The FHA loan, from people
who processed them.
FHA exists to make homeownership reachable - lower down payments and more forgiving credit standards, honestly traded against mortgage insurance. Residential programs are available in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and North Carolina.
An FHA loan is a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration: qualifying buyers can put as little as 3.5% down, credit standards are more flexible than conventional guidelines, and in exchange the loan carries FHA mortgage insurance premiums - an upfront premium and an annual one paid monthly. It's a primary-residence program with county-level loan limits. Stonehaven's founding team spent years inside FHA operations and processing - we know what the guidelines actually require, not just what the brochure says.
The honest fit profile.
FHA tends to win for buyers with smaller down payments, credit histories that conventional pricing punishes, or recent credit events that FHA guidelines treat more forgivingly. It is a primary-residence program - you live in the home - and the property itself must meet FHA appraisal and condition standards, which protects you from buying a problem but can matter for fixer-uppers.
Strong credit and 10–20% down? Compare conventional carefully - its mortgage insurance can be cheaper and removable. That comparison is exactly what the first conversation is for.
Mortgage insurance, stated plainly.
FHA's accessibility is funded by its insurance: an upfront premium (usually financed into the loan) and an annual premium paid monthly. For many FHA loans the monthly premium runs for the life of the loan, which makes the long-term plan matter - many FHA buyers later refinance into conventional once equity and credit allow, dropping the premium. We'll model that path honestly from day one rather than letting it surprise you in year six. Premium amounts are set by FHA and vary by loan; we quote them per file, never as marketing.
Where FHA experience earns its keep.
FHA files carry extra moving parts - the appraisal standards, the premium math, the documentation rules. Our founding team's background is literally this: FHA fundamentals and advanced FHA processing, Georgia regulatory compliance, and years of operations running these loans through underwriting cleanly. The result for you: a file built right the first time and honest answers about whether FHA - or something else - is genuinely your best structure.
See if FHA fits your situation.
A specialist reads your profile against current FHA guidelines and replies personally within one business day - no obligation, no credit pull at this stage.