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UpdatedAugust 22, 2026ReviewedAugust 23, 2026Where our FHA figures come from
Loan officer shaking hands with a client in a welcoming mortgage office
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Talk to a licensed FHA loan officer.

Real people. Real loan officers. Real answers — not chatbots. Reach us by phone, email, or send a secure message below.

Quick answer

How do you get FHA answers for your own situation?

Simply Approved Mortgages works toward FHA pre-approval letters after a credit and income review; timing depends on your documents and lender review. Call 877-813-7219 or start online — you'll speak with a licensed loan officer, not a call center, and there is no application fee and no obligation to request a pre-approval letter.

What this means for your mortgage

A short conversation usually settles in minutes what hours of reading cannot: whether your file works today, or what to fix first.

Reviewed by the licensed mortgage team at Simply Approved Mortgages · Last verified August 23, 2026 against HUD Handbook 4000.1

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TL;DR

Talking to us: key takeaways

  • FHA pre-approval letters from a licensed broker
  • Fast review — no obligation to get started
  • Licensed loan officers, NMLS #2620881
  • Down payment assistance reviewed on every file
  • No application fee to request a pre-approval
  • Call 877-813-7219 or pre-qualify online in about five minutes
Office
633 W 5th St STE 2800, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Hours
Mon–Fri 7am–7pm PT · Sat 9am–3pm PT
Licensing. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC, NMLS ID# 2620881. Equal Housing Opportunity. Verify our license at NMLS Consumer Access.

Send us a message

General questions, document help, or a callback request. Looking for numbers instead? Start My Approval.

Our offices

Visit us by appointment, or reach us through the contact form. Residential mortgage loans are arranged in Florida and Colorado only.

Head Office

Simply Approved Mortgages LLC

633 W 5th St, Ste 2600Los Angeles, CA 90071

NMLS #2620881

Florida Branch Office

Simply Approved Mortgages

1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 954Miami, FL 33131

Company NMLS #2620881

Ready to see what you qualify for?

Talk with a licensed FHA broker about your scenario. Licensed in Florida and Colorado.

Start My ApprovalCall 877-813-7219

Quick answers

Does a pre-approval involve a credit check?
Yes — a real pre-approval includes a credit review. We tell you before any credit check happens and what it means for your file.
What do I need for the first call?
A rough idea of your income, monthly debts, and savings. Documents come later.
Which states are you licensed in?
Colorado and Florida, with FHA programs available in both.
Included with your FHA estimate

Get your FHA Pre-Approval Summary.

Complete the short form and we send back a full FHA breakdown: your county loan limit, the minimum FHA down payment, financed upfront MIP, monthly mortgage insurance, and an estimated payment — plus whether down payment assistance can cover your cash to close.

  • Maximum FHA loan amount for your county
  • Minimum FHA down payment and cash-to-close estimate
  • Upfront and annual MIP included
  • Estimated monthly payment with taxes and insurance
Get my FHA estimate

Takes about 3 minutes · No obligation · Summary emailed and shown on screen

Illustration only, generated from the information you enter. Not a Loan Estimate, pre-qualification, commitment to lend, or approval. Subject to appraisal, credit and income review, FHA guidelines, and final lender approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.

FHA Estimate Summary
Purchase price
$385,000
Down payment (3.5%)
$13,475
Base loan amount
$371,525
Financed UFMIP (1.75%)
$6,502
Est. monthly payment
Shown in your summary

Sample figures for illustration only — not a quote, rate lock, offer of credit or commitment to lend. Simply Approved Mortgages · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity

Need help with the down payment? The FHA DPA can cover 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% of your loan amount toward down payment and closing costs — a 10-year repayable second lien, FICO 580+, primary residence.

See DPA details
Weighing it up

Pros and cons of FHA financing

The trade-offs below are specific to FHA financing. Reviewed August 23, 2026 against HUD Handbook 4000.1 and the current HUD county loan limit file.

What works in your favor

  • 3.5% down from a 580 FICO, with 100% of the down payment giftable.
  • Seller contributions of up to 6% of the sale price toward closing costs.
  • No income caps, and higher DTI is possible with documented compensating factors.

