Residential Home Loan Education
Expert guides on every residential loan type — FHA vs. conventional, jumbo loans, VA eligibility, refinancing strategies, self-employed programs, bridge loans, and more. Clear, honest answers designed to help you choose the right mortgage.
Residential Loan Guides
Each guide answers one specific question with a direct answer, key facts, and detailed explanation — optimized for quick answers.
Investment Loans
What Is a DSCR Loan?
A DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loan is an investment property mortgage where qualification is based on the property's rental income ra...
Equestrian
How Do You Finance a Horse Property?
Horse property financing splits across three products that handle the same buyer at different price points and use levels: Conforming Conven...
First-Time Buyers
FHA vs. Conventional Loan: Which Should You Choose?
An FHA loan requires just 3.5% down and accepts credit scores from 580, but charges mortgage insurance for the life of the loan. A conventio...
Bridge Loans
What Is a Bridge Loan?
A bridge loan is short-term financing that lets you buy a new home before selling your current one. It 'bridges' the gap between your two tr...
Self-Employed
What Is a Bank Statement Loan?
A bank statement loan is a mortgage program that uses 12 or 24 months of bank deposits — instead of tax returns — to calculate qualifying in...
Loan Types
What Is a Jumbo Loan?
A jumbo loan is a mortgage that exceeds the conforming loan limit set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). In 2026, the standard co...
VA Loans
Who Is Eligible for a VA Loan?
VA loan eligibility is based on military service. You may qualify if you served 90+ consecutive days of active duty during wartime, 181+ day...
Refinancing
When Should You Refinance Your Mortgage?
You should consider refinancing when current rates are at least 0.5-0.75% below your existing rate, when you want to eliminate FHA mortgage ...
Residential
How Much House Can I Afford?
How much house you can afford depends on your income, debts, down payment, interest rate, and the debt-to-income (DTI) ratio your loan progr...
Residential
What Should First-Time Homebuyers Know in Oregon and California?
First-time homebuyers in Oregon and California have access to multiple low-down-payment programs: FHA (3.5% down, 580+ credit), Conventional...
Residential
How Do Construction Loans Work?
A construction loan is short-term financing that funds the building of a new home in stages (draws) as construction progresses. Once the hom...
Residential
How Do You Finance an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit)?
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) — backyard cottage, garage conversion, or basement suite — can be financed several ways: a cash-out refinan...
VA Loans
What Is a VA One-Time Close Construction Loan?
A VA One-Time Close (OTC) construction loan is a single loan that finances the lot purchase, the home build, and the permanent mortgage in o...
VA Loans
What Is a VA Loan?
A VA loan is a mortgage backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, available to eligible active-duty service members, veterans, Nati...
Residential Lending Glossary
From the Blog
Further Reading
InvestmentMaximizing DSCR and Cash Flow with Interest-Only Payments: A 2026 Six-City Comparison (Portland, Eugene, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County)
Interest-only payments on a 40-year DSCR loan can lift your debt-service coverage ratio by roughly 0.13–0.15 and add hundreds of dollars per month in cash flow — sometimes flipping a deal from negative to positive. Here is what the math looks like at 2026 median price points across six West Coast investor markets, modeled at 30% down (70% LTV) which is the sweet spot for best-tier DSCR pricing.
ResidentialAssumable FHA & VA Loans: A Buyer’s Guide to Inheriting a 3% Mortgage in Today’s 6% Market — Portland and San Francisco Scenarios
Government loans (FHA and VA) are assumable. With current rates near 6%, a buyer who can step into a 3.75% FHA loan or a 4.00% VA jumbo loan from 2022–2023 captures hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime savings — but only if they understand the cash-to-close math, minimum-payment rules, and resale implications. Real Portland and San Francisco walkthroughs.
InvestmentDSCR Loans for LLCs in Oregon: Why Entity Vesting Wins — and Why You Should Avoid Vesting Changes Before a Conventional Refinance
Oregon investors increasingly want to hold rentals inside an LLC for liability and estate planning. DSCR loans allow that natively; conventional loans punish vesting changes. Here's the practical playbook for choosing the right vesting at acquisition — and avoiding the trap of moving title into an LLC mid-loan.
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