Cash-Out Timeframe

If you’re looking to take cash out, you have to be on the title of the property for at least six months if you have a conventional, jumbo or VA loan. If you have an FHA loan, the waiting period on a cash-out refi is one year.

On a rate/term refinance (taking no cash out of your equity), there’s no waiting period.

If you recently moved back into your former investment property, the FHA also requires you to prove you’ve lived there for at least a year. If you haven’t been back for at least a year, you can only do a rate/term refinance, and the maximum loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is 85%. In the case of a refinance, LTV is the ratio of the loan amount compared to the appraised value.

One thing to note is that if you inherited the property, there’s no waiting period necessary unless you had an FHA loan and rented the property out at any time since you inherited it.