No FHA program is reserved for teachers or public employees. The standard FHA terms apply to everyone, so the question is not which loan to ask for. It is who will document your income correctly and which wholesale lender will underwrite it. A teacher on a 10-month contract, a firefighter with overtime and a stipend, or a school bus driver with a thin credit file can all get stuck on avoidable questions.
A mortgage broker is a licensed intermediary who shops your file across wholesale lenders. The lender you end up with funds and underwrites the loan. This guide is a decision framework, not a ranking. It gives seven strategies for choosing an FHA mortgage broker and preparing your file, using Duane Buziak (NMLS#1110647), a broker licensed in VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD, as the working example.
1. Pick an FHA broker who can document teacher and public-employee income
Suppose a teacher is paid over 12 months on a 10-month contract. She sends a contract letter, two years of W-2s, and recent pay stubs. The underwriter sees the pay schedule, the employer, and the continuity, and no summer question comes back. Another teacher sends only a pay stub showing nothing in July, and the file stalls.
The mechanism is simple: underwriters follow HUD Handbook 4000.1 for income, and when a contract is expected to renew, income is generally evaluated across the contract year, not treated as zero in summer. The broker’s job is to present that evidence so the reviewing underwriter does not have to guess. Pensions, coaching stipends, and part-time school income each have their own documentation, and secondary income typically needs a history before it counts.
Duane Buziak places files with hundreds of wholesale lenders, so a file with unusual pay timing can go to a lender whose underwriters handle it routinely. The comparison below shows how broker access differs from single-company options.
| Factor | Independent FHA broker (Duane Buziak) | Single-lender retail shop | Large national retail lender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who funds the loan | A wholesale lender chosen for your file | That one company | That one company |
| Access to different overlays | Hundreds of wholesale lenders, each with its own rules | One set of rules | One set of rules |
| Soft pull pre-approval | NoTouch Credit Pull, no hard inquiry | Varies; ask which pull is used | Varies; ask which pull is used |
| 10-month contract income | File placed with a lender suited to the pay structure | Reviewed under the company’s own guidelines | Reviewed under the company’s own guidelines |
| Price comparison | Dare to Compare challenge against your other quotes | Its own pricing only | Its own pricing only |
To put this into practice:
- Ask for a written document checklist before you apply.
- Send the contract letter, pay stubs, and W-2s up front.
- Confirm which lender will review the file and whether it has special rules for school-year pay.
The common mistake is assuming summer months count against you without checking how your contract is paid. Measure it by the number of income conditions raised after submission and the days from application to clear-to-close.
2. Use a NoTouch Credit Pull to compare before any hard inquiry
A common belief is that a pre-approval always requires a hard pull. It does not. A soft pull is a credit review that does not register as a hard inquiry and does not affect your score. Duane Buziak’s NoTouch Credit Pull is a soft pull mortgage review, so you can get a mortgage pre-approval without a hard pull and see your options first. A hard pull comes later, when you choose a final loan and the underwriting lender needs a full credit report.
Illustration: a firefighter compares three options in one day. He uses soft-pull and quote-only steps, learns his likely FHA tier and payment range, and authorizes a hard pull only once he picks a final loan. His report shows one new inquiry instead of four.
The CFPB’s home-buying guidance encourages comparing offers from multiple providers, and it notes that credit scoring models generally treat mortgage inquiries made in a short window as a single inquiry. Soft-pull comparison removes the guesswork entirely.
- Request the soft pull review and a no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval from Duane Buziak.
- Ask every other provider whether its quote uses a soft or hard pull before you give credit authorization.
- Collect written Loan Estimates later and compare them side by side. Use the Dare to Compare challenge to see whether your best other quote can be matched or beaten.
The mistake to avoid is giving credit authorization to several providers without asking what type of pull each uses. Measure the count of hard inquiries on your report before the final application. The target is zero until you choose.
3. Match your credit score to the right FHA tier
FHA is not only for low credit. Many borrowers with strong scores choose it for the flexible down payment. Still, the score sets your tier. According to HUD, a score of 580 or higher qualifies for 3.5% down, and a score of 500 to 579 requires 10% down.
