Loan programs

Every loan I do, and who each one actually fits

Sixteen programs, grouped by what you are trying to do rather than by what the industry calls them. Start wherever your situation sits — or skip all of it and just tell me what you are working on.

Most lender websites list products. That is not much use if you do not already know which product you need, and the whole reason to talk to a broker is that you get to skip that guess. So these are sorted by the situation, and each one says who it is for rather than what it is.

If two of them look like they might fit, that is normal, and it is the conversation worth having. Half of what I do is telling someone the loan they came in asking about is not the one that prices best for them.

Buying a home

Conventional loans Strong credit and steady income. The default for most buyers, and usually the cheapest place to land once the mortgage insurance math is done properly. See conventional → FHA loans A lower credit score, thinner savings, or a debt load conventional will not stretch to. Flexible where it counts, with mortgage insurance that deserves a hard look. See FHA → VA loans Veterans and active military. Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and usually the strongest terms on the board when you qualify. See VA → First-time home buyer Buying your first place and you want the whole sequence laid out before you start, not explained to you halfway through underwriting. Start here → Jumbo loans Above the conforming limit, $832,750 in most counties. Where your own bank quotes a relationship rate and it is worth having someone check it. See jumbo → Adjustable-rate mortgages Not a program — a rate structure that can sit on top of a conventional or FHA loan. Worth the math only if you have a documented reason your horizon is short. See the honest ARM math →

Refinancing, or getting at the equity you have

Refinance Lowering a rate, dropping mortgage insurance, or changing the term on a loan you already have. Sometimes the answer is to wait, and I will say so. See refinance → HELOC Borrowing against equity without touching your first mortgage. Usually the cheapest way to do it, and usually cheapest at your own bank — here is why. See HELOC → Reverse mortgages (HECM) 62 or older, and the goal is payment relief or standby capital rather than a lump sum. An expensive product that is occasionally exactly right. See reverse →

When your income is the complicated part

Self-employed Two years of returns that a retail underwriter reads wrong. Add-backs, K-1s and depreciation counted the way they are supposed to be. See self-employed → Bank statement loans Real income the tax return does not show, because you legally minimized it. Qualified on deposits instead of on line 11. See bank statement → H1B and visa holders Working in the US legally and told you need a specialty product. You usually do not — standard conventional pricing applies. See visa-holder loans →

Investing, building, or a second place

DSCR investor loans The property qualifies, not you. For investors past the ten-financed-property wall, or holding title in an entity. See DSCR → Construction loans Building from the ground up. One close or two, and the difference between them is worth understanding before you pick a builder. See construction → Renovation loans Financing the work into the loan, sized on what the house will be worth finished rather than what it is worth today. See renovation → Vacation and second homes A second place in another state, and the occupancy rules that quietly decide your rate and your down payment. See second homes →

Not sure which one you are?

That is the normal state of affairs, and it is the reason to start with a conversation instead of a form. Tell me what you are trying to do — buy, refinance, pull cash out, build, buy before you sell — and I will tell you which of these actually prices best for your situation.

It is free, and the recommendation is whatever fits you. I work with lenders, title companies and agents. I work for you, and sometimes that means telling you the answer is a product I do not write.

Matt Mergo, NMLS #563819. Forest Hills Mortgage LLC, NMLS #1982611. Licensed in Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas. Programs, rates and guidelines vary by lender and are subject to credit approval; nothing here is a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Tell me what you are working on

Send the scenario — price, down payment, income situation, timeline — and I will come back with the programs that fit and what each one actually costs. One business day, no sales call.

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Reviewed August 2026 · Matt Mergo, NMLS #563819