Credit scores (also known as FICO [Fair Isaac COrporation] scores) are generally indicative of a borrower's likelihood to stay current on debts. Our minimum is currently 640-680, depending on the debt-to-income ratio in the loan application and which loan program you choose. For more details on eligible FICO scores, please work with a CalHFA-approved lender. You can find a list of our Preferred Loan Officers here: https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/apps/PLO

Certainly. CalHFA is prohibited from offering refinances, but you should be able to work through virtually any other bank. We'd suggest using a CalHFA Preferred Loan Officer, as they have undergone training and are familiar with CalHFA programs. You can find a geographical list here: http://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm Just click on the link CalHFA Preferred Loan Officers.

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CalHFA's web site is set up in four primary sections: Homebuyers - this section provides information to homebuyers looking for programs to buy their home. CalHFA Homeowners - this section is for those customers who already have a mortgage loan with CalHFA and wish to access account information and other resources about your existing loan. Lenders/Realtors/Nonprofits - this section is for our business partners. If you are a Lender, Broker, Real Estate Agent, or other partner doing business wi  More...

Our standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. We are closed on state holidays and weekends.

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Check out our list of Preferred Loan Officers: https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/apps/PLO/ Any one of the loan officers listed will be more than happy to help you understand and proceed with securing a CalHFA loan for your home purchase. They also should be able to help if you are unfamiliar with the process of buying a home. Additionally, you can call our toll-free number at 877.9.CalHFA (877.922.5432) and one of our representatives can put you in touch with a loan officer in your area.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 CalHFA currently offers several first mortgages and down payment assistance programs. For detailed information on these programs, please visit our Program Descriptions page: http://calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/programs/index.htm

If you are having problems making mortgage payments and you are considering a Short Sale of your home, you should contact the CalHFA Loan Servicing Unit by calling us toll free at 800.669.1079. To qualify for possible assistance for a Short Sale: • You must have a legitimate and valid financial hardship. • The home must be owner occupied throughout the entire Short Sale process. If the property is vacant the Short Sale will be reviewed on a case by case basis. • The property mus  More...

California residents who have not owned and occupied their own home in the last three years are considered first-time homebuyers as defined by the Federal Government. Even though you must be a first-time homebuyer to use our down payment programs, our first mortgages do not require that you be a first-time homebuyer.

CalHFA does not re-subordinate junior loans except in a loss mitigation situation (imminent default, default, etc.)

CalHFA’s main Sacramento Headquarters phone number is (toll free) 877.922.5432. If you’re a current CalHFA borrower and would like information about your loan, please call the Loan Servicing Department at 800.669.1079.

CalHFA MAC was the CalHFA Mortgage Assistance Corporation, a nonprofit organization that was created specifically to receive and disburse federal funding for the Keep Your Home California program. CalHFA MAC’s Board of Directors and Officers were employees of CalHFA and received no additional compensation for performing these duties. The Keep Your Home California program has ended; you can find more information at www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org.

Electronic news and updates are offered through CalHFA’s Enews Announcements . You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Non-occupant co-borrowers and co-signers are not allowed on any CalHFA loan program.

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CalHFA does not have overlays for citizenship--check with a loan officer, who should follow federal and Government-Sponsored Enterprise guidelines.

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} CalHFA is not a direct lender and works with hundreds of loan officers and brokers who are trained in processing CalHFA l  More...

As long as you're not on the title of the property, and it's not your primary residence, time-shares do not disqualify you from first-time homebuyer status.

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Yes, we recently added the ability to use a limited 203k to our offerings. You can find more info here: http://www.calhf  More...

Your lender will need to follow either Fannie Mae or FHA underwriting guidelines for the length of time needed between the bankruptcy and new loan. Talk to a CalHFA Preferred Loan Officer for more details. https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/apps/PLO/

We use Google Translate on our site--you can find it in the upper right corner.

Yes, CalHFA’s newsletter, Housing Matters, is available here.

All of the documents on CalHFA's web site use either Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) or are in the PDF format. To read PDF files, you will have to download the free Adobe Reader at the link below. https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/pdf-reader.html

You can find information on becoming a listing agent or performing BPOs for CalHFA properties here: http://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/brokers.htm