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Compare conforming mortgage lenders using matched Loan Estimates, rates, fees, PMI, lender overlays, closing reliability, and refinance break-even math.
FHA mortgage insurance is the trade-off for a 3.5% down payment and flexible credit requirements. It comes in two parts, follows different rules than conventional PMI, and for most borrowers never cancels on its own. Here is how it actually works before you sign.
DSCR loans and hard money loans are both popular with real estate investors, but they serve different purposes. Compare rates, terms, qualification requirements, and ideal use cases.
The VA construction loan is real: land, build, and permanent financing in one closing with no down payment. It is also one of the hardest VA products to actually get. Here is how the one-time close works, why builders and lenders avoid it, and when the conventional-then-refinance route wins.
The funding fee is the one real cost of a VA loan, ranging from 0.5% to 3.3% of the loan amount. Roughly a third of VA borrowers are exempt and many of the rest finance it without running the math. On a $600,000 California purchase, that math is worth $4,000-$6,000.
Most "VA loan disqualifier" lists mix permanent problems with paperwork problems. Only two things genuinely block the benefit: your discharge status and unresolved federal debt. Almost everything else is a timing issue you can fix.
Talk through your numbers with a licensed mortgage broker and see rates from 160+ wholesale lenders priced to your file.
Updated 9/16/2026
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