First-time buyers
Borrowers who want to compare eligible low-down-payment, conventional, and government-backed paths without treating the largest approval as the goal.
Plan the purchase. Compare the path.
Conventional, government-backed, jumbo, renovation, and eligible first-time-buyer paths can solve different parts of a purchase. Start with the payment, cash plan, property, and documentation that need to work together.
Category overview
The home comes first. The program follows.
A purchase program is most useful when it supports the complete plan: a sustainable payment, the cash needed for the transaction, the amount that should remain afterward, and the property being considered.
The available path may also depend on occupancy, property type and condition, income and asset documentation, credit, reserves, state, and current program requirements. Comparing those pieces first makes the loan names easier to evaluate in context.
View the full program directoryWho this may help
Situations that may deserve this comparison.
These are starting points for a conversation, not a statement of eligibility or approval.
Buyers with a specific eligibility path
Eligible military borrowers, rural-property buyers, or households exploring approved affordable-housing programs may have additional guidelines to review.
Jumbo or improvement-focused purchases
Borrowers considering higher loan amounts, renovation financing, or construction-to-permanent options may need a more specific property and documentation review.
Collection 01 · Homeownership
Programs in this category.
Purchase programs organized by loan structure and borrower profile.
Conventional
Fixed, adjustable, high-balance, and flexible purchase paths.
FHA
Purchase, renovation, and refinance structures subject to FHA guidelines.
VA
Purchase and refinance paths for eligible military borrowers.
USDA
Purchase and refinance paths subject to borrower and property eligibility.
Jumbo
Purchase and refinance structures above applicable conforming limits.
First-time homebuyer
Low-down-payment and affordable-housing paths for eligible buyers.
A simple way to navigate
Three steps to narrow the path.
Set the working range
Define a sustainable payment, the cash available for the transaction, and the cushion you want to preserve after closing.
Describe the property
Confirm the intended occupancy, property type, condition, location, and any renovation or construction plans.
Compare eligible structures
Review documentation, reserves, costs, and program tradeoffs against the complete borrower and property picture.
Eligibility and approval
The complete file determines the available path.
Government-backed, affordable-housing, renovation, construction, and jumbo programs can each carry distinct borrower, property, documentation, loan-limit, and geographic requirements.
Availability, eligibility, documentation, loan amounts, rates, costs, and terms depend on the borrower, property, transaction, state, investor, and current program guidelines. This page is general education—not a rate quote, approval, commitment to lend, or guarantee of terms. Final approval remains subject to underwriting.
Ask about your scenario