FHA vs Conventional PMI (5% down)

[Bryan Pham]

Hi BP,

I am about to purchase a property and is given two options by my agent. One is do a FHA loan with 3.5% down on a property with an additional 1.75% for the MI upfront or do a conventional loan with 5% down. I am not sure if by doing a conventional 5% loan, will I be faced with the same mandates as the FHA loan where I must live in the property for one full year? Does anyone on BP know the answer to this? Thank you.