Condo approvals for FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac

When a project isn’t approved, financing dries up and closings stall. We run the review end to end — documents, gap analysis, submission, agency follow-up — until your project is approved and listed.

30+ years · All 50 states · 1000’s of projects approved · Fannie Mae–certified project specialist

An unapproved project costs you three ways

Buyers walk. FHA, VA, and conventional buyers can’t close on a project the agencies won’t finance. Your buyer pool shrinks to cash and portfolio lenders.

Values soften. Fewer eligible buyers means fewer offers, longer days on market, and comps that reflect both.

The board absorbs it. Questionnaires, insurance certs, and lender follow-ups land on volunteers who never signed up for underwriting.

One team, every agency

Approval isn’t one process. FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac each have their own forms, thresholds, and reviewers — and the rules move. We run all four, tell you up front which ones your project can realistically clear, and fix what’s in the way before it turns into a denial.

No guessing which program to chase. No submitting a package that was never going to pass.

This is for you if:

  • A buyer’s lender just told you the project isn’t approved
  • Your FHA approval expired, or expires this year
  • A condo questionnaire came back and nobody can answer question 12
  • You were denied before and never got a clear reason
  • You’re building or converting and want approval in place before sales open

What we handle

Six services, one document set. Everything we collect for one program gets reused for the next.

FHA project approval — New approvals and recertification through HUD, so FHA buyers can finance a unit in your community. You get:

  • submission package
  • HUD correspondence handled
  • listing on the approved-condo list

FHA single-unit approval — For when the project isn’t approved and one buyer needs to close now. Reviewed unit by unit, subject to project concentration limits. You get:

  • unit eligibility review
  • lender-ready file

VA project approval — Gets the project onto the VA-approved list so veteran buyers can use their benefit. Separate from FHA — one doesn’t carry the other. You get:

  • VA submission
  • condition responses

Fannie Mae project review — Full Review support and CPM certification so lenders can deliver loans to Fannie Mae, including the deferred-maintenance and insurance questions that stall files. You get:

  • review determination
  • lender documentation

Freddie Mac project review — Established, new, and detached project reviews, plus responses to project assessment findings and exception requests. You get:

  • review determination
  • exception support

Questionnaires & document review — Standing service for managers and lenders. We complete condo questionnaires and review governing docs, budgets, reserves, and insurance, and flag problems before a lender does. You get:

  • completed forms
  • written issue list

How it works

  1. Eligibility check — [1–2] business days. Send the basics. We tell you which programs are realistic, which aren’t yet, and what stands in the way.
  2. Flat-fee proposal and document request. One specific list of what we need. No open-ended “send everything you have.”
  3. Gap analysis and remediation plan. We measure your documents against current agency guidelines and hand the board a written punch list: what to fix, who fixes it, and what it blocks.
  4. Submission and agency management. We assemble and submit the package, then own the follow-up — conditions, reviewer questions, resubmissions.
  5. Approval, file handoff, and renewal date. You get the approval, the organized file, and a reminder before recertification comes due.

What we’ll need from you

  • Declaration, bylaws, and recorded amendments
  • Current operating budget
  • Reserve study, or reserve funding detail from the budget
  • Most recent financial statements
  • Insurance certificates — property, liability, fidelity/crime, flood if applicable
  • Completed condo questionnaire 
  • Owner-occupancy and rental unit counts
  • Delinquency report — 60+ days
  • Litigation status and any pending special assessments
  • Management company contact

Who we work with

  • HOA boards — Approval without turning a volunteer role into a second job.
  • Community managers — One vendor for questionnaires, renewals, and lender questions across the whole portfolio.
  • Lenders & underwriters — Project eligibility answers you can put in a file, with turn times you can quote a borrower.
  • Real estate agents — Know whether a listing is financeable before you take it, not at the appraisal.
  • Developers & converters — Approval in place before the first closing, so sales don’t stall at unit three.

Why associations and lenders keep us on file

  • We’ll tell you no. If a project can’t clear a program yet, you hear it in week one with a path — not after a denial.
  • Every agency, one file. The four programs share underlying documents. We collect once and reuse the work.
  • The rules move; we track them. Insurance and deferred-maintenance standards have tightened significantly in recent years.
  • Flat fees, quoted up front. No hourly surprises on a board’s budget.
  • The file is yours. Organized and ready for the next lender who asks.