The catch is the overlay: an extra requirement a lender adds on top of HUD’s rules, such as a higher minimum score. HUD’s floor is not every lender’s floor. Because Duane Buziak works with hundreds of wholesale lenders, he can look for ones that accept your score instead of assuming the strictest rule applies to you.
Illustration: a school bus driver at 575 can save for 10% down, or raise her score five points to reach the 3.5% tier. On a $300,000 home, that is $30,000 versus $10,500 at closing. Five points on a score is often a utilization fix, not a years-long project.
- Start with a NoTouch Credit Pull to see your score without a hard inquiry.
- Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute errors.
- Pay card balances down before statement dates.
- Ask the broker which lenders accept your score and what their overlays are.
Track your score change over 60 to 90 days and your revolving utilization percentage. Do not open new accounts to “build” credit mid-process, because new debt can cost more than it helps.
4. Run the full cost math, including MIP and local property tax
Price and interest rate tell you little about the monthly payment. FHA adds two mortgage insurance charges. UFMIP (upfront mortgage insurance premium) is 1.75% of the base loan and is usually financed into the loan. Annual MIP is charged monthly. As of October 2026, per HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05, the common tier is 0.55% for a 30-year loan up to $726,200 with less than 5% down, and with under 10% down it generally lasts the life of the loan. Confirm your tier at hud.gov before relying on any figure.
Worked example: a Virginia purchase in Henrico County
This is an illustration, with an assumed 6.25% rate and $125 per month for homeowners insurance. Henrico County’s tax rate is $0.85 per $100 of assessed value (henrico.us); confirm the current rate there before you rely on it.
- Price $300,000; 3.5% down is $10,500; base loan $289,500.
- UFMIP at 1.75%: $5,066.25, financed, for a total loan of $294,566.25.
- Principal and interest, 30 years at 6.25%: about $1,813.69.
- Annual MIP at 0.55% of $289,500: $1,592.25 a year, or about $132.69 a month.
- Property tax: $300,000 / 100 x $0.85 = $2,550 a year, or $212.50 a month.
- Insurance (assumed): $125.00.
The estimated monthly total is $2,283.88. Leave out annual MIP and you are short by about $133 every month. Use the wrong county rate and the error compounds.
Check each line against your Loan Estimate, which the CFPB explains line by line. Closing costs are separate. Duane Buziak can show no-out-of-pocket closing options, such as seller concessions or lender credits, so ask. Measure your total monthly payment against your target budget.
5. Confirm your loan limit and county before shopping
The mistake comes first here: shoppers use last year’s limit, or assume the floor applies everywhere. For 2026, per HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, the one-unit FHA limit ranges from $541,287 in standard-cost counties to $1,249,125 in the highest-cost areas (verified as of October 2026). Your county decides where you fall.
The limit matters because it caps the base loan amount, which caps the price you can buy with a given down payment. A limit is also not a recommendation to borrow that much. It is an outer wall, and your budget from strategy 4 should sit well inside it.
Illustration: a teacher relocating between two states Duane Buziak serves checks the limit for each target county before picking a price range. A budget that looks fine in one county can run into a different limit in the next one over.
- Use the HUD FHA loan limit lookup for each county you are considering.
- Note the verified-as-of date on the result.
- Set a price ceiling with the broker, accounting for the financed UFMIP, which is added after the base loan.
Measure your target price against the county limit. If you are within a few percent of it, ask the broker how a small down payment change affects the base loan.
6. Build a down payment plan using allowed FHA gift and program sources
Underwriters need to know where every dollar came from. That is why unexplained cash is the classic problem: a deposit that does not match your pay history must be sourced, and cash that cannot be traced may not count.
Illustration: parents give a documented gift of $10,500, which equals the 3.5% down payment on a $300,000 home. The file includes a gift letter stating the amount, donor, relationship, and that no repayment is expected, plus the donor’s bank statement and a record of the transfer into the buyer’s account. HUD Handbook 4000.1 sets out which donors and documentation are acceptable.
- Decide the gift amount and get the gift letter signed.
- Collect the donor’s statement showing the funds and the transfer record showing the deposit.
- Keep the funds in your account until closing. Moving them around creates new questions.
