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Buy a home
Compare purchase options side by side, from conventional fixed-rate loans to government-backed programs.
- Conventional fixed-rate
- Your rate and principal-and-interest payment stay the same for the life of the loan. 30- and 15-year terms are common.
- FHA
- Insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Down payments can start at 3.5% for qualified borrowers; mortgage insurance applies.
- Jumbo
- For loan amounts above conforming limits, with fixed or adjustable rates and stricter credit, reserve and documentation requirements.
- USDA
- For eligible rural and some suburban areas, with household income limits. May allow a purchase with no down payment.
- Renovation
- Finance the home and the repairs it needs in one mortgage, for example with an FHA 203(k) renovation loan.
- Low down payment
- Less cash upfront, weighed against mortgage insurance and a larger loan balance. Alex can compare the tradeoffs.