What Our Clients Have To Say

Joseph Goldenberg
Mortgage Loan Officer / Nationwide Mortgage Bankers Inc.
You and your team are the best.
Thank you. You and your team are the best.
Kim Casbon
Mortgage Operations Manager / Colony Bank
Wendy and Amy, are amazing!
By the way, your team, Wendy and Amy, are amazing!
Tracy Geer
Sr. Loan Officer / First State Bank Mortgage
 Thank you again SO much!
Amy wow, I cannot thank you enough for all your help on this file.  And the patience and kindness…just everything that you were during all this, and the other files too that we’ve worked on, was just absolutely amazing.  Even if this one hadn’t worked out, which I am so glad it did but was due mostly to you and Tracy working so hard, I still would have appreciated your patience and kindness.  With all my questions and confusion, you never lost your patience with me, and were always so helpful.  I’m copying my manager, because I want her to know how amazing you are.  Thank you again SO much!
Liza Fletcher
Loan Processor / All Western Mortgage
I love working with you!!!!
Wow!!!!  I think that is the shortest list I have ever gotten.  Thanks soooooooooooooo much Wendy!!!!  I love working with you!!!!  You are such a Doll!!! Thanks so much!!!
Sarah Barnabei
Underwriter Coordinator / Envoy Mortgage
You all have been wonderful to work with
I’m so excited about the portal,  it should make the process much cleaner! You all have been wonderful to work with, we’re very grateful for your guidance, patience, awesome attitudes, and efficiency! Thank you!
Colleen Thomure
Vice President, Underwriting / First State Bank Mortgage
Thank you so much
Thank you so much.  By the way, I’ve been hearing great things from the staff about CAP.  They have been very complimentary of the turn times and have also mentioned how much they like working with Amy and Wendy.
Barbara Steward
Vendor Coordinator / Colonial Home Loans
Thank you, Steve
Thank you, Steve.  Your company has always been extremely easy to work with.
Heather Giordano
Underwriting Manager / United Home Loans
THE BEST!!!
Thank you, you are legit – THE BEST!!!
Lori Gray
Underwriting Manager / Axia Home Loans
Your company’s service far exceeds the companies we previously used. 
Your company’s service far exceeds the companies we previously used.  You are getting 100% of what we have as Linnie directs who gets our business. Thank you and your staff for being awesome, we appreciate it.
Issabel Perez
Scenario Desk Specialist / American Pacific Mortgage
Thanks for being so great!
Every time I jump back into condos I realize how little I know, but I learn something new every time I am here.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate how patient and kind you all are! I wanted to make sure and thank you guys for always making me feel comfortable enough to ask questions. Thanks for being so great!
Devrim Rich
Capital Markets Administrator / American Pacific Mortgage Corp.
He makes you feel like you are his only client
My Company, American Pacific Mortgage, has been working with Steve Stenger at Condo Approval Professionals, LLC since April 2012. Over that time we have built a strong working relationship. His quality of work is excellent. He is my go-to person for any of my condo questions. I trust his opinion, due to his vast knowledge of the agencies’ guidelines. Steve is willing to work with us if we have a file that needs to move quickly. No matter what he is in the middle of he makes you feel like you are his only client.
Diane McNulty
Vice President Underwriting / Peoples Bank
I can’t tell you how much
I can’t tell you how much working with you has made our underwriting lives easier. Just knowing we have someone with your knowledge and expertise on our side makes a huge difference.
Rosa M. Lopez
CMCA Manager / Accounting Chicago Property Services
Wow!!! 1 million thanks to you and your expertise!
Wow!!! 1 million thanks to you and your expertise! One of our clients used a "free" service but it's been over 2 months since the file was submitted to HUD and they keep coming back to me with the same questions that you and I would normally handle prior to filing. You really get for what you pay for. I always highly recommend you to our clients. Thank you, once again!
He is so good at explaining the process
He is so good at explaining the process and provided excellent reference materials in the sessions he conducted on conference calls and in-person classes. I look forward to teaming up with him again in the future.
Steve has been a real asset
Steve has been a real asset to our team by giving us an edge with condo approvals and training. Because of his expertise and exceptional authority as a Fannie-approved project specialist, we closed deals others could not adding value for our loan officers and their clients.
Leslie L.
Branch Manager/Mortgage Banker / New South Federal Savings Bank
Steve’s expertise and knowledge
Steve’s expertise and knowledge is invaluable to anyone in the retail mortgage banking industry. Time and again Steve not only guides myself and my clients through the process of obtaining Fannie/Freddie and FHA approvals on condominium projects, but without his direction many of the projects would never have been considered for approval. In this rapidly changing industry, having someone like Steve on your team is essential.
Steve S
Branch Manager / New South Federal Savings Bank
Steve Stenger’s expertise
Steve Stenger’s expertise in the Condo Industry has directly impacted my business. I endorse Steve completely because of his expertise in the industry and the integrity he shows while working with our business partners.
Timothy O
Mortgage Sales Manager / Home State Bank
I referred Steve
I referred Steve to a Realtor that needed help getting a condo association approved. What a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend Steve. He also came to one of my loan officer sales meetings and educated us on the updated FHA condo approval process. What a great resource for us and our clients. Thanks Steve!
Steve and his firm
Steve and his firm are the go to folks for not only obtaining project approvals for condominium projects (with FHA and Fannie Mae) but also for training loan officers on how to leverage HIS service into relationships for the LO. Great value and I will always highly recommend Steve and his firm to everyone that can use his expertise.
Brent Burns
Wintrust Mortgage
Wintrust Mortgage and myself personally have had the opportunity to work with Steve and his company. His knowledge of the condominium industry as it relates to the many new lending rules has been invaluable in my business. More importantly, Steve, through his work, has helped me to foster new relationships with consumers, homeowner’s associations and Realtors. His knowledge is without equal in this very complicated