- Ask Duane Buziak whether a state or local program applies where you are buying, and confirm its terms with the program administrator, because rules vary by state.
Measure the share of your funds fully documented before you apply. The goal is 100%, so no surprise conditions appear late.
7. Time your application around summer pay and contract renewal
Teachers often assume summer is the wrong time to apply. It is not disqualifying, but timing affects what documents exist. A renewal letter, current stubs, and a stable credit profile make the file easy to read. A job change or new debt between pre-approval and closing is what causes real trouble.
Illustration: a teacher starts a 90-day checklist in spring, has the renewal letter in hand, and applies before the school year ends. Her pay stubs are current, her contract is documented, and she closes without new income questions.
- 90 days out: run a NoTouch Credit Pull, fix credit errors, gather two years of W-2s, and begin the gift paperwork.
- 60 days out: request the renewal or contract letter, confirm the county limit, and run the full payment math.
- 30 days out: get the pre-approval, avoid large purchases, and tell the broker about any change at work.
The common mistake is opening new credit or changing jobs between pre-approval and closing, including financing furniture. Measure the days from pre-approval to closing and the number of new conditions raised. Fewer conditions usually means a smoother close.
How Duane Buziak applies these strategies across eight licensed states
FHA rules come from HUD, so the framework above holds across VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD. What changes is local: county loan limits, property tax rates, homeowners insurance, and how public retirement systems and school calendars work. Duane Buziak applies the same checklist in each state and swaps in the local numbers.
- Taxes and insurance: use each county’s official rate, not a state average, as in the Henrico example.
- Coastal areas: wind or flood coverage can raise insurance costs in parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, so ask for quotes early.
- Pay structure: contract calendars and pension arrangements differ by district and agency, so bring your own employer’s documents.
- Licensing: verify any broker’s licenses on NMLS Consumer Access.
Questions teachers and public employees ask about FHA brokers
Is there an FHA loan just for teachers?
No. FHA has no teacher-specific mortgage. Teachers and public employees use the standard FHA terms, so what matters is documenting your income well.
Do summer months hurt a teacher’s FHA application?
Not automatically. When a contract is expected to renew, income is generally evaluated across the contract year. Provide the contract letter, W-2s, and pay stubs so the underwriter can confirm how you are paid.
Can I get a mortgage pre-approval without a hard pull?
Yes. Duane Buziak’s NoTouch Credit Pull is a soft pull mortgage review with no hard inquiry. A hard pull happens later, when you choose a final loan and underwriting needs a full report.
What credit score do I need for FHA?
HUD allows 3.5% down at 580 or higher and 10% down at 500 to 579. Individual lenders may add overlays, so ask which accept your score.
What are UFMIP and annual MIP?
UFMIP is the upfront premium of 1.75% of the base loan, usually financed. Annual MIP is billed monthly, and the common tier is 0.55% for a 30-year loan up to $726,200 with under 5% down (as of October 2026; verify at hud.gov).
Why use a broker instead of one retail company?
A broker can compare hundreds of wholesale lenders for your file, while a single company offers its own guidelines and pricing. Duane Buziak adds a Dare to Compare challenge to your other quotes.
Can a family member give me my FHA down payment?
Yes, from acceptable donors under HUD Handbook 4000.1. You need a gift letter, the donor’s statement, and proof of deposit.
Which states does Duane Buziak serve?
Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Washington DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland. Check licensing at NMLS Consumer Access.
Where to start: income paperwork and a soft pull
Begin with strategies 1 and 2: gather your contract and pay documents, then request a no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval so you know where you stand. Use strategies 3 through 5 to set a realistic price range from your credit tier, your full monthly payment, and your county limit. Finish with the down payment and timing plans so nothing unexpected reaches underwriting.
Ready to take the first step toward homeownership with an FHA loan tailored to your needs? Schedule your free consultation today and discover how award-winning mortgage broker Duane Buziak can help you navigate the path to your new home with competitive rates, hundreds of wholesale lenders, and expert guidance. Call 804-212-8663 or visit FHA Mortgages by Duane Buziak at 4860 Cox Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060. Licensed in VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD.