What to plan around

  • Annual mortgage insurance for the life of the loan at 3.5% down.
  • County loan limits cap the financed amount, not the purchase price.
  • HUD minimum property standards apply at appraisal.
Worked example

The FHA numbers behind this page

A $425,000 example shows the cash and loan structure FHA produces before pricing is added.

The FHA numbers behind this page
Purchase price$425,000
FHA down payment at 3.5%$14,875
Base loan amount$410,125
Upfront MIP at 1.75%, financed$7,177
Conventional 20% down for comparison$85,000

Illustration only — not a quote, rate lock, offer or commitment to lend. Subject to lender underwriting and approval.

Document checklist

What documents you need for FHA financing

This is the set an FHA underwriter typically asks for. Having it ready before you write an offer is the single biggest difference between a two-week and a six-week file.

Identity and residency

  • Government-issued photo ID and Social Security number
  • Two-year residence history with landlord contact where you rented

Assets

  • Two months of statements for every account used for down payment or reserves
  • A signed gift letter plus the donor's source of funds for any gifted money
  • Retirement statements when reserves are drawn from those accounts

Property and credit

  • Fully executed purchase contract with all addenda
  • Homeowners insurance quote, plus flood coverage where required
  • Written explanation for credit events, plus bankruptcy or foreclosure paperwork if applicable
Income documentation

Self-employed vs. W-2 employed: what it means for your FHA loan

Income documentation is where most FHA files slow down, and it depends on how you are paid. FHA does not apply a different credit score, down payment or county limit to self-employed borrowers — it applies a different documentation standard.

FHA documentation differences between W-2 employed and self-employed borrowers
ItemW-2 employedSelf-employed
History requiredTwo-year employment history, with gaps explained. A job change inside the same field is usually fine.Generally two years of self-employment. A shorter history can sometimes be considered when there is documented prior experience in the same line of work.
How income is calculatedBase pay from pay stubs and W-2s. Bonus, overtime and commission generally need a two-year history to be averaged in.Net income from tax returns, averaged and adjusted for allowable add-backs such as depreciation. Write-offs that reduce taxable income also reduce qualifying income.
Documents that open the file30 days of pay stubs, two years of W-2s, and a verification of employment.Two years of personal and business returns, year-to-date P&L and balance sheet, and evidence the business is still operating.
Verification at closingThe employer is re-verified shortly before closing; do not change jobs mid-process without telling your loan officer.Continued existence of the business is re-verified close to closing, typically through a third-party or licensing check.
Most common delayUnexplained gaps, a new job with variable pay, or a VOE the employer never returns.A declining year over year, or a large deduction that removes the very income needed to qualify.
What we suggestGet the VOE moving on day one — it is the item most often outstanding at the end.Have your accountant produce the year-to-date P&L before you shop, so qualifying income is known before you write an offer.

If you are W-2 employed

  • Pay stubs covering the most recent 30 days
  • W-2 forms for the last two years
  • A verification of employment; HUD Handbook 4000.1 Update 18 tightened the written and electronic VOE rules, so expect the employer record to be verified directly
  • Documentation of bonus, overtime or commission income if you want it counted

If you are self-employed

  • Two years of personal federal tax returns, all schedules
  • Two years of business returns for a partnership, S-corp or C-corp, plus K-1s
  • A year-to-date profit and loss statement and balance sheet
  • Business license, CPA letter or equivalent evidence the business is active

General FHA documentation guidance per HUD Handbook 4000.1, including Update 18 changes to written and electronic verification of employment. Requirements vary by borrower, property, lender and program, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Sources: HUD Handbook 4000.1

Run the numbers for your county

FHA payment, affordability, closing cost and refinance calculators for the United States

Prefilled with the 2026 HUD reference median of $415,000 for the United States, a 0.90% effective property tax rate and a directional $2,300 annual homeowners premium. Change any input — the interest rate is your own assumption, not an offer.

$
%

FHA minimum is 3.5% at 580+ credit.

