Federal Homes Include HUD Homes and VA Homes

Federal homes are government foreclosures being sold by agencies which are part of the federal government. While the government is not in the business of selling or buying residential real estate, the government does insure some mortgages. When a homeowner defaults on such a home loan, the government pays the lender for the property. When the home is repossessed, the government takes possession of the property and tries to resell it in order to recoup the money that has been paid to the lender. Federal homes are often sold below market value because the government wants to recoup their money quickly.

There are in fact different types of federal houses available, each with their own advantages. A VA federal home, for example, is a home being sold by the department of Veteran Affairs. This home had as its pervious homeowner someone who was a part of the military or armed forces and who defaulted on the loan. The VA insures home loans for retired and active duty service personnel. When a home loan is defaulted on, the VA pays the lender for the home loan and resells the home to make up the money. Anyone can buy a VA home – you do not have to have any affiliation with the military. However, when you buy a VA federal house, you enjoy a lower property price and you buy the home with some of the advantages that retired and active duty service personnel enjoy when they buy a home. For example, you may not have to pay mortgage insurance on VA homes, which can save you money.

HUD federal houses are a very popular type of government foreclosure. HUD homes are properties on which the previous (defaulted) mortgage was insured by The Federal Housing Administration (FHA). When the previous homeowner defaulted on this loan, the government paid the lender for the money outstanding and took possession of the home. HUD federal property sales are popular because HUD federal homes are priced below market. Also, since the HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) is committed to making housing affordable, they have a number of programs for homebuyers that can make buying federal homes even more affordable.