Ready to Get Approved? Let’s Make It Happen – Fast.

Avoid last-minute loan denials, underwriter delays, and the stress of non-warrantable condos. Whether you’re a lender, agent, buyer, or HOA, we’ll help you clear the financing hurdle with confidence.

Fast, nationwide condo project reviews

– Full & Limited reviews for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

– Clear, lender-ready documentation – no back-and-forth

At Condo Approval Professionals, we stand behind every review!  Upon completion of the Condominium Project Review, a signed warranty is issued for the Condominium Project (if the Condominium Project meets associated governmental guidelines.)

Guidance on fixing red flags before they stop your deal

We’ve helped thousands of projects get approved and closed – let’s get yours across the finish line.

Call us at 847-293-2962 or click the button below to get started.

FAQs

It’s a determination by FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac that a condominium project meets that agency’s requirements, so lenders can originate and sell loans on units inside it. It evaluates the project, not the borrower — a well-qualified buyer still can’t get an agency loan in a project that doesn’t qualify.

Sometimes. FHA’s single-unit approval allows an individual unit in an unapproved project to be reviewed on its own, subject to limits on how many units in a project can use it. Conventional and VA have narrower paths. The eligibility check will tell you which apply.

No. They’re separate reviews against separate standards. A project can be FHA-approved and still fail a Fannie Mae review, most often on insurance, reserves, or deferred maintenance.

Most of the clock is document collection, not agency review. Projects with current financials, a reserve study, and clean insurance typically move in a few weeks. Litigation, deferred maintenance, or missing records extend it.

Yes. FHA project approval is time-limited and has to be recertified before it lapses. Conventional certifications are re-verified far more often, and a lender may re-check the project on every loan. We track your renewal date so approval doesn’t quietly expire mid-transaction.

Common causes are reserve funding below the required share of the budget, delinquencies above the allowed threshold, active litigation involving the structure or safety of the building, missing or insufficient insurance coverage, too much commercial space, short-term rental operations, and deferred maintenance without a funded plan.

Usually. Denials often trace back to an incomplete package or a single fixable condition, and reviewers rarely explain it in useful detail. We start by finding out what actually happened, then tell you honestly whether a resubmission makes sense.

Usually the association, but lenders, developers, and agents engage us too — for a single unit or an entire portfolio.

Project name and address, unit count, whether the project has been approved before, and a rough sense of the association’s financial position. The eligibility check runs off that.

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