%

Your assumption — not a quoted rate.

yrs
%
$
Estimated total monthly payment
$3,262
Principal & interest
$2,576
FHA annual MIP
$184
Property tax
$311
Homeowners insurance
$192
Down payment
$14,525
Loan amount incl. financed UFMIP
$407,483
See Today's Rates

Figures are illustrations based on the values you entered — not an offer, rate lock, or commitment to lend. Emailing your scenario sends it to a licensed loan officer in Florida or Colorado.

Estimates for general educational purposes only. Interest rates shown are assumptions you enter, not quoted rates, and nothing here is a rate lock, APR, payment quote, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Results exclude HOA dues, flood or wind policies, mortgage insurance changes, points and lender-specific fees. FHA upfront MIP of 1.75% and annual MIP of 0.55% follow HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05 for a 30-year term at 3.5% down. Property tax and insurance inputs are directional state references, not a parcel-level bill. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state. All loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity. Sources: HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05 (MIP) · HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 (2026 loan limits) · U.S. Census Bureau ACS · NAIC homeowners insurance · CFPB Closing Disclosure

Taxes, insurance and local expenses

What owning actually costs in the United States

Mortgage pricing moves the payment a little. Property tax and insurance move it a lot, and they are entirely local. These figures are built from the 2026 HUD county dataset for the United States and national tax and settlement conventions, reviewed August 23, 2026.

Estimated ownership costs in the United States on a $415,000 home
CostEstimateHow it works here
Property tax$311 / moAbout 0.90% effective on $415,000 — roughly $3,735 a year. Millage is set locally, so verify the parcel's actual bill.
Homeowners insurance$192 / moDirectional $2,300 a year for a single-family owner policy in the U.S.. Wind, hail and flood may be separate policies.
FHA annual mortgage insurance$184 / mo0.55% of the $400,475 base loan at 3.5% down, 30-year term, per HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05.
FHA upfront MIP$7,0081.75% of the base loan, normally financed into the $407,483 total loan amount rather than paid in cash.
State transfer / documentary taxVariesTransfer, deed, recordation and mortgage taxes are set state by state — several states charge none at all.
Settlement conventionTitle/escrow stateA title or escrow company customarily conducts the closing and issues the policy.

The expense buyers here miss most

Property tax and homeowners insurance vary far more between two states than mortgage pricing does — always re-price the escrow on the exact county before you write an offer.

How this affects the FHA file

Taxes and insurance are part of the qualifying payment, so a $503 escrow in your county consumes debt-to-income capacity before a single dollar of principal and interest is counted. Underwriting uses the post-closing figures, not the seller's current bill.

Estimates for general education only — not a quote, rate, APR, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Property tax rates are effective rates derived from U.S. Census Bureau ACS data; actual millage is set by county, city, school and special districts. Insurance figures are directional annual premiums, not quotes. Transfer, deed, recordation and mortgage taxes summarise state-level statutes; counties and municipalities frequently add their own. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS property tax data · NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report · CFPB — understanding closing costs

Simply Approved Mortgages Expert Insight
What to expect from us · Last reviewed August 23, 2026

Bring documents to the first conversation

The most productive calls we take are the ones where a borrower already has recent pay stubs, two years of W-2s or returns, and current bank statements handy. With those, a licensed loan officer can give a realistic price range and a documented pre-approval path in a single conversation instead of three.

Our recommendation

Have income and asset documents ready before your first call.

Simply Approved Mortgages · licensed mortgage broker · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity

Where to go next

Continue with the FHA topic that matches where you are, or talk to a licensed loan officer about your own numbers.

How FHA loans work

What FHA insurance is and who it fits.

FHA requirements

Credit, income, DTI and property rules.

FHA credit score rules

580 vs 500–579 and what they change.

Down payment & assistance

3.5% minimum, gift funds and DPA options.

Mortgage insurance (MIP)

Upfront and annual MIP, and how long it lasts.

FHA loan limits

County-by-county HUD maximums.

FHA closing costs

What you pay and what a seller can cover.

FHA loan programs

203(b), 203(k), streamline, cash-out and more.

FHA calculators

Payment, affordability, MIP and break-even tools.

First-time buyer guide

Step-by-step from budget to closing.

Start My Approval Contact a licensed loan officer Submitting a request is not an application, approval or commitment to lend.
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