Category

Conventional Loans

Conventional purchase and refinance loans, requirements, costs, and comparisons.

Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Down Payment Options

You do not need 20 percent down for a conventional loan. See the real range from 3 percent up, what PMI actually costs and when it ends, and how to pick the right down payment for your situation.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Refinance Requirements: How to Check Your Eligibility

A clear walkthrough of conventional refinance requirements so you can check your eligibility before gathering documents: credit score, DTI, equity and LTV, income docs, appraisal and seasoning, plus how to drop PMI and run your own break-even math.

9 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan PMI Explained

Private mortgage insurance is easy to start and quiet about ending. Here are the two ways PMI comes off a conventional loan, what original value really means, and when a refinance is the right move.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

HomeReady Loan Explained: How Fannie Mae's Low-Down-Payment Conventional Loan Works

HomeReady is a Fannie Mae conventional loan program built for low-to-moderate-income buyers and homeowners. It requires as little as 3% down, offers reduced private mortgage insurance, and accepts gifts, grants, and boarder income toward qualification. This guide covers eligibility, costs, and whether it fits your situation.

11 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Credit Score Requirements: What Actually Matters

Conventional loans no longer hinge on a single hard credit-score cutoff. Here is what conventional loan credit score requirements really look like now, how your score changes the price and your PMI rather than just the answer, and what underwriting weighs alongside it.

9 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Requirements in 2026

The 20 percent down payment is a myth, and the credit bar is lower than most people think. Here is what a conventional loan actually requires in 2026, from loan limits to PMI.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Debt-to-Income Ratio Requirements

Your debt-to-income ratio often decides a conventional loan application before anything else does. Here are the real limits (36, 45, and 50 percent), what counts in the calculation, why your ratio is higher than you think, and how a consolidation refinance changes the math.

9 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loans and Refinance: The Complete Guide

Conventional loans are the default for borrowers with steady income and decent credit. Here is what they require, how PMI works, and when they beat the government and investor options.

3 min readRead more