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Conventional Loans

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

Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Gift Funds Explained: How Family Money Can Cover Your Down Payment

A gift from family can cover your down payment, closing costs, even reserves on a conventional loan. Here is who can give, how much the money can cover, and the gift letter and paper trail an underwriter needs to see.

10 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Home Possible Loan Explained: A Low Down Payment Conventional Loan

A Home Possible loan is a conventional mortgage that lets qualified buyers put down as little as 3 percent. Here is who it fits, the 80 percent AMI income limit, the credit and property rules, and why its mortgage insurance does not last forever.

9 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

High-Balance Conventional Loans Explained

A high-balance conventional loan sits between a standard conforming loan and a jumbo mortgage. Here is how the limits work in higher-cost counties, and why total cost matters more than the rate.

9 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Refinance From FHA to Conventional: When It Makes Sense

Refinancing from FHA to conventional can end mortgage insurance FHA would otherwise charge for years. Here is when the switch makes sense and how to run the numbers.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conforming Loan Limits by County: What Buyers Should Know

The line between a conforming loan and a jumbo loan is drawn county by county, and it moves every year. Here is how those limits work and why the number matters for your loan.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan Limits in 2026

The 2026 conforming loan limit for a one-unit home rose to $832,750, with a high-cost-area ceiling of $1,249,125. Here is what the FHFA figures mean for a conventional loan, how conforming compares to jumbo, the multi-unit limits, and how to read the numbers for your own county.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Cash-Out Refinance, Explained Without the Sales Pitch

A conventional cash-out refinance turns home equity into cash. Here is how much you can take out, what it really costs beyond the rate, and how to tell a good deal from a good-looking quote.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Loan for Rental Property: What Changes?

A conventional loan on a rental works much like the one on your own home, with a few key differences in down payment, pricing, reserves, and how the rent counts.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Cash-Out Refinance Closing Costs: What to Expect

The cash is the headline of a conventional cash-out refinance, but the closing costs decide whether it is worth it. Here is what they include and how to weigh them.

8 min readRead more
Conventional Loans

Conventional Cash-Out Refinance LTV Limits

A conventional cash-out refinance lets you turn home equity into cash, but the loan-to-value limit caps how much you can take. Here is how the 80 percent rule works and how to estimate your number.

8 min readRead more
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