundled in your loan. Not all loan officers and brokers handle 203K loans or are good at doing them, so make sure you work with someone who knows about 203Ks. I’m glad to refer someone trustworthy to you.