{"id":82079,"date":"2016-10-29T11:00:34","date_gmt":"2016-10-29T17:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/renewsblog\/?p=82079"},"modified":"2024-02-08T17:20:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T00:20:56","slug":"conventional-mortgage-loans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/conventional-mortgage-loans","title":{"rendered":"Conventional Mortgage Loans: The Basics on How They Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It used to be that when people would get a mortgage, they would go to a lender and borrow money. The lender that they got their loan at would hold onto their loan and collect payments from them each month according to the loan terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1930s, a market was developed for these lenders to originate mortgage loans with their customers and then \u201csell\u201d them to other investors who then would collect the mortgage payments each month according to the loan terms. Today, it is very common for lenders to sell their loans <a href=\"http:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/articles\/pf\/07\/secondary_mortgage.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on the secondary market<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"702\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/conventional-loan.jpg\" alt=\"conventional-loan\" class=\"wp-image-77019\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/conventional-loan.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/conventional-loan-300x144.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the United States, there are two large buyers on the secondary market for mortgages &#8212; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These two entities produce a set of guidelines&nbsp;where&nbsp;if mortgages fit the guidelines, then they agree to buy them. These guidelines outline the basic \u201crules\u201d of getting a mortgage from them, and part of the outline is a limit on the amount that the loan can be for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of Conventional Loans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is possible for a conventional loan to be considered a \u201cconforming\u201d or a \u201cnon-conforming\u201d loan. Conforming loans adhere to the guidelines set forth by Fannie\/Freddie and also the \u201cconforming\u201d loan limit set out by the two entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2016 conforming loan limits were set at $417,000 for all contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and $625,500 for Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more detailed information, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fanniemae.com\/singlefamily\/loan-limits#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">visit this page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"702\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/diy-inspection.jpg\" alt=\"diy-inspection\" class=\"wp-image-81640\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/diy-inspection.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/diy-inspection-300x144.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Conventional loans have various types of programs, including fixed rate programs, ARM programs, interest-only programs, hybrid rate programs, and balloon payment programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The easiest way to see what conventional loan program can best help you finance your home? Speak with a lender who helps people follow the guidelines for conventional loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n  <div id=\"visibility-group-block_c9a46416ef3d8baf818de379da952486\" class=\"visibility-group  hidden\">\n        \n\n<div id=\"hero-block_ff457d5968a685f412ac5b0ae95d2648\" class=\"first:mt-0 hero-block py-4  alignwide   has-background has-theme-gold-light-background-color has-text-color has-theme-gold-color\">\n    <div\n        class=\" flex flex-wrap lg:flex-nowrap max-w-screen-xl mx-auto px-4 relative lg:items-center \">\n\n        <div class=\"relative z-30 w-full \">\n            <main class=\"py-4\">\n                \n\n<p class=\"has-theme-gold-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:800\">Get the Best Loan Today<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"my-3 md:my-5 lg:my-8 has-slate-900-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:16px\">Find trusted, <em><strong>investor-friendly<\/strong><\/em> lenders who specialize in your strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=button-custom-event-block_1eb2b45b42e590601c71557f7fff2d61 class='button-custom-event'>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/business\/finder\/lenders\" x-on:click=\"window.analytics.track(&#039;Blog Block | B2C Marketplace Lender Finder&#039;, {\n      referrer: &#039;https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/conventional-mortgage-loans&#039;,\n    });\" class=\" btn-shape inline-block no-underline has-background has-theme-gold-background-color has-text-color has-white-color\" target=\"_blank\">Find a Lender<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n            <\/main>\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\" first:mt-0 relative h-full lg:flex lg:items-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"object-cover w-full relative z-20 my-0  rounded-md hidden lg:block\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Marketplace-Blog-Blocks-Lender-v3.png\" alt=\"investor friendly lender, investor friendly real estate loans\" title=\"\">\n        <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n    \n  <div id=\"visibility-group-block_64dd31c79f00f\" class=\"visibility-group  \">\n        \n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"hero-block_64dd2875dba9d\" class=\"first:mt-0 hero-block py-4    has-background has-slate-100-background-color has-text-color has-theme-slate-color\">\n    <div\n        class=\" flex flex-wrap lg:flex-nowrap max-w-screen-xl mx-auto px-4 relative lg:items-center \">\n\n        <div class=\"relative z-30 w-full \">\n            <main class=\"py-4\">\n                \n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading my-0 tracking-tight font-extrabold has-theme-slate-dark-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\">Join the community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"my-3 md:my-5 lg:my-8 has-theme-slate-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400\">Ready to succeed in real estate investing? Create a free BiggerPockets account to learn about investment strategies; ask questions and get answers from our community of +2 million members; connect with investor-friendly agents; and so much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=button-custom-event-block_64dd2888dba9e class='button-custom-event'>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/signup\" x-on:click=\"window.analytics.track(&#039;Blog Block | Acquisition | Free Membership Signup&#039;, {\n      referrer: &#039;https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/conventional-mortgage-loans&#039;,\n    });\" class=\" btn-shape inline-block no-underline has-background has-theme-blue-background-color has-text-color has-white-color\" target=\"_blank\">Sign Up<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n            <\/main>\n        <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Any questions about conventional loans?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leave your questions and comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What exactly is a conventional loan, why do they exist, and what makes them &#8220;conforming&#8221;? Get a basic primer on how these loans work here!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":827,"featured_media":76150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7402],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-traditional-loans"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/827"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}