Can you buy a townhome with an FHA loan?

Yes, with one wrinkle: "townhome" is a marketing term, and the legal classification on title decides whether extra approval is needed. FHA requires a condominium project to be FHA-approved (or the individual unit to pass FHA's single-unit approval), and VA keeps its own approved-condo list. Detached single-family homes and units in planned unit developments (PUDs) skip condo project approval entirely. Many properties sold as townhomes are legally single-family or PUD on title and need nothing special. Others are legally condominiums, sometimes called townhouse-style condos, and those do need FHA or VA project approval. We've pulled a property profile on a so-called townhome and found its legal description required no condo-style approval at all. The title is what settles it. If a complex does need approval, there are companies that can get an eligible project FHA or VA approved fairly quickly. Have your lender check the legal classification and current approval status early, before you're deep into an offer.